'Delicious' Octopus In New Joliet Restaurant: 'Bill Has Another Hit'

JOLIET, IL —More than 100 people attended Tuesday night's soft opening for Joliet's new one and only tapas restaurant. It's called Mousa Tapas Bar, and it's run by one of Joliet's most notable restaurant owners, Bill Dimitroulas.

Starting now, Mousa Tapas Bar is open Tuesday through Saturday 4 p.m. to midnight.

Wednesday's official opening means that Dimitroulas has three sit-down restaurants in downtown Joliet: Mousa Tapas Bar, CUT 158 Chophouse and Juliet's Tavern.

He also has two places on Essington Road: Hamburgerseria and Rosemary Cafe.

Mousa opened at 158 North Chicago St., that's the former location of CUT 158. Mousa, however, is unlike any other restaurant in the immediate Joliet area, Dimitroulas told Joliet Patch.

How did Tuesday night's soft opening for Mousa go?

"It was a great turnout," Dimitroulas remarked. "People, they love the food. They love the drinks. We introduced them to a totally different menu for what Joliet is known for. Introduced dishes from Spain, Morocco, Egypt, Portugal, Greece, Italy and Turkey.

"We tried to cover the whole Mediterranean region and cuisine, which is one of the healthiest and balanced in the world."

Bobby Kelly is the chef; he serves as culinary director for the ARKAS Restaurant Group, which is led by Dimitroulas, as the restaurant company president.

The owner of Mousa Tapas Bar strongly urges people to call ahead to make dinner reservations on the weekends. Mousa's phone number is 815-409-7338.

Dimitroulas said he's happy he chose to open Mousa Tapas Bar in downtown Joliet.

"We try to bring downtown Joliet back to the old glory," he said. "And sure enough, little by little, the difference from four or five years ago is obvious, yeah."

Amber Duffy, one of the owners of Jitters Coffeehouse, attended Tuesday night's soft opening, and she raved about the food at Mousa.

"Bill has another hit," she said. "It's another hit. He's done it again. It's another fine-dining restaurant for the downtown, and it's something to bring a group of people and taste flavors from all over the Mediterranean."

Joliet resident Tarra Vann said the food was outstanding at Mousa on Tuesday night and she expects it will become a popular dining place in quick fashion.

"Oh, the octopus was delicious," Vann told Patch. "That grilled octopus, that was grilled to perfection."