12 Restaurant Stories You Liked, Shared In 2023: Joliet Patch

JOLIET, IL — A lot of new restaurants opened around Joliet during 2023, but one grand opening topped them all because people in Joliet had waited their whole lives for the chance to step inside an Olive Garden Italian Restaurant in their hometown.

For Joliet's long-time eternal skeptics, an Olive Garden restaurant was worthy of communities such as Naperville and Oswego, but not Joliet.

Then, the world changed on Monday, April 10, 2023.

Olive Garden Joliet opened for business near the Costco along Route 30 and Interstate 55. Sure enough, once the new Olive Garden Joliet opened its doors, hungry customers of all ages entered in droves. Alas, they were finally able to delight in their unlimited soup, salad and breadsticks.

Plainfield High School 1998 graduate Jon Linneman became the new general manager for the Joliet Olive Garden. He said there were about 40 people lined up in the parking lot on Monday morning in anticipation of the 11 a.m. opening more than eight months ago.

"There were two guys here since 7 a.m. that sat on chairs,"Linneman remarked that day. "Guests are super excited for us being there. It's a great location. We had our soft opening on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for friends and family and everybody said it was great food, great atmosphere, and they said it does not look like any other Olive Garden that they visited. This is a new model."

As 2023 draws to a close, the Joliet Olive Garden has attained a grand total of 561 Google Reviews, averaging an impressive 4.2 stars out of 5 stars. As for Joliet's Olive Garden naysayers, you just don't hear very much from them anymore, do you?

While Olive Garden Joliet became the talk of the town, there were a lot of other noteworthy Joliet area restaurant stories produced by Joliet Patch in 2023.

Here's a look back at many of them:

Niko's Catering Opening On Republic Ave. 'We're Proud To Serve You'

In May, Patch reported that Nikos Lippas of Niko's Pizzeria is opening Niko's Catering, a completely separate restaurant venture, on Joliet's west side at 113 Republic Ave.

Niko's Catering will operate the kitchen in the back of Republic Hall. Customers coming to the building to pick up catering orders will use the door on the north side of the property. Niko's Catering will offer both carryout or delivery services.

"I think very quickly it will be a fast-paced growth," Lippas told Joliet Patch in May. "We've been doing the catering (from Niko's Pizzeria) for 15 years but the last four or five years it has dramatically grown."

In October and once more November, the owner of Niko's Catering cooked 1,000 Greek chicken dinners for his Greek Dinner Night extravaganza.

The entire meal, half a chicken, plus Greek rice and Greek potatoes, cost $10.99. All customers entered the building through the front entrance. The banquet hall seating can accommodate about 160 guests. For dine-in customers, Greek Dinner Night also featured desserts and salads available for purchase.

"We're going to have a little Greek music. Soda, beer and wine will also be sold from the bar. Pre-orders are encouraged," Lippas said.

Merichka's 90th Anniversary: 'It's Hard To Find Places Like This'

The Joliet area remains the proud home for one of the oldest sit-down restaurants in the Midwest — and April marked the 90th anniversary for Merichka's Food, a restaurant at 604 Theodore St., known for its delicious, "world-famous" poorboy garlic butterine sandwiches.

"There is a nostalgia," co-manager Joe Zdralevich III said. "Old places are attractive to the new generation. Since their parents brought them here, they're bringing their kids here. Seeing our customers happy leaving, I'm so appreciative. It makes everything worth it."

According to the Merichka's menu, "On April 18, 1933, when Prohibition was repealed, Mary (Merichka) Zdralevich and her son Joe started Merichka's ... As business grew, so did the size of the restaurant, with son Joe doing most of the remodeling himself."

For about the first 25 years of the restaurant's existence, Merichka's didn't have its signature poorboy sandwich on the menu. That creation would not come along until around 1959.

Louisiana Barbeque In Joliet: 'Some People Call Me Pit Master'

Over on Joliet's east side, Louisiana Barbeque has amassed a faithful following of customers for nearly a quarter of a century. "We've been here 23 years," remarked Allan Washington.

Louisiana Barbeque is in the Sugar Creek plaza at 1220 Richards St., across from the former Certified Foods grocery store. Louisiana Barbeque has only two employees. Together, they have run the register, answered the phones, sliced and smoked the meats during Louisiana Barbeque's entire existence: husband and wife, Allan and Theresa Washington.

Allan Washington said the smoked rib tips are a customer pleaser, but, by no means are rib tips the only thing that sells well.

"The other food is still rocking," he explained. "We do hot links, brisket and pulled pork, racks of ribs, turkey tips.

"If a customer would come in here, they would tell you, all, because all the meat is smoked. They buy it all. All your smoked food sells."

Louisiana Barbeque even has a customer base in New York and Boston.

"We ship brisket to New York and Boston. They do order from time to time. We do the (Joliet) racetrack, ComEd and most of the plants on Interstate 55."

Chicken & Donut Sandwich Puts City Tavern's New Menu On Joliet's Map

After being open the past five years at 1329 W. Jefferson St., City Tavern is generating a lot of buzz of late for Joliet's restaurant and bar scene. The owners just opened their kitchen, introduced their new menu, and some of their new selections are drawing a lot of praise from their customers, both old and new.

The biggest hit on the menu, so far, is something that's hard to find anywhere in Joliet. And for $14, Joliet Patch's editor had to buy it for lunch: the Chicken & Donut sandwich.

It's a breaded chicken breast with pepper jack cheese, Sriracha and maple aioli, bacon, onion hay and two glazed donut buns. The sandwich comes with ribbon chips.

If you aren't familiar with City Tavern, you are probably familiar with the owners' long-standing track record of success at their other Joliet area establishments:

Constantino "Dino" Kollintzas and his sister, Christina Kollintzas-Paulis have had Metro Grill & Bar on Joliet's Essington Road since 2004 and George's Restaurant in Lockport since 1992. They also own Uptown Tap & Eatery in downtown Plainfield, acquiring it in 2019.

New Korean Style Restaurant: Over 250 Rice Bowls Sold On 1st Day

June marked the first day of business for Joliet's newest restaurant, Yura Nuna, and there were at least 250 rice bowl food orders from customers, according to the wife of Dillon Kim, whose family owns and operates the restaurant.

Located at 221 North Chicago St., Yura Nuna is right next door to the Joliet Junior College campus on North Chicago Street in downtown Joliet. The Kim family previously ran K Ribs BBQ here.

The new Korean-style restaurant in Joliet is unlike any other. Their menu features four Japchae rice bowls, smoothies, bubble tea and signature drinks.

"We will specialize in the rice bowls, chicken, beef and pork plus healthy," Dillon Kim assured Joliet Patch's editor. "It's going to be a different menu and a much healthier upgrade. More healthy food focus."

Oasis Restaurant Doubles In Size: 'Now, It's A Real Dine-In Feel'

In August, Joliet Patch reported that nearly a year has passed since brothers Adrian and Christian Avila rolled the dice, taking a giant leap of faith by opening the Oasis Mexican Restaurant — a Mexican restaurant unlike any other in the Joliet area, the brothers insist — behind the Speedway gas station between Plainfield and Caton Farm Roads in Crest Hill.

In late summer, the Avila brothers unveiled their major dining room expansion. Oasis Mexican Restaurant doubled the size of its indoor restaurant seating by expanding into the building space next door, formerly occupied by DebtStoppers.

If you have not visited Oasis for many months, you may not recognize the place anymore. The Avila brothers opened up their ceiling. They added plenty of neon signs. The walls were painted turquoise. A tropical island-theme bar has been added to the newly remodeled restaurant that is best known for its birria taco and quesabirria taco dinners.

As for the food, "It's just such a small menu, but it does very well for us because it's so simple," Adrian replied.

New Owner For Niko's Pizzeria Will Keep Restaurant's Name, Menu

In May, Joliet Patch broke the news that Nikos Lippas was opening Niko's Catering on Joliet's west side at 113 Republic Avenue. In September, Patch confirmed he sold his long-time downtown Joliet takeout and delivery restaurant, Niko's Pizzeria, at 20 Ohio Street.

Gabriel Jaramillo said he took ownership of Niko's on Aug. 21. His new management team includes Jose Verdin. During September's interview, both men stressed they retained the Niko's Pizzeria name, and they have added several new employees who speak Spanish for delivery drivers and to take orders from customers at the front counter.

"We redid the entrance, but everything is going to be the same," Jaramillo said of the menu. "It's a big menu. We are still keeping the restaurant name because Niko has such a good reputation."

Niko's Pizzeria has one of the largest menus in Joliet for a takeout restaurant.

Hey! Hot Dog Sweet Corn Stand Opens: Fruits, Veggies On Way

In late July, one of the most popular places around Joliet to purchase locally grown sweet corn — plus other fruits and vegetables — was now open. B.J. Uedelhofen's sweet corn stand is at two locations: his Hey! Hot Dog restaurant on Ruby Street in Joliet and in the gravel parking lot along Black Road in Shorewood, between Route 59 and River Road.

By mid-afternoon that Monday, both sweet corn stands were sold out for the day.

"Saturday was the first day, and it was busy," Uedelhofen told Joliet Patch's editor. "We picked as much as we could, and it was gone."

Hey! Hot Dog has been a part of Joliet since 1959 when it was on Joliet's East Cass Street. It's been here at 601 Ruby St. since 1978.

"We put some new signs on the building and business has been really good, as good as any summer," Uedelhofen remarked. "With Portillo's down the street, thank God, we've got our customers."

If you're visiting for lunch or dinner, Hey! Hot Dog is open six days a week, from about 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday in the summer. Hey! Hot Dog is always closed on Sundays.

Wyler BBQ Smacks HR As New Food Vendor For Joliet Slammers

A year ago, Wyler BBQ was not on the Joliet area's food map. Nowadays, Tom Wyler and his Wyler BBQ concession stand have turned into one of the most popular venues at Joliet Slammers baseball games played at Duly Health and Care Field in Joliet's downtown.

During the Joliet Slammers home game, Sunday, June 5, the Wyler BBQ food lineup was solid against the Evansville Otters. As for the regular staples, the pulled pork sandwich is $10. For $14, the Porknado comes served in a conewich, featuring smoked mac and cheese, pulled pork, jalapenos and BBQ sauce.

There's the mac and cheese conewich for $8; and during Sunday home games you can order family slider packs of pulled pork, five for $15, 10 for $25 or 15 for $35. The Wyler BBQ concession stand is along the first base stadium concourse.

"I decided to start Wyler BBQ in January," Tom Wyler explained. "I've been selling out every game by the third or fourth inning. Princess Night, we soldout 90 pounds of pork and 10 pounds of mac and cheese, 60 pounds of brisket and cheddar-smoked sausage. I sold it in 60 minutes. I was sold out by the second inning."

In the Fall, Patch reported that after dishing up his homemade brisket and pulled pork sandwiches to thousands of Joliet Slammers fans this summer, Tom Wyler has opened Wyler BBQ on Route 6 in Channahon's Game Changers pickleball facility. Game Changers is next door to Channahon Lanes and Mini Golf.

"I've got high hopes to do very well here and really be a service to the community," Wyler told Joliet Patch in September. "I'm starting off with a small menu. I have starters. One of the most popular is the street tacos."

Best Rib Tips In Joliet? Kevin 'Rib Doctor' Roberts Reopens: Photos

One of Joliet's longest running restaurant owners, Kevin "The Rib Doctor" Roberts, is back in his kitchen wearing his blue doctor's scrubs. Nowadays, his two adult sons, Kevin, and Zevin, are working for him at the Chicago Style BBQ, 1215 N. Broadway Street.

People in the Joliet area had to live for two months, all of July and August, without Chicago Style BBQ. Roberts said he also shut down for two months, in 2022, during July and August.

Roberts reopened for business on August 29 and nowadays, he has steady help working with him, it's his sons. Kevin Jr., age 28, and his younger son, Zevin, age 24.

Ribs, Wings, Rib Tips and Sausage Links. That's what Chicago Style BBQ is known for. But there's one item on the menu that steals the show. That's the rib tips.

Roberts pointed to the wall with the carryout order receipts in front of him. He had nine orders to make. Eight different customers ordered rib tips. "There's nine orders, and only one is chicken wings," he said.

Frozen Pizza Packs At Linda's Westside: 'We Have No Plans to Stop It'

One of Joliet's most beloved carryout pizza restaurants, Linda's Pizza, is off to a great start with its new offering of selling take home frozen pizzas by the pack. Jon Berman, son of owner Mark Berman, said they began selling frozen pizza packs in August.

"We've been pretty steady. We've had multiple repeat customers, so it seems people are enjoying them," Jon Berman told Joliet Patch in September.

Linda's frozen pizzas are only available at their west side location, the one at the corner of Taylor Street and Raynor Avenue near the University of St. Francis.

The email to place orders is lindaspizza1981@gmail.com. Customers are asked to include their name, order and phone number when placing an email order.

Otherwise, people can call to place their frozen pizza orders. The Linda's Pizza West Side phone number is 815-726-4425.

"You can completely customize, and they are all made fresh, so they're made within 48 hours of you picking them up," Berman said. "Customize it however you want. I do think that the basic sausage and pepperoni is really good."