Jilly's Cafe

What an amazing little gem of a restaurant. The ambiance is relaxing with the subtle soothing French music playing, I forgot that I'm in Evanston and not in Paris. So much delicious food to pick from, but Hayde our server was so helpful and so delightful. She helped us with our menu and with the perfect selection we chose. The food was flavorful and awaken my palate. We order the crispy goat cheese and melt in your mouth grilled octopus. The beet salad was tangy refreshing with a sweet balsamic dressing. For an entree we split the bouillabaisse with scallops, shrimp, scallops, sea bass, lobster and fennel, and I'm glad we did! The serving was enormous! Absolutely the best seafood I had in a long time. Now it was time for dessert! I totally recommend the chocolate mouse and crème brûlée! My taste buds are in awe and in shock, so I will end my review here! Thank you Hayde, you were such an awesome server. We will be regulars.

Ida the owner is a very nice lady, who's hands on receiving and going around greeting her customers. She's a fantastic owner and host.Their crème Brûlée is delicious and the wine selection extremely good !!The food is good. Ida is constantly checking for quality control which is outstanding from an owner. This Bistro has a huge potential the menu is very impressive. Perhaps they need to refine a little more the French taste on the bouillabaisse and thé moule but as I always say less is more. The real French cuisine is made of good and fresh ingredients and a simple but exquisite taste that's all.

The food was outstanding. We had questions about wine. The owner gave us tastes so we could decide. And complimentary dessert for my son's birthday. We will definitely be back.. It was everything I want French food to be!

Exquisite in every aspect! From the service to the ambience to the food. Absolutely amazing food, so flavorful and without flaw. Service especially attentive to our every request and dedicated to making the entire experience perfect. The atmosphere was authentic and soothing enhancing the dining experience. It's not Michelin rated.....why not??? We've been to Michelin 3 star places and this place is right up there with the best. Cost? Very reasonable for what you get in quality, service and atmosphere. Bravo! Put this on your bucket list.

It's about the sauces. But let me back up. The food was surprisingly good. Surprising because it seemed like other reviewers had conflicting opinions on everything from food quality, service, atmosphere, billing strategies and on. So, of course, it had to be tried. Don't take the word of other reviewers. They have no taste. And glad we went for my son's (a chef) birthday.On this Sunday night we were alone in the restaurant until we were almost done when 2 more arrived. How is it possible to serve 4 distinct meals when there is no flow? I don't know. Table bread arrived with butter and liver pate'. Decent cocktails were ordered and served. We opened with seared foie gras and mussels marinieres for the table. Although a little stingy on the bread but quickly remedied when we shouted down the empty dining room for reinforcements. One could not let those sauces escape un-sopped and putting the bowl to our mouth seemed a bit gauche even as the sole diners. Rufus Wainwright sang softly on a loop all evening on non-intrusive sound system.Main courses arrived timely and at the same time. How is this possible? My wife had the bouillabaisse which she loved because it was loaded with fish. She barely made it through the rich broth and kept commenting (I think not liking) the roma tomatoes. But they were on the menu. So it's on her. My daughter in law had the roasted pork tenderloin which pretty much shut her up for the evening as she gnawed through it all. And the birthday boy had the venison. I had the rack of lamb because I almost always order a rack of lamb if it's on the menu. There was a lot of silent chewing.Curiously, we didn't share tastes of our meals which we almost always do when we eat out together. And I think this is because each meal was so distinctly flavored and the sauces were so unique that none of us wanted to compromise the chemistry happening in our mouths. But we had plenty to share had we wanted. At the end of the meal we all took containers for our next day lunch. And, speaking for myself, it was excellent all over again.Service from the one and only server was fine. And even then we had to go locate him once or twice (bread, water, pay the bill etc.). Might have been a different story if there were more patrons. And then, maybe they would have staffed up if they needed to. So service was a non issue. For us. This time.The Brinks truck arrived and unloaded my cash so I could pay the bill but I didn't see, or ask for, any cash discount that seemed to be offered. Nor was a gratuity automatically added so I got to stiff the server on my own (Just kidding). It was all fine and no problem. If these things bother you, consider eating at home.There is no parking. A Yelp tip pointed me to the closed auto repair shop next door where I left my beater. So I'm passing that on.Bon appétit.

At this price point, we were disappointed. We probably won't come back unless the owner were to comp so to give another try. Our server told us that the boullabaisse was their signature dish so I ordered it. It was very average. The spinach salad was the best part of our meal. The biggest disappointment was the duck which our server said was her favorite. It said it came with a wild rice cake, so my wife ordered this. She has a gluten sensitivity, which the server never asked about, and it was served with a potato pancake.

Great food and excellent service. A nice place to have dinner with friends or a date night

out. Started off with some amazing escargot sizzling in butter, the mussels in a white wine sauce was satisfactory. all of the appetizers were so delicious, especially the foie gras which was so good we got a second order. For the mains, we had their lobster risotto special, and the duck breast with a confit leg was fantastic, the sauce didn't take away any of the flavor from the duck surprisingly. It was my first time having venison steak, the meat was firm and juicy. Don't snooze on their desserts with everything being homemade, and my favorite was the creme brûlée being very creamy. Amazing spot to check out.

Wow! Amazing! Incredible!I like to try new restaurants that I've never gone to before. I also like to find places tucked away in areas off the beaten path. So while planning dinner with a friend who lives in downtown Evanston, I researched and chose Jilly's Cafe.Parking can be tricky but I was told to park next door at the auto repair shop. It was right next to the front door of the restaurant and made things much easier.The outside is charming with it's storefront windows and red awning. Once inside, the ambiance continued. Quaint and cozy, in size and decor, lounge-y music softly played. White tablecloths, chandeliers and varnished wood was the perfect backdrop for a quiet dinner. We were able to chat and enjoy a leisurely meal.There is a tiny little bar at the back of the restaurant. We both tried the French Martini to get into the Parisian mood. It was very tasty. My friend loved her spring roll for her appetizer that looked very interesting and smelled great. She said her homemade gnocchi was incredible. I loved my fresh salad with a bright red wine vinaigrette. My salmon entree was perfect. Sitting on a bed of couscous with a light cream mustard sauce, my salmon was highlighted by the addition of brussels sprouts. We shared the profiteroles for dessert that were very nicely done.Service was attentive, professional yet warm. Our server was a very kind gentleman who took great care of us from beginning to end.Jilly's Cafe is the perfect spot for a nice meal, special occasion dinner or date night. I cannot wait to return!

Went with 4, so we were able to try a few things. For the app, we had escargot with puff pastry top. Well seasoned, snails a bit over cooked. Pastry on top wasn't necessary. Used the bread to sop instead. Tasted good. Complementary bead not baguette, was a little white bready no crunch. The liver mouse was outstanding, almost benchmark. Whipped butter was bland.Entres. Had duo duck on pancake with slaw. Was good value and the best of the 4. ambitious dish, 5 components. The lamb chops we cooked as requested , the blue cheese mash potatoes and green beans. All good, seasoned well, cook well. The only thing was excessive meat stock. It was really good , but the au jus ruined it for me. The short rib were outstanding, tender, bbqy. Sweet, grilled, braised. Our 4th had a veggie dinner, spinich with garlic butter. Was good. For desert, carrot cake, really good, moist, ricj spiceing, good, crumb, good cream cheese frosting and burnt carmal drizzle, vest desert in a long time. Good wine selection and specials. Service was mild, not aggressive, slow on the start, but we were early 5p. Was weird that lights were off at 455p with our reservation at 5p, but pulled together last minute. We were going to a show in hr and a half and got us out in time. Ambiance was the worst part. When we got there, there was no music. One other couple a few minutes in. Table cloths un washed un pressed, spots on ours. Beautiful venetian glass chandellers un washed and dust covered. The whole place was dust covered and needed a refresh. Very limited parking Recap...food was good, place was not. Staff was friendly , not rushed. Selections of cocktails and wine, was as expected. Could be the top of the neighborhood. Seems like heart and soul not in it.