Restaurants in Downers Grove

With its dark-wood storefront facing old-fashioned street lamps and the upstanding lines of the brick train station across the street, Chequers falls right into line with the village feel of downtown LaGrange. Once inside, however, it's clear that the village the pub means to evoke is somewhere deep within England: beer-battered fish and chips sizzle from the kitchen, Newcastle foams from the taps, and in back stands a red phone booth rumored to have birthed Dr. Who, Queen Elizabeth, and Winston Churchill on the same cold, gray day. On chilly nights, fireplaces burn in both the dining room and the English garden, where up to 50 carousers can gather around the 50-inch plasma TV.

Chefs at La Española Tapas cook authentic and inventive dishes, drawing from the rich palate of Spanish cuisine and the country’s varied climates, landscapes, and cultures. The menu melds classics such as paella with dozens of hot and cold tapas dishes, rich with seafood, vegetables, and spices, and sized perfectly for sharing or creating edible mosaics. Beyond La Española Tapas’ sidewalk al fresco seating, the dining room and lounge spread through airy spaces trimmed with warm wood and cool stone décor. On the weekends, live musicians take the stage, and on the last Friday of each month, the restaurant hosts tablao flamenco nights, filling the atmosphere with energetic staccatos and subjecting the floor boards to its routine durability test.

The chefs at The Best Windy City Hot Dogs have the classic Chicago dog down to an art. With each order, they carefully ensconce a single oversized frank in a poppy-seed bun before layering on pickle spears, sport peppers, tomatoes, relish onions, and a thin line of mustard. The all-natural casings of their classic and Polish dogs allow the complementary flavors of the condiments to shine through, creating a savory balance with the aromas of chili- and cheese-soaked fries and the sounds of neglected ketchup bottles pounding at the door. Not to be defined by its hot-dog offerings, the menu spans a range of dishes that showcase America’s melting-pot history, offering Italian-beef sandwiches alongside tzatziki-drizzled lamb gyros and locally made tamales. A range of cool drinks and ice-cream treats wash down the hearty meals, and delivery or dine-in service allows guests to enjoy their treats wherever they wish without installing a franchise in the back of their car.

The Chew Chew’s chef and owner, Scott Zimmer, may be too young to have experienced the height of America’s railroad boom, but that doesn’t stop him from feeling nostalgic for it. Zimmer has turned that nostalgia into something interesting, outfitting his restaurant with antique rail menus and ancient photos of trains. He invites guests aboard his culinary express, treating them to American-inspired dishes such as Colorado lamb chops, chipotle-barbecue chicken flatbreads, and center-cut filet mignon steaks with lump crab. The space embraces natural light with floor-to-ceiling windows that provide the illusion of an al fresco dining experience and let anxious guests keep a lookout for actual runaway trains.

The chefs at Grand Duke's Restaurant sate bellies with authentic Lithuanian dishes filled with the flavors of northeastern Europe. Staff stuff potato cepelinai dumplings, Lithuania's national zeppelin-shaped dish, with filling such as ground pork or cottage cheese and top potato pancakes with sour cream and applesauce. Servers top tables with entrees that include country-style duck, which slow roasts before joining thick kugelis cake and warm sauerkraut, and twin baked pork hocks that rest beside servings of red potatoes. Inside the restaurant's private dining rooms, parties of up to 35 guests can partake in a panoply of dine-in packages. Brown timbered ceilings recall the inns and taverns of a faraway kingdom, and Lithuanian paraphernalia on the walls covers up secret portholes to Vilnius.

Jerusalem Cafe's cooks draw on the rich culinary history of the eponymous city as they stuff pitas, spread hummus, and grill kebabs. Baba gannouj, tabbouleh, and falafels greet taste buds warmly, and shish kebabs of lamb and beef calm rumbling stomachs before they erupt with vitriol about the difficulty of finding a flattering cummerbund. Gulps of fresh juice yield flavors of carrot, celery, and apple, and blenders turn uptight berries into party-ready smoothies.