The Captain's Room — Restaurant in Villa Park

I had the pleasure of hosting my intimate wedding at the Captin's Room. Chef John set an extremely high bar, and yet the team FAR exceeded my expectations. The venue, the food, the hospitality, and the overall planning experience were amazing. I never imagined I would have a wedding with a wine pairing, multi-course tasting menu, and live music. Now that it's over, a regular wedding at the typical venu will never meet my expectations!

When I reached out to John in late April, I was blown away with how fast everything came together. I had less than 3 months to plan a small wedding. As most of our guests would be from out of state, we wanted to prioritize good food and drinks. Within 48 hours of reaching out, John called and told all about his philosophy to the Captin's Room.

John got me in to the see the venue the same week, and I immediately knew I wanted to have my wedding here. This is a true, family run business and hosting is one of John's passions. John has put an unfathomable amount of thought into every corner of the venue, he cooks with his parents during the week, and his brother is the Sous-chef. His mother even did our flower arrangements, and she came for part of our event to share her congratulations! John took the time to learn about us (and our guests) and helped us co-create an event that would knock everyone's socks off (while still being within our budget). We never felt like we were "just another dinner party" in a corporate accounting book. We felt like we were part of their family.

John did everything he could to take the stress off of us. He set us up with a very affordable photographer who was familiar with the space. He reserved a private car to take us to and from the venue. He regularly communicated with me about the event, and I could reach out whenever I had questions.

The event itself went off without a hitch. When guests walked in, they were greeted with drinks. Once everyone was there, we held the short ceremony in the front of the venue while our guests stood around us and the musicians played soft music. As soon as the ceremony was over, the food came out in abundance! The pacing was great, and between courses our friends and family mingled with one another. One couple even did swing dancing in the hallway! Throughout the night, several of our guests came up to me and asked 'Where did you find this place?' They was blown away by the experience and couldn't believe I found out about the Captain's Room on Google Maps.

As you would expect from the other reviews here, the food was phenomenal. My favorites were the deviled eggs, the Châteaubriand (filet with morel mushrooms, truffles, and cheesy potatoes), mushroom crostini's, and the lemon-raspberry wedding cake. Even the picky eaters were pleased with the mushroom and shellfish dishes! Chef John had the patience to accommodate a plethora of guests' food allergies (soy, tree nuts, gluten, citrus) and dietary restrictions (religious avoidance of pork and alcohol). On the day of, a guest unexpectedly told the servers they were a vegetarian, and even though it was a meat-heavy meal, the Captin's Room made sure that this guest had plenty to eat.

If I could do this all over again, I wouldn't change a thing. I'm so sad I'm moving away from Chicago because it will be harder to come up with an excuse to throw another party here! My husband and I are already thinking about which future milestones for us (or our extended family) could involve something at the Captin's Room.

Thank you to the entire team at the Captain's Room for hosting a night we will never forget. You created the perfect wedding experience for us...

Alright, you gotta have your private events here!! 1st the place: Old inconspicuous historical bank building in downtown Villa Park, lively area. They gutted the inside and turned it into a top notch giant family room style kitchen/living room area. You are front row watching the food and drink prep in a kitchen straight outta gramsey, while live musicians jam tunes of your choice in the background. The Bank vault is now an exquisite wine cellar fronted by really choice decor...place is SPOTLESS. Supposedly, Dillinger's boys shot the place up many moons ago (no longer a threat btw) . 2nd , the people! The owner, the Captain, Leads the evening, and its a full family affair, mom , brother, wife and unofficial cousins all waiting on us hand and foot. Musicians talented and got a few of us to join in on some drums, keyboards, and vocals. Live mic for many a toast. The vibe exudes love and kindness and service extraordinaire by the staff. 3rd, the food and drink. Multiple delicious courses throughout the night that grow in size and taste, and inviting top shelf refreshments that follow you around... Such a cool and unique and satisfying experience, we were one giant family by the end of the evening. If you want to feel like you had a room at the top of the world for a night, where u feel like you can see everything tonight, The Captains room is THE private event room where everyone can have a drink and forget those things that went wrong in their life...Have your event there- you wont be...

On September 21st, we had the extreme pleasure of having John (the Captain) cook for six of my family members for a special birthday celebration. It was nothing short of fantastic. It started about six weeks before the event with initial planning conversations with John and continued through the dinner itself, with either John or me making suggestions along the way.

The room by itself reeks of class and elegance. There are far too many fine details to list. (This may sound weird but check out the restroom!)

The eight course meal exceeded my expectations and kept the family in awe. The Captain and his crew, Gregory and Amy were not only alot of fun, but very informative as well. The mix of cooking tips, history of the dishes and humor were a blast.

The attention to detail did not go unnoticed. Simple things like absolutely spotless glasses and service wear were most appreciated.

The wine pairings were great. And again the history of what we were drinking was great.

And then, if that wasn't enough, we opened the doors to friends and had drinks and deserts in what felt like a speak easy from back in the day.

I could go on and on but will sum it up by saying, if you want to treat yourself and your loved ones to an unforgettable experience, check out The...