Restaurant suburbs (Chicago, Naperville, Arlington Heights: real estate, home, living)

[edsg25]

Which suburbs do you recognize as being "restaurant suburbs"....places with a heavy concentration of good restaurants, often at the core of their communities?

I'm not thinking so much about places around malls (what Woodfield delivers to Schaumburg and what Oakbrook delivers to Oak Brook....inside and out of the shopping centers). Having lots of restaurants around major malls is a given. and besides, these places generally have far fewer locally owned, non-chain restaurants.

I'd say any list of great restaurant towns would include Evanston (the unofficial "dining center for the North Shore), Highland Park, Wheeling (Milw Ave), Highwood (Italian), Oak Park, Naperville, Rosemont (heavily O'Hare dependent)

What are your choices?

[pvande55]

Wheeling for sure! Schaumburg and Vernon Hills, but those are in the shadows of heavy retail. Des Plaines, along Elmhurst Rd.

[ToriaT]

I think you have named a lot of them. There are also quite a few restaurants in Wheaton like Austin BBQ, Sushimono, The Ivy, Adelles and the like....many many more. There is also a great concentration of restaurants on Butterfield Rd starting at Finley and stretching all the way to Oakbrook. These are retail dependent though but there sure are a lot of them.

[deechee]

LaGrange, IL?

[darstar]

I notice there are no places on the south side. Infact the most popular towns are on the North shore, one of the wealthiest places to live on the Planet!. I think it's always been like that. Interesting that these villages do not attract malls ether. Those are my or were my observations when I lived on or in the western burbs. We always made it a point to try a new interesting ( ethic ) place to eat every week. In those days, Chicago magazine was king in that regard, not so sure it's that way anymore. Quite a few places to eat were in the city, in quaint ethnic parts of the city. aAfter living all over the map of North America., Chicago was tops for eating out, Always will be, there are so many divisions of people from all places on the globe.

[edsg25]

Originally Posted by darstar

I notice there are no places on the south side. Infact the most popular towns are on the North shore, one of the wealthiest places to live on the Planet!. I think it's always been like that. Interesting that these villages do not attract malls ether. Those are my or were my observations when I lived on or in the western burbs. We always made it a point to try a new interesting ( ethic ) place to eat every week. In those days, Chicago magazine was king in that regard, not so sure it's that way anymore. Quite a few places to eat were in the city, in quaint ethnic parts of the city. aAfter living all over the map of North America., Chicago was tops for eating out, Always will be, there are so many divisions of people from all places on the globe.

i'm sure wealth makes the North Shore prime restaurant real estate. I think there are other factors, as well. the North Shore is probably one of (if not the) longest, most linear strip of wealth, so there is a concentration there of people. also, virtually every north shore suburb has a concentrated downtown along the Metra UP/N line; each is inviting and Evanston, Winnetka, Highland Park, and Lake Forest are classic. There are ideal places to dine and stroll.

[darstar]

Originally Posted by edsg25

i'm sure wealth makes the North Shore prime restaurant real estate. I think there are other factors, as well. the North Shore is probably one of (if not the) longest, most linear strip of wealth, so there is a concentration there of people. also, virtually every north shore suburb has a concentrated downtown along the Metra UP/N line; each is inviting and Evanston, Winnetka, Highland Park, and Lake Forest are classic. There are ideal places to dine and stroll.

I agree, it is consecrated along a strip, add the extreme wealth, well you have the perfect place. However, I have to say a lot is about the local and not the food quality. I visit Lake Forest often ( have wealthy family there). We always go to some real nice places, but none stand up to what is in the City, or, as a long time resident of Lisle/Hinsdale. we had better places to eat at lower prices, however Oakbrook did make a difference.I really enjoyed living on the West side burbs, all the way to the Fox river, for 12 years. This was in the seventies. In the 60s I lived in Calumet City/South Holland, Tinley Park, Palos Hills, no comparison to the places north and west, and of coarse the North Shore, where life is a different place , not the real world at all.I found the singles life at Four Lakes Village to my liking. Those were wonderful years for me.Never were there a shortage of date nite choices to dine at, but, for anything special, we made that long drive downtown. Sometimes I wondered how we ever got home after a night of parting, drinking and of coarse eating at the latest place to see and to be seen..

[jlawrence01]

There are great restaurants in MOST suburbs.

My favorites:

Arlington Heights - La Tosca, alt Thai, Bangkok Cafe, Gumbrai Thai

Schaumburg - Many Indian places along E. Schaumburg Rd.

Burbank - Chuck's Southern Comfort Cafe

[pvande55]

I think the reason Highwood became a restaurant center was the surrounding towns were dry. Most diners want a drink with their meal. I think Chicago Executive airport (formerly Palwaukee) had something to do with Wheeling's Restaurant Row. I have heard Bob Chinn gets fish flown in that way, and no doubt pilots from around the midwest fly in for lunch.

[edsg25]

Originally Posted by darstar

I agree, it is consecrated along a strip, add the extreme wealth, well you have the perfect place. However, I have to say a lot is about the local and not the food quality. I visit Lake Forest often ( have wealthy family there). We always go to some real nice places, but none stand up to what is in the City, or, as a long time resident of Lisle/Hinsdale. we had better places to eat at lower prices, however Oakbrook did make a difference.I really enjoyed living on the West side burbs, all the way to the Fox river, for 12 years. This was in the seventies. In the 60s I lived in Calumet City/South Holland, Tinley Park, Palos Hills, no comparison to the places north and west, and of coarse the North Shore, where life is a different place , not the real world at all.I found the singles life at Four Lakes Village to my liking. Those were wonderful years for me.Never were there a shortage of date nite choices to dine at, but, for anything special, we made that long drive downtown. Sometimes I wondered how we ever got home after a night of parting, drinking and of coarse eating at the latest place to see and to be seen..

I see your point. For all their charm (and maybe because of it), north shore downtowns are dead end zones in the sense that the wide major, commercial streets don't run through them, grid like, as they do through most of suburbia.

Evanston is an incredible restaurant town and does draw people from areas around it. But due to its location on the North Shore (being its own little world), it is subject to less wider coverage for its restaurants that come in a similar town, Oak Park. Oak Park is smaller than Evanston as is its downtown smaller than Evanston's. But Evanston doesn't have the cross traffic that streets like Lake and Harlem provide OP.

Oak Park is transversed;Evanston isn't.

I doubt that you would find many suburban downtowns that are large and thrive basically because of their own residents as you would find in Highland Park. Going into town is a part of the HP culture.