Francesco's Hole In the Wall
Kim Nguyen · 134 Google reviewsFrancesco's Hole In the Wall — a Northbrook italian mainstay. Always packed, always worth it. The food tastes like it should, with no compromises. "Despite being slightly less crispy than I like, the calamari was perfectly cooked" — Madeleine (The Ruiner) [$$$, patio]
What 758 diners keep saying
What 758 diners keep saying
verbatim, from Google
“Superb dining experience! We stumbled on this place from a Google search, since we were in the area. It's a tiny place (hence, the name!), and we almost turned around to look for something else. The entryway walls are covered with photos of the owner (presumably) with numerous celebrities, all smiling and enjoying themselves, and we could hear the happy sound of diners talking and dishes clattering inside. We were fortunate to get the only table remaining available. The first indication of what to expect was the fantastic aroma in the air. The second was two whiteboards showing that day's dinners and desserts, meaning to us that the meals were most likely created that day by the chef from fresh foods and ingredients that were available and purchased that day. We knew we were in for a treat! We started with a shared Cesar salad, which truly was one of the best I've ever had. The owner stopped by our table to say hello, and we discovered that he had just developed a new recipe for the dressing and was wondering how we liked it. I told him truthfully that it was the best Cesar dressing I've ever tasted. For the entrée I ordered the black linguine with mussels and clams, and my wife ordered the baked eggplant over pasta with spinach and burrata. My wife loves baked eggplant and has had it in numerous restaurants when we travel, and she said it was the best she's had; it was only very lightly breaded, and she could actually taste the eggplant with all its wonderful flavors. My seafood entrée was bursting with flavor and was exceptional. Our desserts were equally delicious and clearly freshly made. Portion sizes were large for all our dishes. I highly recommend Frencesco's!”
“We love their iconic Osso Buco! Butter cake is delicious as well Edit - coming back for the second time and we love their sausage rigatoni and spinach Ravioli even more!”
“Food and service were great. Got several appetizers, including sausage and peppers, which weren't even on the menu. The veal chop was delicious and huge; and the cannoli was the perfect way to end the meal. My only complaint was the spacing of the tables. Because the dining room is so small, they stack the tables on top of each other. All night our chairs were banging against the people behind us, making trips to the restroom a difficult task. Even with this, I'd go back in a heartbeat.”
“Great food, great service. From appetizers to desert, all are incredibly prepared with fresh ingredients. Highly recommended.”
“What a wonderful restaurant! This little gem is the perfect spot if you want authentic Italian food. My meal was outstanding! The interior is small, but it adds to the experience of the restaurant. Wonderful service. I loved the decor. Get there early as this place fills up quickly with lines forming at the door by 5.”
“Large and varied menu, and they were quite accommodating to our party of 7. Every person at our table ordered something different and was delighted with their meal. I had the osso buco with risotto and it was delicious. Banana cake and butter cake for dessert were enough to feed the whole table after such a rich meal. It's the kind of place where you want to try everything on the menu because it all sounds so good. I will definitely come here again the next time I'm in town.”
“Delicious food and cozy atmosphere! The pasta was fresh and full of flavor, and the service was great. Definitely recommend this place!”
“This is the place. Hands down the best restaurant in the suburbs of Chicago. Nothing wrong except some people might not like the closeness of your fellow diners at the table next to you. The menu and food will overcome that minor obstacle. Jenny our server was attentive, sweet and fun to interact with. Our second time there when working in Chicago. Just quit looking at other restaurant reviews and go.”
“Great service and great food. Menu changes regularly. Close to Chicago Botanical Garden. Get there early. The Butter Cake is phenomenal!”
“Wow! Just wow! We recently moved into the area and found ourselves a new go-to Italian restaurant. We haven’t had such great Italian dishes since Italy. My husband made a reservation for our lunch date and to our surprise, the place is quite intimate. I love the atmosphere but it can be crammed for some people. The tables are really close to each other. We definitely didn’t mind that at all. It was so close that the next table can smell our food and asked what we ordered because it looked so good. I love seafood and the Seafood Diavolo didn’t disappoint. It was spicy but very tasty. The pasta cooked perfectly with plenty of lobster tails and a variety of seafoods. Can’t wait to be back and try other pastas on the menu!”
“Cute Italian restaurant; not far from the Botanic Gardens. Open on the weekdays for lunch. Stopped in after the Botanic Gardens for a nice lunch. Menu changes but they can make any pasta combo you want! Have lunch specials too!”
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