Buzzy, long-running Italian nook serving comfort-driven fare in a petite, rustic setting. Based on 578 reviews, the restaurant has received a rating of 4.5 stars. Price $$$
✔️ Dine-in ✔️ Curbside pickup ✔️ No delivery
Address:
254 Skokie Blvd, Northbrook, IL 60062
Phone: (847) 272-0155
Website: http://www.francescosholeinthewall.com/
Social Profile: 
Hours
| Sunday | 4–8:30 PM |
| Monday
(Labor Day)
|
11:30 AM–2 PM, 5–8:30 PM
Hours might differ
|
| Tuesday | Closed |
| Wednesday | 11:30 AM–2 PM, 5–8:30 PM |
| Thursday | 11:30 AM–2 PM, 5–8:30 PM |
| Friday | 11:30 AM–2:15 PM, 5–9:30 PM |
| Saturday | 5–9:30 PM |
Menu
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Menu Photos
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Reviews
Astghik Mkhitaryan
This is an amazing place ❤️❤️❤️ Very cozy place with wines in the walls and chalk written menue on the side wall. It was crowded but it did not affect the quality of the service in any ways. Everything was excellent. Oh, and of course the food was delicious.
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Tom Kraemer
A Northshore institution and rare find. Everything was cooked to perfection! The pasta is amazing and the sauce a bouquet of flavors crafted to perfection. This will be one of our regular spots to go to dinner. Enjoy!
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Lisa Q.
Amazing surprise find. My friend and I were looking for a place to eat dinner after the botanic gardens. Found Francesco’s on google and headed over without a reservation. The hostess very pleasantly told us it would be about 20 min for a table and offered to get us wine while we wait. The wait was less than 10 min which was great. The place is small but so cozy and warm. Menu is on a white board on the wall but Donna our very friendly waitress said we can customize anything. My dinner came out in a saucepan fresh off the stove which was a hilarious and authentic twist. I ordered she’ll pasta with veal meatballs and it was absolutely delicious! Best meatballs I’ve ever had. Then the owner came by to check on us and later gave a shot of an after dinner drink and cute cookies in the shape of shoes. Highly recommend. Will be going back often.
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Claudia Khochaba
One of the best places by far! I’ve never had a bad meal. I would chose this place over any. From the service to the ambience with great food you can’t go wrong . Five stars isn’t enough .
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Tom Farrell
I used to go here with my daughters. It was a really quaint and warm place to have good Italian food. The dinning area was small and the menu was (and is) written on a giant board directly surrounded by seated customers for the whole room to see…cute. When we got there last night for the first time since Covid. Place was packed. People standing around the driveway, cars waiting in the parking lot for someone to leave. But OK let’s go in. Rude, unorganized, totally uninformative. The hostess was lost, she finally led us to an outside table under one of the tented seating locations (new thing) There was a guy singing Sinatra songs. We sat there for 20 minutes waiting for the one waitress. She acted like she was on cocaine and was held captive in the basement by the owner. We asked her for a menu and she said it was on the wall in the inside (original) dinning room and that if I wanted you could go take a picture of it…REALLY? What a joke! Note to owner if still alive: If business is so great, build an addition with more dinning rooms, lose the singer, get some ceiling speakers, hire more employees, add additional “wall menus” or print some (hello 2023), grow up and for God’s sake let that waitress out of the basement before you end up on Dateline! We left and I will never return even if I’m with General Mac Arthur!
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Charlie Chaz
We have been going there for the last 20 years when they would only accept cash! We were never disappointed with the food no matter what we ordered. Last few years we would order take out as it is such a popular spot for dinner and didn’t want to wait.
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Kevin Moore
If zero stars were an option I would choose that. They hate children at this restaurant, flies were all over our food and the table next to ours, all staff was beyond rude. We had dinner at 5 pm with our family tonight and all feel nauseous already. Hoping we don’t have food poisoning. Will never come to this restaurant again!!! Next Door Bistro across the drive way much better
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I D
You do not expect such a cozy place from it outside look. Menu is extensive, food is amazing, a few good wines to pick from and dessert…butter cake…to die for!
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Kathy
So I think I’ve gone out to eat quite a bit to be able to say that when I send a plate back it must be really bad. I ordered the shrimp scampi. When it came out the shrimp’s looked beautiful but the pasta was in watery liquid. It had no flavor no seasonings. When the man came around to ask us how our dinner was, I told him the truth it had no flavor and it was in this watery sauce sauce. He said to me it’s the juices from the shrimp (you can that the shrimps looked cooked separate from the pasta) and ask if I want it drained out or if I wanted to just eat the shrimps? I was disappointed with the answer, but he did end up taking it back. I’ve gone to this place before but, it seems like they’re cutting corners or the chef is new, something has changed. Also the staff lacks customer service qualities that make people feel like coming back. The rest of my party felt the same way and will not be coming back.
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Madeleine England
The food was pretty great. Despite being slightly less crispy than I like, the calamari was perfectly cooked. No tentacles though. The house salad was shared with four people, so it’s pretty big and nicely refreshing.
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