Vietnamese restaurant to open in far north Palatine

Banh mi sandwiches, pho and other Vietnamese cuisine should be available by summer in a revitalized Palatine strip mall at Lake-Cook and Hicks roads.

Palatine village council members Monday night approved a special-use permit for Viet Taste, paving the way for it to fill vacant space at Lake Cook Commons. Palatine will be Viet Taste's third location, joining restaurants in Libertyville and Norridge.

Viet Taste will take over space previously occupied by the Lal Qila restaurant, which served Pakistani and Indian cuisine at the northeast corner of Hicks and Lake-Cook bordering Long Grove. Viet Taste projects about 100 seats for the restaurant.

Terry Yormark II's TRY Real Estate Management LLC of Inverness purchased what was a rundown strip mall about three years ago. He said Viet Taste will bring the occupancy to 70% when it opens in late spring or early summer.

Yormark said it takes a significant capital and staffing commitment for a 4,800-square-foot eatery and that it was a "no brainer" when Viet Taste owner Binh "Tony" Nguyen showed interest in the Lake Cook Commons space.

"There's two things you want to look at when you own a mall," Yormark said after Monday's village council session. "One is filling it up, obviously, but the second thing you want to do it fill it up with the right people and the right tenants."

In addition to the pho - a beef-stock noodle soup typically served with a choice of add-ins and topped with cilantro and onion - and banh mi sandwiches, Viet Taste's menu has vermicelli noodle salads, rice plates and bubble tea.

Nguyen said the Palatine location will be part of Viet Taste's aggressive expansion plan for this year.

"For my team, we plan to open eight to 10 of them this year," Nguyen said. "In Palatine, we don't have any Vietnamese food here."

Lake Cook Commons has received a new roof, renovated parking lot, improved lighting and other upgrades since TRY Real Estate bought it. Yormark helped to increase the center's occupancy by starting Fast Laundry, which he said has had promotions such as a Chicago Bulls ticket giveaway and an appearance by Santa Claus.