The Del Rio Restaurant

The Del Rio Restaurant is Highwood’s oldest restaurant and one of the oldest family-run dining rooms in the Chicago area. Linda Bosselli Pigati ran a boarding house in Highwood in the early 1920s and in 1923 took over a tango club named for Dolores Del Rio; the restaurant has been a white-tablecloth place ever since. The menu is northern Italian, specifically the cooking of the hills around Bologna: house-made ravioli, tortellini in brodo, polenta with bolognese, shrimp scampi, and thin cutlets of Veal Del Rio, the signature. The upstairs dining room is reached by stairs only, so ask for the main floor when reserving; valet parking is complimentary.

What to know

• Opened in 1923 and still run by the Pigati family, now in its fourth generation.
• Northern Italian cooking from the Bologna hills; Veal Del Rio is the signature dish.
• Pastas, including ravioli and tortellini, are made in house.
• Complimentary valet parking at the door.
• The upstairs dining room is accessible only by stairs; request the main room if needed.