Diners' Choice: Good for special occasions restaurants in Near West

OpenTable

Updated July 05, 2025

Looking for the best special occasion restaurants in Near West? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Maya Del Sol

4.8

4.8 (3902)

$30 and under

Latin American

Oak Park

About the restaurant

## Maya Del Sol: A Culinary Journey Through Latin America Step into Maya Del Sol and embark on a vibrant culinary adventure through the diverse flavors of Latin America. Our family-owned restaurant, nestled in the heart of Oak Park, Illinois, offers a unique dining experience that tantalizes your taste buds and warms your soul. **A Fusion of Flavors:** Our menu is a symphony of bold, innovative flavors, drawing inspiration from Mexico, Central America, and South America. From fresh ceviche and sizzling fajitas to succulent steaks and flavorful seafood creations, each dish is a testament to the rich culinary heritage of the region. Our chefs use only the freshest, locally sourced ingredients, ensuring every bite is a burst of authentic taste. **A Vibrant Atmosphere:** Whether you choose to dine in our elegant dining rooms or on our expansive outdoor patio, Maya Del Sol offers a warm and inviting atmosphere. Lush greenery, twinkling lights, and the lively chatter of friends and family create a truly special ambiance. **Hand-Crafted Cocktails:** No Latin American experience is complete without a perfectly crafted margarita. Our extensive margarita list features fresh, hand-squeezed juices and unique flavor combinations, all shaken and served tableside. We also offer a curated selection of cocktails

Top review

NancyVIP

Dined 3 days ago

Leo was a great server as we celebrated my husband’s birthday yesterday. Food was excellent as always!

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Experience

Happy Hour

Citrine Cafe

4.8

4.8 (1335)

$31 to $50

Mediterranean

Oak Park

About the restaurant

Located in the heart of Oak Park IL, Citrine offers Mediterranean influenced cuisine with American flair. The menu includes seasonal fish and vegetable dishes, braised meats cooked in clay pots and fresh bread from our brick oven.

Top review

Matthew

Dined on Jun 25, 2025

Great food, good vibe, nice crowd for a rainy Tuesday evening.

Gaia Italiano

4.8

4.8 (419)

$30 and under

Italian

Berwyn

About the restaurant

Coming Soon!

Top review

PalomaVIP

Dined on Jun 26, 2025

I loved it! The food is delicious, as are the desserts and coffee. The service is excellent, Fer is very attentive.

Piacere Mio

4.8

4.8 (406)

$30 and under

Italian

Forest Park

About the restaurant

NOW OPEN FOR LUNCH SATURDAY AND SUNDAY FROM 11 AM TO 4 PM

Modern Italian Restaurant with House Made Pasta, Risotto, Seafood, Meat and House Made Desserts by
Chef J. Marquez
Casual Dining with a Relaxed atmosphere.

Top review

ThomasVIP

Dined 4 days ago

Outstanding food and service as usual. Four of us visited this time, and everyone raved about their food. This is authentic Italian cooking. It’s the best Italian in the western burbs. And try the key lime pie - light and flavorful. Among the best I’ve had. Service was attentive and always helpful.

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Cocktail Tuesday. 50% off on Cocktails.

Blue Fire Restaurant

4.6

4.6 (65)

$31 to $50

Contemporary Italian

Oak Park

About the restaurant

Blue Fire is located in Elmwood Park, Illinois, and specializes in serving authentic European cuisine. This restaurant offers catering services and is perfect for family dinners, business meetings, or meeting with friends. Blue Fire also offers packages for private events.

The menu at Blue Fire includes main dishes, salads, pastas, seafood, burgers, shawarma, pizzas, desserts, and much more. We also have a children's menu and vegetarian dishes. Popular dishes include rigatoni alla vodka, Alfredo pasta, pork medallions, steak, beef stroganoff, dark side of the sea, arugula fusion roast beef, and fried calamari. Offered desserts include tiramisu, cheesecake, medovik, and mille-feuille.

Top review

Lakendra

Dined on Jun 27, 2025

Everything looked fresh and great. Worth a shot, I would recommend.

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Experience

FREE PIZZA On Your First Visit

The View 1701

4.6

4.6 (96)

$31 to $50

American

Riverside

About the restaurant

THE VIEW offers an elite restaurant with a mixture of a dynamic ambiance, unmatched vibe, and impeccable food.

Top review

Lamon

Dined on Jun 1, 2025

Great food!! Good vibes!!! Would definitely recommend a people to patronize this establishment.

Hemmingway's Bistro

4.5

4.5 (1304)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

Oak Park

About the restaurant

At Hemmingway's Bistro the menu combines classic French dishes with the freshest Midwest ingredients.
The daily specials reflect the chef's love for fresh seafood. Using mostly East-coast seafood flown in from Boston daily, the chef creates dishes like wild mushroom-crusted halibut on horseradish whipped potatoes and roasted sea bass on Caussoulet beans.
There is also a Parisian seafood bar offering towers of Plateau de Fruit de Mer with fresh oysters, clams, shrimp, and lobster.

Top review

Joann

Dined on Jun 28, 2025

It was a summer Saturday lunch, we were near a loudish table ,hostess moved us to quiet table!

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4.3

4.3 (686)

$30 and under

Soul food

Cicero

About the restaurant

Soulé Chicago is a boutique restaurant inspired by the first line in Biggie Small’s legendary hip-hop single,“Juicy”: “It was all a dream…” and the soulful memories of Grandma Bea’s laughter and Momma’s smile. The soul food kitchen has always been a place where family, friends and tribe would gather to catch-up on love.
Soulé is no different.

We welcome you to Chicago’s West Town; home of the best creole-infused soul food delights on the planet. Our vision is bigger than food. We exist in celebration of culture and community…

Since 2017 Soulé has been the go-to creole-infused soul food destination for everyday people, tastemakers, celebrities and social media foodies in search of bursting and robust flavors of home cooked food. We are the official taste of home away from home.

Join us, family.

Top review

Alisa

Dined on Jun 27, 2025

We got in and were seated immediately for our reservation. The food didn’t take long to come out at all and it was delicious! Our waitress was very nice and she attended to us well. The owner came over and talked for a minute and stopped back to check on us when the food came out. The music isn’t too loud and every song was a good song. It’s a really nice place. I don’t like public bathrooms but theirs was clean and smelled so good! We’ll definitely be back when we go back to Chicago.

Hacienda Calavera

4.3

4.3 (336)

$31 to $50

Latin American

Cicero

About the restaurant

Hacienda Calavera is a family-owned authentic Latin American cuisine restaurant in Cicero, Illinois. Inspired by creating a cultural interaction through food with one simple goal in mind: creating a place where people could experience the authentic feel of Latin America with its gourmet food and delicious tastes, incredible live music and warm familiar and festive vibes. Our Signature drinks include La Muerte, El Deseo. Enjoy our popular entrees like Los 3 Garcias, 3 Huastecos, & Langostinos. We look forward to serving you soon!

Top review

Lena

Dined on Jun 28, 2025

I had a great time I experienced in my birthday at this location. The atmosphere was great. Customer service was great. Food was great. Everything was awesome and I had the best server ever.

Lou Malnati's - Oak Park

4.3

4.3 (43)

$30 and under

Pizzeria

Oak Park

About the restaurant

Search no further than Oak Park Lou Malnati’s for the best pizza on the strip in Oak Park.
This location features a full-service bar, and when the weather calls for it, outdoor seating. The interior design combines industrial elements with a vintage retro vibe that is reminiscent of the mid-20th century and the history of Oak Park. Whether you’ve been out shopping, strolling downtown or playing a round of golf, Lou Malnati’s Oak Park is the perfect spot to satiate your deep dish cravings.

Top review

Christopher

Dined on May 21, 2025

Long wait (40m) to be seated, even with a reservation. From there, service was good and food was excellent.

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