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Is Naperville as Expensive and Booshy as People Make it out to be?

Is Naperville as Expensive as People Say?

It's no secret Naperville is a great place to live. It's been ranked the number one place to live in the country and always ranks high in schools, parks, and safety. That said Naperville also gets a lot of hate for being booshy, and being expensive. I recently was reading a forum where someone asked if they would like Naperville and several people went on long rants about how the average housing stock is 500K plus and how you should expect to be the bottom man on the totem pole and a second class citizen at those prices.

Is Naperville Really Expensive?

While Naperville is a pricey suburb, all the Western Suburbs are pretty pricey. The north shore suburbs even more so, so why Naperville gets hated on so much for this is beyond me. Sure property taxes are incredibly high in Naperville, but there's lots of great housing which would perfectly fit a 4-5 person family for well under $300,000. More recently, even some houses in White Eagle, the "fancy" neighborhood with the golf course going for under 500k which is unheard of. 

If you're on a tight budget or looking for something more affordable that's totally understandable and there's some great bargains just minutes from Naperville in Bolingbrook and/or Aurora, some of which actually feeds into Naperville schools. That said don't be scared off by people talking about how pricey Naperville is. There's actually a lot of single family home housing stock for well under 300k, and very nice and spacey townhomes for less than that. 

Best Bloody Mary Drink in Naperville

Where to get a Bloody Mary in Naperville?

If you're like me every now and again you get a crazy craving for a Bloody Mary cocktail on a nice Saturday or Sunday afternoon. 

Problem is knowing who serves a bloody mary and not only that but who has a good one. In today's post we're going to be listing the top 3 bloody mary cocktails in Naperville.

Heaven on Seven

Heaven on Seven has a tasty blood mary with a cajun twist. They also have a lot of great cocktails and awesome food as well. They also do a mean brunch on Sundays, and it's located conveniently in downtown Naperville just off the river walk. The only downside is the seating is a bit cramped, the bar is a little on the small side, and there's no outdoor seating or patio.

Jimmy's Grill

Jimmy's Grill not only serves up a great bloody mary, but they also have a great location and awesome seating right on the corner of Washington Street and Chicago Avenue in the heart of downown Naperville. They have an awesome outdoor patio where you can drink your bloody mary in the sun while people watching in the middle of downtown Naperville. 

Crosstown Pub & Grill

Crosstown Pub & Grill located just outside of downtown Naperville on Ogden avenue has some of the best bar food I've ever eaten. They also make a tasty bloody mary, and have a nice little outdoor seating video. I love spending a late Saturday morning having a couple cocktails and hordevors with friends. 

Crosstown Pub & Grill Bloody Mary

Any Regrets About Moving to Naperville?

Do I Have any Regrets of Moving to Naperville?

Someone recently asked me if I had any regrets about moving to Naperville. Naperville is a great place to live. Assuming you want to live in the suburbs as opposed to the city, and assuming you want to live in the Western Suburbs Naperville has a lot to offer.

Naperville has plenty of shopping and dining options, a couple amazing libraries, a cool downtown, a nice bar scene and a great park district. 

Naperville Traffic

Really my only regret about moving to Naperville was opting to live on the far south end of Naperville. Naperville is a pretty large city and getting from the south side of Naperville to I-88 either on Rt 59 or Naper Boulevard can sometimes take upwards of an hour in bad traffic of inclimate weather. 

That's really my only regret, not living close to expressways. If you're considering moving to Naperville I'd definately recommend keeping that in mind if you have to commute to the city or somewhere else along the I-88 business corridor. 

Who Has the Best Gyros in Naperville?

Best Gyros in Naperville

If you're looking for the best Gyros in Naperville look no further than Nicky's. Nicky's Gyros has two locations, one on Rt. 59 in the same parking lot as Best Buy on Rt. 59 on the edge of Naperville and Aurora, and another on Ogden Avenue just off of Washington Street on the outskirts of Downtown Naperville.

Nicky's has burgers and hot dogs, roasted chicken, slouvaki and more, but I go there for the gyros. Nicky's has real gyros right off the spit, unlike many other places that reheat or grill their gyro meat. It's served with onions and fresh cut tomatoes, cucumber sauce, and crispy fries.

Nicky's Red Hots Gyros in Naperville

Nicky's is affordable and delicious and a great place to stop for a lunch or dinner if going with a couple people who all have a taste for something different. 

Definately recommend giving them a try. 

Who Has the Best Pizza in Naperville?

The Best Pizza in Naperville

If you're looking for the best pizza in Naperville look no further than Lil Pop's Pizza at 1819 Wherli Road which is located just a minute off of 75th Street and Wherli.

Lil Pop's Amazing Garlic Knots

Lil Pop's serves a New York Style slice of pizza pie. That means it's the super thin crust that you fold in half and eat. They put just the right amount of cheese on the pizza, it's got a nice sharp parmesan tang to it which hits the spot and the sauce is put on minimally and has just the right amount of spice and isn't too sweet. 

The owner and Chef is also a fabulous guy who makes the rounds around the living room chatting  it up with patrons which is fun. You can tell he really loves the shop, his customers and making the pizzas. 

Lil Pops Cheese Pizza

Lil Pop's also serves some great appetizers like the fried macaroni bites and the cripsy fried green beans. They also serve some great sandwhiches and pastas as well, however I love their pizza so much I rarely get anything else.

Lil Pop's will also finish the meal off strong with deserts. They have fried Zeppoli which is basically Italian Donuts or fried dough coated in powder sugar and also have a sweet calzone filled with cannoli filling and drizzed in chocolate which really hits the spot.

Lil Pop's is probably by far my favorite pizza in Naperville, however it does depend on your tastes. Some people love Lou Malgoti's and the buttery crust, personally not my thing. Other people like the classic Chicago deep dish pizza or that thin crackery crust Chicago pizza is also known for, but for me, none of it beats Lil Pop's Pizza. They are by far my favorite.

Lil Pop's Pizza Canoli

If you're new to Naperville and just moved here and are looking for your new pizza joint, or whether your a longtime resident who just hasn't been fortunate enough to try their pizza, I'd definately recommend you give it a try.