Eddie's to reopen in Arlington Heights

Ken Pasternak is bringing dollar draft beers and fish fries back to the north side of downtown Arlington Heights.

"Eddie's was a landmark," Pasternak said. "Places on the south side aren't for the working man. Eddie's was that place."

Eddie's Restaurant & Lounge dated to 1946 before closing briefly in October 2006 when the restaurant's owners and siblings Bonnie Knight and Ed Jensen sold the business to new owners who renamed the place Eddie McGann's.

The new owners were in business less than a year and closed in July 2007.

Since then the spot at 10 E. Northwest Highway has remained dark. It made Pasternak - a former Eddie's regular - shake his head.

So in November, he made a huge decision.

Pasternak bought the building for $500,000 and is spending another $500,000 to remodel the inside of Eddie's - including a new bar, new floors and a whole new kitchen.

He's bringing back Eddie's famous all-you-can-eat fish fry and daily specials serving up spaghetti, ribs, chicken and more.

"The most expensive thing on our menu will be about $15," Pasternak said.

A former plumber for the Arlington Heights Park District, Pasternak's new full-time job is getting Eddie's ready to open by Super Bowl Sunday. He owned a tavern in Chicago back in the mid-1980s, but this is his first stab at running a restaurant.

History, if not experience, will be on his side.

Eddie's has always been a place for regulars. Before closing, much of the green decor had been the same for years. Bonnie Knight and Ed Jensen used to display the restaurant's original liquor license, dated 1949. It was the sixth liquor license ever issued in the village of Arlington Heights and cost $600.

During Lent, customers packed Eddie's on Fridays for the famous fish fry, serving up to 600 pounds of fish each week. Over the years, Eddie's was host to all sorts of famous people, including jockey Eddie Arcaro, Wilt Chamberlain and Marlon Brando.

"I just like the bar," Pasternak said. "It's just a regular place where decent people go to have a good time and enjoy dinner at a reasonable price."