Popular Wine Bar Opening First Midwest Location In Lake County

VERNON HILLS, IL — A restaurant and wine bar with locations across the country is planning its first Midwest location at Mellody Farm in Vernon Hills.

Postino WineCafe plans to open this fall at 887 N. Milwaukee Ave., Unit 400, according to the company. The new Postino Vernon Hills will have a 3,708-square-foot interior and 900-square-foot patio. The restaurant will be open daily for lunch and dinner beginning at 11 a.m.

Postino's menu centers on bruschetta, paninis, salads, charcuterie boards and shareable plates. Its beverage menu includes more than 20 wines by the glass, craft beer, spritzers, seasonal cocktails and nonalcoholic drinks.

The Vernon Hills restaurant will be Postino's first location in the Midwest.

"We knew Vernon Hills was the right fit for Postino's first Midwest location from the start," Postino co-founder and CEO Lauren Bailey said in a statement. "The community's welcoming spirit and growing dining scene really resonated with us, and we could immediately see Postino fitting right in."

The restaurant will join Mellody Farm, the mixed-use shopping and dining development along Milwaukee Avenue.

Plans for the space include a seasonal enclosed patio, custom millwork, stained-glass window panels and an art wall made from vintage printing blocks. The restaurant also plans to incorporate historical neighborhood photographs and locally sourced vintage furnishings into the design, according to a news release from Postino.

Postino takes its name from the Italian word for "postman," a nod to the 1940s post office that housed the company's original restaurant more than 25 years ago.

The Vernon Hills location will also offer Postino's existing daily promotions, according to the company. Those include $6 glasses of wine from its main lineup and $6 pitchers of beer. On Mondays and Tuesdays after 8 p.m., its Bottle & Board promotion offers a bottle of wine and bruschetta board for $25.

An exact opening date has not yet been announced.