50 Best Italian Restaurants near Highwood

“Delightful owners, excellent customer service. The best lasagna we have ever tasted. It melts in your mouth. Beyond delicious!!!!“

“So glad I tried and continue to enjoy Maria’s Italian Bakery and Cafe! This authentic spot offers wonderful service and excellent quality menu items— highly recommend!“

“Really good Italian food and ambiance!“

“My palette’s lack of sophistication prevents me from doing justice reviewing the menu items I enjoyed, but my belly is satisfied , and there were no leftovers; however, no matter the exquisite culinary notes I, likely, missed that a more refined pallet might’ve identified, there’s no way there was anything on a plate in the Chicago land area this evening that matched the atmosphere, service, and proud history shared by the staff and current owner, a descendant of the original owners who established the restaurant 123 years ago. A truly delightful experience that I intend to repeat as often as I’m able!“

“We went to Washington Garden’s last night with friends hoping to enjoy some good Italian food. The food was delicious! The portions were large and the waitress couldn’t have been nicer. We will be returning soon. 🥰👍👍⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️“

“Since the day Lenny opened the place, I have been a loyal patron. Even though I moved out of state in 87, 5 times a year I come in for for the best beef and sausage in them we state.“

“Food was excellent as always and our server Moses made it extra special. Always one of my favorites!“

“Omar gave great service! Good was very good (ravioli with tomato cream). Good for kids too!“

“perfectly cooked steak- very creamy mac and cheese- sausage and peppers were perfection- service was top tier- Batman was was playing on the television behind the bar which was in perfect viewing from our table. Thanks for helping make a Daddy Daughter Day a huge success.“

“I ordered the Veal Barolo and it was excellent. Another member in our party ordered the Veal Carlos, and that too was excellent. The overall service was outstanding. One member of our party had special needs. Specifically, this person required a walker to get around. The service that the retaurant staff rendered to this member of our party was truly extraordinary.“

“Great, authentic Italian cuisine. Never disappoints.“

“Amazing and now I love the tacos 🥰“

“I’ve had three parties here. The Prices are affordable and the food is absolutely delicious. Shout out to the service! every thing was phenomenal as usual!“

“My sister and I both ordered the grilled salmon. She asked for her to be cooked through; I asked for mine to be prepred per chef's recommendation. Both of our dishes were prepared to our specifications. Mine was seared on the outside and tender moist on the inside. To add to that perfection, the sunchoke purée had an amazing mélange of flavors. I finished my meal with the Scorza Dolce--also packed with flavor.I have now had three meals that were so exquisitely flavorful that they will stick in my mind forever (previous two are from 1981 and 2005). My salmon at Mino's is now my #1 all-time favorite meals!“

“Great Food! Great Service! Always a Favorite❤️“

“They had great food !! I liked their chicken with sauce on it !! Very tasty !!“

“Brought the family in tonight as I had been wanting to try since they opened last year. Glad they have valet because the parking lot is tight. They accommodated myself, my partner and 3 children easily at a nicely set table. Water glasses were a bit strange (like votives) but I'm in the Industry so I notice things like that. The ambiance was nice. Loud boisterous and didn't feel out of place with the kids so that was nice. Service was fantastic! Leo was our server and he was attentive, knowledgable and pleasant with the kids. His Server Assistant was equally as attentive so I'll shout out to them because they often get overlooked on the importance of how they make service flow. I wish I had asked his name. Even the food runner was personable as he brought out our dishes. I had the filet which was great, along with the asparagus. Loved the red wine sauce. Tried the zucchini fries- excellent. Meatballs eh, kids food eh, broccolini was undercooked, too thick for my liking (and I love broccolini) with a pesto sauce on there that I think goes better on a pasta rather than a green vegetable. They should reconsider that one. My partner had a NY I believe with kale and garlic confit- which was excellent. He loved the steak, I loved the kale and the confit.“

“My favorite Italian restaurant in the northern suburbs. Great food and awesome atmosphere 👍.“

“Excellent service, amazing food. Gelato is incredible! :) Very nice people there, too! Will definitely return!“

“Carry out was outstanding! Helped tide us over until we are all able to eat here and in all restaurants again! 👍🏼“

“amazing food and awesome staff!!“

“Great place to have Italian food 😊“

“Todd and his daughter & staff are incredible . their wonderful service made my family dinner something so special. Everyone who works at this tiny gem is so welcoming. In a time when it seems every restaurant experience is rushed and rotten- Viaggo puts personal touch and love into every moment. Thank you so much Todd we will be back .“

“Wow, I’m still impressed after our visit! 😍 We recently moved to the area and I think we’ve already found our new favorite Italian spot 🍝✨ It honestly reminded us of the amazing meals we had back in Italy 🇮🇹 My husband booked a table for a lunch date, and we were pleasantly surprised by how cozy and intimate the place felt 💕

The atmosphere was charming, though I can see how it might feel a bit tight for some since the tables are placed quite close together 🤏 But personally, we didn’t mind at all-in fact, it added to the lively vibe! At one point, the people sitting next to us even asked what we ordered because our food looked and smelled so good 🤭

I’m a big seafood lover, so I tried the Seafood Diavolo, and it was absolutely delicious 🔥🦞 The spice level was just right, and the pasta was cooked perfectly, loaded with lobster and a mix of fresh seafood 😋 I’m already excited to come back and explore more dishes from their menu. Definitely a place worth returning to again and again! 💯“

“I lived overseas for a number of years and came back after Covid only to find my go-to pizza spots had all closed. I spent the next three years chasing that real Chicago stuffed-crust fix and kept coming up disappointed.

Then, on my birthday today, I finally found the place that fills the void.

The sauce is robust, the cheese is generous, and the crust is exactly what you want from a quality Chicago stuffed crust pizza. Hands down, it’s the best stuffed crust I’ve had in Illinois in over 10 years, and the price is better than Lou Malnati’s (bland) and Giordano’s (#2 stuffed crust in il IMO, but far away from my location).

Great value for the money, and the people here are genuinely nice. First visit, and now loyal customer now.“

“Fresh and delicious attention to detail. Just had a deep dish pizza with red onion and yellow peppers. Perfect balance of flavors.“

“We had family style dinner. Food was amazing!! Service was great. Everyone took such pride in their jobs.“

“Great food as usual!“

“We hosted a meet and greet for work and our team had a wonderful evening and delicious meals! The staff and management are easy to work with, accommodating vegetarian and non-vegetarian requests. I would highly recommend the venue for small/intimate or large gatherings!! The outdoor seating has fantastic views and a relaxing atmosphere!“

“This place is incredible. All of the staff (from the host, bus boys, waiter, to the owner) were so friendly, personable and provided top notch service. The food is so authentic and delicious. You can tell the ingredients are fresh. The owner recommended off the menu items that were so tasty. One of the best meals/ experiences we’ve had in a while!“

“Great food and even better customer service. We ordered food for delivery and Grub Hub only delivered our pastries, not our dinners. When I called Sorelle, the manager apologized and said he would bring us our food. It is so rare these days to have that kind of service and we were so appreciative. We will definitely be return customers!“

“Great place to eat and excellent service .“

“We dined in tonight. The staff was friendly and helpful and the food was amazing. Will definitely stop in again next time we are in town.“

“We order from here 1-3 times a week for lunch at my shop and dinner at home. The food is always fantastic, delivery is fast and the staff are very friendly and helpful. We've also gotten catering before too and that service was fantastic. Night driver Scott is awesome too!“

“Convito cafe has long been one of our favorites. Our kids give us gift card every Christmas. Consistent quality , keeping old faves on menu along with specials per season. Tonight my husband loved the calves liver and I loved the fettuccini with fro magic and peas and pancetta. We each enjoyed the Caesar salads. That's fromagia not magic. And your desserts are always yummy!“

“Love their food but some improvement is needed with ordering. I’ve had 2 issues which I wasn’t going to mention the first one but after today I decided to write about it so maybe Managment can see and tweak things a bit. First issue a while ago (I think about 5-7 months ago) I ordered a plain cheeseburger with fries and bottled water. Drive away from the drive-through and as I get ready to eat my food 10 min later I realize they didn’t put cheese on it. So I drove back and said I asked for a plain cheeseburger and you guys forgot to put the cheese on. Girl says ok and gets me a new one. Drive away and I park in front of the store to just take a peak and guess what. Again no cheese. Burgers have no cheese. Cheeseburgers have cheese. A plain cheeseburger gets nothing else except for cheese. A plain burger is just a bun and the burger patty. I just wanted to eat so I moved on and ate my plain burger. Today I ordered a Buffalo ranch chicken salad but I asked if I can have the chicken grilled instead of the breaded one and they gave me chicken without Buffalo sauce. If they weren’t sure they could have asked but this wasn’t for me. And this was not their first time ordering this item but they’ve never had an issue so somehow this message was confusing either to the kitchen or how it was rung in. This was ordered at 5:04:50 PM on 2/10/2022 receipt DT98. Order Id: AAANPKMJAQAH at the 861 E. Rand Rd. My. Prospect location. We didn’t have the energy to drive back and get the right chicken. Again, we love your food but these things shouldn’t keep happening. Thank you“

“Great time last night good all of this world remember when grandma used to make it“

“Staff is amazing. I'm not sure what role rank a gentleman was in the restaurant but he definitely wasn't a server, probably the Manger or assistant Manger, a gentleman with locked hair. He had a slight accent, I think he's Jamaican. He went around and made sure everyone was pleased with their food. Helped the server to deal with a table that had six children and made sure no one had allergies and was pleased with their food. All the staff memeber were very polite and my food came out in a good time. I definitely recommend Olive Garden, Vernon Hills. Clean and professional staff.“

“My daughter had her wedding at this venue on 8/4/25. From the point of discussing the space, to reviewing the contract, to discussing options, to answering ALL of our questions, to the tasting, to the day of, our event coordinator (not sure that's her specific title) Amanda was nothing short of stellar. She was patient, thorough, and accommodating ensuring that my daughter was comfortable in a very important time of her life. Our event captain (again not sure of her title) Kylie also was amazing -- handling each of our requests quickly and pleasantly. These two ladies are an asset to your company & should be commended for their fantastic work ethic. All the event staff from the bartenders, to servers, to bus boys were pleasant and efficient. The food was delicious as well. Our event was amazing & memorable largely due to the associates we interacted with.“

“Great food. Their supper club menu is wonderful. #iraeats“

“Repeat customer at Beats and Brunch that exceeded my expectations, again! The attention to detail by GM Eric was outstanding, making our entire brunch experience feel like VIP service. Our server, Zero, was exceptional, and the bar’s drink selection was impressive. The staff was friendly and welcoming across the board. For a more intimate vibe, the Chef’s Table is the perfect spot — but if you want to feel the energy and dance vibes, grab a table by the DJ!“

“Goirdano’s left our area and I stumbled on to NPC. I ordered and was surprised they deliver to Skokie. I called an hour later and they informed me due to busyness our pizza was accidentally delivered to the wrong location. They quickly credited me the amount and still made a new order for us. The pizza was fantastic. Deep dish and margarita. They totally owned the situation and did their best. Pizza felt cleaner. Less additives or chemicals than Lou’s or Giordano’s. Will definitely return.“

“Not only was this location able to time a delivery to accommodate a train’s brief stop at the Metra station, the pizza seemed to have come right out of the oven. Fantastic food and service to match!“

“We were in town for a convention and staying at a hotel. We decided to order a pizza our last night there. We chose Joe's at random, and we were not disappointed. Our order was delivered promptly by a very nice, and courteous person. The pizza we ordered was delicious. We loved everything about it -the thin crust, delicious sauce (not too much), and generous amount of cheese. I especially liked that the toppings were under the cheese, and there were herbs!! Kuddos to Joe's for great food and friendly service!!“

“I wanted to reach out and tell you about my son's experience with Moretti's, Emily is EXSPECTIONAL and my son Michael now hangs out Moretti's!!! Michael has told me that Emily is just so kind and always guiding him on her favorite dishes. The most important thing about Emily is she is always smiling and happy to see him :) Brandi VR“

“Great place! Great price! Best place to come in a city :)“

“This was the perfect place for my daughter's baby shower. The room was lovely. The staff was excellent and the food was so good! We opted for the buffet. There was plenty of food. The ice cream sundae bar was a hit. All around? The perfect place. I cannot say enough good things.“

“Pizza by Sal is always a hit but it was the stellar service from Bonnie and Brian that really elevated my last visit. Even right in the middle of a crazy dinner rush, Bonnie was incredibly attentive. It’s rare to see a team handle a packed house with such a genuinely great attitude, so I highly recommend stopping in.“

“Saranello’s has the right ingredients for a delightful dining experience! The ambience is lovely, food was great and the service could not have been better. Damon made the evening memorable with his knowledgeable and exceptional service along with fun conversation for us foodies!“