‘A destination restaurant’: New Indian eatery proposed for former Tuscany site in Wheeling

A Chicago-area restaurateur plans to open his latest venture in a long-vacant space on Wheeling’s Restaurant Row.

Arun Sharma is eyeing the former Tuscany building at 550 S. Milwaukee Ave. for a culinary concept to be called Ahara. He envisions an upscale restaurant with a lounge, private event space and exterior dining areas for patrons.

Ahara would be “a destination restaurant,” Sharma told the village board Monday during the first public review of the plans.

The Sharma family already operates Indian Garden Chicago, in the Streeterville neighborhood, and Mantra by Indian Garden, in Schiller Park.

Sharma said he’s hired a chef from India to run the kitchen.

The 7,735-square-foot building has been unused since Tuscany closed in January 2022. In addition to a full interior renovation, the exterior will undergo a significant face-lift, architect Jeremy Wilmot told the village board.

Tuscany’s Spanish-style facade would be replaced by a more modern look that would include a patio, an exterior balcony area for dining, a water feature, fire bowls and other elements, Wilmot said.

When it came time to informally share their opinions of the plans, all the trustees said they favored it moving forward. Trustee Dave Vogel called the plans “very impressive.”

The board took no formal action. The village’s plan commission will review the proposal more intently and make a recommendation to the board.

Restaurant Row runs along Milwaukee Avenue between Hintz and Lake-Cook roads. It’s been an economic force in Wheeling since the 1970s, but its star has dimmed a bit over time with the closure of several high-profile restaurants — Tuscany, Buca di Beppo, District Brew Yards and Le Francais among them.

The Ahara proposal is the latest sign of a resurgence on the Row, however.

Yu’s Mandarin restaurant, which is just south of the Ahara site, has been popular since opening in 2023. Armo Grill and the aptly named Chicago Ramen Wheeling also opened on Restaurant Row in 2023.

Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant completed a multimillion-dollar renovation on the north end of the Row last year, and an entrepreneur is planning to launch a restaurant equipped with cricket simulators in the former Buca di Beppo space.