Former Sepia general manager Chris Pappas and The Dawson designer Dan Sheehy are partnering to open The Winchester in Ukainian Village.
Located in a building Pappas owns at 1001 N. Winchester, the restaurant will begin serving breakfast and lunch before Christmas and eventually will also offer dinner. "There was a hole in the neighborhood for what we want to do here -- basically a cafe by day with some nice grab-and-go breakfast items that rolls into lunch and dinner," Pappas said.
Helmed by chef Greg Bastien, who previously worked at Tavernita and Perennial, the restaurant will offer egg sandwiches, granola and quinoa cakes for breakfast, an expanded brunch with more sit-down options on weekends and seasonal lunch and dinner menus Pappas described as similar to what you might find at Logan Square's Lula Cafe. "We live healthy lifestyles and we want to carry through the things we like to eat," Pappas said. "We're trying to source as much as possible from the farmers and keep things approachable."
Few of the dishes will be priced above $20, and The Winchester will have plenty of options for people with dietary restrictions. "I'm not currently, but I've been a vegetarian for a long time so I understand the difficulty of finding something on the menu that doesn't have pork belly or bacon," Pappas said. "We want to have options for vegetarians, pescatarians, people who are gluten-free and people who love to eat meat."
The owners hope to have a liquor license by January, after which they'll start serving a mix of domestic craft brews and European beers and a small wine program focused on family-owned estates and boutique wines based on Pappas' experience as Sepia's wine buyer and beverage director. Cocktails will incorporate fresh juices, kombucha and sodas made with cold-pressed fruit. The Winchester will also offer a rotating selection of smoothies and green juices and coffee from Metric Coffee and other local roasters. Part of the second floor will be used as an event space to host private parties and wine, cocktail, beer or coffee tastings.
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