Stefanich's to reopen with new owner, menu
JOLIET -- It has been closed for more than eight years, but the old Stefanich's restaurant is slated to reopen in June.
Stefanich's, on the north end of downtown Joliet, opened in 1933 but closed in 1999. Since then, there have been a few unsuccessful attempts to open it again.
John Patsch/Staff Photographer
But now, it's getting another chance.
The name will change just a bit, to Stefanich (instead of Stefanich's) Restaurant and Lounge, and the menu won't be quite the same. No turtle soup, for one.
But part-owner Jim Grant said he's trying to revive the downtown tavern restaurant's once-beloved chicken dish.
Grant said he has the recipe, but, "I don't know if we can reproduce that with just the recipe."
The restaurant at 457 Scott St. is in an old Slovenian neighborhood of Joliet.
The menu will be both American and Mexican. The neighborhood isn't so Slovenian anymore.
"I want to make a nice menu -- an affordable menu," Grant said.
Grant tried to reopen the restaurant last year but was held back by health issues.
The condition of the building had been one of the problems in reopening the restaurant. But Grant said with the help of business partner Abraham Sanchez, the building has been rehabilitated, and he hopes to open in June.
The city council provided him with a liquor license Monday.
Grant also is an owner of Supermercado La Loma, a combination Mexican restaurant and grocery on Walnut Street.
He said he's learned quite a bit about Stefanich's during its remodeling stage and is impressed with the history of the old tavern. So, he wanted to keep the original name attached to the business.
"Because it had such a history with Joliet," he said, "I wanted to give it back to Joliet."