Di Pescara
Chicago-Suburbs
October 23, 2025
Location: Northbrook Court
Address: 2124 Northbrook Ct, Northbrook, IL 60062
Website: di-pescara.com
Visit: October 2025
Reviewers: Andrea & Rich
A Classic Early Bird Dinner for Everyone
This is our first Early Bird Diner review, and it turned out to be both a satisfying meal and an educational early bird dining experience.
The Place: Why We Chose di Pescara.
We started our review site with Di Pescara because it checked all the early bird boxes: close to home, we've visited before, locally popular, and a genuine early bird special— their "Supper Club Menu."
The restaurant identifies itself as Italian, but it's more of a traditional American dinner menu with several Italian options. Di Pescara is one of the many popular Lettuce Entertain You restaurants in the Chicago area, and they know how to create an inviting atmosphere, good menus, friendly service and competitive pricing.
We specifically went for their special early menu, offered from 11:30 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Thursday, and until 4:30 PM Friday through Sunday, and the regular menu is still available.
The restaurant is outside of the Northbrook Court Mall with both inside and outside access.
The Food
This Earlybird special, upgraded to the "Supper Club Menu," is not the Earlybird bargain of the long-ago past. It’s closer to fine dining made a little more special. And what’s special is a complete dinner reasonably priced at $29.95 per person ( Oct. 2025) for three courses plus a beverage.
Beverage (wine or non-alcoholic)
Basket of bread
Choice of salad or soup
Extensive entrée selection
Miniature dessert
For an Earlybird menu, the entrée selections are impressively extensive items including fish, chicken, multiple pastas, and chopped steak.
My wife ordered one of the restaurant's most popular dishes: fresh white fish with parmesan crust. I had Chicken Giardiniera.
We each had a salad (one chopped, one Caesar), and they were large enough to be filling. The bread was quite good, though the desserts are bordering tiny. Although the dishes were really good, ample, just not elegant or creative.
A Value
The $29.95 price used to seem high, but not anymore. We frequently visit restaurants where a pasta dish alone costs $20–$25 with no salad or extras. An entrée plus all the accompaniments for under $30 is a relative bargain today.
Our bill for two came to $59.95 before tax and tip—a pretty good deal for a not-quite-fine-dining experience. And to emphasize: the food was quite good. We will definitely return.
The Experience
The restaurant is attractively decorated with pleasant lighting, relatively quiet ambiance, large booths, and plenty of tables. You can also dine in the attractive bar area. Observations:
No distinctive vibe or personality. The staff provides attentive service but no intrusive chit-chat or sales pitches.
The crowd during our visit skewed older—no young couples on dates, no families with children. However, on past visits on a weekend or later in the evening, we've seen younger diners and more families with children.
The thoughtful design helps keep sound levels pleasantly muted.
Early Bird Concept Verified!
We started earlybirddiners.com because of a growing trend toward earlier dining (between 4:00–6:00 PM) for various reasons beyond just lower prices. It was gratifying to see our research and expectations validated at Di Pescara.
We made a 4:30 PM reservation to catch the early bird cutoff at 5:00 PM. When we arrived, only two other tables were occupied, so we felt a bit isolated. By 4:55 PM, five more tables had filled—still less than 20% capacity.
However, by the time we left at 5:45 PM, the restaurant was nearly full, these are the early birds who simply prefer eating earlier, regardless of price.
We visited on a Wednesday evening. The manager confirmed this was typical traffic for a weekday at that hour, noting that weekend Earlybird service is even busier.
The Verdict: The food was good, properly cooked, and generous in portion size. However, aesthetically, it was straightforward—food on a plate. Definitely not "foodie" cuisine, but it was satisfying.
Excellent value in today's market, extensive early bird menu, and relatively uncrowded and quiet before 6:00 PM.
Rating Highlights:
⭐ Food Quality: Good
💰 Value: Excellent
🕐 Early Bird Experience: Authentic
🔇 Atmosphere: Pleasant and quiet
👍 Would Return: Yes
