14 Restaurants To Eat Around The World In Illinois
If there’s one thing you can learn about me, it’s the fact that I truly appreciate culture. I’ve learned to immerse myself into the culture I visit when I travel, whether it be by an activity or a certain meal or just by getting to know strangers- I make it a point to always learn about something I never knew existed. When I first moved to Illinois, I had no idea what to expect rather than to know that I would challenge myself in every way. So far, I’ve done just that.
While life may take twist and turns in all kinds, we learn to truly appreciate what we have and how much we can explore the local scene while living in a whole other state. I thought, since I’m a huge foodie, I wanted to try diverse cuisines in Illinois. This state offers foods from so many different countries and I’m so excited to share my experiences with you. Here’s a toast to Eating Around the World in Illinois!
Immerse yourself with the Latinx Community
- Restaurant: Mis Moles
- Country of Origin: Mexico
- Location in Illinois: Chicago
A hidden gem in the Northside of Chicago, Mis Moles is a fun Mexican restaurant. We had homemade Mexican tamales, enchiladas, and churros with chocolate. YUM! They actually reached out to me to collaborate. I was so excited, especially because I got to make a date night out of it.
- Restaurant: Yerbabuena
- Country of Origin: Mexico
- Location in Illinois: Lisle
We started with frozen guava margaritas and they were amazing! I also wanted to try the chicken tostones and the queso fundido. This Mexican cuisine was what we needed for a great dinner spot!
Give me some European Flavor
- Restaurant: Bavarian Lodge
- Country of Origin: Germany
- Location in Illinois: Lisle
My friend and I visited the first day it opened from being closed in the pandemic and we truly got lucky! This german-style location and food filled us with joy. We started with pretzels, had our beer of choice, sausages, potato foods, red cabbage and a must-have homemade apple strudel! It was everything to make our tummies happy!
- Restaurant: Bar Siena
- Country of Origin: Italy
- Location in Illinois: Chicago
A new friend and I ate outside at Bar Siena and it was delicious! We had a hot cocoa ball with a shot of Baileys as our warm drink. I had gnocchi, fun fact: my all-time favorite type of pasta, and my friend had the lasagna. This Italian location was a hit and such a cute date spot too.
- Restaurant: Quigley’s Irish Pub
- Country of Origin: Ireland
- Location in Illinois: Naperville
After a long day, Quigley’s Irish Pub was exactly what was needed. Want to know the best part? If you order a Guinness, you get to keep the glass it comes with. Guess who’s coming again for a second one?! This girl!
- Restaurant: Mesón Sabika
- Country of Origin: Spain
- Location in Illinois: Naperville
When you walk into this restaurant, it looks exactly like a Spaniard restaurant. From the crown molding to the renaissance-style decor to all the tapas you can order, it was everything I needed! As I reminisced through the menu, I was SO excited to experience Spain in America. It sounds cliché, but this is the cuisine that I had for almost a whole summer while I studied abroad there. I’ll definitely be visiting again!!!
- Restaurant: Geja’s Cafe
- Country of Origin: Switzerland
- Location in Illinois: Chicago
In 2015, Geja’s Cafe was named as America’s Most Romantic Restaurant. Since 1965, the restaurant has contributed to it’s atmosphere with their unique candle-lit dining room feeling like a wine cellar. The lighting was dim and hard to grasp good photos, but the three-course meal was spectacular! We each had or shared a salad, a cheese board, a cook-your-own meats or fish combination, and a charcuterie board of desserts to dip in their famous fondue. Definitely one of my favorite date night spots in Chicago if you’re willing to splurge a little.
- Restaurant: Aba
- Country of Origin: Greece
- Location in Illinois: Chicago
I had been wanting to visit this restaurant for a while, so I did a double whammy and participated with Choose Chicago (an event in Chicago that creates deals for participating restaurants for a span of a few weeks). The ambiance was beautiful in Aba and the food was great quality! It did not disappoint!!
- Restaurant: Geja’s Cafe
- Country of Origin: Switzerland
- Location in Illinois: Chicago
Date night hit the spot with all the European vibes. The lighting for pictures was not my favorite, but it was set to be an intimate setting. There was a melting pot for cheese that we could dip our food into. We had to cook it ourselves with a certain time frame the waiters gave us and keep an eye out for it! It all felt like a 3-course meal, and of course, the dessert was my favorite part!! They offered a melting chocolate pot for us to dip our snacks into!! SOOO good!!!
- Restaurant: Mon Ami Gabi
- Country of Origin: France
- Location in Illinois: Oakbrook
I actually didn’t know that this restaurant was a chain around the states. We found the same restaurant when we went to Las Vegas, and it does not disappoint anywhere. I love that I can have a piece of France through here- the food, the vibe of the environment, how the food is presented, all things French. Everything reminded me of the last time I visited, and I’m just itching to go back.
A Taste of Asian cuisine
- Restaurant: Hanabi
- Country of Origin: Japan
- Location in Illinois: Buffalo Grove
Last year, Rachel and I celebrated Galentine’s in a fun way. So of course this year, we wanted to explore other ways to have our girls night. We made this a sushi kind of night and ordered from a local spot. Let the good times roll!!!
- Restaurant: MingHin Cuisine
- Country of Origin: China
- Location in Illinois: Naperville
I went to eat with one of my close friends in Naperville to this cuisine. I was actually really excited because I hadn’t had traditional Chinese food served in a while. We went for happy hour and got half off on the wine bottles! We also ordered dumplings (or pot stickers), egg rolls, orange chicken and sesame chicken with broccoli and a side of steamed rice. Some tips I learned that day: they offer hot or cold tea before you order and steamed rice is actually white rice.
- Restaurant: Jin28
- Country of Origin: Pan-Asian
- Location in Illinois: Naperville
My ultimate go-to in any Asian restaurant are their dumplings/gyoza/potstickers!!! Usually I prefer them grilled, but these had a little bit of crunch to them. If you knew me at all, you know that my all-time guilty pleasure is sushi. What better way to eat it than an ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT-BUFFET style?! I can’t even remember how many sushi rolls we ordered, but my friends and I definitely left with our tummies in a good place. TIP: If you’re going to eat the buffet aspect of their menu, you can only mix and match with your friends if you’re all eating the same style. And to be the most prepared, come with a hungry stomach!
- Restaurant: Choong Man Chicken
- Country of Origin: Korea
- Location in Illinois: Aurora
This quaint Korean chicken place is located in a shopping center with a few different restaurants that surround it. It’s honestly the first time I’ve tried Korean chicken and it was extremely good! It even had a little kick to it that I wasn’t anticipating, but the white radish complimented the meal SO well!!! I definitely need more of it in my life.
- Restaurant: Green Basil
- Country of Origin: Vietnam
- Location in Illinois: Naperville
The food in this cozy spot did not disappoint! It was definitely filling, so come in with an empty stomach. The food is so true to their culture and I absolutely love how I was able to experience a hole in the wall close to school. Downtown Naperville is where its at!
I hope you enjoyed Eating Around the World in Illinois as much as I did! This was truly an adventure for the books. I had so much fun hanging out with new friends, letting my phone eat first, munching on the food, and writing about it, of course!
Do you want to join me on my next adventure?! Let’s connect!
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