MEET THE OWNERS 

A mother and daughter who built a place worth coming back to.

Cafe on the Grove is the work of Sue Luisi and her daughter Dena Maldonado — a mother-daughter duo who opened the café on the corner of Plum Grove and Kirchoff because they wanted to build something together. They imagined a place that felt like home: honest food, real welcomes, and a room people would want to linger in. Then they handed it to a team they trust to bring that vision to life every single day.

You'll see Sue and Dena around — saying hello, checking in, sneaking a slice of their favorite. But the heart of Cafe on the Grove is the team in the kitchen and on the floor, the regulars who fill the booths on Saturdays, and the corner of Rolling Meadows that's quietly become our favorite room in the northwest suburbs of Chicago.