Maria's Cafe — Restaurant in Highwood

I've had a hard time finding an Italian restaurant my grandpa would love after Sabatino's closed. Came here with my girlfriend on my way back to the city, and -- although not nearly the same value as Sabatino's -- this might be the replacement based on taste and atmosphere.

Grilled calamari, bolognese and veal ravioli puttanesca were all delicious. I would definitely buy a canned version of the puttanesca sauce. Even the bread was wonderful -- which is one of the ways my grandparents always judge a restaurant.

I'm not quite sold on the bakery; the cherry cake we tried was great, but the biscotti was a bit disappointing. Maybe I just need to try more Italian cookies.

I will say our order was a bit messed up (ordered one soup one salad and ended up with two soups no salad), and the minestrone was a bit bland for my taste, but I absolutely loved this place and will venture back next time...

I lived in Catania, Italy for 3 years and have not really found anything close when I moved back. Well didn't stop me from looking and I am so glad. Sicilian cuisine is different than Italian so it really is hard to find. I met Geno the owner and as soon as he said he was from Palermo I knew.

I ordered arancinis, bruschetta, and canoli. Those are very difficult to imitate. First bites and I knew I would be back very soon. Bruschetta was exactly how you want, you can taste the quality of the olive oil and the garlic, ooohhhh the garlic. Almost burned my mouth trying to eat the Arancinis because I could not eat it fast enough it was perfect.

I need to try the main dishes but I know it is not going to disappoint. Geno and the host were very very friendly and welcoming as Sicilians are and made me...

I love this little restaurant for their simplicity and food. It is like stepping into Italy for homemade meals. The prices are reasonable, and the pasta sauces are fantastic. We've had cheese ravioli, stuffed peppers, pasta bolognese, and sausage and peppers and they were all excellent. They give you fantastic garlic bread, too. Service can be slow, but that is part of the authentic experience. They also sell breads and cookies. I always end up buying some cookies especially the lemon cookie and turtle cookie...so yummy! Highly recommended and worth the drive for an authentic, unpretentious Italian meal. It is so charming in its simplicity, and I love the touch of fresh flowers on the table with checkered tablecloths. This is not a big restaurant so it feels...