Located inside a strip mall, “Ricobene’s” has a surprisingly spacious dining room. Stepping inside is like taking a step back in time. The 1950’s diner décor is emphasized with jukeboxes, checkered floors, and classic pictures hanging from the walls. While your impression of a 50’s diner might mean service with a smile, you might not want to bank on that here. While I wouldn’t go so far as to say rude, the young lady at the counter seemed less than thrilled to be there.
Glance over the menu and you see some of the usual suspects like hot dogs, pizza, and Italian beef. Look a little harder and you find some unusual sandwich options like egg plant parmesan, chicken vesuvio, and the breaded steak. My wife goes with the breaded steak and onion rings, while I go for the vesuvio and a slice of sausage pizza. We grab a seat and wait for our number to be called.
The food is ready promptly and we can’t wait to dig in. First is my vesuvio, which is thinly pounded chicken dipped in an herb butter, breaded, and then deep fried. The chicken is placed on a crusty French roll and topped with onion, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise. The sandwich had great crunch from both the bread and the chicken while the flavor of the herbs definitely came through. My only complaint was the level of greasiness. They honestly could have let the chicken drain just a bit more before they served it. The more I ate that sandwich, the more clogged my arteries became. The pizza wasn’t bad either. Most places only serve single slices of thin crust, but they thankfully serve up some deep dish. The bottom crust had a nice level of crispness and the toppings were good but the tomato sauce was a little too thin for deep dish. Time for the famous breaded steak! Sandwich steak is pounded paper thin, breaded, deep fried, and then topped with marinara. North sider’s, you’re missing out! The steak is tender and the sauce is wonderful. Add that goodness to some crusty French bread and you got yourself one dynamite sandwich. Oh yeah, we had onion rings as well. The rings were thin slices of onions battered and fried to a delicious golden brown. Like the vesuvio they were a little on the extra greasy side, but still worth ordering.
Final bill for the two of us was about $20. Overall “Ricobene’s” offers up good food and slightly unhappy service for a decent price. If you’re not willing to make the trip south, then definitely check them out at the “Taste of Chicago” where they are serving up the largest “taste” portion of any vendor. Rating ** and 1/2 out of ****.
Locations
271 N. Weber Road
Bolingbrook, IL. 60490
(630) 378-4466
252 W. 26th Street
Chicago, IL. 60616
(312) 225-5555
5160 S. Pulaski Road
Chicago, IL. 60632
(773) 284-2400
222 N. Wells Street
Chicago, IL. 60601
(312) 372-2322
2163 W. 75th Street
Darien, IL. 60561
(630) 435-0825
9135 W. 159th Street
Orland Hills, IL. 60477
(708) 460-9966
Home
