A bar themed to air travel is coming to the city near the Illinois border.
Jay Ruff is going off the success of his concept Lincoln & Wicker in Schererville and opening a new bar called The Layover at 10271 Calumet Avenue this year. This will serve small plates, with desserts to accompany their cocktail program. Ruff told What Now Chicago he is hoping to open the restaurant in the first week of September.
“The Layover is a cocktail-driven, small plates concept built around a simple idea—people don’t just want dinner anymore, they want an experience,” says the description on their Facebook page.
Ruff just recently opened Lincoln & Wicker this year at 813 W Lincoln Highway, Suite B in Schererville. It is a global-meets-comfort-food concept. He has previous experience as an executive chef at Lassen’s Tap in Homewood, and also brands himself as a chef consultant in the area. He wanted to create a more “punk rock” concept this time.
The small plates menu is divided into multiple categories: carry-on, layovers, first class and final call. Carry-on features starters like charred eggplant and Peruvian hamachi, while the layovers are shareables like Turkish flat bread and truffle fries. Moving onto first class, the location will serve a strip steak, black cod and a wild mushroom pasta. This is not including their dessert options, Neapolitan pizzas, kebabs and a raw bar will also be at the sapce.
With drinks being one of the main attractions, Ruff will serve many specialty cocktails like Havana Nights featuring rum, lime smoked sugar and mint. The full “flight list” is available on The Layover Facebook page.
The bar is under construction on the west side of St. John, close to The Great American Bagel and The Daily Grind Coffee and Ice Cream Shop. This is a mostly residential but developing area. Santa Fe Restaurant and Bar is nearby off of 101st Avenue.
As it gets closer to the opening date, be sure to follow The Layover on their social media pages.
