Jilly’s Café

Good prices especially considering the generous portions compared to similar French Restaurants. We had Jilly’s salad (with GREAT goat cheese), crab cakes, Salmon Fillet, and Lamb chops. The meat was cooked just perfect with that simple but delicious salt that brings out the flavor of good meat. Wonderful service plus, warm and inviting.

I had to go outside of Unilocal to narrow down the dinner choice for a special outing after a Northwestern home game. There are lots of nice dinner places in Evanston, I decided to narrow it down by location (walking distance from the Northwestern Campus) and service. Unilocalers report lots of nice dinner places with good service, but not specifically about my pet peeve, I do not approve of the new hidden upcharges on ice or no-​ice for before dinner drinks. I additionally don’t like to have my intelligence insulted by having some young waiter or bartender explain to me what they think «neat» or «on-​the-​rocks» means — when restaurants or bars switch to the hidden up-​charges they often coach their staffs to «explain» (talk down to) customers that «neat means more» or «on-​the-​rocks means like a double» or some other diabolical rationalization. I probably could deal with the up-​charges if I didn’t get the added insult of the idiotic rationalization (just say that management decided to add up-​charges for whiskey or martinis), but I would prefer that they just raise their drink prices across the board openly and honestly. So, I called the restaurants (with a telephone, I felt so old-​fashioned, just like my idea of neat or straight-​up) and found that this was the only restaurant to not have gone to the new hidden up-​charges. Great, made the reservations and spread the word.
It’s a quaint and cozy little pseudo-​French bistro very close to the stadium, run by an Eastern European family (couldn’t nail down the accent), and I think we were the only ones in there who weren’t regulars (usually a good sign). In spite of the small size, we didn’t feel cramped or claustrophobic, and it wasn’t too loud either. Service was friendly, sincere, and competent, I do like the family team approach. The venison and short ribs were excellent, the steak-​frites were only okay (the beef a little tough and not quite the highest quality), the prices reasonable for the atmosphere and quality of food. There’s a steep $ 20 corkage fee, but they are very up front about it, my Chief of Staff had some specific ideas about the wine so we paid it (and again), but their actual wine list is quite satisfactory with reasonable pricing (compared to other restaurants) so I actually wouldn’t recommend the BYOW approach.
Oh, and the reason they don’t have hidden up-​charges for neat or on the rocks? They don’t serve whiskey or cognac.

Quaint, intimate café with European French ambience. Nice Sunday prix fixe brunch with mimosas. Started with Granny Smith apple fritters followed by perfectly grilled fresh salmon accompanied with cous cous, spinach and bernaise sauce.

I recently visited this small bistro on Greenbay Rd on the very northern edge of Evanston. I have never before felt as compelled to write a review as I do now. For those of you who want the skinny right away: good prices especially considering the generous portions compared to similar restaurants. For example the beet salad is a good size and is really full of beets and almost only beets. At other places, even if the beet salad is large, there are usually just a handful of beets. Same goes for their Bouillabaisse, a French seafood soup: a whole lot of seafood. The desserts I tried, Crème brûlée and the Profiteroles were not as large but were very tasty. I have not tried anything else. Many of the menu items (modest in number), are standard items in high class and cost establishments (bouillabaisse, escargot, beet salad, rack of lamb, etc). Although their food is not the best compared to the beet salad and bouillabaisse I have had at other high end restaurants, I really did enjoy the food. Taking into account the cost, the portions and the ambience that was thankfully lacking that pretentious air that some similar type places have. All in all, I would recommend it. I will definitely be back myself to try their other offerings.
Advice:
1). if I were to order the beet salad again I would ask for the dressing on the side. The vinaigrette was overpowering, just a bit less would have been made the salad much better.
2). If you go to eat after the store next door closes (I can’t remember what it was exactly, a store engaged in car servicing of some sort) you can park in their «lot.» (There is no valet parking).
3). After dinner coffee is just regular coffee, no espresso based drinks such as cappuccino (which I personally like to have with dessert after a meal).
4). Our server, an older gentleman who gave me the impression that he was probably the owner or part owner of the establishment, was delightful. He was very casual, jovial, and engaging. Although I appreciated his jokes delivered with a heavy accent, some might not or might not be in the mood for such. So just be warned.

What delicious food! I’m almost falling over myself with all the words I wanna use for this place! The bouillabaisse is to die for! Venison perfectly cooked, lamb Devine, desserts…,.basically anything off their menu will be extremely delicious! The only thing I wish they could fix is the lack of space, it’s very crammed in the restaurants, and they can turn away customer for people with huge reservations even when they’re not sure they’ll show up, since it’s such a small place reservations should be made at the door just like the hippest restaurants in Chicago, anyway their food is rgreat!

My husband, his best friend and I went to this restaurant because the other restaurant we were supposed to go to, his best friend reserve the wrong date. This restaurant is not to big but nice and cosy to dine in. The food we had was great. The only thing about this place is we didn’t get our menu when we first sat down and we got it after the waiter pour our water which was kind of odd to me. I will still go back to this place if I am in Evanston and will recommend it to others.

Have been here three times now. All visits were for brunch. The food is fantastic. Not a single complaint. Their attention to detail is evident from table settings to the quality of ingredients.

My sis took me here for my birthday lunch. We both grew up in Evanston, and had not been to Jilly’s for awhile. We were pleasantly surprised at how delicious everything was. We started out with wine, and enjoyed the French bread and creamy butter. We both ordered the salmon with pearly couscous and broccoli in a white wine sauce. The salmon was cooked to perfection, and the couscous melted in our mouth. For dessert, we shared a lava cake with vanilla ice cream, decorated artistically with a red and yellow sauce. It was heavenly. We will definitely be back for lunch and dinner.

Found out about this place after a groupon purchase! The food was divine! Loved the quaint ambience and mid size restaurant. Enjoyed my 3 course dinner and savored every bite! The food was filled with flavor and since that’s something I can appreciate, I would def recommend this place to anyone who can recognize quality!

It’s definitely been a many number of years since we’ve been back, mostly because we live in South Evanston. Anyway, for our 12^th anniversary, the hubby and I made reservations for dinner. We did take note that the place was pretty full given a Friday evening, so I would recommend reservations. We also noted that we were probably the youngest people there easily by a decade and we’re in our mid-​30s.
Service was decent — attentive, but they did forget my tea and had to be reminded. We got the mussels to start where the broth was delicious but the mussels themselves were a bit gritty/​sandy.
The short ribs special was delicious and their steak and frites is definitely a house favorite. The entrees were the saving grace of the meal and elevated them up to 4 stars. The meat was cooked just perfect with that simple but delicious salt/​pepper seasoning that brings out the flavor of good meat. Overall, a good experience.

Went to Jilly’s twice now and both times we had a great time. The food was awesome. Both times I had the char and loved it. The 2^nd time we went was on my birthday as this was my choice. The waiter/​owner was friendly and funny. He made us feel very welcome. Free parking at night in the tire store next door. We shall return!

We love this little place! Good food, good people, nice prices. Nice atmosphere. We love this place!

I came here last night for dinner with a groupon. They bring out bread with some butter and chicken liver spread at first. I think it would be nice if they told you what the spread was without having to ask or find out the hard way. The entrees were ordered, Bouillabaisse and vegetable mélange, were okay and the quality I would expect for the price. The waiter was kind of slow, but the guy who was refilling our water did a great job and always kept our glasses full.

Amazing wine dinner tonight. Perfect pairing with delicious french (Touton) wines. Highly recommended! !

This is our third time. Omg. It was a fantastic meal. Started with a wonderful pea soup w croutons. Soup was just the right consistency… not too watery nor too thick. Croutons very tasty. Shared the mussels with Len. We both agreed they were terrific. Next I had short ribs. Made over 4 – 5 hours on a lovely bouquet of vegetables. Fabulous sauce over horseradish potatoes. Heaven. Finally we shared a berry crumble with ice cream and whipped cream. Superb meal. Highly recommend this place.

Why can’t we choose NO stars?!? Oh, waiter Nikolai, w/​the hairy tipped nose, how you chase away customers… I brought a bottle of wine. I called beforehand and was told it was just fine. My wine FYI was better than the wine on their meager wine list. They charged me a «corkage fee». (Translation: I paid 20 bucks to bring in my bottle.) Then Nikolai gave me WATER glasses. Then I noticed other tables w/​proper wine glasses. «That’s because they bought their wine from us.» Huh? You RUDE Hobbit nosed UNserver. The food wasn’t fresh tasting and the place musty and STALE. Next!
There’s BETTER choices nearby:
Bordeaux Bistro, Stained Glass …

My husband and I had a great evening here yesterday. This café is the perfect venue for dates. They have a very cozy design and my favorite combination of «white tablecloth on a background of burgundy and dark wood». The café is very tiny. We came without reservations, and found the table. but probably in popular days such as Friday or Saturday reservation required. I was pleased with my meal and the size of dish. It was not huge like in American restaurant, but was not tiny like in many French restaurants when you need to have 3 — 6 plates to not be hungry.
Price for dinner for 2 persons is 60 — $ 70 with wine and dessert. But you can only have a couple of appetizers for 9 — $ 12 and coffee for price like $ 30 dollars if you do not plan a big dinner.
I’ll probably be back here.

Came into Jillis on a Wednesday because I aways see the place from the Metra on my way into the city each morning, it’s really quaint and inviting.
It was a slow night but they really delivered. The onion soup was perfect. Certainly made to order. The crispy goat cheese app was fresh and delicious. They served a pinot noir sorbet before the entrees, nice touch. Entrees were perfectly cooked and the portions were generous. Seasoned well, but not too salty or rich.
Will come again anytime I cruise through Evanston.
Nice job.

Jilly’s is a casual French café with friendly service and a fairly traditional menu. One of the more interesting aspects is that there are almost as many specials each night as there are regular menu items.
The meal begins with excellent crusty French bread, butter, and chicken liver pâté.
I had the escargot, which were the traditional preparation, topped with small croquettes and served with a slice of lemon. The escargot and garlic butter were good, especially with the French bread. I’m not sure the croquettes and lemon added a lot.
My second course was my favorite, a poached pair and bleu cheese salad. It had just the right mix of bitter and sweet ingredients.
An intermezzo of pinot noir sorbet cleared the palate.
For my entrée I selected their specialty, the skinless duck breast and confit. Both were good, but the breast was swimming in a very sweet sauce, so I stuck with the confit.
Service was extremely friendly at all the tables, and they were reasonably busy on a Tuesday night, with a crowd composed of about half regulars. Wine prices is reasonable, although the website version of the wine list is out of date.
Jilly’s is a good choice if you are in the mood for traditional French food in a friendly atmosphere.

Great mushroom and cheese omelets and wonderful desserts. Wonderful service like being in Paris. Reasonably priced.