Best Cozy Restaurants in Winnetka

This is my favorite Bar Siena location. It is ideally located in the mall, so there is a lot of parking. The entire restaurant is spacious and comfortable. The food and drinks are wonderful. Tracy, who is one of the managers, made our group of four feel very welcome.

Food was excellent. Service was great. Dining room is very loud, but the place was packed and it was a Saturday night. The only knock is that their bar has a very weak pour on spirits. Been here many times! I’d highly recommend going on a week night!

First off, our waiter was one of the best I've ever had. I'm sorry that I don't know how to spell his name but it started with Pan. Panagoitis? So sorry! He was AWESOME! Friendly, helpful, quick and made great recommendations. Second, the ambiance was lovely. We were in the "outdoor" portion of the restaurant that is closed to the elements for winter but it is an adorable space (think Euro cafe) that was toasty with heaters. The building itself is old, brick, historic and probably architecturally significant. It really lends to the ambiance of the restaurant. Lastly, and maybe most importantly, the food was out of this world! We tried the tasting board (three dips with pita), all of which were fantastic. Boyfriend loved the classic hummus, I loved the eggplant spread. Then we shared spanakopita which I could have eaten all by myself. Our entrees were a special - think moussaka with pasta instead of eggplant and a Diane salad with grilled shrimp. For desert we had a filo dough (LOVE THAT STUFF!) pastry filled with cream with cherry syrup on top and an orange cake (think vanilla cake with a heavenly essence of orange that tickles your nose and tastebuds) with pistachio ice cream. Every item knocked it out of the park - 10 out of 10! We live pretty far away (1 hour plus) so we probably can't come here as often as we would if we were in the neighborhood but we would if we could. Seriously, check it out and wear stretchy pants!

Aboyer (previously Restaurant Michael) has been one of our favorite north shore spots to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. My husband and I have been following Chef Michael all around the Chicago area for decades now, and although the amazing food has been the key reason, we have always been impressed by his professionally trained staff, who are friendly, knowledgeable and pay attention to details. On this visit, we were celebrating my birthday (2 months late) since we cancelled the first reservation when Covid hit us, and the aftereffects stayed around far too long. The evening here was well worth the wait! After stopping at the bar for a quick hello to Sergio and a Champagne (for me) and a Chardonnay we settled in to the cozy banquette for dinner. We ordered our standard starter, the delectable Gougères, a mainstay that we hope never goes away. I switched to a rich Aviary Napa Cabernet for the rest of the dinner. We were delighted to have Sergio Junior as our server! He obviously enjoys his job and is a real ambassador for the restaurant. We took his recommendations for our entrees, and both were fantastic! I never order pork, and rarely make it at home, except for a roast. The Peppercorn Crusted Berkshire Pork Rib Chop with Cognac Mushroom Sauce was by far the best pork I have ever had. Happy Birthday to me. My husband’s decadently delicious Aboyer Burger was an unexpected item for him to order here, except for how much he loved it. Thank you from both of us, SJ!!! Last night was well worth waiting for. ♥️♥️

Great food and atmosphere, tough to beat for the price. Great value.