Best Family Style Restaurants in Elmwood Park

This was one of my top five dining experiences ever! We got kitchen counter seating which I love- being right in the mix and chatting with the chefs is my jam! Cocktails were on point but the food…. I mean come on!!!! We had zucchini fritters, a butternut squash filled pasta dish that had this amazing rich and subtly sweet sauce, roasted beets with this crazy pop of pomegranate and risotto with a taleggio fonduta that I will be dreaming about for a very long time! Bravo, rose mary- you killed it!!!!

Hoja Santa was an incredible dining experience. There were 3 of us on a Saturday evening and the restaurant had good energy. Lots of fun. Our waiter, David was wonderful and so was the rest of the staff. The food was explosive. Everyone really enjoyed their food - super delicious. I had the chicken thighs which were so good - perfect seasoning. Very attentive service. Overall an A++++.

As fans of Rose Mary we were eager to try El Carciofi and willing to take a 4:45 reservation. This is as fun and as delicious as Rose Mary and shares the same approach to dining—shareable small plates. Interesting craft cocktails, sufficient wines by the glass, exceptionally well trained wait staff and very flavorful food. Gus menu was all Rome inspired so it was a little less diverse than Rose Mary. The artichokes were spectacular crisply Rome style. Every inch was edible. Two to an order but they bring you a serrated knife if you want to have them. We had one other appetizer (calamari), one pasta and one seafood main. The portions are great for two to share but if three or four order another something or two and expect to get just a couple bites not full servings. They have $8 servings of gelato and sorbet and a couple amazing deserts they offered to checkout coats.a nice touch in Chicago’s winter. It’s easy to spend $100 per person if you gave two drinks each and desert. We found street parking but forgot to feed the meter since the sign wasn’t obvious so double check

What an amazing dinner experience! The atmosphere was warm, inviting, and very well decorated. The drinks were top notch, and high quality. We started with the arancini, which was crunchy, the rice was a perfect texture, and it had just the perfect amount of cheese. The table bread was on another level. It had subtle sweet notes, which consisted of honey and orange. I had the tagliatelle. The short rib was moist and very tender, and the pasta was cooked to perfection. My wife had the rigatoni, and she said the pasta was cooked perfectly as well, and the vodka sauce was very creamy and had excellent flavor. The tiramisu was just on another level! I have already recommended Alla Vita to 3 other people in the last 2 days! A must visit......I would give 6 stars if I could!

Lovely Christmas Eve dinner!! Wedge salad and short ribs superb. Staff went out of their way to A.) accommodate our infirmed elderly guests B.) correct a dish that we had misordered. Thank you Carmines!!