Romantic Lunch Spots

[deoksu]

so here's my deal: I've got a date this weekend, but both of us are quite busy people and we could only finagle a lunch. so what's a good romantic lunch spot in Chicago?

[gunz1]

I recommend you try Le Colonial, a Vietnamese restaurant on North Rush....Fun atmosphere....dark but not too dark..with great wood bar....fans...and great food...perfect for a few hours out of the rush of Rush

[nsxtasy]

If you're busy people, then surely you need a location close to where you will be during the day - not only a neighborhood, but preferably within no more than a few blocks, so one or both of you are not spending a lot of time in transit. Can you provide more specifics on where each of you will be traveling to or from, immediately before or after your lunch?

[deoksu]

she from Oak Park, and I from Edgewater. but I'll be traveling to her, so somewhere around Oak Park to downtown.

[nsxtasy]

Hmmm... Oak Park, or maybe somewhere in between the two of you, like Logan Square or Bucktown/Wicker Park, ought to work geographically. While I know some of the places in the latter (e.g. Hot Chocolate, Lula), I just don't know what they're like at lunch, only at dinner. Hopefully others know more about the lunch crowds at places in those neighborhoods and what might be suitably romantic.

[deoksu]

Thanks for the suggestions...

[Chicago Mike]

You might want to do something in Greektown...

That would work for her if she's taking a train in too (i think)...

Greek restaurants have that upbeat feel and there's sort of a "trip" feel to the restaurant... they are good for dates.

[masha]

Within Oak Park, two options would be Cucina Paridiso or Cafe le Coq. The first serves Italian food, including good pasta dishes, and thin crust pizzas. Cafe le Coq is a French bistro. I've not eaten at either for lunch, and they may be a little more brightly lit than goes with a "romantic" spot, but the food at both is good. I would think that both would be fairly quiet during lunch.

[nsxtasy]

Cafe Le Coq is not open for lunch except for brunch on Sunday.
www.opentable.com/rest_profile.aspx?rid=3362

Cucina Paradiso is open for lunch only on Fridays.
www.cucinaoakpark.com