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Local Guide

Best Restaurants in Downtown Naperville

The riverfront strip, Washington St., and the heart of Naperville's dining scene — all in one guide.

Fine Dining Cocktail Bars Date Night

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.

Vasili's Mediterranean in Naperville IL 1 $$$

#1 · Mediterranean & Middle Eastern

Vasili's Mediterranean

★★★★★ 4.8 · $$$ · Downtown

Why we picked it: Riverwalk Dining at Its Finest, Greek-Inflected and Gorgeous

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Davanti Enoteca in Naperville IL 2 $$

#2 · Italian & Pizza

Davanti Enoteca

★★★★★ 4.7 · $$ · Downtown

Why we picked it: Rustic Italian Small Plates Worth Lingering Over

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DeEtta's Bakery in Naperville IL 3 $

#3 · Bakery & Café

DeEtta's Bakery

★★★★★ 4.7 · $ · Downtown

Why we picked it: The Neighborhood Bakery That Wakes Up Downtown Every Morning

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Everdine's Grilled Cheese Co. in Naperville IL 4 $

#4 · Burgers & Sandwiches

Everdine's Grilled Cheese Co.

★★★★★ 4.7 · $ · Downtown

Why we picked it: Grilled Cheese, Grown Up and Taken Seriously

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Hugo's Frog Bar & Fish House in Naperville IL 5 $$$

#5 · Seafood

Hugo's Frog Bar & Fish House

★★★★★ 4.7 · $$$ · Downtown

Why we picked it: Naperville's Answer to the Classic Chicago Seafood House

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Sullivan's Steakhouse in Naperville IL 6 $$$$

#6 · Steakhouse & BBQ

Sullivan's Steakhouse

★★★★★ 4.7 · $$$$ · Downtown

Why we picked it: Downtown Naperville's Power-Dinner Address

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The George in Naperville IL 7 $$

#7 · Bars & Gastropubs

The George

★★★★★ 4.7 · $$ · Downtown

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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Allegory in Naperville IL 8 $$

#8 · American

Allegory

★★★★★ 4.6 · $$ · Downtown

Why we picked it: Downtown's Modern American Kitchen with a Literary Soul

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Gia Mia in Naperville IL 9 $$

#9 · Italian & Pizza

Gia Mia

★★★★★ 4.6 · $$ · Downtown

Why we picked it: Wood-Fired Pizzas and Italian Soul on Washington Street

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Jackson Avenue Pub in Naperville IL 10 $$

#10 · Bars & Gastropubs

Jackson Avenue Pub

★★★★★ 4.6 · $$ · Downtown

Why we picked it: Downtown's Neighborhood Bar, Perfected

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Kilwins in Naperville IL 11 $

#11 · Desserts & Ice Cream

Kilwins

★★★★★ 4.6 · $ · Downtown

Why we picked it: The Downtown Sweet Spot for Hand-Paddled Fudge and Waffle Cones

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Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ in Naperville IL 12 $$

#12 · Japanese & Sushi

Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ

★★★★★ 4.6 · $$ · Downtown

Why we picked it: Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ brings the yakiniku tradition to downtown Naperville on Chicago Avenue

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