Six suburban restaurant openings to watch for this fall
If summertime is when sun-starved suburbanites are aiming to maximize their time outdoors, fall is the perfect season to head indoors to sample some new restaurants in the region.
Among the highest profile of these soon-to-open eateries will be the full-service restaurant and bar at Topgolf Schaumburg, which will be the first of many new developments on the former Motorola Solutions campus now known as the Veridian Development on Algonquin Road west of Meacham Road.
Located near the western end of the sprawling site, this Topgolf restaurant — like all the others — will pride itself on a menu overseen by an accomplished executive chef. Its promotion promises a fresh twist on American classics, local specialties and beers, and new creations made with fresh, high-quality ingredients. It plans to open this fall.
Expected to open this month is what is being touted as the “flagship” location of the popular Moretti's Ristorante and Pizzeria, according to Ala Carte Entertainment Vice President Mark Hoffmann.
The site has been in the works since 2017, after Hoffman bought the former Wool Street Grill and Sports Bar near Barrington's Metra commuter station.
As well-known as Moretti's has become in the suburbs for its Chicago-style pizza and Italian and American fare, this location will contain a lot of unique features, Hoffmann promises.
Among them are a 400- to 500-square-foot outdoor dining patio to complement the 9,000-square-foot building and a small cafe on the Klingenberg Lane side of the building to serve morning commuters.
City Works Eatery & Pour House — which already has suburban locations in Schaumburg and Wheeling — will make it easier for Lake County residents to partake with a new site opening in early to mid-October at Mellody Farm shopping center at Milwaukee Avenue and East Townline Road in Vernon Hills.
The restaurant boasts of its modern American cuisine with a twist, more than 90 craft beers on draft and an upbeat, energetic atmosphere. The Mellody Farm site will be open for lunch, happy hour, dinner and late-night dining.
Seoul Taco's expansion to downtown Naperville in September will be the seventh location overall and the first in Chicago's suburbs for the St. Louis-based chain.
The restaurant serves up fast-casual Korean-Mexican street food, inspired by chef David Choi's Korean-American heritage.
Patrons of the soon-to-open eatery at 206 S. Washington St. can chow down on burritos, tacos, gogi bowls and nachos made with Korean-inspired ingredients like gochujang pepper sauce, Bulgogi steak and housemade kimchi.
Seoul Taco's decor pulls from street culture as a nod to the brand's start as a stand-alone food truck in St. Louis. The restaurant infuses local art inside with murals, reclaimed wood and art installations. It also will serve up hip-hop music and a selection of domestic beers.
True Food Kitchen, whose only current Illinois location is in Chicago's River North neighborhood, will open a second locale at Oakbrook Center in Oak Brook this fall.
The growing national chain describes its philosophy as “Better food means better living.” It was built from a collaboration of chefs, restaurateurs and renowned doctor of integrative medicine Andrew Weil, who says that food should make you feel better, not worse. The menu aims to demonstrate that fine dining and conscious nutrition can be paired without sacrificing flavor or creativity.
The longtime owner of Sze Chuan Cuisine in Chicago's Chinatown neighborhood plans to open a new eatery named Louisiana Crab and Seafood in Schaumburg this fall.
Niles resident Shao Hong Tang will serve Cajun-style clams, crawfish, shrimp, blue crab and lobster among other dishes at 410 W. Higgins Road in the Parkway Plaza retail center near the Hoffman Estates border.
Familiarity with the area, including through a nearby Chinese school, was cited as the reason Schaumburg was chosen for his new venture.
A September or October opening is anticipated, depending on how long renovations take to complete.
The restaurant is expected to be open from 1 to 10 p.m. daily, seat about 60 to 70 customers and predicts it will see about 30 percent of its business from carryout orders.