Best Date Night Restaurants in Oak Brook

Food is excellent. Tables are too close together. Diners next to us were 1 foot apart from us—uncomfortably close for conversation. (And they had children who were unhappy.) Noise level grows with the crowd so go early or deal with it. Service is the same—starts out great and then wanes as the crowd grows. But food is great so I’ll keep going back.

Our waiter was Don, who had a great personality and actually spent time with us explaining the menu and describing the various offerings. He was funny and personable, joking that he had high-quality, artisanal Coca-Cola, and ribbing me for not drinking as much of it as he thought I would. I tried the triple wagyu plate. I was not a fan of the authentic Japanese wagyu and preferred the other two variations. My wife's steak (traditional ribeye) was much better than all three of the wagyu in my opinion. I will get that the next time we're in! I am vision impaired and use a white cane for guidance. A young man with curly hair (I did not get his name) helped me find the restroom since the area is not very well marked. Unfortunately, I got lost on my way to the table after using the restroom. I had passed up a doorway that I should have entered and ended up in a larger dining room. This is the first time this has happened to me, and I was hit with a combination of confusion, anxiety, and embarrassment. I looked around for what felt like a minute, and decided to backtrack, which confused me even more. I walked up to the bar trying to get my bearings. I had just started to look around again when MJ, a hostess, came and asked if I needed help. I admitted that I did, and she found our table by using the OpenTable reservation. She then gave me her elbow to guide me back to my area (this is also the first time I've relied on a stranger in this way). MJ, you rock. I know I already thanked you, but your actions helped me more than you can imagine. The way you recognized I needed assistance, but also didn't just assume I needed help, alleviated some of my embarrassment. My wife says you continued watching me navigate the tables after recognizing where I was, which she thought was very kind. I hope management knows the great staff they have here.

The food was amazing and the service was great! It did feel like we were at a Cooper's Hawk, though, and not an Italian restaurant. Another thing that was similar to a past Cooper's Hawk experience was that we had to wait 15 minutes with a reservation. The restaurant was fairly empty at 4:00 pm and the hostess told us they're just clearing our table when we checked in right at our reservation time, but we still had to wait 15 minutes to be seated. Not really a big deal, but it's not a pleasant experience when you had a time reserved and you're waiting fairly long to finally be seated. We had the Pasta Fagioli, which was fantastic, and the short rib papardelle and rigatoni alla vodka, both of which were soooo good and light. It didn't feel heavy like normal when eating pasta. The chocolate hazelnut cake and gelato trio was also delicious! Our server, Robert R., was friendly and helpful! He didn't rush us at all and was honest and knowledgeable. The restaurant is in the Oak Brook Mall area, so parking can be a challenge.

From beginning to end, it was a great dinner. We arrived early for our reservation so found seats at the bar. Cocktails were all very good. They had a great list of mock tails too. Violi has a really cool vibe, but the conversation is loud if that bothers you. Great service. Plates are designed to share and all 6 of us did. We liked everything we tried from the lamb shank to branzino and the mousaka. Will definitely return !

From sitting down to receiving the bill it was a wonderful experience. The peach bellini was refreshing, sweet and tasty. The bread they give with the giardinera was amazing. We ate and didn’t get full because the bread was so light and airy. The giradinera with the olive oil was amazing. So flavorful. The appetizer: beef carpaccio was delightful. It wasn’t heavy so it was the perfect appetizer. The rigatoni wasn’t spicy but it was flavorful. I added the chicken milanesa for protein and it was fried perfectly. They have two breasts if chicken on top of the rigatoni. The whitefish that my husband received was good. It was smaller than the one our neighboring table received, but besides that, it was a complete meal with yummy smashed potatoes and spinach. I enjoyed the olive oil cake, surprisingly. The description does not do the dessert justice. The chocolate budino wasn’t spicy VERY rich. Not to my liking, but it was decent. It seemed to be a flourless chocolate cake. The service was decent, despite being extremely busy. Overall, a nice way to spend a chilly evening in Oak Brook after winning at the Great Big Game Show.