Bar Louie opens in Mt. Prospect; hotel coming

Featuring flat-screen televisions and 40 beers on tap, Bar Louie recently opened in Mount Prospect.

General Manager Dan Henry said a grand opening with live music is planned for early February.

“So far, so good,” he said. “Once the hotel opens, we think that will be another draw.”

The site, at 200 E. Rand Road, has been vacant for years and housed both a Holiday Inn and Ramada Inn in the past. A renovated Holiday Inn will open there in March, Henry said.

Investors picked the spot because it's less than a half-mile from Randhurst mall, which is currently undergoing a $200 million rebuilding project.

Work to renovate Randhurst started almost two years ago when crews ripped down the outer portion of the mall after working for months gutting the inside, which once housed about 80 shops. The main anchor stores remain open.

The new Randhurst Village will include a theater, hotel, restaurant and retail and office spaces.

The plan also calls for a number of restaurants and 25 smaller buildings scattered around the site.

Sports Authority, Jersey Mike's, Five Guys, Chipotle Mexican Grill and T-Mobile already have opened. The project should be complete in the spring of 2011.

Meanwhile, Bar Louie is open for lunch and dinner and serves oversized sandwiches and pasta. There is seating for 185 people indoors and between 30 and 40 on an outdoor patio.

The hotel will have 139 rooms including two banquet rooms that could hold 200 people.