Homewood's Next Restaurants Are Being Chosen at Village Board Meetings

The old Delanoe's Pizza building at 18155 Dixie Highway sat empty for more than a decade. In October 2024 the Village of Homewood bought it after it had built up unpaid property taxes. A year later the Village agreed to sell it for $15,000 to a builder who planned to open a Mediterranean restaurant there. In May 2026 the Village bought the building next door for $100,000. This fall the board has been weighing four offers for it.

More and more, Homewood's next restaurants show up on the Village Board's agenda before they show up on a storefront. On Dixie Highway the Village has been the seller choosing the next tenant. On Ridge Road, each new restaurant with a bar has needed the board to add one more liquor license.

Two Dixie Highway Buildings, Both Passing Through Village Hands

The restaurant going into 18155 Dixie Highway is called Grill 'n' Dip, from Munir Bawadi of Bawadi Construction. A Village memo prepared for the September 8, 2026 board meeting described it as under construction. The building's path back to a restaurant ran through the board at each step:

1. October 2024: the Village buys the vacant, tax-delinquent building.
2. October 28, 2025: the board approves a $15,000 sale agreement with Bawadi.
3. February 12, 2026: the property officially transfers to Bawadi.
4. February 24, 2026: the board approves a Cook County Class 8 property tax incentive. That lowers the assessment level for 10 years, with an option to renew.

Bawadi's original bid aimed to open in spring 2026. The building was still under construction in September, so the restaurant is running later than that first estimate.

Next door, 18157 Dixie Highway was the former Repeat Boutique. The Village bought it in May 2026 and opened it to bids that closed July 28. A Village memo cites two earlier projects as examples of the corridor revival it's trying to extend: Homewood Brewing Company and the planned Grill 'n' Dip. Here are the four offers:

At the September 22 meeting, Village Manager Napoleon Haney walked trustees through the details. Bawadi wants to combine the coffee shop with his restaurant next door and add a back patio. Mahwikizi's pizza plan calls for no gaming and no alcohol, a back patio, and 10 to 15 jobs. Lance, a licensed esthetician who rents three suites at Essence Suites in Homewood, wants to expand into microblading and eyelash services. The board put off its decision until it had more information.

Bawadi has also said that if he doesn't win 18157, he would likely fold parts of the coffee concept into Grill 'n' Dip. So some version of that coffee may reach this block of Dixie either way.

A staff memo for the October 13 meeting recommended that the board accept one bid and have staff negotiate two agreements, one for the purchase and sale and one for redevelopment. The final price and any incentive will come back to the board for separate approval. That means at least one more public vote before anyone starts renovating.

Ridge Road Adds Its Liquor Licenses One Restaurant at a Time

On Ridge Road, the board's lever is the liquor license. Homewood caps the number of Class 4A licenses, the category for restaurants with a bar. Under that license, alcohol can't be more than 25% of a restaurant's sales. When a new sit-down place wants a bar, the board passes an ordinance raising the cap by one.

That's what happened on August 25 for Jiao 66 Mongolian Grill & Dumplings at 2018 Ridge Road. The added license depends on the restaurant completing the Village's application. According to the H-F Chronicle's account of that meeting, Trustee Patrick Siemsen told applicant Katy Li, "So many people ask when you're opening, the anticipation is really big." Jiao 66 is now in its soft opening. The menu covers a Mongolian grill, handmade dumplings and noodles, stir-fry, and boba. Soft-opening hours are Tuesday through Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday noon to 8 p.m.

Two Ridge Road addresses are next. The H-F Chronicle reported that Reid's Southern Kitchen & Smokehouse is under contract to buy the Primo's Café and The Ridgewood properties at 2057-2059 Ridge Road. Reid's plans to move its restaurant from Peru, Illinois, to Homewood and expand it there. On September 8 the board told staff to prepare an ordinance adding one Class 4A license and allowing outdoor alcohol sales. The ordinance comes back for a vote once Reid's finishes its application. Owner Amanda Racz opened the Peru restaurant in December 2024, according to Shaw Local.

That same Chronicle report gives an early look at the menu. Scott Donkel, whose company operates The Ridgewood, handed trustees copies and described "a higher-level southern east Georgia cuisine and a special cocktail menu." Trustee Phillip Mason said the dishes are "truly eastern Georgia recipes that were passed down through her family." Mayor Rich Hofeld said the restaurant is named after the owner's son. Plans also include catering, carryout, private dining, themed dinners and live entertainment. No Homewood opening date has been announced.

The Rooms That Already Turned Over

The places already serving show what these board votes are aiming for. Each one opened in a building that had changed hands or sat waiting for the right operator.

At 18031 Dixie Highway, Mitchell & Michaels Plat du Jour took over the former Culture, which had opened just weeks before the pandemic in early 2020. Chris Michaels told the H-F Chronicle that he kept "putting my eye inside that window" until the building went up for sale. A family member then bought it. Chef David Mitchell's menu changes daily, with dishes like fried and roasted chicken, smothered pork chops, oxtail, lamb chops and salmon. Michaels brings two decades in radio to the entertainment side. The lineup changes weekly and includes live bands, jazz, comedy and Sunday sing-alongs.

On Harwood Avenue, the Hibbing Building at 18121-18123 Harwood Ave. now holds two businesses. According to the H-F Chronicle, Old Fashion Donuts & Café and Hibbing's Hot Dogs held a joint grand opening on June 1, and the line wrapped around the block. Owner Joe Peters, a Flossmoor resident, learned the donut trade from Burritt L. Bullock, "Mr. B.," who owns the original Old Fashioned Donuts in Roseland. Peters named the hot dog shop after the building, and its walls are covered in Chicago memorabilia.

On Maple Avenue, 22-year-old Sultan Frehat opened Fill-A-Pita Mediterranean Grill at No. 810 on July 17, giving away free food from noon to 5 p.m. He told the H-F Chronicle the menu reflects his Jordanian heritage and that "everything's cooked in the morning before we open." His pick is the crispy wrap, a chicken shawarma wrap that's lightly fried. The ribbon cutting came on September 9.

Further out, Tequila Raizes, a proposed restaurant at 18134-18138 Dixie Highway, got a second extension in June. Its completion is now projected for June 30, 2027.

From Halloween Night to Holiday Lights

Mitchell & Michaels has the first big night on the calendar. Its Halloween Party runs Saturday, October 31, from 7 p.m. to midnight, with DJs, a raffle and a $200 prize for best costume. Reservations are required, you'll need to buy something from the food or bar menu, and seating is shared banquet-style. Free parking is at Village Hall, 2020 Chestnut Rd.

After that, the Village's own calendar brings people downtown. Holiday Lights runs December 4 from 5 to 9 p.m. at Martin Avenue and Ridge Road, with a Santa parade along Dixie Highway and Ridge Road and a tree lighting at Irwin Park. The Homewood Holiday Market of local makers follows on Saturday, December 5.

If you own on or near one of these blocks and want to know how a new restaurant next door could change your plans, Anthony Kirkland follows these Village Board votes closely and is glad to walk you through it. Let's Connect.