Wyler Road, a specialty sandwich shop and bar with Wisconsin roots, is coming to Logan Square, with an opening set for Wednesday.
Named after a road in Burlington, Wis., where two of Wyler Road’s seven partners grew up, the restaurant is in the space previously occupied by The Brown Sack. Brothers and co-owners Chris and Greg Dandino also own The Burlington bar in the neighborhood, but unlike the mostly young patrons its sister venue attracts, Wyler Road aims for a more diverse crowd.
“We updated the space, so it’s nicer, it’s cleaner, it’s really bright,” says Chris Dandino. “We want everyone from a mom and two kids to a younger couple (to come). … We want to keep it comfortable and casual.”
In addition to updated deli sandwiches ($7-8), such as chicken salad with fried chicken skin, chimichurri and sour grape jam, the restaurant will feature more unusual ones. “We have about 15 to 20 elevated sandwiches. … Stuff that’s different than your regular sandwich shop,” Dandino says.
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Those specialty sandwiches — such as the veal heart Philly with cheese sauce, mayonnaise and sauteed mushrooms and onions on batard bread, or the green tomato, fried egg, lettuce, tomato, Muenster cheese and butter on pain de mie (aka Pullman loaf) — will range from $9 to $16. The menu is a collaboration between chef de cuisine Shay Linkus, who helms the Dandinos’ Vanguard restaurant in Milwaukee, and executive chef Forster Sorensen (Au Cheval, Green Street Smoked Meats).
Furthering the Wisconsin theme, the decor incorporates items from the brothers’ childhood home in Burlington, such as a lathe that was repurposed to use for the back bar and some vintage art deco cabinets. The restaurant will accommodate around 50 to 60 in the bar and dining room area, and another 40 to 50 in the outside patio space.
The bar will have 20 beers on tap, all from Midwest breweries, and six house-made draft cocktails ($8). “We’re also doing some boozy floats. We have a house-made tequila lime ice cream with a rhubarb concoction,” says Dandino.
Wyler Road’s kitchen will be open seven days a week, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. For launch, the bar will be open until 2 a.m. Thursday to Saturday, with the possibility of more late nights added during the week. 3581 W. Belden Ave., 773-661-0675.
Recently opened: There’s a new submarine sandwich option in the Loop that brings the heat, literally, with more than 50 complimentary hot sauces on hand. Firehouse Subs’ first chain location in downtown Chicago made its debut earlier in the month. The firehouse-themed spot (the chain’s founders were firefighters) features medium and large hot specialty subs, such as the Smokehouse Beef & Cheddar Brisket with barbecue sauce and a Hook & Ladder sub with smoked turkey breast, Virginia honey ham and Monterey Jack cheese. The restaurant also offers menu items that are 500 calories or fewer, with sandwich and salad choices. 209 W. Jackson Blvd., 312-662-1540.
Althea Legaspi is a freelance writer.