Still One of My Favorite Spots for a Nice Lunch
Just had lunch here with my daughter and we both enjoyed it immensely. Â I had the spinach salad with warm goat cheese and a bacon/balsamic dressing. Â She had the Thai Shrimp salad which came with six enormous shrimp. Â We both saved room for dessert.... She had the molten lava cake and I had the chocolate mousse cake. Â Both came with ice cream and fresh whipped cream. Â We enjoyed tea with our meal because it was a blisteringly cold day. Â Our waiter was friendly without being cloying. Â Cost of lunch per person was about $25 including tax and tip.
This is a charming little place with amazing food. Â The bread comes with an excellent pate. Â But don't get too filled up on bread, because everything else is so good. Â Entree portions are a good size - not too much, although, I have never made it to dessert! Â My favorite is the bouillabaisse, which is basically an aromatic seafood stew with fennel and tomatoes. Â Another favorite thing is that they do a palette cleanser of pinot noir sorbet, which I wish they sold in pints that I could just take home with me...
Note that parking is a little tricky here - street parking only. Â There is a parking lot, but it's a couple blocks west of the place and is often full. Â
Definitely would recommend this place for special dinner dates!
First of all it's tiny very very tiny. The waiter were not really friendly and the food was sub par at best. I wasn't happy to later find that several hours later the food I ate caused me to vomit for most of the night. The other people at the table didn't have the same problem but were not happy with their meals. It was really bad and I can't think of one positive I can about this place....
How about it had a good wine list.....
Jilly's was cozy, filling up fast in the early weekday evening. The service was prompt, attentive, but not fussy. The house roasted tomato soup was a well-executed balance of flavors, while the dessert selection was surprisingly broad and enticing. Settled on the profiteroles, which proved excellent!
Review Source:Went here for a special birthday dinner. Had reservations made for a while. Was admittedly less than pleased with the lack-luster table right near the bathroom.
To start, we had the mussels. They were tasty. Not the best we've ever had but good. The sauce was oniony and flavorful but really heavy on the fishiness...maybe extra garlic would have done the trick?
My hubby absolutely loved his beet salad. I thought the cream of mushroom brie soup was good but salty and I'm still not convinced that the brie worked so well. It left a woodsy, grassy aftertaste that was sort of unpleasant.
My salmon entree was delicious. The pomme frites were divine. The squash side was fresh and tasty.
For dessert, we were able to snag a creme broule. It was much too heavy on the cream for my taste. It was almost too thick to be creme broule. I've had better.
The restaurant is really small. It's filled with an older crowd. It needs updating and a good cleaning and airing out. I think if they removed the carpet, it would go miles as to the smell. The tables and chairs could be stabilized better as they all seemed to wobble too much.
Thursdays are no corkage on byob and that's really lovely.
All in all it was a nice little kitchy place. Will be back for the main entrees.
Interesting experience at Jilly's. My first and will likely be my last visit.
To start, the place needs an obvious update. Surprisingly, the place was filled with people. Its a bit of an older crowd. Sure, the 'art' on the walls is a bit dated but that can be cute in a kitchy kinda way. But when it comes to cob webs on the walls and ceiling tiles that look like they're about ready to drop in your soup I had some doubts. The waiter was nice enough but a bit pushy. The bread that came out was a bit stale. Red flag #1. Second, there are DOILIES under everything!! Doilies. I had a salad which was okay. My husband had the scallop appetizer which was swimming in a bowl of cream. For dinner he had the venison which he liked and I ordered the chicken breast with rotini. First, there was no chicken breast- the chicken was cubed in suspiciously exact squares. Second there was no flavor. Noodles in a dish again literally swimming in a pool of heavy cream. Really missed the mark. As we ate we watched other tables get 'presented' the dessert tray. The waiters literally placed it ON the table right in front of diners. It was almost uncomfortable to watch fellow diners reluctantly order dessert because it was put in their faces. In order to avoid this, we politely asked for our check. Waited, waited...Then, the very sad looking dessert tray ended up on OUR table. In the middle of being presented the desserts, the waiter was called to table next to us- a mistake on the bill- they were "inadvertently" charged $6 for a $2 cup of coffee. Yikes. When our waiter returned we declined dessert again and again requested the check. After waiting a few minutes I got the feeling they were waiting to see if we'd order more wine or change our mind on dessert. Overall, it was a bit of a sad restaurant. The place seems to be grasping at straws. Doilies do not make up for good food.
My daughter and I stopped in for dinner and were mildly disappointed with the overall quality of the food.
From the pate to the pear chicken and seafood gumbo the taste profile was sweet with little balance.
My daughter ordered the crab cake appetizer. Crab is a sweet meat yet this was served on a bed of  sweet corn and red pepper with a side spoonful of "tartar" sauce.  The crab cake was tender though unseasoned. The "tartar" sauce tasted just like its main component, mayonnaise, and little else.  The corn did provide some textural counterpoint to the crab cake which was nice as the rest of both of our meals had little in the way of a thoughtful balance in texture. Â
 It is pretty shameful to serve a poorly seasoned sweet and slightly gummy rissoto, the mussels were tender and sweet, the baby scallops and two pieces of shrimp were slightly overcooked hence a bit chewy and flavorless, and it was topped with odd sized rather disproportionate pieces of salmon.  The sauce was again on the sweet side, overall simply poorly seasoned.
My daughter's pear chicken essentially suffered from the same fate, sweet, very sweet from the sweet potatoes that actually had clumps of brown sugar mixed in to the chicken which was floating in a maple sauce, the skin was not crisp but fatty almost gelatinous in texture and again no real thought to the seasoning. Â The greens which would have provided a nice texture balance to the meal were completely unseasoned and slightly oily.
My desert was just sad, I ordered a Creme Brulee  only to have the custard remind of the boxed vanilla pudding I used to make as an after school snack.  The middle of my brulee was ice cold and essentially flavorless.  Poorly executed!
I found the timing of our whole meal interesting. Â It all was served fairly quickly which leads me to suspect that most of it was prepared farther ahead of time then need be. Â Certainly would explain the risotto.
My glass of Pinot Grigio was the true highlight of the meal!
We are long term residents and over the years (over 30) have eaten in most of the restaurants throughout the north shore. Â While the atmosphere is cafe quaint, I would rather go to Oceanique (another French/American style restaurant, perhaps a bit more stodgy in atmosphere),and pay just barely a smidge more and know that I am going to have a true quality meal.
Needless to say we won't be back and I will not recommend this place to any friends or visiting family.
Simply excellent food. Â Jilly's is country french and a good place for versions of many classic French dishes. Â I would especially recommend the duck confit. Â My companion had the spare ribs which are also very good. Â The service is OK, but can seem a little erratic and temperamental. Â Five stars for food, three and half for service, but food matters more. Â This is one of Evanston's best restaurants.
Review Source:Classic French food prepared perfectly, with prices typical of this sort of cuisine. We ate tomato and fennel soup, duck confit, a chicken pasta, and profiteroles for dessert. The service is basically what you expect of a French restaurant, attentive (but not overly), while at the same time giving you a feeling that they could care less about what you think. If you are in the mood for classic French food, this is your place in Evanston.
Review Source:I'd never heard of Jilly's when my lunch companion recommended it; it's one of those narrow 'hole-in-the-wall' places that, unless you're looking right at it as you drive by, you'd never see it. And that would be a shame, as it's quite a nice place for lunch.
Rather than its fairly dark interior being glum, it's more like comforting and welcoming; even though we sat by the window on a grim snowy day, the interior atmosphere and temp were warm and cozy. Jilly's menu has many interesting and eclectic choices, as did the daily specials menu. I wasn't very hungry that day, so I opted for lighter fare; a cup of tomato bisque soup, and a spring roll with greens and fennel, both of which fit the bill, and satisfied the palate quite nicely. A slightly-overpriced bottle of Pellegrino served to wet the whistle. My companion seemed quite pleased with the crab cakes and wine she ordered, and another good lunch was had by both.
Our host was friendly and pleasant without being cloying, our food came out in a timely manner, and our water glasses were refilled regularly. I look forward to another visit to Jilly's Cafe; I'll need to skip breakfast so my appetite is more pronounced, so I can delve deeper into their menu!
Pleasantly surprised by this place. Crowded for dinner, great service, superb food. By the sound of the other reviews, this place seems more ripe for dinner than lunch.
Very much enjoyed the white bean + vegetable soup and beet salad appetizers. I ordered the braised BBQ short ribs w/horseradish mashed potatoes and my wife had the Flounder w/orzo. Hers was the winner between the two. Dessert plate was overwhelming with mostly chocolate options - lava cake was a great choice.
Parking was confusing at first but we discovered most people park at the neighboring auto shop lot after 6pm.
A solid meal with attentive staff and a great busy vibe on a friday night, would like to go back and try more of the menu.
Stopped in here for lunch with a bunch of my co-workers, we had a pretty bad experience. The food was OK, though nothing spectacular, but the service made the experience utterly terrible. Â Our waiter was not helpful, confused several people into thinking soup came with their meal when in fact it did not and they would be charged for soup, completely screwed up 2 of the orders and then tried to deny that we had ordered correctly. Â The best part of this scenario? Â 18% gratuity automatically added to the bill. Â Maybe we caught them on a bad day but I'll never be back to find out.
Review Source:A friend treated me to lunch here on a weekday and the place is so beautifully cozy and adorable, I definitely would go back. Nothing too fancy, it's like someone opened up a restaurant in their formal dining room.
The food was good. Fresh and good and nothing frilly about it. I would definitely leave room for the carrot cake! Yum!
We had not been to Jilly's for many years but with a Groupon decided to give it a try for my husband's birthday. Â We were a little dismayed by the closeness of tables and tired decor, but the menu seemed to have many promising items. Food going to the tables looked good.
Our appetizers of crab cake and shrimp with brie were good. Â For our main courses my husband order venison, and I ordered the lamb. Â Service was definitely a problem. Â We waited and waited for our main courses. Â Then to our surprise our server offered us the desert selection. Â We told him we would like our entries first. Â He then scrambled to the kitchen. Â When our entries finally came, the venison was excellent. Â The lamb, potatoes and vegetables were a little cool, but totally unacceptable was quality of the lamb for $29. Â There were only a couple edible bites of meat. Â The rest was bone and fat. Â I had to send it back which meant my husband and I ate separately. Â It was apparent that the meat was unacceptable to serve yet they tried to pass if off. Â There was not even any consideration given. Â When I reserved, I had even mentioned it was my husband's birthday.
I was really disappointed in our experience. Â Service should definitely be better for a restaurant of this price point. Â As we live very close, I was hoping to rediscover a neighborhood restaurant, but I can say we will not be going back, Groupon or not.
We had a groupon so we decided to use it on my B-Day and if you like small cozy restaurants like you would actually find in France than this place is for you..
Small dining room holds no more than 50? Â Tables very close together, but I dont mind that, It gives you the feeling like your dining in a real french cafe.
We started with the Mussels in a wine & butter sauce (Buerre Blanc) and they were cooked perfect and tasted awesome.
Then my wife had the beet salad which tasted great and I had soup which was good.
The entrees were short ribs braised in demi glaze, which I usually never order in a restaurant because they can be hit or miss. Luckily tonite it was a hit and they were the best short ribs w/ garlic mashed Ive evere had.
My Wife had the grilled halibut which was also completely delicious..vegeies were cooked well too. Both plates were excellent
For dessert we split a Carrot cake which also was homemade and exccellent.
Walking into the restaurant last night, I thought--oh no! The place was crowded - the tables were jammed together - and the older crowd was strangely quiet. The wait staff reminded me of the characters in Young Frankenstein. And, the art work on the dark panel walls was amazingly bad.
But once the food came out, that all didn't matter anymore. The bean soup was thick and superb, the pork tenderloin absolutely spot on delicious, and my wife's and two other friends' meals were also really good. And, the price of the dinner was very reasonable.
Go figure. We'll be back soon!
Dropped in for lunch while car was getting the oil changed. Looked cozy from the street. Small place, it is cozy. Train is right across the street.
I concur with another review that the white linen table setting definitely raises the bar for lunch in a good way.
I would also concur with another review about the distraught response over dessert, although I got the impression of surprise, not so much disgust. I typically do not do dessert at lunch.
It's a good call if you need a step up place for lunch but not over the top, and also conducive to good discussion. Perfect for the busy parents needing some catch up time.
Lunch on a Wednesday, it was only us and one other couple. I hope they get busier than that for their sake.
wife got hot ham and cheese with Fire Roasted Tomato and Fennel soup With Garlic Croutons which she enjoyed.
I got the North Shore Roll-Up 9 Tomato Tortilla Shell Filled with Chilled Vegetables, Goat Cheese, Pesto, Served with Sweet Potato Fries - which I also enjoyed. Tip, the North shore roll-up is Big and could technically be split between two. I took half home for dinner.
Service was good and personable, there was nobody else to compete with us ;-)
I kind of had to schooch them along for the check at the end, but that was probably me in a hurry.
Prices were doable.
I would return.
We had an outstanding dinner on a busy Saturday night.
I started with the poached pear salad, a mix of sweet, wine-poached pears, endive, mixed field greens (no iceberg lettuce here!), walnuts and blue cheese. It was perfectly balanced - the walnuts were seasoned but not candy coated (as I've had in some other placed), there was just enough blue cheese, and the kitchen was generous with the poached pears. My partner started with the roasted tomato soup. It was thick and perfectly seasoned, tasting primarily of tomato.
A tiny cup of red wine ice was provided as a palate cleanser. This was a nice touch, and it provided a nice transition to the entree.
For the entree, I had bouillabaise. Jilly's bouillabaise is mostly seafood set in a nice portion of flavorful broth. The night we were there, it included about a dozen mussels, a good handful of scallops, a few jumbo shrimp, and hefty chunks of tuna and salmon (not surprising - the fish is whatever the market has, and the other fish dishes on the menu were tuna and salmon). Everything was properly cooked, and it it came with a stack of toasted bread and and a pot of yummy, garlicky aioli on the side. I was in heaven. I asked the waiter to recommend a wine, and he made several suggestions; I chose the Beaujolais, and I was very pleased.
My partner had the venison with cherries. The meat was cooked as requested (pink, firm and warm in the center). The sauce is mainly pan juices, so it's savory, not sweet - the cherries add to the flavor, but they don't dominate. The venison is served with a sweet potato puree and haricots verts. The sweet potato puree is lightly seasoned and sets off the venison very nicely (it doesn't compete). The haricots were properly cooked and a real treat. The waiter recommended a Syrah or Shiraz, and my partner was pleased with this as well.
Desserts are a bit overwhelming. We probably should have skipped dessert because we were pretty full, but it's hard to say "no" to chocolate. We shared a plate consisting of a pot of chocolate pots de creme, two thin slices of flourless chocolate cake, and a profiterole. Tasty, but quite a lot to eat.
Service was excellent and attentive. My partner has some dietary restrictions (no gluten), and the staff were able to answer all of his questions authoritatively and (as far as we can tell) accurately. Â The waiter was careful to remind my partner that he need not limit himself to dishes that start out gluten-free - the kitchen could make most dishes without flour if he wanted something else. Glasses were refilled as needed, but this was not disruptive. We were treated well despite the fact that I was badly underdressed (t-shirt and jeans) and had forgotten to shave.
Others have commented that the decor is getting worn, but to be honest, I didn't have time to notice. The bathroom is clean and serviceable, but desperately needs some cosmetic repairs.
Go, and enjoy.
Hadn't been to Jilly's in many years, but, meaning to go back, I was thrilled to see a Groupon available. Â So we went for Sunday brunch and were sorry to see how far it has slipped.
The first impression is that Jilly's interior hasn't been updated in many years. Â What was once cozy French provincial is now rather tired, with bad art and cracked/peeling paint on the walls. Â But no big deal.
The table with white linen and white paper looked lovely, and we were quickly given a very nice complimentary basket of bakery items - zucchini bread, scones, mini-muffins, with some butter and jelly (not really jam, but jelly). Â OK, a good start.
However, the food served turned out to be hit and miss: Â The portobello mushroom and brie salad was nice; the beet salad was well-liked, as was the pasta with chicken and tomato sauce.
However, the salmon, cream cheese and baguette came with one slice of toasted bread - OK, but not baguette. Â The salmon, orzo and citrus buerre blanc came with a bland cream sauce (heavy, not at all buerre blanc) and the orzo was clearly made the day(s) before.
The bathroom is in terrible shape. A good cleaning and $500 in repairs is desperately needed.
So why only 2 stars? Â Well, first of all, our expectations were high: The claim is "Authentic French with an American Twist", but there was very little that was French. Â Second, the quality was really slipping. "meh, I've experienced better" (2 stars) is a better fit than "A-OK" (3 stars). Â So, here's a wake-up call to chef Brian Newkirk: Â Time to come by the restaurant more often and get the quality back in line.
Yikes - what an awful lunch experience my son and I shared today. The waiter was rude, rude, rude. Oh! And arrogant! He seemed "nice" to other diners but was awful to us. My son (age 16) told me not to leave a tip but I did and it was more than he deserved. The food was good but his terrible attitude really overshadowed our dining experience. The last time I was at Jilly's the waitress was fun and friendly. This guy was neither in a big way. Â When I returned home I tried calling to speak to the owner or manager. He answered and claimed the manager/owner was not in and kept questioning what I wanted. I guess he figured out who it was. I will return to Jilly's but if he is serving I will walk out. Â It has been a long time since I have had such a terrible restaurant experience.
Review Source:I came here on a dinner date with a Groupon. I heard good things about the brunch, so I was expecting some quality food.
We started with some wine and a smoked salmon appetizer. The salmon was a bit heavy for an appetizer as it was served with fries onions and potatoes. Our main courses included a mushroom risotto and seafood pasta. Both were okay, with hearty portions.
The turnaround in the evening was when our server offered us dessert. We kindly declined, and the server had the most distraught look on his face. It was further maintained after we declined coffee or tea.
We then waited for our check for half an hour. Fun times.
I would have given my visit at least 3 stars, but the professionalism left a bad taste in my mouth. Sorry Jilly's.
I'd give this place somewhere in between a 3 and a 3.5.
I came here a few days ago with my boyfriend to use my Groupon. Jilly's is small and tucked away - we almost missed it a couple of times. One thing that was really irritating was the parking; we had to circle around the area several times, and after we got into the restaurant, we overheard someone else asking if they could park in the lot right next door, to which they responded yes! A sign or something outside the restaurant would have saved us so much time.
The decor of this place is cozy and rustic, down to the plates, the paper doilies, and the utensils! Jilly's had more of a bistro feel rather than a cafe, especially because at the end of the meal the waitress told us that their espresso machine has been broken for a whole year. Speaking of which, the service, while not outright bad, was more just... depressing. Everyone working here had this sort of sad, burnt out demeanor, which certainly did not make me feel excited about their food or anything else.
Anyway, onto the food --
I ordered a beet salad for my starter and it was surprisingly a lot larger and a lot better than I had anticipated. The salad included some shaved fennel, feta cheese, red onions, and arugula. The vinaigrette was absolutely amazing and the salad was a good balance between soft and crunchy, although I think I would have preferred some iceberg lettuce or some kind of leafy green that wasn't as soft as the arugula. My boyfriend ordered the escargot, which was pretty good as well.
For our entrees, I ordered the chicken breast with rotini. The dish was a hearty size and it tasted decent, but the sauce was really thick, heavy, and gooey. I could barely finish even five bites. My boyfriend ordered the lamb rack special. While the lamb was cooked to a perfect tenderness, the sauce was very watery and thin, which detracted from the whole dish.
Overall, this place was relatively decent and I had a good experience, but it's probably not somewhere that I would go out of my way to come back to.
The food really is fantastic but I have a hard time saying anything else positive about this restaurant. Not sure I understand all the fuss and distinction that's clearly laid on this establishment.
The service was mediocre at best and plain indifferent. The decor needs either a serious cash infusion or demolition. Stained ceilings, filthy bathrooms and heavily worn carpets do little to offset the price paid for a credible French bistro.
Massive shame. If another local restaurant (Jackie's) stole Jilly's Chef ... they'd be unbeatable. That is a compliment!
Certainly cannot figure out what all the fuss is about here. Â Service is unpolished and spotty, and food is pricey and mediocre. There are no mixed drinks, and the wine we wanted from the list was out. Salads are large and not bad starters and then it is downhill. Â Had the rack of lamb. Â Was not asked how I wanted it cooked, so it came super rare which was not my preference.Blue cheese mashed potatoes were mushy and tasted like instant. Â Asparagus was soft and unappetizing. Â The pork entree fared about the same in appeal. Â Coffee was weak and desserts were goey and tasteless. Â The desserts on the sample tray looked awful as if they were sitting for hours. Â Chocolate that we sampled tasted bland and clearly not worth the calories. Â Skip this place which is living on past laurels. Â There are better choices in Evanston.
Review Source:Sunday brunch here was wonderful. Â We felt like philistines because we were clearly the youngest people there, and fiddling with our salad forks. Â Still, the waitress/hostess was polite and reasonably attentive. Â I wonder why they didn't have separate people taking orders and serving, because she was working ALL the tables (and hostessing), and seemed a little swamped. Â
The dining room is cozy and old-fashioned, and seats only 45 people (I counted!). Â The boyfriend and I hadn't made reservations, but we were seated right when we arrived (a bit after 1pm). Â I'd still recommend calling ahead though, because the other two empty tables already had cards on them. Â
Of course, we did the $24 prix-fixe champagne brunch: your choice of appetizer and entree from their normal brunch menu, then a dessert menu, with unlimited champagne/mimosas/coffee/tea/fresh OJ. Â Dang! Â This is why I LOVE brunch-- the table is just so cluttered with random plates and cups and silverware and food! :)
The basket of sweetbreads came even before the menus-- 2 each of lemon poppy seed loaf, strawberry muffin, and raisin scones. Â That strawberry muffin was seriously one of the best muffins I've ever had. Â As for the actual food, I can't say I loved my shrimp frittata, even though there was a massive amount of shrimp in it and they were fresh. Â The flavors were just kind of boring. Â My appetizer was amazing though-- grilled portobello mushroom with melted brie. Â It doesn't necessarily sound brilliant, but ah, those tastes, those textures...! Â Nothing was overwhelming. Â It was served over greens in a perfect vinaigrette and two endive leaves, which provided a welcome crunch. Â I would've taken that as an entree. Â I think for dessert, I went with the sorbet, for palate-cleansing purposes..? Â Who knows? Â All I remember is that app...
The entire meal was supplemented by refills on mimosas (me) and champagne (boyfriend). Â Delicious... and I was a little woozy by the end, heh heh.
We braved biking along treacherous Green Bay Road for this brunch, and it was worth it. Â The total bill came out to something like $70 for two people-- I don't care what world you live in, that is STEEP for one meal. Â But, just like defying death on a rickety bicycle, also worth it.
I always choose Jilly's for special occasions. Â The food is outstanding, and the staff are very friendly. Â I love the sorbet between courses. Â The pate is quite tasty, and the desserts are out of control good. Â Plus they bring them by on a tray so you can see them before you pick. Â If you're already planning on dessert, it makes it easier to choose. Â If you're not planning on dessert, it makes it too hard to say no. Â But you won't regret going here.
It has a nice romantic feel if you're going on a date - and always lots of old people. :)
Wife and I happened to be in Evanston on Valentine's Day for an art opening, so I looked at our WBEZ member guide for restaurants in the vicinity. We wanted French, and only Jilly's had the discount. I called and got the last table of the night (at 5!) and they said they would honor the card, so we were in. Friends in the meantime said the food is good, but warned us that we'd likely be the youngest people in there by a decade or five, and they weren't far wrong.
The food was all fine - I had venison in Door county cherry sauce, wife had steak frittes (which is what we went for as she had a hankering.) Sauce was a little bland, but tasty enough. Steak was likewise without complaint. We also had escargot, stuffed artichoke, house salad, etc.
Our older Russian waiter was definetely rushing us, pushy "Order now please. Busy!" He was anticipating the rush later - its a busy night, we got it, ordered as fast as we could to just help him out, and had a nice time. Still, it wasn't ideal. Â
The food was all standard, sort of dated 1950's Julia Child style. It was comforting in a way, but I'd not rush to return for the food. Much less the service or decor. Wife sat in the booth against the wall, and enjoyed looking out at the cute restaurant, very authentic bistro style. I on the other hand had to stare at a long wall of "art" if you can call it that: production-line Kincaide-esque landscapes and portraits of clowns, that kind of thing. Depressing.
In a word, don't go out of your way.
Very nice for lunch. Â 4-5 stars for the food. Â 2-3 stars for the setup and service. Â Our waiter (an older gentleman) was friendly and enthusiastic, but mixed up our orders and was very unhelpful to the one member of our party who needed to make a menu substitution (lettuce for fries, should be super-easy, right?)
Also though the place was nearly empty they seated our large group at a table right very close to a wall, so whenever anyone got up, the whole table had to stand up to let them out. Â Inconvenient.
Parking can be a little tough to find around here. Â Put 2 hours on the meter, you'll need it.
major props to jilly's cafe. Â came in on a sat evening with not only my family, but my brothers gf's family to celebrate their graduation.
so not only do you have a slightly awkward situation when the 2 families are meeting for the first time, but theres always the chance that my parents start talking in their loud indoor chinese voice.
1 waitress to deal with 13 people, major props to the blonde waitress.  not only was i observing her cause she was mildly attractive, but she seemed genuinely friendly and not just putting up a friendly face but secretly spitting on our food in the kitchen  just a huge paranoia of mine.
onto the food! Â
the snail appetizer was delicious...baked in olive oil/garlic, topped with a little puff pastry. Â small, but good.
the palate cleanser was even more delicious. Â it was like an amuse bouche of pinot noir sorbet. Â more on that later.
i ordered the braised shortribs and swapped out the horseradish whipped potatos for the sweet potatoe mash instead. Â probably not a wise choice combination wise(sweet+sweet), but indiviudally both were good. Â short ribs were very tender, with a nice sear on the outside. Â the sweet potatoes were sweet, but not overly creamy.
for dessert i ended up getting few scoops of the pinot noir sorbet, because, well it was just that dang good. Â good red color, sweet with just enough wine-y flavor.
all in all i think our families had a great time. Â the dinner went a little long, but i chalk that up to the tiny place being packed. Â definitely worth checking out if youre in evanston.
I just got home from Jilly's and I would like to say that, on my second time, I still love it! We were out for a little celebration dinner where I got the tomato-mozzarella salad and pear-shaped chicken and my bf got the beet salad and venison. Both our salads and entrees were wonderful and the service was great as well. One thing that disturbed me was that we were the only people in the place (literally) on a Saturday night, but I'm hoping that was just because it was Memorial Day weekend. The previous time we were there it was packed, so get back out to Jilly's Evanstonians!
While our food was delicious, I would agree with another yelper that the desserts aren't anything super special. Don't get me wrong though, they were still pretty tasty. Overall an excellent dinner!
I love this food. Â
It is truly great, and quite French. Â I always feel a little like I am in France when I eat here. Â I have only been to brunch and it is soooooo good. Â
You start with the fresh squeezed juice, then on to the bread basket which is actually filled with slices of lemon-poppyseed bread, scones, as well as little blueberry muffins and served with preserves and butter.
The shrimp omelet is amazing, the pasta is great, the smoked salmon is divine, and the desserts........... don't even get me started.
Go here. Bring your folks. Â Make a reservation cuz' it's teeny and a little shabby- chic, but I really love it so.
good good good. We only have been a few times for the usual "getting drunk while eating delicious food on sunday brunch "...
The food is great, the portion are very very filling (i always have trouble finishing dessert..) the menu is inventive but has broad appeal, the food is fresh, the decor is cute and the music french....
love it love it love it... Â and it is SUCH a bargain...($24, unlimited "champagne") Â please dont tell your friends so it stays as nice as it currently is : )
Edit: downgraded to 4 stars for: menus that has been stagnant for 2 years, same music playing for x many years, and food which has not been as good the last few times we went..Still a good deal!
This place is such a cozy intimate atmosphere that boasts of four stars (or so, the in-laws informed me as soon as they stepped in). Â With Kake's recommendation, we came here for Mother's Day brunch and had a lovely experience and will definitely be back again for other Sunday brunches.
Their usual Sunday brunch is 10:30am - 2pm and just remember - Evanston law does NOT serve any alcohol until after noon so if you want their unlimited champagne and mimosas, you'll have to come after noon. Â I definitely recommend making reservations - their staff and service is super friendly and the very accommodating. Â We were seated immediately and made comfortable with their bread basket which included scones, chocolate muffins, and nut bread, fresh butter and two different types of fruit spreads.
We all started off with complimentary unlimited fresh orange juice, coffee, and tea and their Mother's Day brunch was still a steal at $29 (usually, it's only $21) - we all picked our appetizers - I had their salmon and Mr. Nuts had their crab cake which was amazing. Â The Dads had the spinach salad with bacon. Â Somehow, all the girls in our group stuck with the salmon which had this great cream on top of toasted bread. Â The entire combination was mouth-watering good. Â Of all the appetizers, I think that Mr.Nuts' crab cake was the best.
As for entrees - we all sampled each other's entrees: rack of lamb, prime rib, salmon, and shrimp frittata. Â The portions are extremely generous and cooked to one's liking. Â I cannot emphasize how great our server was and how polite, friendly, and helpful he was.
To top it all off, we had some amazing dessert - the lemon creme tart was just perfect - not too sweet and not too tart. Â The raspberry sorbert was a refreshing cleansing of the palate and the cobbler was really something to be envied.
Overall, a wonderful experience of great food and great service all at an affordable price. Â My only complaint is that I wish that they had their own parking lot. Â They're definitely family friendly as we saw plenty of other families there with kids and you can be sure that we'll be back.
See photos for more of our lovely Mother's Day brunch experience
We went here for my birthday dinner (and no I am not revealing how many years it's been) - but we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The service was a bit off (lack of staffing) but our waiter was cheerful inspite of his overload and the food was mostly excellent.
My Seafood Linguine in Tarragon Sauce appetizer was exquisite and reasonably priced at $8.50 (lots of fresh shrimp and scallops.) And the Rack of Lamb with Wild Mushrooms and Haricot Verts was SOOO good and also a bargain compared to other similar restaurants.
We've never tried the brunch - but now that my appetite is back - I certainly look forward to doing so!
A tiny, but elegant French/American restaurant that's perfect for special occasions. The Sunday prix fixe brunch is a steal for only $21, available from 10:30am to 2pm. It comes with unlimited champagne, mimosa (yum!), coffee, juice, and from the general menu you pick an appetizer, a main dish and a dessert.
Over all, a lovely dining experience. The food is not too rich, not too bold, but simply delicious. It's not unnecessarily creative, either, so no bad surprises like what you encounter at some fancy French restaurants. According to the waiter, their frittata is a popular dish. I liked my salmon, and the chocolate brownie has become everyone's favorite.
The servers are polite and efficiently attentive. Reservation is a must, because the place comfortably accommodates around maybe 30 people?
Jilly's is my favorite place for Sunday brunch. If you have plenty of time and an appetite order the Prix Fixe Champagne Brunch otherwise just go with one of the ala carte selections. I just love the sweet cream and plan my meal around what I can put it on. My favorite entree is their "Jilly Breakfast Trio" which consists of French Toast, scrambled eggs & strips of bacon. It's an intimate setting without feeling like you are in someone's living room. The staff is very attentive and warm. When I've been there for brunch it wasn't crowded and rushed unlike other spots at the same hour. It's perfect for a leasurely brunch. The ambiance is really cute and I love the natural light that comes in late in the morning from the windows facing Grean Bay Road. It really is a North Shore hidden treasure.
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