Downtown Wheaton ready for summer of outdoor dining under Hale Street tents
For the fourth straight summer, downtown Wheaton visitors can have breakfast, lunch and dinner - with a side of fresh air.
The city once again is closing an entire block of Hale Street to traffic so outdoor dining can spill onto the road.
The Downtown Wheaton Association and the city first set up the al fresco dining zone in 2020, extending a lifeline to ailing restaurants during COVID-19 shutdowns. The stretch of pavement has since become a summer magnet and a festive scene, replete with white tents, landscaping and live music.
"People love sitting outside, and we see the tents busy for breakfast, lunch and dinner," said Allison Orr, the executive director of the Downtown Wheaton Association. "And they really have become sort of a symbol for the beginning of summer."
Crews will close the downtown block between Front and Wesley streets Monday evening to begin installing the Hale Street tents. The all-too-fleeting outdoor dining season officially begins Friday, May 5, and runs through Oct. 8. Guests can pull up chairs, enjoy an appetizer of zucchini fries or an entree of sea bass and make the most of a pleasant night out.
"You know you've got to embrace the summers in Chicago while you can," Orr said.
Eight restaurants are going al fresco: Egg'lectic Café, Moveable Feast + Co., Gia Mia, Yia Mas, Altiro Latin Fusion, Hale Street Cantina, The Burger Social and Ivy.
The Downtown Wheaton Association also has a full plate of summer events planned under the tents and throughout the core dining district.
New this year is the Taco & Margarita Festival on Saturday, May 6. Patrons will get two margaritas served inside participating retailers and two specialty tacos freshly prepared by various downtown restaurants. Organizers planned to sell up to 750 tickets. Some are still available.
"I do expect it to sell out in advance," Orr said. "That'll be a big one for sure. And that's sort of in conjunction with the first weekend of the tents, so it'll be very crowded and busy and lively down here."
In celebration of the Andy Warhol art exhibition at the College of DuPage, the tents will be decorated with disco balls, bringing a bit of a Studio 54 vibe to the outdoor dining scene from June through September.
Extract Juicery, an organic juice and smoothie bar, is sponsoring a "Family Fun Tent" on Front Street. That venue will play host to 45 minutes of free, family-friendly entertainment on select Saturday mornings from May 20 through Aug. 12.
"We have a giant bubble show. We have a foam party, magic show, a little dance party lesson and a reptile mini petting zoo, so that will be super fun," Orr said.
A classic car show - Vintage Rides - will cruise back into downtown Wheaton on seven Tuesday nights from June through August. The spiffed-up beauties will take over Liberty Drive.
The Downtown Wheaton Association also has organized a summer music series from May through September. Performers will rotate between outdoor dining destinations.
Innovator Capital Management, a firm based on Hale Street, is sponsoring the tents. Restaurants are now taking outdoor dining reservations.