Palatine's Durty Nellie's plans expansion

A downtown Palatine storefront originally pegged to be a bakery instead will soon house banquets and bar seating for an older crowd.

Durty Nellie's plans to expand into an attached vacant space immediately to its north at 190 N. Smith St., a proposal that won unanimous approved Monday from the village council. It will serve as an extension of the West Irish pub's restaurant and bar business.

“It'll be nice to have that space occupied,” Palatine Village Manager Reid Ottesen said. “It'll be a nice expansion providing some different venue options for them, catering to some other crowds.”

When the village approved plans for the development about 10 years ago, the original concept included the development of a bakery. However, the site has long sat vacant.

Durty Nellie's owner Jim Dolezal said that if a private group isn't renting out the banquet facility, the initial plan is to open it to restaurant and bar seating on Fridays, Saturdays and special occasions.

“We're going to utilize it for banquets or whatever and then evolve into kind of a bar for older demographics to go to,” Dolezal said.

The plan is to offer a full bar, though the menu hasn't been determined yet. Dolezal said he hopes to open the space by November.

Durty Nellie's, which originally opened in 1972 and moved to its current location in 2003, also has become one of the Northwest suburbs' premier entertainment venues, hosting concerts, acts and even mixed martial arts events.

The idea of offering banquet services has been on the table for the past couple years, but owners say they're in a position to move forward now.