Eros restaurant's long run on Arlington Heights' dining scene appears over

Eros Restaurant and Ice Cream Parlor apparently has ended its long run in Arlington Heights.

Would-be diners pulling into the restaurant's Arlington Market parking lot went away disappointed Tuesday after finding a note on the locked entrance.

"We thank you for your business of 35 years!" the note reads.

Known for its breakfast dishes, omelettes, soups and 100 percent Angus hamburgers, as well as huge sundaes, banana splits and milkshakes, Eros has long been a causal dining staple at the corner of Kensington Road and Dryden Avenue.

Lesa Duarte of Arlington Heights had planned to have dinner with a client Tuesday night at Eros until she arrived to find the doors locked and the lights off.

Duarte, who patronized the eatery since it opened, said she was "shocked" by its abrupt closing.

"You felt warm and welcome there," she said. "They were friendly. The (ownership) family was friendly. You'd see your neighbors and the townspeople."

Representatives from Arlington Heights-based Eros Management LLC did not return calls for comment Tuesday.

Arlington Heights resident Barb Landwehr, another longtime customer, was looking forward to a bowl of cream of chicken rice soup when she arrived for dinner Tuesday.

"This is a shock," Landwehr said. "No indication whatsoever."

Lyle Dahlin was among those who drove to Eros looking for breakfast earlier in the day. Dahlin, a Minnesota resident, was working a construction project at neighboring Mariano's Fresh Market and was hoping to refuel with country-fried steak, eggs and toast.

"When we're in the area, we started eating here," Dahlin said. "They always had good food, great service, friendly and just a real enjoyable place to eat breakfast."

Arlington Heights Mayor Thomas Hayes also was surprised to learn of Eros' apparent closure. He remembers going there for ice cream after village board meetings in the 1990s.

"You've got your loyal clientele that go there like I did as kind of a routine, tradition, and you go with a group of folks that you regularly meet there," he said.

"It would change a lot of routines if that (closure) is in fact the case."

Hayes said Eros' Arlington Market space would be attractive to a new tenant, with its proximity to Mariano's and a residential neighborhood.