The 10 best restaurants in La Grange

This list covers the 10 best restaurants in La Grange, for residents planning a night out and for visitors riding the BNSF Metra line in from Union Station. Most of the picks sit downtown on La Grange Road, Calendar Avenue, Harris Avenue and Burlington Avenue, a short walk from the La Grange Road stop, and one faces the Stone Avenue stop in the West End. The list follows village limits. ZIP 60525 also covers Countryside and Hodgkins, and La Grange Park and Western Springs are separate villages, so restaurants there were left off.

The ranking favors independent, chef-run kitchens with a long local record, and only two picks have sister locations elsewhere. Prices cover a wide range. Breakfast at Prasino runs $12.50 to $20, a burger at Palmer Place costs about $15, and dinner entrées at the sit-down rooms mostly run $20 to $46.

How we chose

Cooking decided the order first and track record second. Restaurants with named recognition, such as DiRōNA status or a Michelin Bib Gourmand, and years of coverage from local outlets ranked higher. Time on La Grange Road counted too, along with whether the 2026 menu still matches the reputation. Price did not move anyone up or down, which is why a barbecue shop sits between a West End café and a 43-year-old pub. Every pick was confirmed open in 2025 or 2026, and most took part in the 2026 La Grange Restaurant Week.

Hours and prices below come from each business and change without notice. Call ahead if you are making a special trip.

Marco’s Kitchen

Chef Marco Conte started on the line at his grandparents’ restaurant in Detroit at age 12, and 2026 marks his 50th year of cooking. At Marco’s Kitchen, open on La Grange Road since March 2020, he runs a changing menu that pulls from French, Italian and other kitchens. Order the pistachio-crusted New Zealand lamb chops with black garlic molasses, a crowd favorite according to a March 2026 WGN-TV segment. Recognition and consistency put the room on top. Dinner runs only Wednesday through Saturday, so book a table before you make the trip.

Hours: Wed-Sat 5 to 9 p.m.

Address: 26 S La Grange Rd, La Grange, IL 60525

Why they made the list

• Distinguished Restaurants of North America (DiRōNA) recognized Marco’s Kitchen in 2024, 2025 and 2026.
• A December 2024 menu priced starters from $8 for carrot ginger bisque to $22 for grilled Spanish octopus.
• Duck breast with a blackberry and sage reduction over pappardelle is another popular entrée, the Riverside-Brookfield Landmark reported in 2024.
• Conte has pointed out that diners can ride Metra from Naperville or downtown Chicago, and the La Grange Road stop is a short walk away.

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fourteensixteen

The name comes from the address. fourteensixteen fills the storefronts at 14 and 16 Calendar Avenue in a 130-year-old building and opened there in September 2016. Executive chef Bret Bohning, who is classically French trained, rewrites the seasonal American menu four times a year. Recent plates have included duck cassoulet, wood-fired steaks and pan-seared gnocchi with broccolini and romanesco over cauliflower purée. Ten years on Calendar Avenue and a menu rewritten each season earn second place. On a warm night, head upstairs to the rooftop terrace, which is first come, first served and has no elevator.

Hours: Check current hours before you go.

Address: 14 W Calendar Ave, La Grange, IL 60525

Why they made the list

• Chef Grant Slauterbeck co-founded the restaurant with a 100-seat dining room and a 60-seat rooftop lounge, the Daily Herald reported in 2016.
• The restaurant has joined every La Grange Restaurant Week since opening and ran a three-course dinner for the 2026 edition.
• Wood-fired steaks have been priced from about $30 to $60, according to the Explore Oak Park & Beyond visitors bureau.

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Prasino

Organic, locally sourced ingredients drive the menu at Prasino, which has spent about 16 years on La Grange Road and cooks breakfast, lunch and dinner. Try the short rib skillet ($20) or the fig and prosciutto omelet ($18), then come back at night for braised short ribs ($35). Vegan and gluten-free diners get real choices, including chipotle tofu tacos and a yellow curry. Range and staying power put Prasino third. Tuesday is the short day, with the kitchen done at 3 p.m.

Hours: Sun-Mon 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Tue 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Wed-Thu 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Fri-Sat 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Address: 93 S La Grange Rd, La Grange, IL 60525

Why they made the list

• WTTW’s Check, Please! filmed at Prasino in fall 2012, the show’s first La Grange or La Grange Park restaurant, Patch reported.
• Prasino Cakes, the house pancakes, cost $12.50, and a gluten-free or vegan pancake swap adds $2.50.
• The short rib tacos ($20) appear on the lunch menu only.
• The same owners opened mána, the Greek restaurant at 88 S. La Grange Road, in July 2024.

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Kama Indian Bistro

Father and son Manmohan and Vikram Singh built Kama Indian Bistro around family recipes when the Kama group started in 2009, and the La Grange room is a short walk from the La Grange Road Metra stop. The charcoal tandoor does the heavy lifting. Order the Kashmiri-style lamb chops ($32), grilled with a yellow pepper and garam masala rub, or the tandoori Chilean sea bass molly ($46) in a lemongrass and turmeric coconut curry. Kama ranks fourth for a tandoor menu that runs from weeknight curries to a $46 sea bass. For a lower-cost first visit, weekday happy hour runs 4 to 6 p.m.

Hours: Mon-Tue 4 to 9:30 p.m.; Wed-Thu 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Fri-Sat 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.; Sun 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Address: 9 S La Grange Rd, La Grange, IL 60525

Why they made the list

• Kama has two sister restaurants in Chicago, which makes this one of the list’s two picks with other locations.
• Butter chicken ($35) uses a half tandoori chicken in a fenugreek and makhani sauce, and Goan mussels are an $18 starter.
• The kitchen has gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan choices, and spice levels are set to order.
• Sunday brings a brunch buffet and a family-style prix fixe menu, and reservations are booked online.

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GP Italiano

Joe Dellacroce and Paul Gattuso brought GP Italiano to 1 S. La Grange Road after the Latin fusion restaurant in that space closed in 2020. Dellacroce, the chef, has said the menu follows what restaurants in Italy serve today. That means house-made pasta, chicken parmesan finished in cast iron and Neapolitan-style pizza from a wood-burning oven. The pasta and the pizza carry GP to fifth place. The family-run room is close to the La Grange Road Metra stop, which helps on a night out without the car. Sunday service ends at 7 p.m., so plan an early dinner that day.

Hours: Tue-Thu 4 to 9 p.m.; Fri-Sat 4 to 10 p.m.; Sun 4 to 7 p.m.; closed Monday

Address: 1 S La Grange Rd, La Grange, IL 60525

Why they made the list

• The Riverside-Brookfield Landmark called the wood-fired pizza a fan favorite in an August 2024 review.
• GP Italiano ran a three-course prix fixe dinner for the 2026 La Grange Restaurant Week.
• Private parties can book the restaurant on Tuesday through Sunday afternoons.
• Kids, dessert and catering menus sit alongside the regular dinner menu.

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Milkstop

Facing the Stone Avenue Metra station on Burlington Avenue, Milkstop is named for a historic milk stop on the rail line and fills a building that dates to 1901. Longtime La Grange chefs Chris and Mary Spagnola run the West End café with partners and cook breakfast, lunch, weekend brunch and dinner. The French onion soup is hearty enough to make a meal, the Riverside-Brookfield Landmark wrote, and the menu also has a pastrami melt and shrimp and grits. Sixth place goes to the one pick outside downtown, a West End café that cooks three meals a day. Reservations are taken by phone only.

Hours: Breakfast Tue-Fri 8 to 11 a.m.; lunch Tue-Fri 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; brunch Sat-Sun 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; dinner Tue-Thu 4:30 to 8:30 p.m., Fri-Sat 4:30 to 9 p.m.

Address: 700 W Burlington Ave, La Grange, IL 60525

Why they made the list

• Mary Spagnola told WGN-TV in March 2026 that the kitchen aims for “great meals with imagination and creativity.”
• Partners Sharon Owens and Steve and Mary Jo Quirk share ownership with the Spagnolas.
• Milkstop served a three-course menu for the 2026 La Grange Restaurant Week.
• The Stone Avenue stop is 14.1 miles from Union Station on Metra’s BNSF Line.

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Q-BBQ

A group of friends fired the first pit at Q-BBQ on La Grange Road in October 2009, and the La Grange shop is still the original. Meats smoke for up to 16 hours under a house rub, borrowing from Texas, Memphis and the Carolinas. Get the brisket burnt ends and the Memphis baby back ribs, dry or sauced, with hushpuppies and Mac-Q-Roni on the side. Q-BBQ ranks seventh for 17 years of consistent barbecue on La Grange Road. Carryout and catering can be ordered online, which makes feeding a backyard party easy.

Hours: Mon-Sun 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Address: 70 S La Grange Rd, La Grange, IL 60525

Why they made the list

• The La Grange shop made the Michelin Guide’s 2013 Bib Gourmand list for Chicago, Patch reported in November 2012.
• Q-BBQ has two other suburban locations, with a fourth listed as coming soon.
• The Lil Q Platter holds 2.5 pounds of food, and the Papa Q Platter doubles that to 5 pounds.
• Adding the Q-Style topping to any sandwich costs $1.50.

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Palmer Place

The Palmer family opened Palmer Place in 1983, and David and Leslie Tarman bought the restaurant in 2022 and kept the name. The draw is a long American menu and 36 beers on tap, plus a biergarten, a patio and a rooftop deck when the weather cooperates. Start with stuffed bacon-wrapped dates or crispy string beans with wasabi ranch, then a burger or a corned beef sandwich for about $15. More than four decades on La Grange Road put Palmer Place eighth. The La Grange Road Metra stop is about four minutes away on foot.

Hours: Tue-Thu 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Fri-Sat 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sun 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; closed Monday. The kitchen closes an hour earlier.

Address: 56 S La Grange Rd, La Grange, IL 60525

Why they made the list

• When the Palmers sold in 2022, Village President Mark Kuchler called the restaurant part of the community’s identity, Patch reported.
• Shamrockfest, the St. Patrick’s Day party with Irish bands and dancers, reached its 41st year in 2024 and ran over two March weekends.
• On the first Tuesday of each month, uniformed police, fire, EMT and military personnel get half off dine-in entrées.
• Appetizers run about $9 to $12 and salads about $15, according to the Explore Oak Park & Beyond visitors bureau.

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mána

The family behind Prasino opened mána in July 2024, turning their former burger restaurant at 88 S. La Grange Road into a Greek dining room with a bar and a patio. Founder Ted Maglaris has said the concept honors maternal care, and the menu leans on plates for sharing: fava and other spreads, wood-grilled loukaniko, charred meatballs and oven-baked moussaka. Start with the spicy shrimp saganaki and the crispy zucchini chips. As the newest pick here, mána lands ninth. Vegetarians do well, since the kitchen keeps plenty of meatless plates on the menu.

Hours: Check current hours before you go.

Address: 88 S La Grange Rd, La Grange, IL 60525

Why they made the list

• Wood-fired lamb chops and a Greek butcher’s board anchor the larger end of the menu.
• Dinner typically runs $31 to $50 a person, according to the restaurant’s reservation listing.
• The burger restaurant that held the space closed on March 2, 2024, and Patch reported the Greek opening that July.
• The restaurant added new menu items for the 2026 La Grange Restaurant Week.

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The Elm

Dan and Caitlin Spain designed The Elm from concept to completion, with Dan’s contracting firm handling construction and Caitlin doing the interiors, and opened the two-level Harris Avenue restaurant in late May 2020. The seasonal menu sticks to American cooking and seafood. Small plates such as ancho braised pork belly tacos and a pimento cheese plate run $9 to $22, and entrées run $22 to $34. The rooftop terrace and outdoor bar earn The Elm the last spot in the top 10. The La Grange Road Metra stop is about three minutes away on foot.

Hours: Tue-Thu 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Fri-Sat 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sun 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; closed Monday. The kitchen closes an hour earlier.

Address: 23 W Harris Ave, La Grange, IL 60525

Why they made the list

• Chef Eddie Jobin had led several suburban kitchens before the opening, Patch reported in July 2020.
• For the 2025 La Grange Restaurant Week, The Elm ran a $30 lunch and a $45 dinner, each with a starter, entrée and dessert.
• House cocktails cost about $13, according to the Explore Oak Park & Beyond visitors bureau.
• The restaurant has three private event spaces for parties.

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Also worth knowing

Families who want pizza without much planning can head to Lucca’s Pizzeria & Ristorante, a family-run spot on West Burlington Avenue since 2001. The kitchen has more than 50 toppings plus cauliflower and gluten-free crusts, along with chicken limone and a house lasagna, and the restaurant handles delivery with in-house drivers.

Beer drinkers can walk about five minutes from the La Grange Road Metra stop to Milk Money Brewing, which opened as a brewpub in early 2021 after a pandemic delay. The house milk stout goes well with the MMB Burger, two dry-aged patties with caramelized onions, and glass garage doors open the room to a patio in warm weather.

See a place we missed or a detail that has changed? Send us a correction.