You gotta like a restaurant that’s cool enough looking to pass for a River North bistro, yet homey enough to serve generous portions of well made, nicely presented food.
That’s Noyes Street Cafe, a pleasant blend of the hip and the hearty.
The decor is of the exposed-everything variety-bricks, floors, heating ducts. It looks neat, but it gets pretty noisy when the place is crowded.
Noyes Street Cafe lies just west of Northwestern University, but it seems to draw as many families as it does students. One of the reasons is the children’s menu, which features such things as French toast, grilled cheese and spaghetti for $2.50 (but be careful: They don’t let you order from the kids’ menu at dinner Friday and Saturday).
Those students and their traditionally large appetites might be responsible for the portion sizes at Noyes Street. The normal among us should count on bringing home a doggie bag.
That this is a Greek-owned place is apparent in the excellent specials, often featuring fresh seafood, chicken and lamb. Although the prices of some may stray a bit above $10, entrees come with salad, vegetable and potatoes or pasta. And portions are all you could ask for.
Pasta dishes, most of which are $8.95, are covered with chunks of freshly grated Greek and Parmesan cheese and come with salad and garlic bread. The salad dressing can be a bit oily, so ask for it on the side if you’re worried.
Hamburgers and sandwiches ($4.95-$5.95) take the Greek coffee shop concept a step farther, serving up half-pound burgers and jumbo sandwiches. Especially good is the vegetarian sandwich on millet bread. It features avocado, tomato and three kinds of cheese.
The sandwiches come with fries and cole slaw.
We didn’t sample the breakfast menu, but management says they make a great special omelet for $4.95. They’re doubtless right. And if it’s anything like the rest of the food here, you’d better bring a friend to help eat it.
———-
More Top Picks Best Prescription Blue Light Glasses
Noyes Street Cafe, 828 Noyes St., Evanston, 708-475-8683. Hours: 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Sun.-Thurs., 7 a.m.-11 p.m. Fri., Sat. D, M, V.