The 10 best restaurants in Downers Grove
Most of the dining in Downers Grove sits within a short walk of the Main Street Metra station on the BNSF line, and two of the picks are out on 31st Street and 75th Street. This list covers ten Downers Grove restaurants for residents picking a weeknight dinner, families planning a weekend lunch and visitors stepping off the train who want to eat close by.
The picks lean toward independent and family-run places with a track record, and national chains are left out. Costs run wide. A taco is $6 at the newest spot on Curtiss Street, a plate of pad thai starts at $13.95 downtown, an afternoon tea runs close to $60, and the porterhouse for two at the priciest room on the list is $165.
How we chose
Places earned a spot through steady coverage in readable local outlets, including Patch, the Daily Herald, Naperville Magazine and Hinsdale Magazine, plus dated awards such as Wine Spectator’s restaurant honors, years in business and the menus and hours each restaurant posts today. Every pick sits inside village limits, checked against the U.S. Census Bureau geocoder, since many Downers Grove mailing addresses fall in neighboring towns or unincorporated DuPage County. The list is unranked, and the entries run in alphabetical order, setting aside “The” at the start of a name.
Hours and prices below come from each business and change without notice. Call ahead if you are making a special trip.
Ballydoyle Irish Pub
The Daily Herald called Ballydoyle Irish Pub a Downers Grove mainstay back in 2009, in a review of the owners’ newer pub in Aurora, and the Main Street original sits a short walk from the Metra station. Order the Harp-battered fish and chips ($19.99) or the corned beef and cabbage ($20.99), made with two braised corned beef loins. The house potato chips with Irish seasoning ($9.99) are the pub’s signature snack. Lunch is a Thursday-through-Sunday plan, since the doors open at 4 p.m. Monday through Wednesday.
Hours: Mon-Wed 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Thu 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Fri-Sat 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.; Sun 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Address: 5157 Main St, Downers Grove, IL 60515
Why they made the list
- Shepherd’s pie is $18.99, and bangers and mash is $17.99.
- The menu slogan is “Come for the food, stay for the music,” and the pub books live bands.
- Private rooms hold groups of 15 to 100, including the Barrelman’s Lounge.
Cadence Kitchen & Co
Todd Davies and Tim Canning opened Cadence Kitchen & Co on Mochel Drive in 2018, and the music theme carries into cocktails with song-title names such as Purple Rain ($13). The menu runs from shareable plates to steakhouse cuts. Start with the Lobster Potholes ($23) or crab beignets ($17), then move to the red wine braised short rib ($38) or the NY Bodega Wagyu Chopped Cheese ($24). Wine Spectator recognized the wine list in its Restaurant Awards in 2024 and 2025. Book through Resy, and plan around a 3 p.m. start on Tuesday through Thursday.
Hours: Tue-Thu 3 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Fri-Sat 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sun 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; closed Mon.
Address: 5101 Mochel Dr, Downers Grove, IL 60515
Why they made the list
- An 8-ounce center-cut filet is $56, and the prime ribeye is $51.
- A monthly Sunday supper series, The Cadence Table, started in March 2026.
- The space once held a specialty grocery run by Canning, Naperville Magazine reported.
Fonda de Paula
Chef Juan Luis Gonzalez named Fonda de Paula for his grandmother, Doña Paula, who ran a fonda in Mexico City’s Álvaro Obregón neighborhood in the 1960s. The Curtiss Street restaurant opened in October 2025 and cooks in that older style, with mole poblano over chicken breast, mole verde with beef tenderloin and salmon Veracruzana. Guacamole is mashed at the table. Tacos are $6 each, and Naperville Magazine’s March 2026 review pointed diners to the quesabirria and the pork arabes. The kitchen opens at 11 a.m. every day.
Hours: Mon-Thu 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Fri-Sat 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sun 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Address: 1012 Curtiss St, Downers Grove, IL 60515
Why they made the list
- Red rice and black beans add $4 to a taco order, per Naperville Magazine.
- Dessert comes off a churro cart with dipping sauces and gelato.
- The Maria Ahumada is a mezcal margarita sweetened with agave nectar.
The Foxtail
Mediterranean cooking has filled the dining room at The Foxtail since March 2020, when chef-owners Todd Davies and Tim Canning opened on Main Street with chef Maya Nahouli, weeks before COVID-19 upended restaurant service. Order the dip trio of hummus, muhammara and garlic labneh with house pita, the kefta kebab ($16) or the beef shawarma made with marinated tenderloin ($26). A raw bar adds hamachi crudo and poke bowls. Wine Spectator included The Foxtail in its Restaurant Awards in 2024 and 2025. Weekend service starts at 10 a.m. with a brunch menu.
Hours: Tue-Thu 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Fri 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sat 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sun 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. (kitchen hours).
Address: 5237 Main St, Downers Grove, IL 60515
Why they made the list
- The Foxtail “paella,” built on orzo with chicken, andouille, shrimp and mussels, is $32.
- Pan-seared branzino over biryani rice is $36, and the Moroccan tagine is $21.
- The 2025 Wine Spectator honor was reported by Patch on June 24, 2025.
See the full directory listing
Grand Duke’s Restaurant
Lithuanian home cooking came to 75th Street in February 2019, when Grand Duke’s Restaurant moved here from Summit, where the original closed in September 2018. The restaurant calls the food home-style Lithuanian American comfort cooking and says up to 99 percent of the menu is made from scratch. Patch’s opening report listed a Lithuanian combo plate with homemade sausage, sauerkraut and kugelis, a potato pudding, plus a Bavarian combo with pork schnitzel and stuffed cabbage. The same report listed chicken Kiev and potato pancakes. Check the online calendar for live music, mostly booked on Friday and Saturday nights.
Hours: Tue-Thu 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Fri-Sat 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sun 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; closed Mon.
Address: 980 W 75th St, Downers Grove, IL 60516
Why they made the list
- The banquet hall has set packages with Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Polish and Moldavian menus.
- Brook trout or salmon comes in a pistachio and mustard crust, per Patch.
- Catering covers appetizers, family-style packages and homemade cakes.
See the full directory listing
The Outpost Mexican Eatery
Owner Anna Kamilis runs The Outpost Mexican Eatery as a fast, casual stop at the north end of downtown, and the Downtown Downers Grove Management Corporation lists the shop under quick eats. The menu sticks to tacos, burritos, bowls, quesadillas, nachos, elote and churros, with fillings that include steak, al pastor, chorizo, shrimp, birria and a vegetarian option. Breakfast is served too. The restaurant says the kitchen supplies school hot lunch programs and the shop sponsors youth athletics. The shop sits a short walk north of the Main Street Metra station, handy for a meal before a train.
Hours: Check current hours before you go.
Address: 4948 Main St, Downers Grove, IL 60515
Why they made the list
- A 2021 Naperville Magazine review described the griddle-seared breakfast burrito with eggs, steak and black beans.
- That review also covered the guacamole, ground beef tacos, chilaquiles and churros.
- Catering covers office lunches, school events, fundraisers and team parties.
See the full directory listing
Parkers’ Restaurant & Bar
Dinner entrées for one at Parkers’ Restaurant & Bar run $32 to $75 in a New England-style building at Highland Avenue and 31st Street, just south of I-88. Executive chef Pawel Marszalek cooks in an oak and cherry wood-burning oven and on a mesquite charcoal grill. Seafood leads, with cedar plank roasted Lake Superior whitefish ($40) and miso-glazed Chilean sea bass ($55). Wine Spectator gave Parkers’ a Best of Award of Excellence in 2024 and 2025, and Patch reported only five Illinois restaurants reached that level in 2025. Book ahead for Sunday jazz brunch.
Hours: Lunch Mon-Fri 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; dinner Sun-Thu 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Fri-Sat 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Sun brunch 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Address: 1000 31st St, Downers Grove, IL 60515
Why they made the list
- The 32-ounce USDA Prime porterhouse for two is $165, with two sides and dessert.
- Live music plays Wednesday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- The dining room seats 150, and the bar and lounge seat 50.
Pierce Tavern
Siblings Sam and Patricia Vlahos opened Pierce Tavern in September 2018 at the corner of Main and Curtiss streets, in a building Naperville Magazine described in 2019 as one of the village’s oldest. The menu is tavern food built around a wood-fired oven, from smoked brisket poutine and wood-fired nachos to a French onion crock, margherita pizza and steak frites. Benny’s birria tacos and a brisket grilled cheese cover the sandwich side. Order food by 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday or 10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, when the kitchen closes ahead of the bar.
Hours: Mon-Thu 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Fri-Sat 11 a.m. to midnight; Sun 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. (kitchen closes earlier).
Address: 5135 Main St, Downers Grove, IL 60515
Why they made the list
- Fry upgrades cost $2 for truffle parmesan or buffalo and $3 for animal-style or sweet potato.
- The tavern is a short walk from the Main Street Metra station.
- Small plates include buffalo shrimp, and the bowls include a Southwest steak bowl.
Pinecone Cottage Tea House
A three-course afternoon tea on a menu that changes every month is the draw at Pinecone Cottage Tea House on Burlington Avenue, steps from the Main Street Metra station. Chef Pamela Geralds builds the menus around produce from her garden, and the name comes from the Geralds family home, a 1905 golf cottage. A fall 2025 tea cost $57 and included chicken mole amarillo salad and lemon tres leches cake, according to Naperville Magazine. More than 30 loose teas are on hand, and guests may bring wine or beer. Weekend teas seat at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and need an online reservation.
Hours: Wed-Sun 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Address: 1029 Burlington Ave, Downers Grove, IL 60515
Why they made the list
- Wednesday through Friday, walk-ins are welcome and the last tea seating is 3:45 p.m.
- The weekday children’s tea is $18, per Naperville Magazine.
- Weekend tea is for guests 13 and older, with gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options.
Thai Cafe
Patch reported in June 2011 that Thai Cafe had opened on Main Street about six months earlier and did mostly carryout, and the Downtown Downers Grove Management Corporation still lists the shop under quick eats. The kitchen skips MSG, cooks with vegetable oil and makes a vegetarian version of most dishes, according to that directory. Pad thai, pad see eiw and pad khee mao start at $13.95, and red, green, panang and massaman curries start at $14.95 with jasmine rice. Food comes traditionally spicy, so ask for a milder heat level when ordering.
Hours: Mon-Thu 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Fri 11 a.m. to 8:45 p.m.; Sat 11:30 a.m. to 8:45 p.m.; Sun 4 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.
Address: 4950 Main St, Downers Grove, IL 60515
Why they made the list
- Tom yum soup starts at $5.95, and crab rangoon is $6.95.
- Brown rice can replace jasmine rice with a curry for $1.50 more.
- Sunday service starts at 4 p.m., so a weekend lunch works best on Saturday.
See a place we missed or a detail that has changed? Send us a correction.
Run a place readers should know about?
Get listed in the directory. Plans start at $190 a year; nonprofits are free.