Legit, gourmet pizza. Vastly superior to everything else in the area…read more The thing that makes this place truly special is the value. You can tell they use high cost ingredients without absurdly up-charging the customer. If you enjoy wine or spirits, you will be hard-pressed to find a better restaurant. Adam, who I think was the manager, was excellent. His knowledge of food and wine was exceptional -- especially his knowledge of bourbon! I cannot recommend this to place enough! I will most certainly return.

Great pizza, friendly staff, great atmosphere...will be back soon to try some other pizza options!read more

Ordered takeout for the first time and overall it was a smooth experience. It took about 20-30…read moreminutes, which was reasonable, and there were no issues with parking or paying when I arrived. We ordered the Margherita pan pizza and the thin mac and cheese bacon pizza. The Margherita was my favorite. I thought I had ordered it thin crust, but it came as pan instead. The crust was a bit thick, but honestly one slice was very filling. For two people, it felt like a lot of bread -- but the toppings were really good and everything tasted fresh. You could tell the ingredients were high quality. The mac and cheese bacon pizza was good too, but you definitely have to like both mac and cheese and bacon to fully enjoy it. I personally liked it better without the bacon, but it's still a must-try if you're into unique pizza combinations. Overall, solid first takeout experience and I'd definitely order again.

Looking for authentic Chicago deep dish, without it tasting touristy? This is your place. It was…read morerecommended by a local for its authenticity. I kept the order simple and went with a pepperoni deep dish. It was great! Sauce had good flavor and wasn't overly spicy, while the crust had just the right amount of crunch with a buttery flavor. It wasn't heavy on salt either. They made everything how we ordered it. The employees even provided us with plastic ware and plates to go. If in the area, take the trip to visit this or have it delivered. You won't go wrong!

Francesca's Intimo is a great Italian restaurant with amazing ambiance. It's a perfect place for…read moredate night. FOOD: we stated with the calamari, risotto, and carpaccio. All three appetizers were delicious and I'll definitely get them again. The calamari was fried to perfection. I hate it when it's chewy and that was not the case with their calamari. For my main dish, I got the sea scallops linguine with spinach and tomato cream sauce. It was sooo good. My favorite pasta from there. They did not skimp on the sea scallops. We ordered 4 desserts: tiramisu, lemon olive oil cake, sticky toffee carrot cake, and chocolate torte. All the desserts were good but my favorite was the tiramisu. It's probably one of my favorite place to get tiramisu. Honestly, you probably cannot go wrong with any of their desserts. The one thing I was kind of disappointed with the Hugo spritz but not a big deal. It was weirdly too light for me SERVICE: service was slow in the beginning. It took awhile for the waiter to get to our table. But after that it was great.

I had a wonderful week day lunch at Francesca's in Lake Forest. I'm so glad they are open for…read morelunch. The dining room is classy and comfortable. The service is always fantastic. The food is the best at nice lunch time pricing. They also have a wonderful happy hour week days from 3-6pm. I started with the minestrone soup. The vegetables were cut large and had a really nice crunch. The soup was flavorful and fresh. My entree was the linguine arrabbiata but I asked if they could also add fresh vegetables to it, sort of like a pasta primavera. They did! It had spinach, tomatoes, eggplant, and mushrooms. It was excellent with a nice spicy tomato sauce. It was awesome that the chef customized the dish for me. I highly recommend Francesca's of Lake Forest for lunch.

We stopped in at Pixca on a Friday night for dinner. When we arrived many tables were open but when…read morewe asked for a table for two the host paused like he wasn't sure he could fit us in. He did find a table and during the course of our meal there were non-stop arrivals with a few heading straight to the small bar so I'm thinking perhaps it has a strong flow of regular customers. The service was efficient and the dining room has a cozy bistro feel to it. The menu is seasonal. Nothing was calling out to me so I went with the burger and fries. Both were good. Overall we are glad we gave Pixca a try. Before we go again we'll make a reservation and check the menu to see what the current options are.

We were around the area at the Botanic Gardens and found this spot on Yelp. Located in a cute…read morelittle area, this is a nice local restaurant. We arrived very early at a random time, probably right after opening. Everyone was so nice and service was great. The table started with the cornbread, moist and warm. Not as sweet as I personally like (I can't help it I'm southern) but delicious nonetheless. The eggplant hummus wasn't that great to me, loved the bread it came with but I think I would prefer typical chickpea hummus instead. Brussels were so good, probably the favorite thing I tried. For my entree I had a kale salad with added salmon. I liked the crunch and the light vinaigrette. My husband had the seafood risotto which was slightly undercooked. All and all a positive experience and I'd definitely go back if I was in the area.

We got a flyer in the mail featuring some good looking pizzas, pub favorites, and tacos de harina…read more Never heard of Cansino's, but we had to try them out. Man, am I glad we got the flyer, because they have since become one of our local favorites! For the longest time, Lou Malnati's was our favorite Chicago style deep dish pizza, but Cansino's is now #1 in town for us. Their cheese blend is soooo creamy, stretchy, and delicious! It's apparently their own in-house blend of California cheeses, and it reminds us of the tasty Wisconsin brick that's popular in Detroit style (possibly a little creamier but less salty). Their tomato sauce is super savory, with a rich herb blend and not too sweet or tart - it's so satisfying! The crust is firm and delicious, and their sausage is leaner than Lou's while having a stronger fennel essence. We still love other Chicago style deep dish pizzas, but Cansino's will be the first on our list when we get a craving. We love onion rings in principle, but are a little particular about how we enjoy them. Cansino's onion rings are excellent - crispy seasoned breading and supple onion slices that are cooked juuuust right. Their fries are also really tasty, and we loved their fried mushrooms. I've tried two of their Mexican style tortas, which were also very good (I loved the fajita style veggies and beans, and the seasoned beef was pretty good). The steak and veggies were excellent, and their bread was pretty good. Next time, I REALLY wanna try their paninos. Their staff is super-friendly, giving us great suggestions of new things to try. The restaurant is always clean and well lit. Prices are fair for the neighborhood. Their preparation times are reasonable, and everything we've ordered was ready on time. There's plenty of parking right in front of the shop, and their front entrance is easily accessible. They're right across the street from the Fort Sheridan Metra Station, so I recommend trying them out if that's your stop. They also have some breakfast items, so it might be a good treat before your morning commute. We're definitely going to be trying more of Cansino's menu, and we'll be sure to add more photos and updates.

tried cansino's pizza for carryout last weekend. got the thin crust marguerita, along with two…read moresalads, house garden salad and individual antipasto salad. the salads were very good--cold, crisp and fresh. pizza was okay--already cold and needed big reheating at home. also ordered spaghetti with marinara sauce. honestly we were both disappointed. the sauce was so-so, and lacked...alot. also had cheese already baked on it w/o having requested it--not thrilled with that. sadly, would not order that again. the interior of the restaurant is clean, bright and eating in is available. the takeout order was taken carefully and promptly.

It's been over 3 years since I've reviewed Grateful Bites and it is still a delicious lunch…read morediscovery in Winnetka! I am trying to eat healthier these days, and was pleasantly surprised by the selection of delicious salads and hummus on the menu. My husband ordered the Feed Your Head vegetarian white pizza, which was superb. This time the gentleman behind the counter, Matt and Matt, introduced us to hot honey and giardiniera, both made in-house. Giardiniera is an Italian relish or condiment made from a medley of crisp vegetables--typically cauliflower, carrots, celery, and peppers--pickled in vinegar or oil. Those were delicious toppings to enjoy on pizza or a salad accompaniment. Whenever we return to Winnetka, we will be sure to stop here again!

Great pizza restaurant in the heart of downtown Winnetka. They have a wild selection of pizza…read moreoptions including white pizzas. Their salads are also fantastic. The staff is very friendly and they have 4 tables if you feel like eating in or you can order out.

Highly recommended. Quality home style Old School Italian American cuisine. A little crowded but…read morethat's part of its charm. Delicious EVERYTHING. Homemade and served by focused staff. From soup to gnocchi to chicken to dessert, we loved it all.

This was a nice old school Italian dining experience! The tables in the front/bar area are small,…read moreso if you're more than a party of two (in the booths) you might want to ask for a different seating arrangement. My food was solid and the wine was very afforable and tasty. Service was great! I'd like to come back and try more options on the menu. Parking was easy and free right out front!

I ate at this restaurant about a year ago and it was just as busy then as it was when we ate there…read morerecently. We had a 7 o'clock reservation and did not get seated until almost 7:30 which happened to us when I ate here a year ago. The restaurant seemed extremely busy. However, they were extremely accommodating and apologized for seating us late. In addition, they sent over three appetizers for free because of the delay in seating us. That alone gets five stars from me. We had the tavern style pizza, which is only offered on Monday nights and it was delicious! The meatballs, fried cheese and salad was amazing as well! I recommend their creamy Italian dressing. It is delicious! They also brought over some bread and butter, and the butter had coarse salt mixed into it, which was unbelievable! I will definitely be returning!

This place is excellent. A true neighborhood spot with elevated food that is neither stuffy nor…read moredumbed down. We had a lobster risotto, chicken Marsala, branzino, and a pizza. Okay first the free bread, although the bread is nothing special the butter is noteworthy. Salty and creamy, just incredible. Let's move to the rest of the meal. My chicken Marsala was seasoned beautifully and a decently sized where it was a good portion for one and decent portion to share with a salad and dessert. The branzino was a full fish deboned and lovely. It was a Saturday and the special was the lobster risotto which was incredible. SO MUCH lobster. This is a must order. Although I did not partake in the pizza, the pizza eaters at the table couldn't stop raving about the pizza. The service was spot on and the restaurant was managed really well. Strongly recommend this place and I'm hopeful their Lincoln Park location is just as lovely.