I traveled a long way from California once a year to eat at this restaurant the food,wine , and…read moreservers are awesome !! Thank you all for filling my belly with some of the best Italian food I have eaten. Hats off to the mangers, who actually come to your table and share in your experiences ! This place is above the rest ! Delicious 1/2 chicken and lemon sauce with salad and bruschetta Wine and desserts were awesome

If there is one place on EARTH that I could eat at all the time it would be this place! I requested…read moreMickey she is one of the very best servers anywhere and I've been to 11 countries ! Frank the owner even remembered I have Severe Genetic Food Allergies and omitted what I cannot eat, without me mentioning it ! All the staff are WARM , Friendly , and Fast ! Even the Busboy is very Professional ! This place is Cozy and Romantic . The Food is made to order and fresh , just like my Body Desires . Thank you Frank for giving our Community Superb Meals that even someone like me can truly appreciate repeatedly. Most places I stick to what I know will not give me a Histamine Reaction, but I took a chance with the Lasagna and was very Glad . It was perfectly seasoned and a huge portion . Leave room for Dessert it's worth it !

Amazing service and authentic italian food! Ambiance is perfect for a date night too!read more

Hubby & I went there Saturday night, 7 pm reservations for my 55th birthday celebration. They sat…read moreus in the dungeon, aka, basement. Horrible table, crammed like an after thought to squeeze more money out of 2 suckers in the corner. When I complained, we were seated in Margo's section. I heard her tell the table next to us something along the lines, if they liked her so much, don't forget to leave a review! I foolishly thought, cool, we'll be in for a treat. Took 10 minutes before she came to us. We had to ask for water & the few times she came over, she acted like we were a major inconvenience. I ordered the Pappardelle Bolognese. At $29 it was a major ripoff. Had no taste & there were tiny scraps of veal. Photos I've seen of this dish have decent sized clumps of meat. The whole point of Bolognese is the meat!! The "wonderful" Margo only checked on us as soon as the food was delivered, asking how it tasted. It was just placed on the table, barely had a chance to taste it! Never asked if we needed drink refills until we were ready to leave, never came back to see if the food actually tasted good. My birthday wasn't even acknowledged by the hostess or the waitstaff. We will never return & highly recommend you avoid. Would give 0 stars if I could.

For years, we have eaten at Viaggio before attending summer concerts at Ravinia. This year, we…read morelearned that Viaggio had "evolved" into Nico, so we didn't know what to expect. It turns out, Nico is GREAT! Many of our favorites from Viaggio remain on the menu; the crusty bread, the Caesar salad, the gnocchi, the chicken Parmesan, all were top-notch. Terrific seafood dishes remain, too, although we didn't try them during this visit. And some new items that will be fun to try have been added, such as pizza. As always, the service was friendly and efficient. And best of all, the spumoni bombe is still on the menu! (It's our favorite and SO delicious.). Other delightful desserts, such as Tiramisu, are also available. We loved Nico and we will return soon!

Nico's, formerly Viaggio's, underwent a full renovation and change of ownership. Thankfully, much…read moreof the excellent staff remains. We loved the old Viaggio's and really wanted to love Nico's, but one major design decision has completely changed the experience for us. The bar was always the heart of this restaurant. It was a comfortable neighborhood bar where locals could have dinner, drinks and conversation. The new owners installed the pizza oven and pizza-making station directly in the middle of it. As a result, the bar is now literally a pizza counter. When you sit there, you are sitting directly in front of a working pizza station, watching pizzas being prepared, with boxes and supplies around the bar. Instead of feeling like you're having dinner and drinks at a neighborhood bar, it feels like you're sitting at the counter of a pizzeria. For us, that simply isn't an appealing or relaxing way to spend an evening. The layout also makes normal bar service extremely awkward. The pizza operation physically separates the bartenders from many of the customers sitting at the bar, requiring them to walk around the bar to take orders and serve patrons. Finally, you are sitting directly in front of a large, very hot pizza oven. The heat is significant. The pizza maker working in front of the oven was, quite understandably, sweating heavily throughout the evening just a few feet in front of us while we were trying to eat dinner. That's not a criticism of the employee--it's an illustration of why placing a commercial pizza oven directly in the middle of a dining bar simply doesn't work. The frustrating part is that so much about Nico's is good, particularly the staff. But putting the pizza operation in the middle of what was previously the heart of the restaurant fundamentally changes the experience. I hope the owners reconsider the layout and return the bar to being a bar. We would happily come back.

Well we sat for 20 Minn for a waitress. this is just after…read morethe rush people were done and leaving. No beverage water yes No bread. Was Expected ...finally we order get food I asked for more bread and nothing. We are not from this area and will not come back. Is it a local favorite maybe but we are sitting here I need another a glass of wine we are here to eat and our waitresses was nice but in adequate. We are at the end of the night for them 8pm we'd gladly eat and drink more... I'd rather tip the bus man wait I did. Just an odd night for this place The beet salad was canned

This restaurant moved up to Highwood after a long time being in Highland Park. The same food and…read moreexcellent service as usual.

We got a flyer in the mail featuring some good looking pizzas, pub favorites, and tacos de harina…read more Never heard of Cansino's, but we had to try them out. Man, am I glad we got the flyer, because they have since become one of our local favorites! For the longest time, Lou Malnati's was our favorite Chicago style deep dish pizza, but Cansino's is now #1 in town for us. Their cheese blend is soooo creamy, stretchy, and delicious! It's apparently their own in-house blend of California cheeses, and it reminds us of the tasty Wisconsin brick that's popular in Detroit style (possibly a little creamier but less salty). Their tomato sauce is super savory, with a rich herb blend and not too sweet or tart - it's so satisfying! The crust is firm and delicious, and their sausage is leaner than Lou's while having a stronger fennel essence. We still love other Chicago style deep dish pizzas, but Cansino's will be the first on our list when we get a craving. We love onion rings in principle, but are a little particular about how we enjoy them. Cansino's onion rings are excellent - crispy seasoned breading and supple onion slices that are cooked juuuust right. Their fries are also really tasty, and we loved their fried mushrooms. I've tried two of their Mexican style tortas, which were also very good (I loved the fajita style veggies and beans, and the seasoned beef was pretty good). The steak and veggies were excellent, and their bread was pretty good. Next time, I REALLY wanna try their paninos. Their staff is super-friendly, giving us great suggestions of new things to try. The restaurant is always clean and well lit. Prices are fair for the neighborhood. Their preparation times are reasonable, and everything we've ordered was ready on time. There's plenty of parking right in front of the shop, and their front entrance is easily accessible. They're right across the street from the Fort Sheridan Metra Station, so I recommend trying them out if that's your stop. They also have some breakfast items, so it might be a good treat before your morning commute. We're definitely going to be trying more of Cansino's menu, and we'll be sure to add more photos and updates.

tried cansino's pizza for carryout last weekend. got the thin crust marguerita, along with two…read moresalads, house garden salad and individual antipasto salad. the salads were very good--cold, crisp and fresh. pizza was okay--already cold and needed big reheating at home. also ordered spaghetti with marinara sauce. honestly we were both disappointed. the sauce was so-so, and lacked...alot. also had cheese already baked on it w/o having requested it--not thrilled with that. sadly, would not order that again. the interior of the restaurant is clean, bright and eating in is available. the takeout order was taken carefully and promptly.

Don't have an Italian nonna? Stop at this little store in Highwood for the fresh pastas, and frozen…read moreentrees, soups, desserts, and Italian specialty goods. We love the lasagna, and don't let the small size or the price throw you, these are the best. The meat lasagna is really delicious and the pasta so tender. There is street parking, and a small lot. Check in advance for store hours. I haven't tried the tiramisu, but maybe I can find a special occasion to serve it.

Amazing dinner! The meatballs were delicious…read more The lasagna.... So good!!! My first time there but I will be back. It's pricey... but worth it!

amazon service and friendly staff. great food at atmosphere. always will come back! great dinner…read moreplace always.

It's always amazing to have lunch at Francesca's in the #1 voted city in Illinois - Lake Forest…read more The pasta primavera is king! Farrah gives great service and the food is top shelf. I have to visit this town and restaurant every year!!

Great local bakery and food. Ambiance is awesome and the owner Gino makes you feel welcomed…read more Highwood has great food and if you're in this area, stop by, get some pastries and coffee. You won't regret it.

Love this small chalkboard menu place! Great catering. Family owned! Incredible meatball sandwich!read more

Stopped in last Thursday night - very busy, lots of conversation…read more Had to wait a bit for service, but OMG was it worth it! Wonderful food. Exceptional wait staff. I mean, we're still eating leftovers because they're so good, we don't want them to be gone. Even the bread they gave us had a super crisp crust and soft, moist crumb. We are back in St. Paul MN but can't wait for our next road trip to The Windy City just to go back to Italian Kitchen!!!!! (I think "Nancy K." got up on the wrong side of her broom the morning she wrote her nasty review. Just saying.)

What can I say for starters "Well Worth the Wait". They even served us pizza while we wait in nice…read morebite size pieces . Very cozy and the service is fast friendly and efficient ! We shared the eggplant appetizer , and both had the veal and two different sauces and two different pastas ! It was all delicious and then dessert and coffee were rich and yummy . Tatiana and the entire staff made the visit well worth the wait !

Love the owners who are from Italy and go back every year-- and of course the food is incredible!read more

It's always a five-star experience here, even on a weekend lunch around 11:30 AM. Today was my…read morefirst time dining here for lunch, and I learned from the owner that I needed to look at the posted menu on the screens overhead and then order at the counter. Every time I have been here, the owner is friendly and helpful; I can see how much pride he takes in his family's business. It's quite refreshing! He helped me order a pizza vegan style. I got the pizza marinara with no cheese, and added spinach and portobello mushrooms. The pizza was ready in no time, and it was delicious! Oh, how I appreciate an authentic Italian brick-oven pizza. And the price was just right too. The place was fairly quiet, so I could enjoy a conversation with my friend. My only wish is that they had better napkins at lunchtime. I will definitely return again and highly recommend this little gem of a restaurant to everyone!