Bev’s Now Open
Bev’s has officially opened its doors in Downtown Naperville. The new restaurant took the place of longtime staple, Jimmy’s Grill which closed last October. Will Cullen, who is behind Empire Burgers + Brew, is the building’s new tenant.
“Bev’s is kind of our pop up concept that we’re doing in the interim from our overall plans for Cali’s,” said Cullen. “Obviously it takes time to get permits and things like that so we figured while we have stuff here, get some staff up and running, keep a lot of the cooks employed and things like that. We decided to come up with this kind of casual fine dining concept.”
On the menu, you’ll find dishes like shrimp and grits, New York strip steak, and of course Bev’s burger. “Just kind of fresh, more higher end food that I would consider but kind of in a more casual environment so you can have people in here in t-shirts and jeans or suit jacket. So kind of appeal to a lot of various customers,” said Cullen.
Work on Cali’s Next Year
Bev’s, which is named after the longtime owner of the building, will stay open for around a year before work begins to transform it into Cali’s. The plan is to add more space, including where Jimmy’s patio was. But the highlight of the upcoming establishment is the addition of a rooftop patio with a bar.
Cullen is excited to be bringing a couple of new additions to the community. “Kind of seeing people’s reaction when they come in is great and then obviously once they start trying the food and just seeing the energy in the place and getting everybody kind of moving around – it’s just fun for us.” Bev’s is located at 245 S. Washington Street. The new restaurant is open at 11 a.m. daily.
Naperville News 17’s Aysha Ashley Househ reports.