Your 15 #Instafood-able #Foodstagrams of Lake County Restaurant Week
By: Jonathan Jones 05/07/2021
Foodies! The time is nearing to devour cuisines like every day's a Fat Tuesday and don the #Instafood and #Foodstagram. Lake County Restaurant Week is making a rare appearance in the springtime running May 14-23.
Over 60 eateries are ready to serve plates upon plates of fare for ten days to savor.
Lake Countians are willing and ready to do it for the gram. Whether the meticulous decor is your fancy, the exceptionally prepared dish in front of you or the lovely libation you're ready to clink with the cronies, there is an abundance of Instagrammable eateries in the land of lakes.
Whatever it may be, the impressive aesthetic is always there for these 12 eateries for the gram.
Here are the 15 #Instafood-able #Foodstagram eateries of Lake County Restaurant Week as we dive headfirst a week before the start of our favorite ten days to savor.
It’s like living in cocoa heaven. The Chocolate Sanctuary makes most of its dishes utilizing the magical cocoa bean. Whether you are munching on their cocoa infused barbecue sauce on their lollipop chicken pops, snacking on beef satay skewers with cocoa peanut chili sauce, chomping on the sanctuary’s chopped salad with chocolate vinaigrette or chewing on a chocolate dessert, expect big things with everyone’s favorite sweet treat somehow infused.
The Chocolate Sanctuary, 5101 Washington St., Gurnee.
The Highland Park, Lake County Libation Trail participant, has existed for a mere two years, but it has become a staple in the land of lakes city. The brewhouse features a variety of suds in addition to delicious Mexican-inspired cuisine. The menu features tacos, burritos, salads and more. The brewpub was also recently recognized for its beer garden, which is perfect during the summertime to hear the sounds of the live performances at the country’s oldest outdoor concert venue, Ravinia Festival.
Ravinia Brewing Co., 582 Roger Williams Ave., Highland Park.
This Authentic Mexican Restaurant has a beautiful scenic view and is located on Nippersink Lake connected to the Chain O’Lakes. Watch a beautiful sunset on the Chain while enjoying the best Margarita in Lake County. The menuincludes Enchiladas, Chimichangas, sizzling fajitas, tacos, steak, seafood, burritos, combination platters and a variety of drinks and desserts. The restaurant offers three indoor dining rooms, a seasonal outdoor patio and a full bar jam-packed with unique homemade drinks.
El Puerto Mexican Restaurant, 200 N. Forest Ave., Fox Lake.
Main Street Social, located in downtown Libertyville is a restaurant and bar that puts a twist on Italian and Mediterranean cuisine. Their menu features housemade pastas, fresh seafood, bountiful salads, meat and cheese boards, delectable desserts and more. Besides the innovative dishes made from scratch, the MainStreet Libertyville eatery provides fine wines and craft libations. This venue has a swaggy atmosphere - perfect for your return to the restaurant world post pandemic.
Main Street Social, 608 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville.
Slyce Coal Fired Pizza is located in Wauconda and Highwood, IL. The menu is steeped in age-old traditions, cooking methods, as well as the best quality ingredients possible. Their passion for food, coupled with recipes made from scratch daily, offers their guests a truly unique dining experience each and every time. Slyce invites you to sit back, relax and experience the true authentic taste of coal-fired za.
Slyce Coal Fired Pizza Company, 127 N. Main St., Wauconda. INFO» Slyce Coal Fired Pizza Company, 254 Green Bay Rd., Highwood. INFO» Slyce Coal FIred Pizza Company, 913 Milwaukee Ave., Vernon Hills. INFO»
Holy moly! If you can only check out this cannoli from Tony! The Mundelein confectioner creates traditional and unconventional cannolis for customers to indulge their sweet tooth. Tony Cannoli Specialty Pastries also conducts classes to teach visitors how to make the sweet Italian treat.
Tony Cannoli Specialty Pastries, 460 N. Lake St., Mundelein.
The Shanty has been featured on two Food Network shows, “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” featuring Guy Fieri and “Triple D Nation.” The Wadsworth restaurant just recently expanded by quadrupling the size of its facility. The Lake County Restaurant Week participant is highlighted by their whiskey shrimp, tequila and orange grilled salmon, premium hand-cut aged steaks, organic goat cheese wontons and an array of other delectable dishes. Visit the eatery during restaurant week in late February/early March or any day of the week to pamper your taste buds. Take a walk in the past with restaurateur and owner Dimitri Kallianis. His family also owns Captain Porky’s.
The Shanty Restaurant, 38985 U.S. Highway 41, Wadsworth.
A unique, hip and relaxed urban upscale GastroPub in Lake Zurich. The mission of the “zen” Zin eatery is to support local farms, distillers and beer makers with their farm-to-table cuisine. Its menu is highlighted by boards, flatbreads, burgers, sandwiches, salads, soups and more. Let’s give it up for cocktail weenies…well bacon-wrapped dates. This unreal meat/fruit snack features four large dates wrapped in milk and honey smoked bacon served with a honey pistachio glaze.
Win Win Restaurant and Bar is a win-win packed with a watering hole and Mexican-inspired cuisine. The downtown City of Progress eatery is the marquee tapas joint. Win Win lives by the credo of "making dinner social again." The menu is highlighted by breakfast specialties, seafoods, sandwiches, burgers, salads, tacos, fajitas, enchiladas, pastas, steaks and a full bar with mixologists concocting stellar cocktails.
Win Win Restaurant & Bar, 30 N. Genesee St., Waukegan.
Bill’s Pizza & Pub is a family-friendly restaurant, since 1957, with a unique, comfortable, rustic, Northwoods-inspired dining room with incredible wildlife mounts. The world’s renowned first double-decker and famous thin-crust pizzas are outstanding! Their menu also has delicious sandwiches and desserts. Since its inception in the late 1950s, the Mundelein restaurant has achieved numerous accolades for its eats. Kick back, munch on some peanuts and toss your shells wherever you want. The Mundelein eatery also has a second location in Third Lake called Bill’s Pub North.
Bill’s Pizza & Pub, 624 S. Lake St., Mundelein. INFO» Bill's Pub North, 18945 W. Washington St., Third Lake. INFO»
Sweet bliss lives in the northwest corner of Lake County, as Lovin' Oven Caker puts a little TLC in every treat they create. The Antioch cakery is a third-generation, seven-decade-old+ mom and pop spot that's been in the same family since 1930. Besides their sweets and treats like cakes, macaroons, cookies, donuts and other confections, Lovin' Oven boasts a delectable cafe. The menu is highlighted by breakfast cuisines, soups, sandwiches, wraps, salads and so much more.
The rustic Highwood staple is a combination of traditional French bistro and Cuban cuisine. The family-owned eatery named after a Havana, Cuba suburb provides a delectable menu and delightful experience. The menu features divine steaks, appetizers, pasta, seafood (known for their oysters) burgers and more. Miramar is open for indoor, alfresco and carry out dining.
The tradition that began in 2005 in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood now is being served in Vernon Hills. The heavy metal-themed bar and restaurant features burgers, sandwiches, appetizers, salads and a rotating 12- craft beer tap. The Land of Lincoln-based business has been featured on the Food Network, the Cooking Channel and the Travel channel. This unbelievable cuisine is called the Sourveign burger. This burger is your choice of protein: chicken tenders, bacon, cheese, waffle strips, maple syrup and raspberry aioli.
Kuma's Corner, 925 N. Milwaukee Ave., Vernon Hills.
