Angeli's Restaurant

Angeli's calls itself Naperville's hidden Italian treasure, and the description fits a restaurant tucked into a shopping strip on Chicago Avenue that most passersby would overlook. Inside, the dining room is warm and unpretentious, with checkered accents and the kind of garlic-scented air that tells you the kitchen takes its red sauce seriously. We started with the Veal Marsala, thin cutlets sautéed in a rich marsala wine reduction loaded with mushrooms that soaked up every drop of the sauce. The pasta fagioli soup that comes with every entrée was hearty and well-seasoned, more stew than broth. For mains, the Chicken Picatta arrived with a bright lemon-caper sauce over angel hair that cut through the richness of the preceding courses. The menu spans baked dishes, specialty pizzas, seafood, and steaks alongside the pasta lineup, giving families plenty of room to spread out. Portions run generous here, and the kitchen has been turning out consistent Italian comfort food for years.