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Francesca's North: Restaurant Reviews

1145 Church St, Northbrook, IL 60062
(847) 559-0260
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Ranked #10 of 80 restaurants in Northbrook
Price range: $30 - $30
Cuisines: Italian, Pizza
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Restaurant details
Dining style: Casual Dining
Cross street: Shermer
Transit: Just two blocks from Metra's Northbrook station
Description: "Francesca's North opened in May (1995) and instantly became the hottest spot on the North Shore - for good reason. Scott Harris has mastered the art of serving generous portions of good food at low prices in stylishly simple surroundings with friendly service - a winning formula that eludes so many." (Chicago Magazine Great Dining '95) Francesca's North features the zesty, earthy cuisine of Rome and the surrounding areas of Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio. Located in Northbrook, it encourages the lively art of dining with a contemporary, casually sophisticated trattoria ambiance, good, simple cooking, friendly service and fair prices. Now accepting reservations, Francesca's North put an end to the tradition of waiting for hours for a table at the bar. Large parties are encouraged to call and set up a family style tasting by the chef called Tavoli di Amici (Table of Friends).
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20 reviews from our community

80% Recommend
    10
    6
    3
    1
    0
Rating summary
    Food
    Service
    Value
    Atmosphere
Date Rating
There are newer reviews for Francesca's North
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Contributor
13 reviews 13 reviews
13 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
“Very consistant Italian”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed August 27, 2012

I have been going to Francesca North for 20 years and the food quality is very consistant. The service is good and the facility has been very well maintained.

  • Visited August 2012
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Atmosphere
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
    • 4 of 5 stars Food
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Highland Park, Illinois
Top Contributor
131 reviews 131 reviews
76 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 46 cities Reviews in 46 cities
52 helpful votes 52 helpful votes
“Great place for a small group party.”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed July 15, 2012

I had never been to Francesca's North prior to this weekend but had certainly seen it advertised everywhere. Went to a bridal shower there. They have a nice room to serve groups.

To begin we had pizzas with arugula passed as the appetizer. These where outstanding and the best part of the meal. Makes me want to return to try other pizza offerings. Once we sat down we where served family style which is nice but there was so much food I hate to think about the amount of waste there was. First course was lentils with goat cheese and a tossed salad. Both were tasty. For the main course, there was a dish of grilled chicken and green beans as well as a dish of pasta and vegetables. The chicken was nicely cooked and moist and the pasta was fine. Dessert was coffee and profiteroles. I think the profiteroles were a disappointment. The puffs were chewy and something off tasting with the chocolate sauce. The star of the meal was really the pizza!

The staff was very friendly and accommodating. We had a diner at our table that required a gluten free meal and they happily made a special lentil dish and a special pasta dish for her.

If I need a place for a small group party I would certainly consider having the party here.

  • Visited July 2012
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Atmosphere
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
    • 4 of 5 stars Food
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Chicago, Illinois
Contributor
19 reviews 19 reviews
17 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
“Love all Francesca's”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed July 10, 2012

This is part of a restaurant group, but they are all somewhat different (not style per se, but menu items).
A wonderful Italian restaurant with options for everyone. Pasta dishes are huge so you can either share or have leftovers for the next day. Their fish dishes are usually very good as well. We've been going to years and don't plan on stopping

  • Visited March 2012
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Atmosphere
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
    • 5 of 5 stars Food
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Top Contributor
100 reviews 100 reviews
64 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 39 cities Reviews in 39 cities
41 helpful votes 41 helpful votes
“Feels like a city restaurant - in a good way”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed July 6, 2012

Even thought it's in a suburban strip mall, this restaurant has the authentic, cozy feel of a little place downtown. The service is chipper and the food is quite good, starting with delicious bread and olive oil and continuing through a large menu of pasta, meat and fish choices. The only drawback is the noise level, which can be uncomfortable. Go for lunch or an early dinner, when it's quieter.

  • Visited February 2012
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Atmosphere
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
    • 4 of 5 stars Food
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Chicago IL
Contributor
18 reviews 18 reviews
14 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 11 cities Reviews in 11 cities
9 helpful votes 9 helpful votes
“Great place for weekday dining”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 8, 2012

We have been here on a Saturday night twice in the past few years and have avoided it because of the noise level.

A couple of weeks ago we passed by on a weeknight and decided to try it. What a difference! While the place got fairly full, there was not the din we had expreienced on a Saturday. As a result we had a chance to really enjoy the food which was excellent.Not that the food was bad on the weekend, it was just hard to enjoy it.

Now that we have discovered the secret, we will be going back--on a weekday--many times.

  • Visited April 2012
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Atmosphere
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
    • 5 of 5 stars Food
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