Cortland's Garage opening soon in old Harry's of Arlington spot

Cortland's Garage will soon open in the former Harry's of Arlington in downtown Arlington Heights after more than seven months of renovations.

Brian Roginski, who owns another Cortland's Garage in Chicago, hoped to be open for the summer season, but a burst pipe in January set him back about two months.

After fixing the water damage and doing a number of renovations inside one of the most historic buildings in Arlington Heights, Roginski said Cortland's Garage will open within the next month.

“We're getting extremely close, we're almost there,” Roginski said.

Roginski and his wife live in Arlington Heights, and grew to appreciate the village more and more while taking Metra downtown to his other restaurant every day.

“I just thought this would be the most perfect area to open another location,” he said. “The downtown area is so great and we had to go for it.”

Brian and his brother Randy Roginski bought the 1 N. Vail Ave. building (Vail and Campbell) from Harry McCullum's family last year. Both Harry — the namesake of the old restaurant, which opened in 1993 — and his wife Patricia, passed away in the last five years.

The new owners were operating the restaurant under its former name and menu while getting ready for construction until a burst pipe in January caused the restaurant to close early while they dealt with the damage, insurance claims and paperwork.

“I was in shock when I walked in. I thought the sprinkler system was on,” Roginski said of the water, which damaged nearly everything inside.

Roginski said they've added more windows that will open and allow diners to see and listen to the sounds of downtown while they eat. They've also renovated the bathrooms, added new TVs inside and out and plan to reopen the outdoor patio, with seating for about 70, until the weather gets too cold to use it.

Not everything is changing though. The old wooden columns inside the restaurant are still there and have been refurbished, Roginski said, paying tribute to the building that has been in Arlington Heights since 1893.

“We did a really great number on the place and it looks outstanding,” he said.

The Chicago Cortland's Garage menu includes a mix of burgers, sandwiches, salads, wings and sides.

The most famous item on the menu is the Cortland Street Burger, which visitors to the Taste of Arlington Heights got to sample a couple of weekends ago.

It was named one of the top 10 burgers in the city by Chicago Magazine and is a three-time champion at Roscoe Village Burger Fest.

People should also take notice of the nachos at Cortland's Garage, which were featured on “Chicago's Best” for best finger food.

Roginski said each chip is spread out so every nacho has every ingredient on it instead of just being in one big pile.

“People can expect high-end bar food with a casual theme,” Roginski said.

Roginski said he has already hired a staff and is excited to start getting patrons in the restaurant in the next few weeks.

“We cannot wait,” Roginski said. “You only open once and I want to make sure everything is perfect.”