Home Sweet Home

     I realized once I got back from Seattle that my hometown of Loves Park, IL and the greater Rockford area actually has more to offer the world than I realized. This may be due to a strong craving for good pizza (sorry West coast but your pizza is nowhere near as good as anything made within 100 miles of Chicago). In any event, this page will serve as a guide to Rockford, IL and the surrounding area. I will document some of my favorite local stores, restaurants, attractions, parks, etc.

Restaurants:
     People in the Midwest really know how to eat. Though this isn't the greatest for one's health, it IS really great if you're a foodie like myself. The Rockford area has a large variety of local restaurants to offer that serve up some great food. I've put the restaurants into rough categories. One thing to note is that Rockford has a ton of great Italian restaurants, possibly due to a Mafia presence. Totally worth it.

• Fast Food
• Beef-A-Roo - Beef-A-Roo is one of my favorite fast food restaurants in Rockford. I make sure to visit it any time I come home from college or otherwise. A local chain boasting seven locations, Beef-A-Roo is unique in that each restaurant has a special theme to it. They serve up delicious roast beef sandwiches, salads, cheese fries, and specialty milkshakes.
• Portillo's Restaurant - I've included Portillo's in this mix because it is Chicago-based and therefore fairly local. Portillo's very recently (summer 2015) opened up a branch in Rockford. It offers fast Italian beef, burgers, Chicago style hot dogs and other Chicago foods. They are also famous for their "chocolate cake shake," which, as it implies, is a chocolate shake that is filled with chunks of chocolate cake.
• Culver's Restaurants - Culver's has been pushing the "national chain" status of restaurants, so it is no longer just local, BUT it started in Wisconsin/Northern IL so I'm including it for readers who find themselves not in the Midwest. The basic premise of Culver's menu: meat and cheese, lots of cheese. They serve up tasty "Butterburgers" loaded with delicious Wisconsin cheeses. They also serve up frozen custard, which is better than ice cream by far.
• Breakfast
• Stockholm Inn - Rockford has a very heavy presence of Swedish and Norwegian ancestry, and there are many who take pride in that fact. Stockholm Inn is a Nordic inspired restaurant that serves up the best Swedish pancakes you'll ever have, all day every day. They also serve other Swedish dishes, but I wouldn't know because I always get the pancakes haha. It's my favorite breakfast place in Rockford and a great place to visit.
• Sunrise Family Restaurant - Sunrise Family Restaurant in Loves Park offers a good ole'fashioned American restaurant feel. I've always only gone there for breakfast so that's why I have it listed as such. The food is good, the prices are low, the coffee is bottomless. What more can you ask for?
• By-the-Dozen Bakery - This doughnut shop/bakery is a great little spot in Loves Park to get doughnuts. They may just be my favorite doughnuts, though I'll have to try them again to fully compare them with Seattle's Top Pot. I've come here to grab a couple dozen doughnuts before youth group events and after cross country practice. There's always a regular crowd of old dudes drinking coffee in the mornings. I want to be them when I grow old.
• Italian
• Francesco's - This is one of the nicest restaurants in town and the food and atmosphere attest to that. I've gone here many times for highschool proms haha. I've also been here for work Christmas parties. No matter the occasion, Francesco's offers a very good atmosphere for an excellent meal.
• Nunzio's - Nunzio's is a nice Italian restaurant in Loves Park that is a favorite spot for pizza, particularly when we visit my grandmother (who lives near it). They have so much more than just pizza to offer though, and their other food is top-notch. Highly recommended.
• Capri Restaurant- In downtown Rockford this is the spot to get some great pizza. I've been here several times, mostly when I was already downtown for some gig or event. Every time the pizza has left me fully satisfied.
• Gia's (out-of-business) - This restaurant always finds itself mis-managed and therefore never stays open for very long. I think the last owner actually got arrested for intimidation. But that's how you know it's a good Italian place, right? When it IS open though, the food is phenomenal. I think it's so great because of one excellent chef in particular, chef Bernie (I wonder where he is now...) My band has actually played a few gigs here, so I've got that connection. My hope is that someone will open it again who is better at running a restaurant.
• Deli Italia - This is yet another restuarant/bar in downtown Rockford that my band has played a few gigs at. They have phenomenal pizza and the best Italian beef sandwiches I've ever had. One summer I worked across the street from this place so it became a favorite lunch spot to meet up with my parents.
• Anna's Pizza, Anthony's Pizza - Both of these pizza joints are favorites for delivery or takeout pizza pies. They are traditional Sicilian style pizzas that can't be beat by national pizza chains for both price and quality.
• Gerry's Pizza - Similar pizza to Anna's and Anthony's, Gerry's offers a seating area with arcade games to play. I went here a lot when I was younger and times were simpler.
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• Asian
• JMK Nippon - JMK Nippon is an excellent Japanese restaurant where they cook up the food right in front of you. It is a classy place and a lot of fun. I've gone here on special occasions and pre highschool dances. The food is excellent and the miso soup is the best there is. The building itself is really cool too and boasts indoor and outdoor koi ponds.
• Shogun Japanese Restaurant - Shogun is similar to JMK Nippon in almost every way except that it is a little bit cheaper and has no koi. Because of the price benefit, I have actually been here more often than JMK. It's a fun place to go for a birthday because everyone comes out and sings a Japanese birthday song.
• Hachi Hachi Sushi - This restaurant is closer to a fast-food type Asian restaurant. It's a favorite place to go for me and a friend because it's close to home and offers good sushi and plates for the price.
• Pub Fare
• Rockford Brewing Company - Rockford Brewing Company is a recent remodel of an old brewery building -- turned into a new brewery! It's a really cool place that serves amazing comfort food and craft beers. In the summer, they do "music on the dock" performances on the Rock River waterfront wharves alongside the restaurant. They also have ballrooms for weddings and the like.