I work in the area and we go here almost 4 times a week! Â They have fabulous lunch specials and are priced pretty reasonable for Winnetka.
Tilapia salad is excellent and their Mongo Bongo wrap. Â Do not forget to get a side of sweet potatoe fries- DELICIOUS! Â
The staff is extremely friendly, although we carry out all the time the lady who  works behind the bar (I think she is the owner) always makes sure our order is correct and includes anything we may need, if the food isn't ready she always is sure to offer a soft drink while I wait.
Whenever I have been to pick up food, the place is busy. Â It's a cute interior and during the summer they have patio seating which also seems very pleasant.
Overall, it's great bar food, can't go wrong!
Despite a run down interior (subtract a star), I do love this place. Â My kids love it for the fish tank, mac n cheese and kiddie cocktails and I love it for a great wine list & wonderful buffalo wings. Â Yes, wings! Â Big, juicy and spicy wings. Â Homemade blue cheese dressing makes them superlative. Â These are 2-3 bite wings - not skinny little nothings like some other restaurants. Â
Servers are like family and treat us as such. Â Thank you!
Good family restaurant and always packed. Â Make sure you make a reservation. Â Very tight tables and it's loud in there. Â Children friendly.
Good: Â fish and chips as the fish is cod. Kids meal but weird they don't print kids meal in the menu, good service as they do come by and see how things are even when they're swamped. Â
Skip: Â BLT sandwich as the bacon is burnt
Would get the salads, fish and chips and may be their BBQ dishes next time. Â Skip the sandwiches
we were there the other day. had cobb salads. the prices are very reasonable, the place has nice indoor views-it used to be the train station and parking is not an issue. However the chicken in the salad tasted like twice microwaved hot dogs that a 6 year old had tried and failed to cook. I wanted to love the place, but that chicke was absolutely awful and I am one of the least picky eaters. the service was subpar for a weekend. it was empty but still a challenge to get a waiter. the tables are also too close together.
the portion was great though and I liked the dressing.
My wife and I enjoyed a great meal at Little Ricky's on her birthday. The mussels in white wine sauce are fantastic, plump and juicy and a generous serving that we shared. The salmon, which we were told is flown in fresh, made my wife very happy and I loved the huge platter of pulled pork nachos. Great meal, very reasonable, fun place.
Review Source:After eating here several times, it seems to be a popular place, but the service continues to be lacking. Â Everyone is friendly, but not very good at anticipating needs, which could be because the staff members are all very young... we had to ask a few times for silverware, napkins, side plates... the basics. The food is okay, but not the most authentic BBQ around. Â With little competition in the North Shore area it is easy to remain mediocre.
Review Source:Little Ricky's bills itself as a rib joint, and it does serve ribs, but it ain't no rib joint. With a menu that includes mozzarella sticks, chicken strips, nachos and burgers, Little Ricky's is comfort food in a cozy neighborhood setting. People seem to like it (we waited 15 minutes for our table and the place was hopping for the duration of our stay). I found it painful. Starting with what I thought was an innocent request for some bread, rolls, etc. Our waiter (who appeared to be about 15 years old) looked at us like we were from another planet, then reappeared a few minutes later with some half-burnt toast and ice cold butter pats. My salad tasted like it could easily have been purchased at Dominicks and then re-plated and served to me. The next time I'm hankering for cheese sticks, I'll save the trip (and the money) and swing by Red Hen in Glencoe. I hate giving negative reviews to locally owned businesses, but my Yelp fans want and deserve the truth. So here it is: Little Ricky's sucks the big one.
Review Source:If you are looking for a quick cocktail and dinner in the neighborhood, the restaurant fits the bill. No pressure to get you out of there, the food not bad. Very good grilled calamari ....awful mussels. The wait staff chose to ignore our complaints about the mussels that actually had a bad smell. Skirt steak was excellent with mashed potatoes and homers ice cream for dessert...perfect! I live near by, but I wouldn't go out of my way to go here.
Review Source:Little Ricky's is a VERY lively restaurant that is enjoyed by families, singles, friends, and pretty much anyone else that you can imagine. Â It's a little oasis of excitement in an otherwise quiet village, and therefore it is busy all the time.
The ribs I had were pretty good, an the sweet potato fries were done perfectly. Â
The menu choices are pretty basic, but for that reason it easily caters to the varied clientele. Â Not a destination restaurant, but a good staple if you are in the area, with a full bar.
I honestly dont understand some of the other reviews but heres mine. I'll start with the ribs, which are freakin great, always fall off the bone and have a great sauce too. Specials are always changing and great. Sandwiches, salads, entrees always different and good. Apps are all good too but the NACHOS are OMAZING. Get them with the pulled pork, YOUR WELCOME. The Rick is pricey but not compared to other options in the area! The fact is that there is no other casual place you can get a great meal, cocktail, and sit outside around there. Keep it up.
Review Source:Stopped by wed for a quick bite of lunch. Ordered a appt and a soda. 30 min later it still had not arrived. Being the only person dining, I would have thought lunch would be fast. Â The woman behind the bar just kept saying my order would be up shortly. What, before the dinner rush?? Poor choice of mine to go in. Went over to Caribou coffee and had a fast lunch and was good too. Rethink going here if you are looking for a nice place to dine
Review Source:A North Shore staple. Great staff, especially Mark, Chris and Jeannie. (I miss Steph, though.). They're known for many things, but I gravitate toward the salads--Lucy and Suzy salads are bright, fresh and imaginative. Ambiance is a bit North Shore-ish (homogeneous) for my taste, but the folks who sit at the bar often defy classification.
Review Source:After a second visit on par with the first, I'm writing a review giving it the benefit of the doubt for possibly unreasonably high expectations. Â That is if you think that expecting decent food and decent service for higher-than-expected north shore prices is unreasonable.
Two meals: both were not bad, but not neither were anything special. Â At all. Â The second one, a steak sandwich came out cold. Â One highlight was the sweet mashed potatoes. Â They would have been even better if they were warm. Â
Service: After asking for a glass (twice) for the bottled beer a second time, I gave up. Â The bartender seemed too busy with talking to the waitress and adjusting the stereo to actually attend to either of the folks sitting at the bar area. Â I do, however, now know how they track their cash at the restaurant as the argument between the waitress and the bartender in front of the customers kept us all informed on the second visit. Â
Price: although this was the north shore, the prices were even higher than expected. Â If the food was outstanding, that would probably be OK. Â It is Winnetka after all. Â But it wasn't. Â And obviously neither was the service.
Overall, I'm giving Ricky's "Meh, I've experienced better" rather than the "Eeek! Methinks not" that it probably deserves. Â If I'm forced to try a third time, I'll update either way.
In the meantime, I'd suggest looking elsewhere. Â I will be.
You can have a nice time at Ricky's -- I'd suggest trying Little Rickie's but keeping  your expectations in check.. Â
If you are there outside of family hours (day time lunch or late evening) it can be great place for a couple of friends to catch up--ask for  a table w/comfy chairs in the back. There are some good items on the menu - ribs, calamari, burgers, some of the salads. Â
Rickie's can be really busy with parents and kids - families feel welcome and I'm sure its a big chunk of the business. Â Mom and dad can put away a few decent drinks, eat decent grown up good, Â and feel like they almost had a night out..
If your waiting to be seated and see a group of bar fly's teetering on their stools, turn around and walk right out - several times they've been loud enough to spoil an evening - I really wish they'd remove the TV.
Service has generally been professional and competent . Â
I'd be more of a regular @ Rickie's if I felt they put a little more effort into the menu (more variety, more changes) and the drinks ((how hard would it be to keep some really good wine or top shelf bourbons or Scotches around?) and the bar flys.
LR's is borderline ok. Â Which is a nice way of saying it isn't too good. It's got a nice casual bar vibe, and is comfortable inside and out. Â The menu looks good, and some of the bar food standards work... stick to things like wings and salads. Â The ribs are baked or boiled and fall off the bone in a bad way.... oversauced and boring. Â The mac and cheese was a disaster. Elbow noodles and velveeta. Â The greens are vegetarian, which kind of defeats the purpose. Â Not a terrible spot for a drink and a quick lunch or casual dinner, but for $20 you can do better.
Review Source:Here's another rib joint that was yummy!
We ordered carryout and got 1 full slab which came with 2 sides so we got a double order of mac and cheese. Â I wanted to get sweet potato fries but since we got carryout, I had a feeling the fry's would get soggy.
The ribs didn't have the smokiness of Smoque ribs but were still delicious. Â The meat was so tender that it just fell off the bone, no need for knives. Â They give you extra sauce which is always a plus.
Loved the cheese sauce in the mac and cheese but the noodles were kinda soft - but it didn't matter too much to me since I love mac and cheese. Â I would order theirs again.
Outstanding baby back ribs. Â Meat falls right off the bone. Â Sauce is tangy and not too sweet. Â Overall rating would be higher based on ribs alone.
However, two complaints. Â Sides were disappointing. Â Tried the regular fries and sweet potato fries (too crunchy), onion rings (small portion and much too greasy) and mac 'n cheese (very bland). Â Also, I ordered my food to go and was quoted 20 minutes. Â I arrived to pick up my dinner (on a Tuesday night) and it wound up being 45 minutes before my food was ready. Â Restaurant was rather unapologetic for a delay of over 100%.
Bottom line - Ribs outstanding (4 stars). Â Sides and service disappointing (2 stars). Â Net rating 3 stars.
I have been working in Winnetka for a few months now and have been to Little Ricky's twice.
The first time was for a salad to-go. It was a fine experience, just sitting at the bar until it was ready, paying and leaving. The salad itself was better than expected, with big shrimp and nice chunks of avocado, cheese and other goodies. The salad was underseasoned, which I am finding to almost always be the case with food from this place. Overall...a pretty good experience, 3-4 stars.
However, I just got back from Little Ricky's and after eating in with a friend, the experience was much worse.
We were seated promptly and ordered drinks. That is where the acceptable quality ends...I ordered the special "Kobe Burger" cooked medium, in quotations because you can not actually purchase real Kobe beef in the US, a place would definitely not grind it into a hamburger, and a place like Little Ricky's would never be able to afford it. However...I played along. I ordered the sweet potato fries as my side.
After close to 30 minutes of waiting, our food arrived. The the person delivering our food (different from our server for some reason) had no idea where the plates were supposed to go and we literally had to flag him over to our table after attempting to mis-deliver the food to a very confused pair of businessmen.
My friend's pulled pork looked very good and he seemed happy...I can not say the same for my meal.
My burger was cook to past-well done, with not a trace of pink to be found in the dull gray mass on the my plate. If you are going to ask me how I want my burger cooked, I expect it to at least somewhat resemble what I ordered. As a cook, you need to know that "kobe" or whatever nicer cut of beef you use will COOK FASTER that your average chuck and you need to compensate for that decrease in cook time.
Not only was the burger overcooked but it was also underseasoned...surprisingly bland even with the addition of blue cheese.
My sweet potato fries, while nice an crispy were....wait for it....underseasoned!
Diet Coke with overcooked and underseasoned bar food a good $20.00 lunch does not make.
With a final post-tip price tag of over $40.00 (FOR LUNCH), it can say with certainty that it was one of the more underwhelming restaurant experiences I have had in a while.
I don't plan on coming back anytime soon.
I'm basing this on takeout experiences -- we were not impressed. Â Just moved to the neighborhood, so we will certainly give them another try (and try to dine in) but the rubber chicken sandwich with tons of sage (and I mean tons) and "eh" bbq sandwich my husband had did not do much to impress.
I pass this place every night on the way home from the train station, and I know they are packed, so I am hoping our experience is the outlier...stay tuned...
I like Little Ricky's but think it's expensive for what it is. Â I find that the salads and burgers are a good bet; sometimes the seafood entrees are awash in goopy sauces that overwhelm the fish. Â I wish they had a kids' menu; paying grown-up prices for mac 'n cheese seems unwarranted when they could half the portion and lower the price. Â I like the buzz here - lots of locals, lots of families, and always a packed bar. Â A good neighborhood joint.
Review Source:Yes, it's expensive. At first, that seems ridiculous. Expensive just for bar food? But it is more than bar food. It's high-quality.
Every item on the menu seems to be well thought out. Nothing is an afterthought. I am addicted to the Suzy salad - enough ingredients so it doesn't get too bland, with a spicy dressing. For a place that's pretty far away from the bayou, they do gumbo pretty well.
This place is like an upscale bar/grill, but without the stuffiness. It's nicer than an ordinary burger joint, but it's accessible and a friendly neighborhood place. I recommend it.
Maybe I am biased of this place because I worked here for almost 4 years, but I really do think their food is some of the best in the North Shore. Compared to other local restaurants like Hackney's, CJ Arthurs, Homers, etc- Little Ricky's has a good menu with quality food.
It's a casual joint- don't expect over the top service nor is it a good place for a quiet, romantic dinner. It's a family restaurant with lots of kids, louder music and it can get quite busy.
All their food is made to order and they make all their own dressing for dips, salads, etc. The ribs, grilled salmon, tilapia, and even the burger are all fantastic. One thing to watch out for is how you like your meat cooked. If you like medium- ask for it medium rare. They tend to over cook meat.
Also, if you're looking for a fun/casual place to work- check it out! You can make really good money serving. :)
After spending a week in Athens, GA and eating barbeque at lunch every day my husband couldn't shake the hankering for good barbeque. Â We thought we'd give Little Ricky's a try.
Yes, it is a north shore restaurant, whatever that means (see Reviews under Little Ricky's Rib Joint), and yes, the menu is limited. Â However, they had pulled pork, which is what my husband was craving. Â He orded the pulled pork nachos, and they very nicely accomodated his request to have it sans cheese. Â It was a large enough portion for his meal, and he loved it. Â I had the barbeque chicken. Â While barbeque is not my favorite thing, I have to say the chicken was quite good. Â The sweet potato fries were okay - next time (and there will be a next time) I'm trying the mashed. Â The only thing we didn't like was the price; compared to GA, the prices seemed a little high for barbeque.
All in all, quite a surprising find - good barbeque in a north shore restaurant! Â Who'd have figured.
Finally Winnetka has a nice dinner place. Â This place does it right, they don't have a very extensive menu, but everything is cooked to perfection. Â Their rib's are very good. Â The sweet potato fries are one of a kind and the Cobb Salad is the best I've had anywhere. Â Also if you like calamari they have three different dipping sauces which give it a very unique flavor. Â I have never had a bad meal here!
Review Source:Every time I visit my sister we go to Little Ricky's and I just love it more and more every time! Even with the kids we get good service and great food. Â I love the atmosphere, including the funky statues and dark bar. Â The mac n' cheese isn't just for the kids folks... this is some seriously good stuff!! But really why you come here is the BBQ which is tangy and mouth wateringly good. Â Get a side of sweet potato fries which alone are too good to be true. (tip- dip them in ranch dressing... sounds gross... tastes the opposite of gross... really freakin good). Â
This is a great little place to hang out, get some great food and have a drink (lots to pick from). Â They don't rush you to get out or anything, so sit back, have a beer and catch up with some friends!! Â YUM!!
Straightforward-looking menu - superb items. One of the best places for a dignified meal with a kid in the North Shore. Dark and cozy, muffled loud (good with kids), and local. Every dish has a special something. In the City, where you can have a favorite place for every tasty treat - som tum here, ribs there, latte here, hot dog there, you never have to bother sampling the menu. No such luxury north of Evanston, so you end up trying everything - even the chicken is done up just right.
It's a place to have a dignified drink too. Nice bar - good selection - bartenders are young and not too sophisticated.
I've tried a variety of menu items. The salads, sandwiches, burgers, sides - all delicious. My favorites: Aunt Susie's Salad and the Portobello Quesadilla. Reasonable priced for a North Shore restaurant.
I usually get my stuff to go. My dine-in experiences have always been poor but most Winnetka restaurants are the same way so I won't hold it against the place.
Check it out if your in the area - steps from the Winnetka Metra stop at the corner of Elm & Lincoln!
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