Di Pescara
Categories: Italian, Steakhouses, Seafood [Edit]
2124 Northbrook CourtNorthbrook, IL 60062 (847) 498-4321
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Alcohol: Full Bar
42 reviews
Neighborhood: Irving Park
"Most recent order was spring rolls, corn cakes, tofu massaman curry and spicy cashew with mock duck. Corn cakes weren't so frittery/cakish…" read more »
15 Reviews for Di Pescara
I've been here twice and while I like it, I wasn't wowed. DP is a lettuce property and it shows. Most lettuces places are very good, but not great. The mahi-mahi was good but not great. The chili sauce it came with was very good however. My first time there was with family and we pretty much always get desert and then pass it around. They have a donut like ice cream desert that is delish. If you have room, I would definitely recommend it. A safe pick for a date, a celebratory meal or a business lunch.
i'm on a mission to find a good fish eatery so i was super excited to try out Di Pescara in NBC.
thank goodness for our $100 lettuce entertain you gift card or else i would have asked for a refund.
for appetizer, we had jumbo lump crab cake - Smith & Wollensky is FAR better.
for entree, i had broiled chilean sea bass (sauteed spinach) - identical to PF Chang's sea bass but PC is FAR better.
for side, we had asparagus - Wildfire is FAR better.
with 2 alcoholic drinks (didn't stay for dessert), the bill was about $130 so the price isn't bad but everything else i've had FAR better.
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This place should get 3 stars -- but I am giving it 4 because it looks like my four-year old niece loved it here.
My parents and I took the booger for some lunch here. We had the clam chowder to start off with, along with the butternut squash soup. Surprisingly, my niece loved the squash soup and was downing it quicker than I could refill the spoon (mind you -- she is super picky, just like her aunt!)
I had the chicken parmigiana sandwich which was very yummy! So yummy I couldn't finish it and packed some home. My niece had the butter pasta which she enjoyed while sipping on her plastic kid friendly cup they gave her. My dad had steak, while my mom had the shrimp and chips combo - which they both enjoyed.
For dessert, we got one of their $1 items (macaroons) and ice cream with hot fudge on top with my niece thoroughly enjoyed.
This place was low maintenance (despite being in Northbrook Court) and inexpensive (again, despite being in Northbrook Court).
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I have been here for lunch quite a few times and I love it. It's a great fish house with a unique take on the preparation.
You must try the milanese tilapia - mild or spicy. It is their signature dish and one worth trying. Your fish milanese will be topped with some arugula and radish garnish and this really balances the flavor of the crispy fish.
My friends have also tried the pasta squares and pasta alfredo and have raved about both of these dishes as well.
Service is good, though not overly attentive. Prices are reasonable and the location is just okay. I am not a huge fan of Mall-locations but it is convenient for me on my work lunch.
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I've dined here a few times and also have been here for a wedding shower. My family has ate here several times for lunch and dinner. Overall, I've had good experiences. But my experience this past Sunday on Mother's Day was horrendous, so I have to take away a star. It was probably as busy as a Saturday night. Our waiter was stupid and so not efficient. We had to ask over and over for the simpliest things. We were also celebrating a birthday, and we were so fed up with the service that we didnt even have the energy to order dessert. After the meal, he didn't even bother asking us if we'd like to dessert. We had to keep asking the manager to bring us extra salad dressing, desert menus, etc. Not to mention the fact that this young waiter sweats PROFOUSLY and it's really just gross.
The food is very good, but just be sure not to get the sweaty waiter. Otherwise, your chicken parm may have an extra kick to it.
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I have been to De Pescara about a thousand times. Sorry for those that find the parking annoying, not sure how anyone could think that valet parking and a parking lot that can fit a million cars is annoying. Can y'all say "spoiled"?
My favorite drink there has to be the peach bellini. It's a must, but only for those that like a sweet drink. I got the recipe from the manager and can make the bellini at home now for my guest when I entertain. So far, everyone that has tried it, loves it too! Deeeelish!
Appetizer....I love the orchard salad. I don't care for green goddess dressing that comes with it (ewww), I exchange it for the seseme dressing (a lil spicy). The salad is pretty big, so try and share if you can. It's very fresh tasting as it has apples, pears jicama and sunflower seeds in it. I know it sounds strange, but trust me, it's worth it.
Entree.....I have tried many of the specials, but I usually go back to the talapia in paper, It's always so moist and good. When I get sick of eating it to much, I take a break and go for the white fish.
Dessert.....I like the apple crostata, it's made for two. I wish it didn't have so much rock sugar on it, but it's still pretty tasty. My second fav dessert there is the make your own donuts! You get a plate of about six donuts and three sauces, chocolate, raspberry and a DELICIOUS white cream sauce that I don't know the name of, but it's my fav. Most people put the sauce on top of the donut and eat it, but I like to split my donut open and put the sauce on the inside :-)
The service there for a party of four n under is usually pretty good. I have been there too many times for a party of eight or more and I always feel invisible to the server with a crowd that large. The servers seem to ignore the large parties and I have closed the restaurant too many times with a large party, due to the lack of attention from the server. HINT....if your going there with a large party, eat before you go so your not ignored and starving.
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Went here to celebrate a birthday and was sitting with my chair back up against another person the whole night. While it was on a Sunday, the two tables around us complained of never seeing the waiter to even get the bill.
The food was ok, but every other time I've had fillet medallions, they had a separate crust on them. Dessert was great.
I'd try this place again, but only when I had more time.
First time attending Di Pescara and came in with high expectations because of it being a Lettuce Entertain You Restaurant. Had a 5:45pm reservation on a Friday night and the three of us were seated right away. The place is pretty dark and the tables are a bit strange, with the booths along the walls contain pillows. The menu sounds better than the food actually is.
Appetizers:
We ordered two. One was a tomato-eggplant plate with roasted eggplants in a tomato sauce. These were OK but the presentation looked like beef stew with marinara. The second appetizer was the crab cake, and it had absolutely no flavor at all.
Entrees:
I ordered the tomato-crusted mahi mahi, and was really disappointed. They should've called it tomato-topped mahi mahi. I didn't want spinach and ordered a sweet potato instead, and the plate came out with spinach and no potato. The other two entrees ordered were the scallops, which were nicely spiced and cooked perfectly, as well as an order of halibut, that contained some type of sesame glaze and was actually really tasty.
Dessert:
We ordered three, mainly because they allow you to order a variation in the size of your dessert, like "one bite," "two bites," or "full." We ordered one bite of the chocolate mousse cake (good crust, but nothing really memorable), the apple crostada (came with vanilla ice cream and about 4 apple slices inside, which was disappointing), and the donuts (huge platter with 3 dipping sauces)
Service:
The waiter was nice but I felt rushed the entire time. The bus boys hover around waiting for you to take your fork off the plate, which to them signals you're finished. Watch out and make sure they don't take your plate when your not looking!
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I've eaten here before and it's always been pretty good. Maybe last night was an off night, but they seem to be going downhill a bit. The bread was a bit stale (but I ate lots of it anyway), and the waiter convinced me to go w the crab legs (chilled). The problem was that they were still frozen (I know, I should have sent them back). However, I ate them anyway and although not so bad, each bite was like biting into a popsicle. My parents ate burgers and those were pretty good as was the salad. Overall, it was ok...if you happen to be at Northbrook Court and you need a place to eat, I would not hesitate.
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We celebrated my mom's birthday here and the staff was delightful! They even brought out this cute little birthday cupcake for my mom, but they didn't completely embarrass her with a whole group of people singing 'Happy Birthday'. Loved the food! The spicy, breaded tilapia was amazing! I can see why it's considered one of their specialties! Best of all, the bartendar + one of the managers were great because they put on the Illinois/Wisconsin game for me! At one point, they even started rooting for the Illini 'cuz they were underdogs. That ups their rating in my book!
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If you want to run into EVERYBODY you know from the Northern burbs this is the place to go.
We were seated promptly but had to wait 15 minutes for the waiter to acknowledge us. When we complained he stepped up his game and became super-server.
The food is surprisingly good. The crab cake sandwich was exceptional for the Midwest. The chopped salad was very good too. For dessert, try the peppermint ice cream or the donuts (my personal favorite).
They comped our drinks and desserts as an apology for the service glitch, which was a great touch at the end. Given a choice, I would pick this place over Wildfire anytime.
Afterthought: I am not a cocktail drinker (Kettle, rocks, lime is as fancy as I usually get) but they had a pretty nice, albeit not authentic, Mojito on the menu.
Di Pescara is a slightly upper class restaurant with an Italian and seafood tendency. It's located in Northbrook Court, facing Lake-Cook Rd. so access is easy. Parking is fine, but you may have to walk a bit if the mall is busy.
Their menu is large and has some new ideas with it. I had a pasta and shrimp with tomato sauce for the main course and it was good. The shrimp was good. They did leave the tails on the shrimp. I realize that nicer restaurants tend to do this, but it's a pain for the customer. For my cup of soup I tried their New England Clam Chowder and was pleased. It came with plenty of chunky goodness in the broth. My parents had their tomato based soup (the name escapes me) and they both raved about it. It was also the server's recommendation. Dessert was also good. I had a mere bite though.
The server was good. He knew the menu and was very polite. At times, it felt a little slow. We spent two hours at the restaurant. The environment is pretty good. It's popular among middle aged to 70 year olds. I was the youngest non-employee at the restaurant. It does get pretty noisy and is a little bit dark for my tastes. Pricing is a little pricy at $15 - $20 a plate.
I enjoyed my time there, even if it was a little too long (I am not patient). Our food was good and the waiter was good at what he did.
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I think i just found my new burbie favorite.
I love contemporary interior design, and this place is ultra trendy! However the crowd is not, because afterall the restaurant is located in the mall crawling with soccer moms and their kids. So be prepared to dine with the noisy brats.
The best part of this place? Nothing on the menu is over 12 bones! Pretty affordable for such a grand place. Not the best italian food around but for under 12 bucks in such a fancy schmancy joint, i love it. Great first date place for the cheap-skate.
Our server was very attentive prolly because he was filipino, like moi. There were actually many people working here, no short-staff service at all.
There is also a huge bar here with big screen TVS for those just want to chill and catch a game.
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First impressions walking in - this place was filled with pretentious forty-somethings. Even though we made reservations, we still ended up waiting a while for our table. What's the friggin' point of having a reservation only to have to wait? - didn't they make an episode of Seinfeld about this very issue?
Our waitress was in her own little world. She never placed any of the drinks in front of the person who ordered it. Sometimes she'd just run by and drop off several drinks in front of one of us without ever stopping. The busing staff was very attentive though. The food came and went (right into my belly) - all damn delicious cept for some crappy wilted spinach. The airhead waitress proceeded to put down settings for dessert. Oops, ran out before everyone got their settings... she just left... oh well. The food in itself was excellent - huge salads, excellent fish, and even better desserts. But the waitress never really came by to check on things and really didn't do anything right.
Try their miso-glazed black cod (very moist and tender) and gelato. Good mojitos too.
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We were very excited to try this restaurant out when it first opened. We've been frequent diners of LEY for almost a decade now, and we had high hopes for their latest concept.
I am sad to report that htis is one of my least favorite of the LEY chain restaurants.
1.Parking is terrible....the restaurant is located within the mall, it'squite a trek no matter what day or time that you go.
2.Reservations really are a joke. We waited 30 minutes to be seated even though we arrived on time. They do have those handy little beepers should you choose to shop.
3.It is really loud and overcrowded. There seriously is not a lot of room to wait in the foyer, or the bar.
4.The waitstaff uniform is far too casual for my taste. They wear jeans and denim shirts with white skirt aprons. The majority of the staff there looked sloppy, more than a few needed a comb for their hair. I don't think that anyone should ever wear denim shirts as part of their uniform...especially if it is supposed to be a seafood restaurant and slightly upscale.
5. The decor is very retro weird for a seafood restaurant....olts of bold graphics, everything is in shades of browns, and there are alot of throw pillows in the booths....we thought that it was strange and way too packed there. Not alot of walkig room in between the tables at all.
6. I am not sure what time Eric M dined...but the dinner menu was over $17 an entree. We ordered the shrimp served escargot style, tilapia in paper and the grouper. The shrimp was excellent....our entrees pretty scant portions...not worth the price. We were still actually hungry afterwards!
This is one of the few LEY restaurants that we have never revisited.
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