Name: The Foxtail On The Lake
Address: 1177 Howard Ave, Des Plaines, IL, 60018
Telephone: (224) 938-9479
Price range: $$

The Foxtail On The Lake

Iconic/NotableDes Plaines (suburb) · American Community-sourced, unverified

📍 1177 Howard Ave, Des Plaines, IL 60018

The Foxtail On The Lake is a genuinely unusual build-out -- a 15,000-square-foot former Lutheran church, Good Shepherd, that served its Des Plaines congregation for roughly seven decades before closing and getting reborn as a Mediterranean restaurant on Lake Opeka.

Managing partner David Villegas told ABC7 the team deliberately kept the original lights and stained glass intact, and placed a piece of the church's old altar over the host stand -- a detail that turns what could've been a gimmick into something that actually respects the building's history. The former sanctuary now seats 210 indoors plus another 115 on the patio, with brass trim, plants, and art filling out a space that still reads unmistakably as a converted church rather than a restaurant wearing church decor as a costume.

Villegas described the business growing almost entirely by word of mouth, pulling diners in from well outside Des Plaines itself. The hummus plate and crab cake remain the most-recommended menu items, and it's closed Mondays.

Hours

MonClosed

Tue-Thu11AM-10PM

Fri11AM-11PM

Sat10AM-11PM

Sun10AM-9PM

🥡 Takeout unconfirmed 📞 (224) 938-9479

Amenities & accessibility

❔Takeout: unverified

❔Wheelchair access: unverified

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The Foxtail On The Lake

The Foxtail On The Lake is a genuinely unusual build-out -- a 15,000-square-foot former Lutheran church, Good Shepherd, that served its Des Plaines congregation for roughly seven decades before closing and getting reborn as a Mediterranean restaurant on Lake Opeka.

Specials at The Foxtail On The Lake