A fancy dinner out is romantic, but a cozy night out has its own sort of appeal. These three restaurants might be labeled as one for him, one for her and one for everyone. No matter where you go, you are sure to be well fed and the drag on your wallet won’t bring you down to earth.
At Cordial Inn, 9207 31st Street in Brookfield, they’ve been grilling burgers for more than 80 years, according to the owner Joe Kenny. He’s been in charge since buying the business in 2022 but he didn’t touch the menu.
“One of the things when we took it over was just don’t screw it up,” Kenny said. “It was just an incredible, simple, simple menu. We cut the vegetables fresh each day, and our burgers come from a small company.”
The flame-grilled burgers ($8.75) come topped with American cheese, onion, tomato and lettuce. Pickles ride on the side and mayo, mustard and ketchup are provided. Hot dogs, a pork chop sandwich, brats and pizza make up the rest of the menu. It might seem like a lack of choices, but in reality it allows you to focus on the person sitting across from you.
“We get a lot of couples, whether it’s parents coming back from a school meeting or younger people who just want to get away for a little bit. It’s not that uncommon for people just to come in and hang out and, have a burger,” Kenny said.
Over in Riverside the vibe at Dulce Mama, 1 Riverside Road, is more romantic. Hearts hang from the ceiling and even the paninis come in a heart-shaped version.
This location of an eight outlet, local chain opened two and a half years ago. Andrea Torres is co-owner with Lauren Gallegos. The original concept was a coffee and sweets shop, but it has now evolved into a full breakfast, lunch and dinner menu.
“It’s a very cozy place,” Torres said. “It’s soul warming. We do have people who like to stay there for hours talking, laughing all the time. We have some plates that are good to share.”
The churro pancakes ($11.50) get high marks on many online reviews. Three fluffy pancakes are topped with bananas, cajeta sauce, crunchy cinnamon squares and a dollop of pink whipped cream.
“We try to do everything with a lot of love,” Torres said. “We try to be very focused on the details. We are best friends, co-owners. We really like to share what we love to do.”
Golden Wok has long been a fixture in the area at 1122 Maple Ave in La Grange Park. The restaurant focuses on Mandarin and Cantonese specialties. These dishes have become staples of Chinese food in America, think moo shu pork, egg foo young or noodle dishes, like, lo mein (which are pan-fried Cantonese thin noodles) or chow mein (which are crispy noodles) or even wor mein (which are boiled noodles).
The beef lo mein ($11.75) is a favorite with thin sliced, tender beef and vegetables in a savory, thick soy-based sauce.
“We have a relaxing restaurant. We have a good food, like specials and lunch and regular dinner specials. It’s a pretty good deal for that,” owner Yan Wu said.
Family style dinners are for sharing. Sized for two, three, four or five diners, you can choose how many tag along on your date. Each comes with soup, appetizer, chicken fried rice and one entrée per person. There is a deluxe version that adds on more options and larger portions. Each meal comes with almond cookies for a sweet ending. You may be too full to do anything else.
Flavors to love
