Mirani’s

An excellent place for lunch or dinner, including a great selection of wines — from fine French wine to even Syrah from Washington state, our family has made it a tradition every holiday. Nice sized lunch portions and friendly service. The soup and salad offering at lunch is a great value, too.

Great food. Excellent service. It feels a bit like I’m back in Europe.
Never rushed, relaxing atmosphere, delicious meal and great music!

Went here for dinner last night, and we had a lovely time. I’m not sure what these 1 – 2 star reviews are about! Madeline was our server, she was very sweet and didn’t rush us out the door when we were the last table there at 9:30 on a Wednesday. We started with the muscles which were very tender, and the prosciutto and mozzarella which was flavorful, the salty meat being balanced by the rich, creamy cheese. I had the roulette de poulet which was very tasty, but the mashed potatoes it came with were nothing very special. My date had the steak poivre which had a great flavor. The frites were interesting, almost like a cross between potato chip and fry. A good bottle of wine and a romantic atmosphere, this is a great date spot. It’s not the best French food I have had in Chicago, but it is a nice little spot with an authentic European vibe.

Probably the worst steak and fries I have ever had. Wine was good, not overpriced, but the tab for a terrible meal was crazy. Appetizer was tasty but what is the going rate for 2 skimpy scallops? Not going back there again. Avoid and check out others. Service was marginal and I had to actually yell out to our server even though the place was virtually empty. If I could, I would want my money back

About once a month, I find myself wishing Mirani’s was better. It has so much going for it. Warm, charming ambiance, friendly servers, good location in downtown Winnetka, and one of the few non-​corporate restaurants the suburbs seem to offer.
But both times I’ve been to MIrani’s the food sorely disappointed. Fill up on the fries that come with the steak frites, because the steak is tough and poor quality. Soups taste canned. Salads are embarrassing (one was lettuce, tomato and store bought dressing). Whitefish was so bland I had to ask for salt.
There are so many amazing French bistros in the city (Bistro Campagne, Bistro Zinc, Le Bouchon, Kiki’s) that have far superior food, making it hard for me to justify giving Mirani’s another try.
But I really wish them luck. They just sorely need a new menu (it’s very limited) and new chef.

I held a dinner for 15 people here this past week and everything was simply fantastic. The food, the room setup, the ambiance and especially our server. She was so helpful and professional. 5 stars… even more if I could!!!

Do not go if you enjoy fine food, and want value for $ spent.
I was initially impressed with the décor. Completely charming, warm atmosphere, nice music, etc. That is where the good things end. The food tries to be something it is not to justify high prices. Fixed price menu for $ 45. is completely disappointing. Starting with mushroom soup (canned is equal), moving on to a fish in fillo (totally inedible) and finishing with a dessert that appeared to be put together with ready made ingredients, this is an unacceptable amount of money to pay. Well… it’s Winnetka. Maybe the North Shore doesn’t mind. I think it deserves better!

We were so excited to try this restaurant today. However, we arrived a little late for our 7:00 reservation due to the horrid weather tonight. We were told that we would have to wait for a table because we were late. Although the restaurant was pretty empty. We questioned why we would have to wait and the owner told us that we were late and therefore had to wait for a table. Funny since the restaurant was pretty empty I’m sure because of the weather maybe. We decided not to wait and went across three Street to Avli and had a wonderful dinner. We highly recommend Avli the food and service was outstanding and the owner Louis was grateful that we chose to dine there

This place is DEFINITELY better than 3-​stars. We’re always surprised to find
empty seats. It’s so nice to be in those gracious rooms. GREAT place for a quiet
conversation while dining on VERY satisfying dishes. The service is very friendly and accommodating. The one improvement I would add is some quiet jazz piano or something like that. With those high ceilings, some live music would be fantastic. We always look forward to going back again.

Nice French bistro-​like décor on the inside. Ordered the Steak Classique and could not stop eating the frites. Red wine sauce enhanced the sirloin taste.
Started off with the prosciutto et mozzarella which was a success.
Disappointed that they were out of the cheese plate for dessert. Also was surprised that they ran out of spoons to eat our pear dessert and that they were unable to find a way to break large bills for our check. Seems like they were overwhelmed for Valentine’s Day dinner. It also got cold inside the restaurant when people were entering and leaving but there’s not much you can do about that if you don’t have double doors.
Would come back here but definitely have other places to visit first.

Food was good. Service was good but they’re lacking in atmosphere. Good place foe a low-​dinner with friends.

Wonderful ambience. I had been to their previous location and they certainly hv upped it a few notches. It’s larger but very cozy. The food is excellent. I had a chicken breast in a very good cheese sauce that I asked for on the side because I wasn’t sure I wd like it. It was delicious. The mashed potatoes were good too. All in all an excellent experience.

We dined at Mirani’s last night – Saturday. I made a rez on Open Table and the reviews there seemed good! I have eaten there years ago and it was time to go back. We just felt like it.
I love the décor and the bar is fabulous. Perfect place to meet someone for a drink.
But the food was ‘just okay’. It’s like it’s a place past it’s prime, maybe resting on its laurels a bit too much, or they just don’t care anymore.
We asked about the Prix Fixe dinner which was on the menu for $ 45 and the waitress said we could order any three items – appetizer, entrée, and dessert — as long as they didn’t go over $ 45. Huh?
But then another waitress said, Nah, that’s not the case which made more sense. The Onion Soup was just okay. I wouldn’t order it again. Their chef should go to Mon Ami Gabi and see what real Onion Soup w Gruyère can be. The filet w wild mushrooms was pretty good but was over sauced. No need for all that sauce when the meat was really quite good. Dessert wasn’t worth the calories. The most surprising thing was that the bread was just okay. And the butter tasted stale to me. I thought the bread and butter would be fabulous.
But the SERVICE was something serious to complain about. I was about ready to go up to the bar just to get some more water in my water glass! There were no refills of water, coffee, and no asking if we wanted wine with dinner either. And we wanted a couple of glasses. Maybe they needed more servers. Our waitress was very sweet when she came by our table though.
I asked that my leftover beef be wrapped up so I could take it home, and that never happened either. I dunno, it’s a really pretty place with an amazing location, but I would go someplace else next time.
Also it was a Saturday night and the place was about 2/​3rds empty. I remember going here a few years ago and it was hopping! The bar packed. The whole place abuzz. That is what we were looking for last night.

We used to frequent Mirani’s quite a bit and the food was decent, but why we stay away now is that the service is unfriendly and unwelcoming, which is very disappointing especially if you are a regular patron. In addition, on more times that we care to remember we had to send wine glasses back because they were dirty. Finally, their so-​called specials are always the same, for over a year. It is such a shame because it is in a great location and has such potential.

I live in Winnetka and was a regular at Mirani’s for a while because the food is pretty good and you can always get seated right away. But I just can’t go back. On at least 4 visits, I had to ask for a clean wine glass because mine had someone else’s lipstick on it. The service is always slow. And the wait staff, even though we’d go 2 – 3 times a month, never even acknowledged that they recognized us. Great location, but poor décor and no warmth in the people.

Love this place! We always order for lunch on special occasions (ie birthdays). Some of my favorites are, french onion soup, goat cheese salad, and the steak sandwich. I have heard the grilled chicken avocado sandwich is good too, but I can’t ever get enough of the steak sandwich! So extremely well made! Defiantly recommend it!

Despite only giving 2 stars, there is a lot to like about this place. The décor and ambiance is charming and Winnetka can use an upscale dining experience. While the food is acceptable, it doesn’t really wow you as much as you would expect from the setting. I ordered the classic steak au poivre when we were there, but was not convinced that their interpretation was the best, but the pomme frites and desserts are quite good. Overall, it’s a nice date spot, but the food needs a bit more zing.

Dined here with my husband on Valentine’s day. Nice atmosphere, good food but super slow service. I didn’t like that we were seated outside the kitchen but otherwise everything was ok. My husband ordered the soup to start, which he enjoyed but waited 25 min for it. We ordered the filet with truffle fries and the grilled salmon, all delicious.

Wow, I can’t believe the low reviews for this place! I realize that it’s not the best meal I’ve ever eaten, and maybe it doesn’t stand up to some of the best brasseries in Chicago, but it’s good authentic french food served by wonderful people.
If you can’t tell, I love Mirani’s. It’s my family’s «special occasion» restaurant. The food is great. I have never been disappointed. The french onion soup and all of the salads are really good and I always get the steak au burre which I find excellent. The frites they serve with the steak are also really really good. Wonderful wine selection. Most importantly, however, the owners are wonderful. So helpful, friendly and they really employ good people.
I do think that the place lost a lot of its ambiance when it moved from Hubbard Woods to its current location, but that happens. The food quality stayed the same and the service as well.

Brent J. hits the nail on the head: judged on its own terms, Mirani’s succeeds admirably, but if it were downtown next door to, say, Brasserie Jo, it would probably wither. That said, I enjoyed my experience here, although I wasn’t paying (thank you, visiting work vendor).
First off, the décor is not nearly as cartoonishly stereotypical as the website photo suggests. It is charming and handsome, although the space itself in the main dining room may be too large to achieve the right kind of mood.
Second, our service was fine. Not stupendous, but much better than other reviewers have noted. Granted, this was a Wednesday, but the LONE waitress (the owner helped out here and there) took care of all the tables (sadly only about six, not counting our party of eight). She was warm and friendly, and we never felt neglected.
Their bread is among the best I’ve ever had: crusty on the outside and cloud-​soft inside, served warm – no butter required. It nicely complemented the mussels and soupe des champignons with which I started the meal. The mussels were okay, nothing special but with the traditional white wine and garlic broth. We more enjoyed dipping our baguettes in the broth than eating the mussels themselves. The soup also was satisfying but not spectacular; it was semi-​pureed with a light cream base.
My entrée was the steak aux beurre des fines herbes, nice and simple. They perfectly cooked my «medium» order which seemed like the right choice for a thin steak like this. I was confused by the frites. I ordered «Belgian-​style» which were simply their regular frites with truffle oil and shaved parmesan. What came out, both Belgian and regular, were not frites at all but more like housemade potato chips – thin and crispy. They were delicious, but I was expecting, you know, actual frites. If they didn’t have the additional accoutrements, I would have counted them a disappointment.
I’m usually the only one to order dessert in these gatherings, but I don’t let it shame me. YOU might feel self-​conscious with seven half-​strangers watching you enjoy a piece of cake, but not me. All they were offering was cheesecake and chocolate-​mousse cake, which is a no-​brainer for me. The mousse cake was excellent.