LAKEVIEW — A new panini place near the border of Lakeview and Lincoln Park will focus on simple, fresh and affordable lunch options.
"Everything will be prepped in front of customers — at a very, very decent price," said Yoav Saada, owner of The Panini Republic, 500 W. Diversey Pkwy.
"Sometimes you can go to a sandwich shop, and you're paying $10, $11 just for a sandwich. It's kind of heavy. We want to make it more reasonable for everybody."
Paninis will range from $5.75-$6.95; salads will cost $5.75-$7.25; and soups and fresh-pressed juices should ring in around $3.
Saada said his shop, which is slated to open in early September, will operate Chipotle-style: Customers can approach a counter, choose whether they'd like a panini, salad or soup, and customize from there.
Bread options include pretzel, white or multigrain. There'll be a plethora of meats, cheeses, sauces and toppings. Desserts like brownies and rugelach round out the mix.
Saada also plans to install a smoothie and juice station, where guests can order fresh-pressed mint lemonade and green smoothies.
"I want to develop a chain focusing only on paninis and salads," said Saada, who worked as Naf Naf Grill's district manager for three years before setting out on his own in the spring.
"There is no other concept, at least in the Chicago area, that focuses just on paninis. There's a lot of sandwich shops — Asian, Middle Eastern, European, whatever you want — but there is no panini concept."
If all goes according to plan, Saada will open a second The Panini Republic location in Bucktown within a year.
"It's a similar environment to Lincoln Park," he said. "There's a lot of college students over there, young couples, young families. This would work really well."
The Diversey Parkway location will seat about 25 people. An outdoor patio can hold 25 more — but it won't be open until next spring, Saada said.
The Panini Republic, 500 W. Diversey Pkwy., is slated to open Sept. 7 or 8.
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