D'Capos Authentic Italian Cuisine — Restaurant in Downers Grove

Update 2/15/24 I’ve probably been here about 5 times now. Each time, the food has been consistent…. well except for this one time, when I had cheese on my beef and sausage combo. The cheese tasted like plastic so I had to throw away the cheese. Sadly, that’s the reason why I don’t add extra cheese on my sandwich anymore.

Let’s talk about the prices, I did a quick Google search at other nearby Italian restaurants in the area. D’Capos is in the same range for the same/similar dishes. The only thing I’ll say is I wished there were more than 3 mini cannoli’s for $6 worth. They do have some seating, not a lot. You got a few chairs and you eat at that counter. It’s mostly a takeout place. There’s a vacant building close to the I-355 S ramp. It used to be a Chinese restaurant, next to Dan’s Pizza and Mojo’s. Too bad, D’Capos can’t move there. You got space for people to dine in as well as a spacious parking lot. Right now, the traffic between Belmont and Ogden is horrendous especially when you want to exit. The restaurant in the gas station is a great idea, but I would love to see the restaurant have its own building.

-Italian beef with sweet peppers 5/5 - still the best damn Italian beef sandwich I’ve ever had. Beef was very succulent. I ate the whole sandwich and I still looked inside the container to see if I missed anything. -cheezy garlic bread 5/5 - very cheesy. It had a little bit of a cheese pull when taking a bite. The bread was soft and crispy. -penne with vodka sauce 5/5 - fully cooked. Pasta was soft and the vodka sauce had a distinct, robust flavor. Portion size was adequate. -sausage 5/5 - well seasoned and good size. Excellent quality. -mini cannoli’s 4.5/5 - if there were 4 or 5 in here then I would give it a 5. Don’t get me wrong, these are delicious and everyone should try this. It’s about $2 a piece, so either the quantity should improve or the size.

Overall. 4.5. Food and service is exceptional. I just took a half point off due to the mini cannoli’s portion and the location. Sorry, that location is a headache with all of that traffic.

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I finally had the chance of trying out some items and they were all delicious. The 5 star reviews are pretty accurate. Best Italian beef I've ever had in this area, a lot better than Portillo's. Might be just as good as Al's.

Italian beef with sweet peppers 5/5 Chicken parmesan sandwich 5/5 Cheesy garlic bread 5/5 (I could eat 4 of these for dinner) Penne with garlic and olive oil with two meatballs 5/5

I will definitely come back here to try more items. Definitely a hidden gem. They have a few tables to eat inside as well as an atm machine next to the restaurant. The staff were very kind and the food portion...

Friends and Neighbors recommended this place...so I figured I'd give it a whirl with the Family.

Italian food served out of the corner of a gas station, definately gives it a Triple D feel from Food Network.

Tried a few times...and afraid it looks like I am one of the few dissents on this place...Always looking to support local...but the food has consistently missed the mark.

Owner is nice, front-end staff is great and friendly. The gas station vibe as mentioned before is cool.

Everything I've ever tried pasta-wise...kind of bland (lacking salt) but yet VERY garlicy...despite some opinions...there IS such a thing as too much garlic.

Vodka Pasta...so much garlic it was spicy (you know what this is if you've ever had something with WAY too much garlic), Garlic Olive Oil Linguini...the smell from the epic amounts of garlic swimming in WAY too much olive oil was pretty potent...the linguini looked like it was sitting at the bottom of a take-home container filled with olive oil...and the garlic flavor sat in your mouth the rest of the day. Penne with marinara...thick and pasty...again...too much garlic...no salt.

Cheesy garlic bread was good...really good. Italian Beef...good.

The Moose catered these guys after the annual Moose Golf Outing this year, and unfortunately more of the same...everyone was going back for seconds of the Italian beef, but the penne, sausage and peppers, this orrecchietti pasta in a more watery garlic and tomato sauce just missed for me.

Unfortunately, it just missed so many times for me that I'm not a huge fan. I WANT to like and support this place...It's just not for me.

RESPONSE TO THE OWNERS RESPONSE:

Chef Jerry, Thank you for the offer for a comp meal for my family...which is a respectable gesture; one that I will politely decline.

You clearly have high ratings and many promotors of your business. As stated before, I'm clearly one of the few dissents...so maybe I caught you all on an off day on the few occasions we've ordered from you. I have edited my initial review to be less "harsh" due to your polite response...

My mom and I were searching for a good restaurant for us to celebrate next month and we came across D’Capos! We read through their reviews and were impressed by the amount of 5 star reviews so we decided to try it out after I got off work. The moment we entered - we were pleasantly greeted by the entire staff. Jerry asked us how we found the restaurant and thanked us for stopping in! We ordered an Italian beef (which I felt bad telling him to split one Italian beef and make half dry with hot peppers and one dipped but he was happy to oblige), a lasagna roll, and cannolis! Every single thing we ordered was simply the best. The Italian beef was amazing! They were generous with the hot peppers and meat! The lasagna roll? Out of this world. The sauce was perfect. Super flavorful. Opened it up to see a full amount of delicious ricotta cheese! They gave us a complimentary cheesy bread and let me tell you.. I’ve had so many cheesy breads in my life but nothing was better than theirs! The garlic and seasonings with the crunchiness seriously elevated the entire meal all together. I dipped the bread into my lasagna roll and seriously wanted to order 10 more there 🤣 everything was AMAZING to say the least! Jerry kept coming out and greeting every customer who walked into with so much warmth and familiarity. He checked on us continuously throughout our meal. He was so proud to show everyone the picture of his beautiful mom that was on the wall and talk about the history. Please do yourself a favor and try D’Capos! You won’t find a better meal with better service.

Thank you Jerry and the entire staff for the great experience! I’ll be...