Francesca's By The River

4.4 (2271)

$30 and under

Italian

200 South Second Street, St. Charles, IL 60174

About this restaurant

Romantic
Good for special occasions
Neighborhood gem

A member of Francesca's Restaurant Group, Francesca's by the River features the zesty, earthy cuisine of Rome and the surrounding areas of Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio. The restaurant, located in beautiful downtown St. Charles, encourages the lively art of dining with a contemporary, casually sophisticated trattoria ambiance, good, simple cooking, friendly service and fair prices.

About the Francesca’s Restaurant Group: Founded in 1992 by Restaurateur Scott Harris, Francesca’s Restaurant Group has grown from a small, welcoming Italian restaurant on Chicago’s North Clark Street to a restaurant group of 5 concepts across 25 locations in 3 states. Based in Chicago, Francesca’s Restaurant Group currently owns and operates 18 Francesca’s Restaurants, 4 Davanti Enoteca's, Disotto, Fat Rosie’s and Hillgrove Tap.

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Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Italian, Mediterranean, Wine Bar
Hours of operation
Mon, Tue 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Wed, Thu, Sun 11:30 am–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:30 am–10:00 pm
Phone number
(630) 587-8221
Website
http://www.miafrancesca.com/locations/profile/francescas-by-the-river
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive chef
Blas Losoya
Catering
Please Call Our Event Sales Manager, Gabriela Barker, at 1.888.937.9009 ext. 153.
Private party facilities
Francesca's by the River's philosophy of good, simple cooking - served in a casual sophisticated dining atmosphere - is one that we proudly carry over to event planning. Our private rooms are ideal for corporate or social functions.

Location
200 South Second Street, St. Charles, IL 60174
Neighborhood
Chicago
Cross street
Illinois
Parking details
Along with our private parking lot, you can park in the 4-story parking garage right behind our lot.
Additional
Banquet, Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Indoor Fireplace, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Calamari in Padella$14.75
Sautéed calamari with capers, fresh tomatoes, spinach, chili flakes, garlic, lemon, and olive oil
Spinach Aglio e Olio$6.75
Sautéed spinach with garlic and olive oil
Carpaccio alla Francesca*$14.75
Thinly-sliced raw sirloin with capers, tomatoes, mushrooms, olive oil, and parmigiano

Insalate

Insalata alla Francesca$8.75
Romaine, endive, and radicchio with blue cheese, fresh vegetables, lemon, and balsamic
Caesar Salad*$7.95
Classic Caesar with roasted peppers and shaved parmesan
Insalata di Asparagi$9.25
Fresh asparagus with tomatoes and blue cheese, dressed with lemon and olive oil

Pizze

Additional Ingredients ($1 each): Italian sausage, black olives, mushrooms, artichokes, spinach, broccoli, eggplant, or zucchini

Pizza Margherita$14.75
Roasted plum tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella

Paste

Pasta al Pomodoro$15.95
Sautéed in a cherry tomato sauce with garlic and fresh herbs
Pasta Alle Verdure$19.95
Sautéed with wild mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, broccoli, escarole, garlic, olive oil, and pine nuts in in an herb broth
Pasta Aglio e Olio$14.95
Sautéed with olive oil, fresh garlic, diced tomatoes, and spinach
Pasta all'Arlecchino$26.95
Sautéed with shrimp, sea scallops, manila clams, garlic, and olive oil in a spicy cherry tomato sauce

Secondi

Ask your server for today's gluten friendly specials!

Pollo al Limone$22.95
Sautéed chicken breast in a lemon white wine sauce with capers and spinach
Pollo Siciliana$20.95
Roasted chicken thighs simmered in garlic, shallots, cherry tomatoes, Castelvetrano olives, oregano, and dates
Salmone alla Fresca$25.95
Grilled salmon with tomatoes, avocado, red onions, olive oil, basil and lemon over grilled asparagus

Dolci

Frutta di Sottobosco$8.95
Fresh mixed berries topped with homemade whipped cream
Gelati e Sorbetti$6.95
Ask your server for today's selections

What 2,271 people are saying

Francesca's By The River reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

4.4

4.4 based on all time ratings

4.4Food
4.4Service
4.1Ambience
2.7Value

Noise • Moderate

2,271 Reviews

D
Daos
Chicago / Illinois2 reviews
5.0
Dined on June 7, 2020
1. Overall 5
2. Food 3
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Tables are set far apart from each other under an enormous tent with planted flower arrangements surrounding. Staff/service was excellent!
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SD
SabrinaD
Chicago / Illinois1 review
4.0
Dined on June 7, 2020
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
Really good experience for being patio seating.
Is this helpful?
OT
OpenTable Diner VIP
Chicago / Illinois13 reviews
5.0
Dined on June 6, 2020
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Very happy they have outdoor dining. Enjoyed a night out finally!!!! Food was exceptionally good! The special of the day,Filet, was cooked perfect and melted in your mouth.Service was awesome and the staff is working very hard to make your night enjoyable.
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GK
GaryK
Chicago / Illinois5 reviews
5.0
Dined on June 6, 2020
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Opening up with unreasonable COVID-19 restrictions still in place makes it almost impossible to bring fine dining back, but - within a week of reopening and serving outdoors for the first time- Francesca’s has found a way! Very enjoyable experience.
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DK
DawnK VIP
Chicago / Illinois70 reviews
5.0
Dined on June 3, 2020
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 3
Great service from Freddie and Gino. Love the flowers and hanging basket additions Helmut and Willie! The shrimp gamberi appetizer was divine! I forgot to take a photo but hope you keep it on the menu for a long time!!
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J
Jjwiedem1 VIP
Chicago / Illinois33 reviews
5.0
Dined on June 3, 2020
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Obviously with the situation surrounding Covid 19 they were operating with a very new experience converting their parking lot into a trattoria. As always the staff was busting their hump to make sure everyone was taken care of as best as possible. Hector going above and beyond and Mary Beth knocking it out of the park as always. And watching Brian bus tables was a real treat. Thank you all for making one of our first nights outside for a meal memorable. Stay safe.
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s
suburbanite
Chicago / Illinois10 reviews
4.0
Dined on June 3, 2020
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 4
Can never go wrong at Francesca’s!
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JO
JustOk4dinner
Chicago / Illinois17 reviews
5.0
Dined on June 2, 2020
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great to see all of our Francesca friends again. We’re getting back to some normalcy. Let’s keep moving forward. Awesome night
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DK
DawnK VIP
Chicago / Illinois70 reviews
5.0
Dined on June 2, 2020
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Lisa, Brian, MaryBeth, Jaime and crew are amazing- they are worked so hard to get up and running to serve us outdoors! Loving our time under the tent with out Francesca’s family!
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M
Mesa
Chicago / Illinois9 reviews
5.0
Dined on March 16, 2020
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
It was the night of all restaurant closure and we wanted to support our favorite spot! No complains on any front!!! Good food, good service. We are definitely ordering for curb side pick up and will definitely be back as soon you are able to open!
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FAQs

Francesca's By The River offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (630) 587-8221.

Francesca's By The River is rated 4.4 stars by 2271 OpenTable diners.

Not available on OpenTable

Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable booking network. To check availability, please contact them directly.

Is this your restaurant?

Claim this listing

200 South Second Street, St. Charles, IL 60174

Additional information

Cross street
Illinois
Neighborhood
Chicago
Hours of operation
Mon, Tue 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Wed, Thu, Sun 11:30 am–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:30 am–10:00 pm
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Italian, Mediterranean, Wine Bar
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
Along with our private parking lot, you can park in the 4-story parking garage right behind our lot.
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Blas Losoya
Additional
Banquet, Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Indoor Fireplace, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://www.miafrancesca.com/locations/profile/francescas-by-the-river
Phone number
(630) 587-8221
Catering
Please Call Our Event Sales Manager, Gabriela Barker, at 1.888.937.9009 ext. 153.
Private party facilities
Francesca's by the River's philosophy of good, simple cooking - served in a casual sophisticated dining atmosphere - is one that we proudly carry over to event planning. Our private rooms are ideal for corporate or social functions.

Francesca's By The River

About this restaurant

Not available on OpenTable

There’s more to explore

Additional information

Menu

Antipasti

Calamari in Padella$14.75

Spinach Aglio e Olio$6.75

Carpaccio alla Francesca*$14.75

Insalate

Insalata alla Francesca$8.75

Caesar Salad*$7.95

Insalata di Asparagi$9.25

Pizze

Pizza Margherita$14.75

Paste

Pasta al Pomodoro$15.95

Pasta Alle Verdure$19.95

Pasta Aglio e Olio$14.95

Pasta all'Arlecchino$26.95

Secondi

Pollo al Limone$22.95

Pollo Siciliana$20.95

Salmone alla Fresca$25.95

Dolci

Frutta di Sottobosco$8.95

Gelati e Sorbetti$6.95

What 2,271 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

FAQs

Does Francesca's By The River offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is Francesca's By The River restaurant rated?

Not available on OpenTable

Additional information