LINCOLN SQUARE — The bistro taking over the former home of Café Selmarie will open to the public Thursday.
Starting 7:30 a.m. Thursday, Willow Café & Bistro, 4729 N. Lincoln Ave., will offer neighbors coffee and pastries, owner Andrew Pillman said.
“We want to expand the hours and open earlier so we can catch commuter traffic in the morning, so people that live in the neighborhood going to work can stop by for a pastry and a coffee,” Pillman said.
By 10 a.m., Willow will begin offering a full breakfast service and then brunch and lunch before transitioning to the evening menu around 3 p.m. It will remain open until about 9 p.m, he said.
“Thursday is going to be the soft opening and we’re going take a couple of days to dial everything in,” Pillman said. “But we’re hoping to really hit the ground running Saturday and Sunday for Mother’s Day brunch.”
Willow’s hours will likely be revised over the next few weeks. Customers with questions about its future hours or the restaurant’s Mother’s Day plans can call the business at 773-754-0341.
The bistro’s website will also be live after the soft opening with additional information about hours and the menu, Pillman said.
Willow’s initial menu will feature American-style bistro items like steamed mussels, scallops and a six-ounce filet as well as an expanded craft cocktail, wine and beer selection. A new smashburger will also be added to the menu, he said.
“We’re going to have some similar recipes from the old menu, but we’re adding a little bit of our own flair to it,” he said.
Coffee will be supplied by Hexe Coffee Co. and the café will offer pastries and other treats similar to Café Selmarie’s, but using new recipes, he said.
The name of the new bistro comes from one of Pillman’s childhood memories, he said.
“Growing up, we had a big willow tree in our front yard and it was always my favorite tree. After we moved to Chicago, we [took] our kids to Winnemac Park and there are all these willow trees there,” Pillman said. “And my kids love playing around them, so the name came naturally when we were thinking about it.”
Willow is opening almost two weeks after Café Selmarie closed for good and owner Birgit Kobayashi and her daughter Connie bid farewell to longtime customers.
Café Selmarie’s final day open was April 27. In the dozen or so days since then, Pillman has been busy getting the interior refreshed for Willow, he said.
“Patrons will see a lot of familiar faces from Café Selmarie, because like 90 percent of the staff came on board with us. That’s one of the most important things for me,” he said. “We couldn’t have opened up so quickly without them agreeing to come with us.”
Willow will retain a similar layout to Café Selmarie but with a fresh coat of paint, new countertops, tables and seats, he said.
After a 40-year run, Café Selmarie owner Birgit Kobayashi announced last year her plans to retire and close the popular restaurant, which sits on Giddings Plaza, to begin a “new chapter” in her life.
Pillman also owns the nearby Lincoln Square Taproom, 4721 N. Lincoln Ave. He announced in April he was taking over the Selmarie location to open Willow Café & Bistro. But he declined to speak more about his new business until after Kobayashi’s final day open to allow her the spotlight to say farewell to her longtime fans, he said.
“Birgit and I have become friends over the last year and a half, and I want to maintain that quality she had and hopefully take that legacy and and carry it on for her,” Pillman said.
Pillman previously took over the former Huettenbar to reopen it as Lincoln Square Taproom in 2021. It’s part of his Neighborhood Taprooms group, which includes the Rogers Park Taproom and Coffeehouse, Lakeview Taproom and Coffeehouse and Uptown Taproom.
When the news broke that Pillman would be taking over the prime Lincoln Square location from Kobayashi, some neighbors raised concerns that the original’s charm would be lost. Similar criticisms were made when Pillman took over Huettenbar.
Pillman hopes the retention of most of Café Selmarie’s staff assuages those concerns as the goal of the new bistro is to continue the level of service and quality of food and drink that Kobayashi and Uzdawinis pioneered in the neighborhood, he said.
“I hope they come and give us a chance. I think they’ll like what they see,” Pillman said.
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