EAST VILLAGE — After an electrical fire forced a closure in early May, The Winchester, an organic-focused cafe and restaurant, is back to serving breakfast, lunch and dinner in West Town's East Village enclave.
"This past weekend we served a limited menu and we worked through a few as-to-be-expected re-opening kitchen hiccups, but we’re happy to be moving ahead at full speed and thankful for all of the support we've received from the industry and the community," co-owner Chris Pappas said on Tuesday.
The bright and airy eatery at the corner of Winchester Avenue and Augusta Boulevard reopened to the public on Saturday. A fire on the second floor where the kitchen is located caused water and floor damage and required an extensive remodeling.
During the closure, Chicago bakery Baker Miller organized a sold-out pop-up dinner fundraiser for workers at The Winchester while the Paramount Room hosted another benefit to help mitigate the fire damage.
“We were really moved by the support that both West Town residents and the hospitality community have shown us since the setback,” Pappas said. “The fundraisers were definitely a motivating factor in speeding up our reopening with improvements for our next run.”
The return was marked with a new summer menu by chef Greg Bastien as well as new hours to emphasize the eatery's afternoon, dinner and bar offerings.
A new dish — summer vegetable lasagna — is made with fresh pasta, tomato, summer squash, spinach, sheep’s milk ricotta and herb salad. Other summer dinner menu highlights include seed-crusted trout and a smoked pork chop with sweet corn, summer squash, potato and blackberry.
The Winchester's patio (l.); summer vegetable lasagna, $14. (The Winchester/Facebook)
The Winchester, which seats 75 and has an upstairs "sun room" for private parties and events, is also open for brunch (view the brunch menu) and lunch (view the cafe's late breakfast and lunch menu).
Avocado toast, a staple on The Winchester's cafe lunch menu (DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser)
The Winchester, 1001 N. Winchester Ave. Cafe hours are 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Mondays-Fridays. Dinner service is from 5-10 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. Brunch is from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays. Phone: 773-698- 8703. Follow the restaurant on Facebook or Instagram for updates.
The Winchester Summer Dinner Menu by Chef Greg Bastien.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
