Restaurants in New Lenox

Authentic Mexican recipes outfit fresh meats with delicious aromas within the traditional kitchen of Carnitas Don Rafa. Equipped with a 40-year-old recipe, expert meat-seasoners craft signature carnitas—tender morsels of fried pork served beside rice and beans and an imposing cactus salad that wards off thieves. Protein-laden breakfast dishes kick off morning routines with hearty doses of scrambled eggs and tortilla strips, and evening munchers can wash down platters with cocktails and cognac.

Juicy-O Pancake House’s kitchen serves up an inexhaustible menu of breakfast and lunch fare ranging from syrup-slathered flapjacks to savory egg specials. Named for their fruit juices, which run the gamut from classic orange to exotic pomegranate, Juicy-O’s also prides itself on its donuts, which are crafted from a secret house recipe and "fried before your eyes on a little donut maker,” according to ABC Chicago’s Steve Dolinsky.

Juicy-O’s three locations each exude cheerful vibes, with dining rooms that are flooded with natural light and walls that are covered in framed anecdotes, such as, “Every family tree always produces nuts!” and “Time is money! Stop reading these stupid signs!”

Thirty years ago, Chef Wu's generations-old beef noodle soup recipe became the culinary foundation for a restaurant where authentic Chinese dishes fuse with one another to create a fresh, new cuisine. Flavors taken from the Sichuan region of China take on modern, continental influences, cloaking steak, seafood, and tofu in rich, piquant sauces with citrus, umami, and cream bases. Beloved American Chinese classics such as shrimp and walnuts are updated with the inclusion of unexpected touches such as crisp candied walnuts, and others, including tea-smoked duck, adhere to traditional flavors taken from local Earl Grey rivers.

The diners pass banquettes, which range in color from the aquamarine of a shallow sea to the darker purples of deep water, and opt for a private booth. Behind the bar, standing glass partitions painted in intricate designs reminiscent of Eastern calligraphy divide ranks of bottles. Plates of fresh-cut sashimi descend onto a neighboring table, and maki rolls flaunt loads of king crab, lobster, and kanpyo, shavings of a dried gourd. A waitress strides across the dark hardwood floor and slides menus across the diners' black lacquered table, carefully pointing out her favorite appetizers, which range from duck and wrapped scallops to fresh oysters by the half dozen. In the kitchen, chefs simmer red wine, yielding a thicker sauce that drapes across filet mignon or helps prove to an aunt that the bib she knit hasn’t been going unused.

Named one of the city's best Chinese restaurants by Naperville magazine in 2009, House of Emperor has satisfied cravings for Chinese fare for the past 22 years. The spacious dining room provides ample space for groups to gather and enjoy large servings of filet of sole, chinese broccoli, and general tso's chicken, or run in circles around their table as they recover from brain freezes induced by sips of banana or honeydew smoothies.

With 15 years of culinary experience, Sushi Train's chef feels equally comfortable pan-frying traditional Japanese entrees and crafting attractively assembled rolls draped in sauces and decorative toppings. In addition to drawing from a menu that features an extensive selection of familiar maki, the chef also crafts a number of signature sushi creations that incorporate such ingredients as salmon tempura, mango sauce, and Cajun-spiced king crab. Semicircular, high-backed booths line the dining room's gently lit walls, which feature large photographs of sushi entrees. For a distinctly transpacific ambiance, the room also boasts silk screens and bamboo shoots stolen from a panda's pantry.