Best French Restaurants in Wilmette

Aboyer (previously Restaurant Michael) has been one of our favorite north shore spots to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. My husband and I have been following Chef Michael all around the Chicago area for decades now, and although the amazing food has been the key reason, we have always been impressed by his professionally trained staff, who are friendly, knowledgeable and pay attention to details. On this visit, we were celebrating my birthday (2 months late) since we cancelled the first reservation when Covid hit us, and the aftereffects stayed around far too long. The evening here was well worth the wait! After stopping at the bar for a quick hello to Sergio and a Champagne (for me) and a Chardonnay we settled in to the cozy banquette for dinner. We ordered our standard starter, the delectable Gougères, a mainstay that we hope never goes away. I switched to a rich Aviary Napa Cabernet for the rest of the dinner. We were delighted to have Sergio Junior as our server! He obviously enjoys his job and is a real ambassador for the restaurant. We took his recommendations for our entrees, and both were fantastic! I never order pork, and rarely make it at home, except for a roast. The Peppercorn Crusted Berkshire Pork Rib Chop with Cognac Mushroom Sauce was by far the best pork I have ever had. Happy Birthday to me. My husband’s decadently delicious Aboyer Burger was an unexpected item for him to order here, except for how much he loved it. Thank you from both of us, SJ!!! Last night was well worth waiting for. ♥️♥️

Impeccable service! Food was very good and the restaurant was gorgeous. I did appreciate that it wasn’t extremely loud where we were seated and had the pleasure of a window seat as well. Very much enjoyed the dining experience!

Jilly's has been around for a long time, and it kinda shows it. The ambience is kinda 1960's rooming house chic (well-worn, unchanged, with crystal chandeliers and second-hand furniture). The clientele is mostly elderly Northshore folks. The food is what was considered fancy French 40 years ago. For the most part it is tasty and well-prepared, although my mussels were overcooked and rubbery and another person in our party has a steak that he ordered as medium rare, but it had no pink in it whatsoever. It still tasted good enough that he didn't send it back. It has a homey feel. The servers are nice. The prices are steep.

As always, an excellent dining experience. Lovely food and good communication with staff...very nice beef bourguignon! Miss my favorite shrimp with herbs and capers...I hope it comes back in the spring and summer menus.

As usual, excellent food! Got noisy as more folks came but still lower than most. Love the handicapped parking at 909 Davis.