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#1 · Mediterranean & Middle Eastern
Vasili's Mediterranean
Why we picked it: Riverwalk Dining at Its Finest, Greek-Inflected and Gorgeous
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The riverfront strip, Washington St., and the heart of Naperville's dining scene — all in one guide.
Downtown Naperville packs more great restaurants per block than any other stretch of the western suburbs. From award-winning steakhouses to candlelit Italian rooms and buzzy cocktail dens, the riverfront core is where locals bring out-of-towners to impress them — and where they come back when they want to feel like tourists in their own city.
We sorted every downtown restaurant in our catalog by rating and kept the top 12. No sponsorships, no paid placement — just the rooms we think you should know about.
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#1 · Mediterranean & Middle Eastern
Why we picked it: Riverwalk Dining at Its Finest, Greek-Inflected and Gorgeous
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#2 · Italian & Pizza
Why we picked it: Rustic Italian Small Plates Worth Lingering Over
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#3 · Bakery & Café
Why we picked it: The Neighborhood Bakery That Wakes Up Downtown Every Morning
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#4 · Burgers & Sandwiches
Why we picked it: Grilled Cheese, Grown Up and Taken Seriously
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#5 · Seafood
Why we picked it: Naperville's Answer to the Classic Chicago Seafood House
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#6 · Steakhouse & BBQ
Why we picked it: Downtown Naperville's Power-Dinner Address
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#7 · Bars & Gastropubs
Why we picked it: The George is a modern American tavern on Washington Street in downtown Naperville, opened in 2025 in the space formerly
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#8 · American
Why we picked it: Downtown's Modern American Kitchen with a Literary Soul
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#9 · Italian & Pizza
Why we picked it: Wood-Fired Pizzas and Italian Soul on Washington Street
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10
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#10 · Bars & Gastropubs
Why we picked it: Downtown's Neighborhood Bar, Perfected
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#11 · Desserts & Ice Cream
Why we picked it: The Downtown Sweet Spot for Hand-Paddled Fudge and Waffle Cones
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#12 · Japanese & Sushi
Why we picked it: Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ brings the yakiniku tradition to downtown Naperville on Chicago Avenue
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