Best Date Night Restaurants in Villa Park

The food was amazing and the service was great! It did feel like we were at a Cooper's Hawk, though, and not an Italian restaurant. Another thing that was similar to a past Cooper's Hawk experience was that we had to wait 15 minutes with a reservation. The restaurant was fairly empty at 4:00 pm and the hostess told us they're just clearing our table when we checked in right at our reservation time, but we still had to wait 15 minutes to be seated. Not really a big deal, but it's not a pleasant experience when you had a time reserved and you're waiting fairly long to finally be seated. We had the Pasta Fagioli, which was fantastic, and the short rib papardelle and rigatoni alla vodka, both of which were soooo good and light. It didn't feel heavy like normal when eating pasta. The chocolate hazelnut cake and gelato trio was also delicious! Our server, Robert R., was friendly and helpful! He didn't rush us at all and was honest and knowledgeable. The restaurant is in the Oak Brook Mall area, so parking can be a challenge.

From beginning to end, it was a great dinner. We arrived early for our reservation so found seats at the bar. Cocktails were all very good. They had a great list of mock tails too. Violi has a really cool vibe, but the conversation is loud if that bothers you. Great service. Plates are designed to share and all 6 of us did. We liked everything we tried from the lamb shank to branzino and the mousaka. Will definitely return !

From sitting down to receiving the bill it was a wonderful experience. The peach bellini was refreshing, sweet and tasty. The bread they give with the giardinera was amazing. We ate and didn’t get full because the bread was so light and airy. The giradinera with the olive oil was amazing. So flavorful. The appetizer: beef carpaccio was delightful. It wasn’t heavy so it was the perfect appetizer. The rigatoni wasn’t spicy but it was flavorful. I added the chicken milanesa for protein and it was fried perfectly. They have two breasts if chicken on top of the rigatoni. The whitefish that my husband received was good. It was smaller than the one our neighboring table received, but besides that, it was a complete meal with yummy smashed potatoes and spinach. I enjoyed the olive oil cake, surprisingly. The description does not do the dessert justice. The chocolate budino wasn’t spicy VERY rich. Not to my liking, but it was decent. It seemed to be a flourless chocolate cake. The service was decent, despite being extremely busy. Overall, a nice way to spend a chilly evening in Oak Brook after winning at the Great Big Game Show.

This was my second visit to the restaurant and it was another great experience. I, again, had the pleasure of being serviced by Alex. He is such a breath of fresh air; he’s naturally polite and remains professional. I chose the steak pasta from the lunch menu. The sauce was very flavorful and the steak was succulent. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I also tried the Martini Trio of the Month. Again, each one was delicious! The atmosphere in the dining room was very pleasing to the eye. I’m looking forward to my next visit!

Alexa was outstanding! Such a wonderful place with amazing atmosphere, delicious food and wonderful spirits!