Diners' Choice: Lively restaurants in Near West Side

OpenTable

Updated December 05, 2024

Looking for restaurants that have the most vibrant bar scenes in Near West Side? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favourite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

La Parra Restaurant and Bar

4.9

4.9 (534)

$31 to $50

Mediterranean

Berwyn

About the restaurant

La Parra Restaurant & Bar, in Berwyn, IL, is a premier dining establishment serving the Chicago, Cicero and Oak Park areas. We specialize in home made pastas, tapas and the best cocktails you'll ever try. We offer a Mediterranean style menu, a full bar, and dine in or carry out options.

For your next night out, visit La Parra Restaurant & Bar in Berwyn. The best Mediterranean around!

Top review

HarleyF

Dined 1 day ago

Great customer service, Great food, great energy!! Drinks are on point. It’s my favorite restaurant in Berwyn, IL.

The Chew Chew

4.8

4.8 (1772)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

Riverside

About the restaurant

The Chew Chew is celebrating 28 years of great food & hospitality in the heart of Riverside, IL directed by original Chef/Owner Scott Zimmer. Located one-mile east of Brookfield Zoo, 5 miles northwest of Midway Airport and 10 miles west of Downtown Chicago. There is a Metra Train stop on our block for safe & easy access in/out of the City. We feature a multi-level dining room, vibrant full-bar & a cozy outdoor patio May-October (weather permitting). Happy Hour daily 4-6pm with beer, wine & cocktail specials. Make sure to try one of our famous Jumbo Martinis during your visit! We appreciate all the great reviews & voting us Chicago's #1 Neighborhood Restaurant on Open Table. If you cannot find a reservation online, please call us direct 708-447-8781. We look forward to serving you.

Top review

Donald

Dined 7 days ago

The Chew Chew is always a nice place to dine. I had the crab stuffed rainbow trout, while my wife had the scallops with risotto. Both were delicious!

Citrine Cafe

4.8

4.8 (1279)

$31 to $50

Mediterranean

Oak Park

About the restaurant

Located in the heart of Oak Park IL, Citrine offers Mediterranean influenced cuisine with American flair. The menu includes seasonal fish and vegetable dishes, braised meats cooked in clay pots and fresh bread from our brick oven.

Top review

Julie

Dined on Dec 14, 2024

Love Citrine! Food is always very good! We will be back.

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4.7

4.7 (961)

$31 to $50

Italian

Riverside

About the restaurant

La Barra Riverside is brought to you by Mary and Pat Leone. We feature sharable Italian small plates, award-winning pizza, great wines and hand-crafted cocktails. The beautiful space includes a private dining room and a gorgeous outdoor patio. Please be aware that our kitchen closes at 9pm Tuesdays - Thursdays and Sundays. On Fridays and Saturdays, our kitchen closes at 9:30pm. Join us for lunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 12pm-3pm.

Top review

StellaVIP

Dined 1 day ago

Great neighborhood ambience. Excellent cuisine. Outstanding entertainment.

Donny G's Ristorante

4.7

4.7 (150)

$30 and under

Italian

Elmwood Park

About the restaurant

Welcome to Donny G's Ristorante! At Donny G's Ristorante & Bar in Elmwood Park we refuse to compromise on quality in our restaurant. That's why we source our fresh ingredients from local farmers' markets to prepare our menu offerings for you and your loved ones. We have a main restaurant as well as a banquet and entertainment space which holds up to 125 people. We have unique lunch, dinner, catering and banquet menus.

Top review

Sandy

Dined on Nov 24, 2024

My husband and I live in the same town as Donny G's. It was our 1st time there. What a gem. We will be back. The service from the minute we hit the door was outstanding. The drinks and food were so good. We savoured every bite of both our meals. We had the whitefish and rotini w/ meatballs in parm. sauce. The bread and oil/cheese appetizer was yummy. The Pasta Fagioli soup, and Cesar's salad were spot on. We were so pleased and couldn't say enough. It is so hard to get a good meal for the value nowadays. We can't wait to bring our family there. The waitress was warm and friendly. I have a feeling this will become our "go to place" Give it a try, you will be pleasantly pleased.

Moretti's - Bedford Park

4.5

4.5 (35)

$30 and under

Italian

Bedford Park

About the restaurant

Moretti's is Pizza and So Much More!

Based in classic Italian and American cuisine with modern innovations, Moretti's menu features award winning thin crust and Chicago-style deep dish pizza with more than 20 different toppings, house made meatballs and freshly sliced Italian Beef, "Mile High Lasagna," with homemade layers of fresh pasta, marinara and four cheeses, unique pasta specialties and numerous chef-inspired daily specials. The menu also includes chicken, burgers, sandwiches, appetizers, signature salads, grilled specialties and more. There are dedicated Vegan and Gluten Free Menus, as well as keto and vegetarian selections.
Moretti's Pizza was voted "Best of the Best" in the Chicago areas biggest diners' poll - Daily Herald "Best of the Best."

Moretti's offers dine-in, takeout and Moretti's in-house "Faster, Hotter, Happier" delivery team, as well as full service off-site catering and hosted events at the restaurant in private rooms, with complete event planning.

Top review

Cindy

Dined on Dec 13, 2024

Food, ambiance, and establishment were great. Service was slightly lacking, we ordered 6 wings and were brought 8, and charged for 8. We also ordered Asiago stuffed crust pizza. We did not receive stuffed crust pizza but were still charged for Asiago, despite us mentioning the discrepancy to the server.

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Experience

Half Price Pizza Tuesdays!

Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant - Oak Park, IL

4.4

4.4 (4096)

$30 and under

American

Oak Park

About the restaurant

Experience the perfect fusion of award-winning wines, Napa-style tasting rooms, and modern casual dining at Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurants. Enjoy contemporary American cuisine influenced by international flavors from our scratch kitchen. Each dish is expertly paired with our selection of wines for the best food and wine match. Whether you explore the tasting room for a pre- or post-dinner adventure or join the world's largest wine club, we believe in the power of food and wine to create lasting connections. Dining reservations are highly recommended, but walk-in guests are always welcome on a first-come, first-serve basis. Gluten-free and vegetarian dishes are available.

Top review

MARTINVIP

Dined 5 days ago

Lunch experience was very good. Staff very attentive. Food tasty and good temperature. Wine of course was good. Recommended for a good overall experience.

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Popular dish

Caprese Flatbread

Popular dish

Crispy Brussels Sprouts

Popular dish

Turkey Burger

Hacienda Calavera

4.4

4.4 (174)

$31 to $50

Latin American

Cicero

About the restaurant

Hacienda Calavera is a family-owned authentic Latin American cuisine restaurant in Cicero, Illinois. Inspired by creating a cultural interaction through food with one simple goal in mind: creating a place where people could experience the authentic feel of Latin America with its gourmet food and delicious tastes, incredible live music and warm familiar and festive vibes. Our Signature drinks include La Muerte, El Deseo. Enjoy our popular entrees like Los 3 Garcias, 3 Huastecos, & Langostinos. We look forward to serving you soon!

Top review

Alexis

Dined 1 day ago

Great experience, I loved the food and the atmosphere . I went to celebrate my girlfriend’s birthday and we both enjoyed it. Is the best restaurant in Chicago !!!!

Soulé

4.2

4.2 (593)

$30 and under

Soul food

Cicero

About the restaurant

Soulé Chicago is a boutique restaurant inspired by the first line in Biggie Small’s legendary hip-hop single,“Juicy”: “It was all a dream…” and the soulful memories of Grandma Bea’s laughter and Momma’s smile. The soul food kitchen has always been a place where family, friends and tribe would gather to catch-up on love.
Soulé is no different.

We welcome you to Chicago’s West Town; home of the best creole-infused soul food delights on the planet. Our vision is bigger than food. We exist in celebration of culture and community…

Since 2017 Soulé has been the go-to creole-infused soul food destination for everyday people, tastemakers, celebrities and social media foodies in search of bursting and robust flavors of home cooked food. We are the official taste of home away from home.

Join us, family.

Top review

Monika

Dined 2 days ago

We had a staff lunch and we ordered appetizers six main dishes and desserts. We all really enjoyed our lunch.

The View Restaurant

4.1

4.1 (75)

$31 to $50

American

Riverside

About the restaurant

THE VIEW offers an elite restaurant with a mixture of a dynamic ambiance, unmatched vibe, and impeccable food.