GLADSTONE PARK RESTAURANTS

Some people say the minute a Starbucks opens in an area, it’s an indication of gentrification. If that’s accurate, then Gladstone Park hasn’t yet reached that pinnacle of success. But the community’s hardly alone in the Far Northwest of Chicago with no local Starbucks. Indeed, the much wealthier Edgebrook community to its immediate north couldn’t (or wouldn’t) support a Starbucks either. After one opened smack in the middle of its commercial district, residents continued to patronize their local coffee shops for good cups of Joe when running for the nearby train or ambling about its central business district. The Starbucks closed down.

No matter. In Gladstone Park you can get coffee (and meals) at national franchises such as Dunkin,’ McDonalds, Subway and 7-Eleven. You can grab a cup with your breakfast at the regional Elly’s Pancake House. Or you can have a wider choice for your caffeine fix at many more local restaurants and bakeries along its commercial corridors amongst those highlighted below. The community is proud that because many of its restaurants are independently run, they offer unique food and drink choices in more eclectic atmospheres than you might find elsewhere.

Gladstonians always have the option of making the two-mile drive north to the Buffalo Wild Wings, Outback Steakhouse, Chili’s, Jersey Mike’s and other national chain restaurants in the suburban Skokie strip malls on W. Touhy. But perhaps the best way for those new to the area to find an interesting dining experience amongst the 20 or so Chinese, Middle Eastern, Polish, Greek, American, Mexican, Thai, Spanish, and Italian restaurants and bakeries right in their backyard is probably to do an online search for eateries in the community’s 60630 and 60646 zip codes.

Undoubtedly the most popular “fast food” choice in Gladstone Park is pizza. There are no mega chains such as Dominoes or Little Caesars or Pizza Huts here. Instead, a couple of regional and even more local pizzerias vie for supremacy with their own versions of Detroit style, Chicago deep dish, and New York style pies, some stuffed and all with various toppings. Along N. Milwaukee Avenue alone are six pizza-centric parlors, only two that are part of regional chains: Jet’s Pizza, 5256 N. Milwaukee with 425 franchises in 22 states and Rosati’s Pizza, 5544 N. Milwaukee, which can be found in 12 states. The four independently owned pizza joints are the 50-year-old Paterno’s Pizza and Sports Bar at 5303 N. Milwaukee, attracting regulars from the far southern end of the community; Chikago Pizza, 6149 N. Milwaukee, claiming “top pizza” honors with a 4-1/2 star rating on Yelp to prove it; Papa Joe’s Pizza, 5750 N. Milwaukee, family owned and operated since 1969; and Phil’s Pizza D’Oro, 5800 N. Milwaukee, which renovated in late 2024 to become a sleeker operation. Other restaurants such as Pasta D’Arte, Colletti’s, and the newer Stefani Bottega Italiana offer their own versions of the Italian pie along with other entrees. Plus many bars serve so-called Chicago “tavern-style” pizza, those square-cut pieces of plain tomato-and-cheese patrons can nibble on that are geared to get them even thirstier than when they came in.

The many independent pubs interspersed along N. Central, N. Elston, and N. Northwest Highway (as well as on N. Milwaukee) should not be dismissed as mere watering holes. Many of Gladstone Park pubs operate more like the Public Houses they are named after with surprisingly full service menus. Most are family-friendly during lunch and weekday dining hours. They are places where the community can come together to socialize and celebrate.

We cannot write about eateries in Gladstone Park without mentioning how the always volatile restaurant scene here was affected when the country was walloped by the COVID pandemic. When Illinois and Chicago lockdowns closed all bars and eat-in dining rooms for months in 2020, all owner-managers had to adapt to draconian strictures that threatened their ability to serve customers. When demand for takeout soared, restauranteurs in the community smartly pivoted, some taking advantage of new exceptions that for the first time let them to sell alcoholic beverages with their food deliveries to increase dwindling profit ratios. Still, a number of restaurants like the Persian Noon-O-Kabob, at the junction of N. Elston and N. Milwaukee, never fully got back on their feet and permanently closed.

When they could no longer serve patrons on the premises, astute restaurant owners temporarily closed. Using the dead time to install new HVAC systems to improve ventilation and filtration, they cut down on disease transmission for when they would be allowed to reopen. Others took advantage of the City of Chicago’s new permits to build expanded outdoor eating areas on sidewalks in front of their buildings or in the rear of their premises.

In the short run, Gladstone Park’s many small restaurants came through COVID better than expected by focusing on their core strengths. Living up to its The Garage Bar name that promised naturally good air flow thanks to an actual garage door that opened the entire front of the restaurant completely to the outside, the pub at 6154 N. Milwaukee also relied on an open air rooftop that instilled confidence in patrons. Colletti’s, 5707 N. Central at the corner of N. Elston, went all out and transformed its outdoor patio area with lighted and heated geodesic domed “igloos” for individual small parties to dine in, restricting their exposure to the airborne coronavirus. Pasta D’Arte, 6311 N. Milwaukee, put a whole line of outdoor dining tables, chairs and umbrellas along N Mobile, the side street adjacent to its main facility, making it into a virtual garden by adding numerous huge planters of flowers under the trees. Both Colletti’s igloos and Pasta D’Arte’s sidewalk garden dining proved so popular they were kept even after the need for cutting down on virus activity waned.

In the long run after coming out of COVID, Gladstone Park’s restaurant scene has only grown stronger. The well-respected Stefani Restaurant Group of Chicago that had long attracted diners with the finest of tastes to its signature Stefani Prime in the suburbs, located a new fast casual satellite facility named Stefani Bottega Italiana at 6075 N. Milwaukee where Noon-O-Kabob had been. In late 2023, Ma O’Brien’s Irish Pub remodeled the former Nil Tap at 5734 N. Elston Ave and quickly became so crowded with patrons they sometimes engaged food trucks for those who wanted to buy snacks and meals that the pub’s small kitchen could not prepare. Jarasa Kabob, universally top-rated as one of the most authentic Middle Eastern restaurants in Skokie, felt confident enough the set up a second location in Gladstone Park at 5233 N Milwaukee on the corner with W. Foster where the Greek King’s Gyros #2 had been. The fledgling and evolving Baked by Jane, 5481 N. Northwest Highway, promised baked goodies along with coffees, juices, smoothies and a wide range of paninis when it set up its new bakery in 2024. Remodeling the small, unassuming mid-century A-frame building at 6161 N. Milwaukee that was once home to the long-closed Original Roma Beef, Bob-O’s Italian Beef opened its second Chicago location in late 2024 to offer its award-winning version of one of Chicago’s iconic sandwiches.

When demand following the pandemic dictated it, several other Gladstone Park restaurants expanded. While still offering all its wonderful Sicilian baked delicacies and gelato, The New Paradise (Italian) Bakery turned into a specialty breakfast and lunch restaurant renamed New Paradise Cafe Bakery. New owners acquiring Phil’s Pizza D’Oro, 5800 N. Milwaukee, retained the pizza operation, but split the large building it was in to open a new sister restaurant next door. At the corner of N. Austin, 5800 North Café calls itself a “pancake house” promoting all homemade food in its cozy sit-down breakfast and lunch location, upping the ante by serving alcoholic beverages along with its coffees and teas.

A number of new and stand-out local restaurants are highlighted below. The list is not meant to be a comprehensive collection, nor are the photos below which feature additional eateries. At the end of this section, we highlight the legendary Superdawg, the Hot Dog Drive-In Restaurant that is so well-known for its old-timey carhop service that it has its own Wikipedia entry and attracts nostalgic patrons from across the country.

Stefani’s Bottega Italiana is the newest satellite location of the highly-regarded Stefani Restaurant Group of nine eateries that includes the tony Stefani Prime in Lincolnwood. The reiteration in Gladstone Park returns the leading Chicago restaurant group back to its culinary roots, operating as a fast casual cafe. Lunch and dinner customers can order authentic handmade Bolognese pasta dishes, Roman-style pizza, and Italian sandwiches at the counter while watching pastas being made on authentic imported machines in the “Pasta Lab” that caters to the group’s other locations. Its dedicated parking lot makes it easy to stay to eat at its in-house tables, take out, or purchase from the many sought-after Italian specialty grocery items sold at the location.

Bob-O’s Italian Beef, 6161 N. Milwaukee, opened in late 2024 and swiftly won the top prize in WGN Radio720’s “Best Beef Tournament.” Featuring humongous slabs of sweet or hot peppers atop tender piles of sliced beef au jus, its sandwich was also voted “Best Italian Beef” in Chicago by ABC 7’s Hungry Hound. Bob-O’s also serves meatball and sausage sandwiches, delectable fresh-cut fries and Vienna hotdogs so worthy of the name that the Vienna Hot Dog Company twice elected Bob-O’s to its Hall of Fame. Though most customers swing into Bob-O’s small parking lot for takeout, those who want to eat inside in a funky 1950s atmosphere can sit on backless metal industrial stools at counters that stretch along two inside walls.

Vaughn’s Pub & Grill at 5485 N. Northwest Highway, has a particularly adventurous menu for a Irish public house, ranging from Wisconsin Cheese Curds to the Chirish Burger (with Irish cheddar and Irish bacon rasher) to the Hummus & Veggie Wrap to the Blackened Atlantic Salmon. Billing itself as “Your NW Side Meet-Up Place,” it features booths surrounding a main floor bar, an upstairs dining room and bar, and an outdoor sidewalk eating area in warmer weather. You’ll see everyone at Vaughn’s from young professionals to older couples to the cycling groups that stop by regularly for a workout pint.

Jarasa Kabob, one of the top-rated Middle Eastern restaurant in the Chicago suburbs, set up its second location in Gladstone Park at 5233 N Milwaukee on the corner with W. Foster where the Greek King’s Gyros #2 had been. Bringing halal fast casual foods back to the community after Noon-O-Kabob just one mile north closed, it opened in a completely remodeled building with tables and booths that had been formerly occupied by the Greek King’s Gyros #2. In a strip mall, it shares a parking lot with neighboring businesses that makes dining in or taking out quick and easy.

Thai Pot Noodles Shop, 5691 N. Milwaukee, is Gladstone Park’s version of the Pan Asian cuisine. With selections such as Japanese Gyozas (Fried Pot Stickers), Vietnamese Spring Rolls, and Singapore Noodles, along with traditional Thai dishes such as Pad See Ew, any lover of Asian dishes can find happiness. Located in a small strip mall, it shares a parking lot with neighboring businesses, making it easy for patrons to order takeout or stay to eat at the tables inside.

Gladstonians were thrilled when New Paradise Cafe Bakery, 5742 N. Milwaukee, moved into the community in early 2022 to supplement the Polish, Greek and American bakeries already in the neighborhood. A product of three generations of bakers from Sicily, it features all varieties of pasticcini, torte, creams, and other Italian specialties including gelato. When New Paradise expanded in 2024, adding fresh daily subs (including the classic Italian Pepper & Egg Sandwich), different types of pizza, and daily specials, it became an all-around breakfast and lunch eatery.

Foodies throughout Chicagoland who want authentic Polish food come to Gladstone Park for some of the most delightful delis, bakeries, and eateries of their kind in the city. One of these that has gotten top reviews for its pierogis is SMAK-TAK, 5961 N. Elston. A full Polish experience can be had with traditional dishes supplemented by all the extras such as the 10 different types of Tymbark juices and Naleczowianka Sparkling Water imported from the homeland.

Mom’s Old Recipe, 5760 N. Milwaukee, is the unusual white tablecloth Mexican restaurant. Often voted in community surveys as “Best Restaurant in Gladstone Park,” it earns its name with its full lineup of the expected entrees (like burritos) to unexpected dishes such as Marinated Shrimp Ceviche, De Mole Enchiladas, and Chipo Tilapia (fish with spicy garlic and chipotle served over black bean cream sauce). All is homemade, elegantly presented, and served along with wines and cocktails from the full bar. Latin music amplifies the splashy tropical murals on the walls, setting the atmosphere and paving the way for late hours fun.

The most highly vaunted of Italian restaurants in Gladstone Park, the white tablecloth Pasta D’Arte Trattoria Italiana, 6311 N. Milwaukee, attracts a wide clientele. Remodeled in an eclectic New York style with medieval doors flanked by Roman-style columns combines “old world Italy with modern times.” The restaurant’s engaging atmosphere and extensive wine list magnifies its Abruzzese-inspired meat dishes and Barese-influenced fish entrees. There are different rooms and seating choices, including areas for private parties. When the weather is amenable. consider checking out its outdoor garden of tables along the side street for al fresco dining.

Colletti’s, 5705 N. Central at the corner of N. Elson, founded in 1946 and owned by four generations, has long been a fixture in this greater Chicago community. Locals relish eating in booths watching the Cubs, Bears, or Bulls inside the sports bar section or feasting in its large dining rooms. Nowhere else in the community can private parties eat outside year-round in their own in multi-color lighted geodesic igloos that were originally installed during the COVID pandemic for isolation from the virus. Regular city folk enjoy Colletti’s as well as luminaries who come for important meetings and events that have a way of turning up on the city’s evening news.

Perhaps the most unusual restaurant in Gladstone Park is Amitabul, 6207 N. Milwaukee, which bills its cuisine as Korean Spiritual Vegan. With a name that translates as “Awakening,” it opened in 1995. Attracting vegans from throughout Chicagoland who lust for its savory and healthily steamed plays on traditional Korean dishes, it avoids all animal products down to the stir-frying oils that come from them.

Because The Garage Bar, 6154 N. Milwaukee, has an actual garage door at its storefront entrance that can be completely raised in nice weather, it offers a fresh air dining experience whenever the weather so accommodates. Always hopping on the weekends with its full bar, the restaurant maintains a family-friendly atmosphere during weekday dinner hours with choice of tables or booths. Its open rooftop section upstairs creates a fun alternate dining and party experience where it’s easy to get celebratory when the occasion calls for it.

Highway House, 5653 N. Northwest Highway, is truly “more than just a restaurant” as it declares on its website. Distinguished by its large starry lighted patio under towering trees that fronts on a small side street oudoors, the restaurant gives people a wide choice of dining atmospheres. They can take advantage of a full bar while dining pub style inside on tall stools or al fresco style (outside) if they want to feast in what seems like an undiscovered forest preserve in Gladstone Park’s little corner of Chicago.

A remnant from the days of outdoor movies and hula hoops, Superdawg (Hot Dog) Drive-In, near the corner of N. Milwaukee and W. Devon, is known nationally and internationally as one of the few remaining restaurants in America where carhops still bring food to your vehicle. Its space ship style building with its colorfully painted geometric accents and sinuous curves is vintage midcentury in both appearance and function. Topping off the spectacle (literally) are fiberglas-enforced papier-mache hotdog icons Maurie and Flaurie, named for the original owners, prancing atop the roof. Recently refurbished, their lit-up eyes blink seductively, drawing automobiles in to the carhop lot day and night.

An anchor in the Gladstone Park community since 1948, Superdawg found its calling when it opened seasonally to summer crowds that had taken the streetcar from downtown Chicago to cool off in what later became the Whealan Pool of the Cook County Forest Preserves across the street on W. Devon. In the intervening 70 years, its carhop mode of service was always a novelty, but never became obsolete. In fact, Superdawg did screamingly well during the COVID-19 pandemic when it had no need to pivot to serve food safely since it was already socially distancing by bringing orders to customers in parked cars.

In May, 2023, Superdawg celebrated its 75th Anniversary with local politicians presenting a new honorary “Maurie and Flaurie Berman Way” street sign to hang next to the honorary “Superdawg Way” street sign. U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley announced having entered the hot dog eatery’s anniversary in the official federal congressional record. Recalling the founding of the restaurant, the children and grandchildren of Maurie and Flaurie Berman described how the Northside high school sweethearts started the restaurant after Maurie returned from fighting in the Battle of the Bulge in WWII. As current owners and operators, the descendants noted that the kitchen is still in the original 12 x 20-foot facility, updated only with an electronic ordering board and intercom system. The signature dishes remain virtually the same, too, with Superdawg’s Chicago-style dog is exclusively sourced by a private manufacturer, served topped with mustard, relish, and onion in a poppy seed bun in a box with crinkle cut fries, a dill pickle spear and a green pickled tomato wedge.

The text above and photographs below are not a comprehensive collection of Gladstone Park’s stores and restaurants. They are a selection meant to be representative of the neighborhood. Please consult Gladstone Park Chamber of Commerce for more resources on local businesses in the community.

Click on a photo to enlarge and visit the gallery.