Diners' Choice: Lively restaurants in Southwest Suburbs

OpenTable

Updated 05 March 2025

Looking for restaurants that have the most vibrant bar scenes in Southwest Suburbs? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyses nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favourite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you book, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Frankie's Since 1988

4.9

4.9 (3835)

$30 and under

Italian

Tinley Park

About the restaurant

The Santoro Family has been in the food service industry since 1988. Our Tinley Park location was renovated AND re-branded in May of 2023. We created a new MODERN CHIC vibe...The new name "Frankie's Since 1988" as an ode to our original restaurant on the Southside of Chicago.

No longer a fine dining white tablecloth restaurant. Our new concept more energetic music, vibrant craft cocktails & mocktails along with the same homemade pastas and signature dishes, such as Ciambotta (sausage & peppers), meatballs, Chicken "limone" with a lemon butter & capers sauce amongst others that have been loved throughout the years from Frankie's. We also added authentic southern Italian style pizzas from our Marra Forni oven in the dining room.

Our updated menu is a combination of old classics from the past 16 years in Tinley Park and new items with the same wonderful service guests have come to know and love from Frankie's.

Top review

KimVIP

Dined 2 days ago

Amazing experience as always at Frankie's Ristorante! Awesome drinks, lovely ambiance and our server Alex was fabulous! Our food was amazing, especially the veal special, outstanding!! Frankie's is the absolute best!!♥️

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Highlander House Restaurant & Bar

4.8

4.8 (86)

$30 and under

Polish

Palos Hills

About the restaurant

Welcome to Highlander House Restaurant and Bar. Our beautiful restaurant attracts our clients with unique styles, friendly atmosphere, and delicious food. The name of the restaurant was greatly influenced by our family's roots, which are originated from the mountains in Poland.

The style of the restaurant consists of many of souvenirs, wooden decorations, regional costumes, and traditional instruments to give our guests that authentic atmosphere. Dishes are prepared from scratch according to recipes originating from the south region of Poland called Podhale.

We offer regional and traditional Polish cuisine. Our European plate, sauerkraut soup, sheep cheese soup, unique taste of lamb plate and pork shank ranks highest in popularity amongst our guests.

Every Sunday we have live entertainment featuring Polish Highlanders. With the help of our friendly staff and delicious food, we hope you continue to come back and visit us at Highlander House.

Top review

OpenTable Diner

Dined 5 days ago

If you like polish food this is a great place to visit.

Mama Maria's Taco and Tequila Bar

4.7

4.7 (201)

$30 and under

Mexican

Orland Park

About the restaurant

Mama Maria's Taco and Tequila Bar is a festive Mexican restaurant in Orland Park. The dining room is sleek and modern, with an oversized wooden bar, trendy lighting, comfortable seating, big screen TVs and charming accent pieces. Mama Maria’s Taco and Tequila Bar has a relaxed and inviting atmosphere that is created through the tasty aroma and intimate design of the dining room.

The menu that is offered at Mama Maria’s Taco and Tequila Bar is referred to as “Mexican street food – fresh to your table.” The menu consists of traditional Mexican favorites, which include taquitos, guacamole, sizzling fajita platters, an assortment of tacos, enchiladas and burritos with a modern twist.

Top review

EdVIP

Dined on 1 Mar 2025

Food is excellent. Servers were very good. Noise level was pretty loud.

Vinny's Clam Bar

4.7

4.7 (690)

$31 to $50

Seafood

Tinley Park

About the restaurant

WHETHER IT'S DROWNING IN BUTTER OR GLAZED IN TOMATO SAUCE, UNCLE VINNY WANTS EVERY GUEST TO ENJOY OUR FAMILY RECIPES THE ITALIAN WAY: ONE HAND TO EAT, TWO HANDS TO SPEAK.

Top review

christineVIP

Dined on 5 Mar 2025

Always a great experience great customer service and delicious food. My husband always get the oysters. Highly recommend

Mago Grill & Cantina - Bolingbrook

4.6

4.6 (1218)

$30 and under

Mexican

Bolingbrook

About the restaurant

Mago Grill is a modern twist on everyday dining featuring a delicious menu of authentic Mexican and Latin dishes created by chef Juan Luis Gonzalez. Open for lunch and dinner daily, 7 days a week. Family friendly dining, great for groups, too!

Top review

Freyja

Dined 6 days ago

Consistently delicious food, attentive service and hip cocktails. Tried two of the moles tonight and both were outstanding. The Mexican chocolate bread pudding was incredible.

The Phoenix Kitchen & Cocktails

4.6

4.6 (900)

$30 and under

American

Homer Glen

About the restaurant

A modern upscale casual, dining experience, serving locally sourced New American Cuisine.
In addition to the traditional 3 course meal, we offer shared plates. Shareable food is fresh, fun and exciting! Mixing and matching food selections, allows guests to try an array of different cooking techniques, styles and flavors. Spanning the globe for exciting inspiration to provide unique high quality dishes. Our wood fired grill, 600º degree pizza oven, hardwood smoker and hydroponic organic micro-greenhouse allow Chef the freedom to bring his culinary ideas to your table. Pair your evening from a selection of handcrafted cocktails, small batch bourbons, craft beer or enjoy a bottle of organic, bio dynamic wine from our temperature controlled wine cellar. Experience The Phoenix; where family and friends gather, food and drink is shared and new traditions begin!

Top review

MichaelVIP

Dined 2 days ago

Always amazing food, drinks and service!! Great ambience!! Love it!!

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BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse - Orland Park

4.2

4.2 (107)

$30 and under

American

Orland Park

About the restaurant

Time counts at BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse. Since our humble beginnings back in 1978, we’ve continued to refine our brewhouse experience to make BJ’s a place where you can make the most of any meal. We want BJ’s to be a place where the moment you leave is the moment you plan on coming back.

We pride ourselves in our craft and attention to detail. Our guests come here for our award-winning handcrafted beer. They come here for the Southern California twist we’ve put on the Chicago-style deep dish pizza. And they come here for our Pizookies®, our world-renowned dessert. But above all we know people come here to make their good times better.

So in many ways we haven’t just crafted a brand, but a mindset. And our guests are the reason for this. And it’s because of them we’re continually striving to make sure every moment they choose to spend with us counts.

Welcome to BJ’s, a restaurant with a Brewhouse soul.

Top review

BillyVIP

Dined 5 days ago

Good food service was a little disorganized. Some starters came with the main meal.

Dave & Buster's - Orland Park

4.1

4.1 (97)

$30 and under

American

Orland Park

About the restaurant

Each Dave & Buster's has more state-of-the-art games than ever, more mouth-watering menu items and the most innovative drinks anywhere. From wings to steaks, we've got whatever suits your appetite and our premium bar assures we're stocked to satisfy! Plus, you can watch your game on one of our massive HDTVs with epic stadium sound.

Top review

Jasmine

Dined on 23 Feb 2025

Definitely make reservations ahead of time if you plan on dining in. The wait time without the reservation was 2-3 hours on a busy Saturday.

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Experience

College Night Thursdays

Bar Louie - Bolingbrook

4.0

4 (12)

$30 and under

American

Bolingbrook

About the restaurant

At Bar Louie, we're passionate about delivering flavor packed experiences. Defined by our award-winning handcrafted martinis and cocktails, our lunch, dinner and happy hours elevate the top-shelf bar experience. In a vibrant atmosphere energized by our local community, we serve all guests looking to create unforgettable moments - making us the go-to-spot for all occasions, from a spontaneous happy hour hangout to a celebratory spot for milestone events.

Top review

Andrew

Dined on 14 Feb 2025

Good food. Ample parking. A little noisy. Lots of bar seating

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Experience

Get Lucky at Bar Louie’s St. Patrick’s Day Weekend

Oasis Mexican Kitchen & Bar

4.0

4 (21)

$31 to $50

Contemporary Mexican

Lockport

About the restaurant

Experience the vibrant flavors of Mexico in a modern, upscale setting. Oasis Mexican Kitchen & Bar offers handcrafted cocktails, premium steaks, and fresh seafood, all served with warm hospitality. Start your day with our brunch or enjoy an evening in our hidden speakeasy. A taste of Tulum in Lockport!

Top review

Dave

Dined 6 days ago

Outside you think, this might not be so good, once inside very nice, food and drinks are excellent! Will absolutely go back again.

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