Outdoor dining replaces public plaza in plan for One Winnetka

Ballyhoo Hospitality’s upcoming One Winnetka restaurant will now have seasonal outdoor dining following a unanimous vote from the Winnetka Village Council.

Trustees on Tuesday, June 16, supported a “minor change” to the plans for One Winnetka that will turn what was initially proposed as an outdoor plaza at the intersection of Elm Street and Lincoln Avenue into a space for Ballyhoo’s restaurant to have a 17-table, 74-seat dining area surrounded by planters.

Scott Mangum, Winnetka’s community development director, said the planters will contain native grasses and plantings, while the restaurant’s hours are planned for 4:30 -9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 4:30-10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Mangum also said that, outside of Winnetka’s outdoor dining season from April 1 to Nov. 30, most of the planters will be kept in storage, while the remaining ones will be out year-round for “aesthetic purposes.”

Christopher Canning, an attorney representing Ballyhoo, said the restaurant group believes that the outdoor dining area will bring more “vibrancy” to One Winnetka and the surrounding area than an outdoor plaza would.

“Moreover, the dining experience like the one that Ballyhoo offers throughout the North Shore is specifically what your residents want, as evidence by what was in the (Winnetka) caucus survey,” Canning said.

The minor change means that four maple trees that were initially proposed for the area will not be planted, but according to Mangum, Ballyhoo is offering to plant four magnolia trees on private property adjacent to One Winnetka to replace those that will no longer be planted at One Winnetka.

Additionally, Mangum said Ballyhoo will also provide $20,000 for the purchase and installation of electric vehicle charging stations and $5,000 for the planting of up to five additional trees elsewhere in Winnetka, potentially at the former post office site.

Ballyhoo Hospitality is behind several restaurants on the North Shore, including Wilmette’s Sophia Steak, Winnetka’s Pomeroy and Highland Park’s DeNucci’s. Their proposal for One Winnetka, a Mediterranean restaurant, was initially set to be called Arkadia; however, Canning revealed at the June 16 meeting that Ballyhoo is in the process of determining a new name because the initial one cannot be used for unspecified reasons.

The restaurant is one of six businesses the Village Council has approved over the past year for One Winnetka, a long-in-development mixed-use residential and commercial building that the Village Council approved in January 2025. Other businesses include another restaurant, Fare; medical office Winnetka Aesthetic Studio; a Charles Schwab financial services office; fitness studio Solidcore; and DUET Audiology Clinic.

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