Highland Park Restaurants

Hippo, with its flowery murals decorated with cartoonish animals, is playfully unserious; it’s just as much about a good time as it is about good food. The house-made noodles are the real deal. Go with a group and catch up over crudo and something grill-fired, or take the kids after practice for spaghetti on the patio.

Chef-owner Diep Tran—formerly of Blue Hen, and whose family owns the Pho 79 chain—delivers satisfying Vietnamese comfort food at this charismatic American style diner. The menu is a mix of pho, banh mi, rice and noodle dishes, and pot pies. (Tran has become particularly known for her handmade pies, which are gorgeous.) Good Girl Dinette also caters.