I was right.
RESTAURANTS/BARS
In the interest of the length of this blog (which has now turned into three blogs), I'm going to limit restaurants to our absolute favorites. We've eaten at nearly every restaurant on main street in Galena, trying a new place or two every time we're in town, but always returning to our favorites. If it's not on this list, it's honestly not one I'd recommend because these are THE BEST. For this section the stars indicate price point, not awesomeness: 5 = higher priced.
The Generals' ****
We'd eat here every night of our trip if it made sense (it's located in the basement of the DeSoto!). The food is incredible but the DeSoto House staff is what really makes it our favorite. We start with drinks at the bar (using our free drink tokens!) and then move to the dining room where we get the same thing almost every time because it's just that good (usually New York Strip or Ribeye steak + two sides). Make reservations here if you're in Galena on a peak month/weekend, otherwise we've been known to have the dining room mostly to ourselves...hence the special treatment we always receive.
Greet Street Tavern**
Located on the main level of the DeSoto house, this is where we like to stop if we've skipped lunch and it's the middle of the afternoon and we need to share an appetizer to get us to suppertime. The Bloody Mary's here, (virgin or otherwise) are something I have frequent dreams about. They give me extra pickles when I ask and that's really all it takes to win my approval.
Victory Cafe *
If we aren't eating at the DeSoto's Courtyard (breakfast restaurant) we're eating at the Victory Cafe. We love the authentic diner feel and their breakfast food is amazing and super affordable. I get the same thing every time, two eggs, bacon, and hash browns + toast and iced coffee because it fills me up for the day and I can usually skip lunch, which means I'm ready for whatever amazing place we've decided to eat supper...Josh can never decide between classic breakfast and some kind of crepe+waffle+whip cream+strawberry nonsense.
Gobbie's **
I specifically love it here when the weather is nice and we can take advantage of their amazing outdoor seating + patio area. The views of main street are great and I love the atmosphere...not to mention every time we've eaten there, THE PLAYLIST is the perfect mix of nostalgic 90's and 2000's music and I could sit out there all. night. long. It's a Greek-inspired restaurant/pizzeria so I get the Gyro everytime and it's to die for.
Embe **
This was one of the first places we stumbled into for lunch the first year we visited Galena and it quickly became one of our favorite spots. We appreciate that this restaurant/bar is owned and operated by a family, all working together almost daily waitressing, bartending, and kiddos cleaning tables. It's right across the street from the DeSoto house, so it's an easy choice for a late-night meal or drink. Their seafood corn chowder is something I look forward to every single trip.
Grape Escape ***
I'm not exactly sure why we like it here so much...there are 'questionable' pictures on the walls and the drinks are expensiveeee but so good. The owner could be a character from a reality show and it's a great place to just sit back and people-watch. Unless you're there in the winter and the only ones in the whole place, then you make friends with the bartender and learn about everything there is to know about local-life in Galena.
Fried Green Tomatoes *****
This might be my favorite restaurant on all of Main Street...and I think it's the 'fanciest' restaurant I've ever been to! We save this one for our big fall trip, it's not a place we hit every single time because of the price point, but it's so. so. good. I could just sit for hours looking at the beautiful tin ceilings, stone walls, and antique chandeliers, I can't decide which is better, the food or the atmosphere! This is the spot I've chosen to bring Adam and Jamie this fall as our 'thank you' for watching our dogs every time we leave town for Galena! I'd recommend reservations here if you're in town on a peak month/weekend...and if you're in town for a weekend, calling in advance to check and see if reservations are necessary would be a good precaution.
One Eleven Main *****
Again, a restaurant where I can't decide which is better..the amazing food, or the atmosphere. I think One Eleven Main and Fried Green Tomatoes 'tie' in my book, so pick one for your 'fancy' night in town and you can't go wrong. The first time we ate here, they seated us in the giant room upstairs with all original hardwood floors, right by a window so we could look down and see all of main street. I think I'd like to eat here again, but in the main dining room...if you can't tell, fancy dining is all about atmosphere for me. They have limited hours during the week, and I'd also recommend making reservations here if you're in town on a peak month/weekend.
OKAY! That's all! Reliving all our old pictures and posting about all our favorites spots certainly did make me homesick for our favorite place and it did NOT help that feeling go away. So it's a good thing we're one week closer to our trip at the end of October!!!
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