Mount Prospect is not exactly known as a culinary hotspot, but four siblings decided that needed to change. 🍽️
The Prospect opened in 2024 in the heart of downtown, bringing an ambitious blend of Italian technique and Argentinian flair to a suburb that had never seen anything quite like it.
Behind the concept are Nick, Joe, Tony, and Gina Papanicholas Bertolini, siblings who grew up in the area and wanted to build something worth staying home for.
What started as a bold pitch has become the talk of the northwest suburbs. 🔥
How The Prospect won Mount Prospect’s hearts
The Papanicholas siblings didn’t just want to open a restaurant; they wanted to prove their hometown deserved something extraordinary.
Nick Papanicholas Jr. and his sister Gina Bertolini spearheaded the concept, telling the Daily Herald ahead of opening that The Prospect would be unlike anything currently in Mount Prospect. 🏙️
The family already had a foothold in local hospitality through Big Fish Icehouse at the Mount Prospect Ice Arena, and The Prospect became their most ambitious project yet, operated under their company, Big Fish Hospitality Group.
The vision was clear from the start: a two-floor space combining casual and fine dining, with rooftop seating up top and an open kitchen featuring a ten-seat chef’s counter downstairs.
To bring that vision to life, the siblings brought in chef Mauro Berruti, who grew up in Argentina and now calls Mount Prospect home.
Berruti’s résumé includes stints at Gibson’s Italia, Bazaar Meat Chicago, and Chicago Cut Steakhouse, and he built The Prospect’s kitchen around a wood-burning grill and oven, a staple in Argentine homes he wanted to bring to the suburbs. 🔥
General manager Garrett Supples, who has spent two decades managing restaurants, summed up the mission simply: treat every guest like family.
That philosophy, paired with the siblings’ genuine investment in their hometown, is exactly why The Prospect became a fixture almost overnight, drawing diners from across the northwest suburbs who wanted a taste of something they didn’t expect to find so close to home.
Food Highlights
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Dry Aged Burger: A house dry-aged patty topped with havarti cheese, pickle, onion jam, and a black garlic and miso aioli, served with fries. 🍔
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Steak Frites: Skirt steak finished with chimichurri, served alongside frites and a honey garlic aioli.
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Lamb Chops: Grilled lamb chops topped with a roasted apple relish and chimichurri, a nod to the kitchen’s Argentinian influence. 🌿
- Dry-Aged Duck Breast: In-house dry-aged duck breast served with wild mushroom, cipollini onion, pea puree, and a five-spice jus.
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Hot Chicken: A crispy chicken thigh seasoned with cayenne, served with kohlrabi slaw, house pickles, and fries.
- Rigatoni: Beef bolognese tossed with rigatoni, finished with whipped ricotta and fresh basil.
- Black Cod: Miso-glazed black cod served over forbidden rice with a coconut curry sauce. 🐟
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Bouillabaisse: Chilean sea bass simmered with mussels, clams, and shrimp in a saffron broth. 🦐
Atmosphere
The Prospect splits its energy across two very different floors, casual and lively downstairs near the open kitchen, more polished and intimate upstairs with rooftop seating.
It has the buzz of a big-city restaurant without losing the warmth of a neighborhood spot where the owners still remember your name. 🌆
The open kitchen and chef’s counter give diners a front-row seat to the wood-fired cooking that defines the menu.
Bottom Line
Visit for the wood-fired Argentinian-Italian menu, the in-house dry-aged steaks and duck, the rooftop dining option, the siblings’ genuine hometown pride behind every dish, and a dining experience that rivals anything found in the city. 🔥🍷
Address:
18 W Northwest Hwy, Mt Prospect, IL 60056
📞 (224) 248-9986
🕔 Open Tue–Wed 3 PM–10 PM, Thu–Fri 11 AM–2:30 PM & 3 PM–11 PM, Sat–Sun 10:30 AM–2:30 PM & 3 PM–9 PM (closed Mondays)