Fairgoers will find no shortage of dining options during the Illinois State Fair, which begins today or began Thursday. But outside of that annual 11-day feeding frenzy, neighborhood choices are more limited.
Angie Chau, owner of Fair Plaza, which is located diagonally across from the fairgrounds at the intersection of Sangamon Avenue and Peoria Road, wants to expand the offerings to include a new café.
Construction began this week to add a fully equipped commercial kitchen to vacant space in the shopping center at 1432 and 1434 Sangamon Ave.
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Chau said the goal is to find a tenant for a cafe that will serve breakfast and lunch. The mall has traditionally been home to retail and service businesses.
“We need something like this on this side of town,” Chau said of the risk of equipping a space with food production capabilities before finding a tenant.
A building permit filed this summer calls for the expansion to include a kitchen and walk-in cold storage at a cost of $100,000.
Chau said construction is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2025.
New restaurant in White Oaks Mall
Jenita Harris is an entrepreneur at heart with decades of experience running fashion boutiques and catering services, but her biggest dream has always been to own her own restaurant.
“I’ve been cooking since I was a kid and my grandmother showed me how to bake pies and cook soul food,” Harris said of the appeal of her newest venture, 710 Rippy G’s in the White Oaks Mall food court.
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“This has always been a dream of mine.”
This is Harris’ second store at the mall. Her clothing store, Shop Therapy Boutique, opened in 2021 on the ground floor of White Oaks across from Build-A-Bear. 710 Rippy G’s is located in the food court that previously housed Jerk Shop Go.
Harris, who recently moved to Springfield from Chicago, focuses her menu on signature flavors of the Windy City, like Chicago-style hot dogs and Polish sausages.
Daily specials include mashups like peach honey wings, Cajun mac and cheese and Italian beef spring rolls. Fridays and Saturdays feature soul food dinner plates with offerings ranging from braised pork chops to shrimp and grits to pot roast and rib tips. Dinner comes with a choice of two sides, including collard greens, sweet potatoes and cornbread. There are also homemade pies and cookies. Daily specials are posted on 710 Rippy G’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Opening hours are Tuesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Harris said she named her business after another famous family chef, her late brother-in-law Clinton “Rip” Gowdy of Springfield. Gowdy’s birthday was July 10.
Tacos from the food truck
Thanks to a new mobile unit, Taqueria el Paisa’s authentic southern dishes are no longer limited to a single address.
“I’ve heard a lot of customers say, ‘I wish you were closer. Then I would come more often,'” said Oscar Alvarado, owner of Taqueria el Paisa, about his decision to add the Tacos Paisa food truck to the business in addition to his permanent restaurant at 1827 N. Peoria Road.
“At some point I’m more than open to another (permanent) location. But for now we’re serving street tacos.”
The fire engine-red mobile unit will make its first appearance at the Illinois State Fair before beginning daily operations on August 19 at 2727 S. MacArthur Blvd. on the vacant site of the Ayerco Convenience Center.
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Tacos Paisa’s menu focuses on tacos, prepared with a choice of steak, carnitas, chicken, tongue, al pastor and birria. Other choices include quesadillas, Mexican corn and fruit water. Phone: 217/-761-4475.
The mobile unit will be located at the Emerson Building from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. during the State Fair and will then move to the MacArthur address, where the same menu will be served daily from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.
The food truck can also be found at the Northfield Flea Market, which is open on the first and third Saturday and Sunday of the month from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. from March through November at 3226 Sangamon Ave.
Reconstruction of a fast food chain
Taco Bell’s trips to one of its south Springfield locations will be drive-thru only for a while.
On Monday, extensive renovations will begin at the fast-food chain’s premises at 731 Adlai Stevenson Drive. The company’s dining room is expected to remain closed for the next two months.
“We will be embarking on a major remodel … (which) will affect most of the store, with updated dining room, bathrooms and kitchen,” Jon Jenkins of Peoria-based franchise company LucWork Enterprises wrote via text message.
“Initially, our dining room will be closed and we will only operate as a drive-thru business. There will be a few weeks or more where the entire store will be closed so we can remodel the kitchen, but that will be the final phase of the project.”
Exact dates for the closure of the entire store were not available.
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A building permit filed earlier this summer estimated the cost of the project at $440,000.
Taco Bell opened the location in 2005. Jenkins said the renovation was part of a scheduled maintenance plan required by the Irvine, California-based chain.
Once completed, the facility will feature more convenient kiosks for placing orders and a late-night pickup window separate from the drive-through window to provide a faster ordering experience for delivery drivers and mobile app users.
LucWork Enterprises already completed a similar renovation at 3025 W. White Oaks Drive in 2021. Jenkins said a similar renovation is likely planned for the Taco Bell at 2300 N. Dirksen Parkway, although no date has been set.
The Taco Bell at 1290 Toronto Road is not part of Lucwork Enterprises’ network, which includes 16 locations in Springfield, Peoria and Bloomington-Normal.
The “A La Carte” column reports on restaurant openings, closings, renovations and moves, as well as personnel changes and company news. Reach Natalie Morris at 217/737-7254 or email [email protected].
