Restaurants in Oak Park

At Persia Cuisine, variety is key: kebabs come with lamb, chicken, or salmon, and there’s specially steamed basmati rice seasoned with saffron, plus sour cherry rice, or lima beans with dill rice. While variety defines the appeal of the eatery’s kebabs, a special process defines the signature taste and texture of its rice. First, the staff boils away the starch, then, they steam the rice to make it fluffy. With all the menu options, though, guests always find one constant—the dishes are healthy, containing antioxidant-packed sumac spice, fresh vegetables, and herbs. Persia Restaurant offers special events at certain times, too, whether a simple lunchtime buffet showcasing a slate of hot options or Saturday nights when belly dancers entertain guests by teaching them what was once thought to be impossible: how to look elegant while belly-flopping into a pool.

Authentically prepared in true Philly fashion, the cheesesteaks at Downtown Philly Cheese Steaks smother 100% beefsteak with melted cheese, tomato, onions, and lettuce. The Downtown Philly menu offers much more though, with tasty fare ranging from 100% sirloin char-broiled burgers to gourmet pizzas, Stromboli, and more than 10 varieties of salads. The menu also displays 12 styles of hoagies and grinders including the genoa salami hoagie and the chicken cordon bleu hoagie.

Viva la Pasta's kitchens have been bubbling with pots of authentic Italian pasta for more than 10 years. The eatery's owner, Pippo, curates a menu of more than 400 variations of pasta and gourmet pizza that join a plentiful assortment of traditional Italian dishes and paninis. Every Sunday, an expansive brunch buffet meanders across the dining room; it abounds with platters of smoked fish, shrimp, mussels, and lobster, as well as steaming pans of pasta, eggs, and omelets. The softly lit interior houses white-clothed tables, while the outdoor garden patio features towering white umbrellas that supply ample shade for alfresco dining. While they sup, patrons can soak up the serenading of trickling fountains, chirping wildlife, and the husky French folk songs of lost fur trappers.

In 1967, L&L Hawaiian Barbecue began as a small drive-thru diner in Honolulu. Over the next several decades, the eatery expanded to more than 175 franchise locations across its home state and the continental United States. Though they have maintained their original base of operations and continue to draw on its local inspirations, L&L's owners take pride in introducing new communities to their take on traditional island comfort fare. Dishes such as fried chicken katsu, shredded kalua pork, and blends of mixed Hawaiian-style barbecue draw from Asian and American culinary influences, and ice-cold drinks pay homage to the frozen strait that first brought explores from Hawaii to the mainland.

At Char Fasl, chefs camouflage their light, healthy Persian fare behind flavorful veggies instead of heavy oils and sauces. They accommodate all diets with menu items that vacillate between vegetarian and meat-centric. Cooks skewer juicy chunks of meat for boneless-chicken kebabs, a favorite among customers and T. rexes recently off juice cleanses, and grill them with matching skewers of tomatoes. The Four Seasons dish replaces poultry with beans and rice crowned with eggplant and hummus nestled beside a spear of sizzling veggies.

This wide variety of cuisine is served in the restaurant's European atmosphere, which emulates the dishes' international origins, tinted with warm colors that flare to life in front of huge windows. Outside, diners feast and shadows hide from their owners beneath the shade of a tree. Another of the eatery's most enticing aspects unfolds on Fridays and Saturdays, when live music influences the movements of a belly dancer.

Chefs at Flavor Mediterranean Restaurant & Lounge brew up Turkey’s signature strong black coffee to help diners to cleanse their palates between bites of delicacies such as stuffed grape leaves, breakfast crepes, falafel sandwiches, and shawarma. Servers also ferry platters to tables laden with signature meals including juicy rib eye steak and jojeh kebabs. Morning fare comes in light and hearty varieties, including protein-packed smoothies, omelets, and paninis to help to fuel up diners for watching their morning exercise tapes.