Restaurants in Des Plaines

Susan and Vanessa, the founders and co-namesakes of Su Van's Cafe & Bakeshop, rely on fresh, wholesome ingredients to craft a menu of soups, sandwiches, and weekend breakfasts. The duo’s eatery inhabits a former belly-dancing studio, and the previous resident's spirit remains alive and well in tempting salads and steamy bowls of chili. Artisanal breads, tortilla wraps, and rolls form the basis for more than two dozen varieties of hot and cold sandwiches, some of which also come in child sizes to keep tots nourished. Decadent treats such as strawberries and whipped cream add a sweet exclamation point to lunchtime meals, and brunch feasts of pancakes and breakfast paninis start Saturday and Sunday on the right page.

Like a carousel made of beautiful meals instead of parade horses, Dream Dinners sports a monthly rotating menu of up to 17 dinner selections designed to be healthy and savory for you and your loved ones. For March, the chefs have prepared a series of delicious feasts, including citrus-marinated fish tacos, sage-crusted pork chops, bruschetta chicken skewers, chicken mirabella, and build-your-own calzones. Hungry chessmasters can plan five suppers ahead with meals that serve six ($30 average price) or three ($15 average price). Dream Dinners usually requires a minimum order of 36 servings, but this is waived with your Groupon.

Chef and owner Joseph (ZouZou) Abraham concocts an authentic Lebanese menu of award-winning small plates fit for pairing with a liberal BYOB policy. Voted Best Falafel by Chicago magazine, Semiramis's famed falafel ($4 for four pieces; $6 for a sandwich) delights diners with a subtle fusion of light, refreshing ingredients. Similarly, the vegetarian plate unites hummus, baba gannouj, tabbouleh, falafel, and dolma in a meatless parade ($12+), and lentil soup ($3.50) charms palates with a subtle kick. And like a pop supergroup, the chef's lamb, beef, and chicken shawarma are lean, spicy, and impossibly catchy ($6+ for a sandwich; $12+ for an entree).

Chef Kasra Medhat's refined culinary techniques draw from his diverse gastronomic history, from his childhood filled with Turkish- and Iranian-style family meals to his college internship at a Chicago gourmet restaurant, as well as his catering work. Today, Kasra captains Magnolia Cafe, where he infuses all that passion and experience into his innovative French-American recipes.

In the kitchen, Kasra and staff cobble together ingredients plucked during their peak growing season in a variety of meat and seafood dishes. Upon white tablecloths, plates of appetizers and entrees meet with the house's specialty martinis and boutique wines in crystalline glasses, which are great for clinking or playing pieces from Mozart's glass-harmonica phase. Soft jazz music pulses amid the exposed brick and beams that ring the dining room, which is speckled with hanging photos of the flowers from which the establishment takes its name.

Pannenkoeken Cafe's specialty Dutch-style pancakes draw breakfast and brunch eaters to the teeny, brightly lit eatery. Thinner than a buttermilk pancake, but still slightly thicker than a standard crêpe and abundantly thicker than an unwritten novel about crêpes, the café's namesake cakes come in a mix of savory and sweet varieties, such as grilled salami and havarti cheese or apple and ginger marmalade. Freshly squeezed juice and espresso-fueled beverages pair with any of the dozen pannenkoeken options, omelets, and other breakfast fare on the menu.

The food slingers at Chicago Joe’s friendly bar and grill top tables with hearty helpings of 8.5-ounce Cheezeborgers, specialty ribs, and daily seafood specials. Frequented by the likes of Minnie Minoso and Bozo the Clown, the venue has attracted a loyal following with plates such as hearty blackened chicken fingers cooked in drawn butter or browned baby back ribs in a mellow sauce. A duo of daily seafood specials introduces Midwesterners to aqueous fare, such as clams and oysters, easier than setting up an exchange program with whales. As they dine, visitors take in war memorabilia and vintage décor, including stained-glass artwork and seats from the original Comiskey Park, that hearken to Chicago’s past or pay homage to the White Sox.