Best Restaurants for Spicy Food in Arlington Heights

Mia Francesca’s was my spot for a few years, back in the mid 90’s when I lived in Wrigleyville until life took me to Colorado. Came in from Denver, CO & normally just stay with family in the south suburbs. This year we decided to stay a night in Chicago so I wanted my wife, son & daughter to experience & taste the BEST ITALIAN food in Chicago for their 1st time. Italian food in Colorado as well as pizza is well below mediocre. Our pasta dishes were amazing. Served hot. Had calamari for an app with 2 salads. Salad portions were perfect to share. Bread/oil was fresh and a perfect size. Pasta dishes were plentiful & if we hadn’t not eaten all day, we probably would have needed to-go boxes but we finished every last bite and then some. SHOUT OUT TO CHARLOTTE, although a packers fan (haha) for the exceptional service and going above and beyond making our experience UN-FORGETTABLE. Super attentive, personable, professional, sweet, fun & friendly. THANK YOU!!! My family couldn’t stop talking about how great the food, staff & restaurant was.

The wait staff very helpful w menu items. The samosas are a pass, dry and lacked flavor. The lamb masala and chicken vindaloo were very good w the right amount of heat for us. The coconut creme brûlée was delicious. The restaurant is noisy but we were in a side booth and had no trouble w conversation.

Great beer quality and variety. Service level needs to be improved

The service was amazing. Quick and attentive. From appetizers, drinks, and meal everyone was on top of it. Our waitress spoke English and Spanish which was nice, and she explained their specialties and provided great suggestions on drinks. Two reasons why I did not give more stars, the food needed more flavor, the Salsas that came with the meals were way too spicy, and it was a bit pricey. I would give it another try, maybe try some different dishes.

Service was quite slow, and the restaurant was empty.