Francesca’s Intimo

Really good place! Servers were really nice and attentive. The organization to get seated was horrible, we had to enter the restaurant and wait in a small hallway while our table was getting ready while people could barley get by. Besides that, the food was okay, really nice atmosphere. Everything was as expected, nothing too amazing, I would go there if invited would rather go someone else if possible.

Francesca’s is a solid food choice.
Juan, our waiter was attentive and tried his best. If we asked for anything slightly out of the ordinary he worked to resolve it.
We both ordered pizza and they were good but not great. I had sausage on mine and the amount of sausage was sparse.
I would return but not rant about the food.

Consistently delicious food and great service. We have never had a bad experience in the 15 years we’ve been eating here.

I really like this place. The service is consistently good and the atmosphere is relaxing after a long day. The pasta and pizza selections are always tasty and they also have a decent beer and wine selection.

Very, very good. Came here for a feast with my younger sister and her family over X-​Mas vacation. I had not been here since high school (Riggeleto’s in the mid-90’s) and am glad I came back.
I had a seafood linguine and the kids shared calamari as an appetizer; everyone had some pasta dish that they enjoyed. I would have liked to see a few more options, but they actually had a good sized menu given the quality of the food.
They did not have valet on this visit and we parked easily in the bank’s garage parking lot immediately across the street.

A bit of a bummer. I came here tonight with my parents for my mother’s birthday. We called ahead for a reservation and have been waiting over thirty minutes for a table. The front of house seems unorganized. Hopefully our meal will be better.

Fresh crusty bread, nice wine selection and great pastas. I had the spaghetti al funghi and it was delicious. The burrata and lentil appetizers were also good. The dessert was disappointing. We had the choc cake with pistachio gelato. The gelato was a bright green and tasted very artificial– the kind you would get at a cheap ice cream store. The server also forgot to put in our entrée order so we got it almost 30 mins later. Hence deducted the 2 stars.

Delicious, simply delicious food. My friend and I decided to try this place so I made a reservation thru Open Table. That was a good call and I highly suggest to make reservations whether online or call them. The place was packed for the Friday dinner crowd plus, it is a fairly small restaurant. It was busy and it smelled good in the whole place. We were seated as soon as we got there and our server approached us immediately to take our drink orders. Water glasses filled– check, warm and soft bread with butter served-​check. Now here is a breakdown of the dishes we’ve tried:
Spaghetti al Funghetto– delicious meat broth flavor with wild mushrooms, oregano, and cheese. It had so much delicious flavor
Pollo alla Diavola– Chicken cooked in meat sauce with capers, black olives and chillies. It was super good that I wanted to lick my plate after I ate everything on it:)
Side of Meatballs– perfect! 3 good sized meatballs swimming in a creamy and delicious sauce.
Overall, it was a great dining experience for us. We loved the selections on the menu because they’re not ordinary Italian dishes. So if you’re expecting mac and cheese, spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna or fettucini alfredo dishes, you won’t find those at Francesca’s. Their dishes are more unique and very well executed. Definitely a must try restaurant and I cannot wait to go back and try their other special dishes.

I love this place, the food is delicious, I really recommend this restaurant to everyone.

Everything was delicious. I started with a perfectly made amaretto sour and the fried calamari. DELICIOUS. We didn’t have time to try any dinner entrees, so we went straight to dessert. The coconut layer cake and tiramisu were wonderful. The coconut is fragrant. The tiramisu is light and airy. I can’t wait to come back!

It’s been two years since I’ve been back to Lake Forest and this restaurant has been on my mind since. After a long day at work, I came here and say at the bar and had a really fantastic dinner. There is absolutely nothing I can complain about here. You owe it to yourself to go!

Although Francesca’s was the last stop in a long interview for a dream job that I did not get, I will not blame this lovely little Italian restaurant for my unlucky fortune in obtaining a job. Francesca’s really is a delightfully intimate Italian restaurant nestled into a little nook and cranny of beautiful Lake Forest. This is probably my favorite Italian restaurant in this area and if given the chance I would gladly go again… just not when on an interview because that did not seem too work out to well the last time.
Now, I will say that when having gone with a group of people everyone ordered something different and it all looked amazingly tastey! And it smelled even better! Personally, I can only attest to how good the chicken parmesan sandwhich was. I’d not had a chicken parmesan sandwhich before but you can bet your little butt it was damn good. And oh my goodness, the chicken was so tender that I barely had to bite into it. I decided to get it with fries (as opposed to a salad) which are awesome! Dude, don’t knock it till you try it. This Italian place has got da goods — what’s better than fries and pasta? Uh, nothing. Like I said before, all of the food looked quite good and I am waiting until I can go again arena order some of that pasta. You will surely go home with pasta leftovers, especially if you eat the bread and salad before your pasta.
I loved the atmosphere in there. It was very classy and perfectly intimate. It would be good for a date night with your significant other or a business meeting with your co-​workers. I’d say this is a versatile place that can cater to your ever need and desire… and still leave money in your wallet after all is said and done. We all know some Italian restaurants can jack up their prices, but oh no — not Francesca’s. They understand the meaning of good food on a budget.
Now, go poppa da cherry and eat at Francesca’s!

Unexpected stop in 30 mins before close because of the Market Square car show and had a fantastic pasta — scallops & spinach in a light tomato cream sauce — awesome. Started with hearts of palm salad also super light & refreshing. Young hostess first greeted us hesitantly because it was close to closing time, but eventually they realized a good amount of customers were coming from the car show.

I came as a group of 10 for a lunch celebration of the co-work’s promotion.
The service is excellent.
The food is also great. The bread is warm and tasty. We tried different appetizers including calamari, pizza and brochette. I like every single items of it. I have tried those at other Italian restaurants, and I have to say they are very good compared to others I have.
I ordered burger as my entrée. The burger is very juicy and tasty, which is cooked perfectly. It is better than most of the burger restaurants only second to Lovell at Lakeforest.
My colleagues had pasta and salmon dish, and they all like it.
The only thing I don’t like is the salad dressing, which is too sour for me.
I can’t wait to come back by myself with my wife for a dinner.

Gave north 3 stars but I think this Francesca’s is superior. Nice ambiance but even better food. Really solid dishes prepared well. Good Italian in lake forest.

A nice environment with good food and great service.
We started out with the three cheese bruschetta and napoletana pizza. The bruschetta was excellent. The pizza (and I lived in Wisconsin for years, so I can’t believe I’m saying this) had too much cheese. There were about four cherry tomato halves on the whole thing, so it was hard to get all flavors together.
For the main course we both had the pomodoro, which was quite tasty. The pasta was cooked perfected and it was a nice size. Well executed. The only drawback was the added chicken. It was about half a breast and extremely dry.
For dessert, my brother had the lava cake which he said was fair. I had the profiteroles and was surprised (pleasantly!) that instead of being filled with cream they were filled with pistachio gelato. Not as light as I had expected, but it’s hard to be upset about more gelato in your life.
All in all in a good, but unexceptional, dinner.

Smaller and more intimate than their typical restaurant and much better than the ones near us downtown. Service was good and food deliciously prepared. My pasta with vegetables was nicely prepared and my wife’s pasta with salmon was too.
The place is pretty popular so make a reservation because even the small bar was filled with people eating.

The Francesca group of restaurants has always been a good experience.
Several years ago, we had a large family meal at the Clark Street (I think) location in the city. A very fond memory.
These restaurants seem to catch the spirit of a high energy merry dining room that many restaurants don’t. As the the name Intimo implies, it’s cozy.
My dining companion the night we went was my daughter with the very refined palate (we spoiled her into being a wonderful friend and knowledgeable foodie). We stayed with the night’s specials, splitting our dishes.
Each step of the way received an enthusiastic nod of approval (appetizer, entrée, dessert, coffee and drinks). The pizza quatro stagioni (prosciutto and egg – (fantastico!) and linguine all Arlecchino (seafood pasta – fantastico!).
That fantastico thing is my effort to sound Italian-​ish and say it was great!

Francesca’s is my favorite restaurant in Lake Forest. Intimate it is, with maybe 25 tables inside and a cute outdoor patio open during the warmer months. Part of the larger chain, the food is consistently good. The handwritten menu changes frequently and includes delicious salads, sandwiches, pastas and entrees. What sets Francesca’s apart from other Italian restaurants is the lighter hand they use with their cooking, even the richest food isn’t heavy. Further, you can order any of the pastas with whole wheat or even gluten free!
The service is friendly and professional. While the interior is warm and, uh, intimate, with closer tables along with some booths along the back right wall. The ceiling undulates in waves and feels upscale.
Standouts are the calamari and the coconut cake. The delicately breaded squids served with the light homemade marinara are simply perfect. The giant hunk of cake will feed a small family with its delicious buttercream frosting.

For the quality and service we received, service and mediocre food was not a good experience. Service was very slow and I had to ask for things (like water) multiple times. Parking was a pain to find and the wait for the food was excruciatingly long.
Food:
1. Ravioli with vegetables consist of 4 filled pasta with a cheese sauce, pink from a touch of tomato sauce and parmigiano. It was alright but not the best combination of flavors because the vegetables in the ravioli had a funny taste.
2. Pollo Arosto Alla Romano: consists of roasted half chicken with garlic, shallots, rosemary lemon, and olive oil served with roasted potatoes. The chicken pieces were quite dry, but decently flavored. the cream sauce was well seasoned but the chicken breast meat was just a bit dry.
Francesca’s did not suit my tastes but maybe it will for others. They were nice enough to accommodate our large group so I would give 2.5 stars if possible.