"Nov. 20 or 'maybe sooner.'" That's the window owner Chris Elsey gave Patch on October 22 for opening Alano Ristorante at 821 Burlington Ave. The storefront has been dark since Salerno's Pizzeria closed in January. Once Alano opens, a space that sat empty for most of the year will be running again, under the man who already owns Hillgrove Tap in Western Springs.
That detail repeats across downtown this year. Three food-and-drink storefronts changed hands or came close to it in 2026. In every case, the person who ended up in charge already had a stake in Western Springs. One is a local restaurateur adding a second dining room. Two are residents opening a shop in a space they knew. The third is a hospitality company that canceled its own plan to rebrand its restaurant. For anyone choosing where to eat downtown this winter, some of the names on the doors are new, but none of the people behind them are newcomers to the village.
The Salerno's space and an owner who already runs a room in town
Elsey owns the Hillgrove Tap locations in Western Springs and Tinley Park. He was also formerly the managing partner of Francesca's, the Italian chain with suburban locations in Elmhurst, Naperville and elsewhere. In his Western Springs liquor license application, he called Alano an "elegant Italian restaurant" and estimated the cost at $30 to $45 per person, depending on drinks.
That price range is the most useful number in the story. It puts Alano above a pizzeria tab and well below a special-occasion splurge, which suits a weeknight dinner as well as a birthday. The menu Elsey described to Patch covers appetizers, salads, pastas, pizza, fish, chicken and steaks. The bar will pour specialized spirits, classic cocktails, wine and beer. The Alano Ristorante website highlights handmade pasta, pizza, steaks and fresh fish, and still says the restaurant is opening "this fall." The site's menu page is marked as being updated.
The opening date has moved once already, so keep the November date loose:
- Early January 2026: Salerno's Pizzeria closes at 821 Burlington Ave.
- July 27: Patch reports that Elsey is seeking a liquor license and hopes to open in late October.
- October 22: The target moves to Nov. 20, "or maybe sooner."
As of this week, Nov. 20 is still a target, not a confirmed date. Neither the website nor the October report lists hours or a reservation method.
From cocktail bar to bottle shop on Johnson Avenue
The second change happened quietly at the end of summer. The Opry cocktail bar at 4354 Johnson Ave. closed earlier in 2026. The Clever Drinker was set to open in the same space at noon on Saturday, August 29, according to Patch's preview of opening weekend.
Its owners, Aron Dorner and Alex Corral, live in Western Springs. Patch reported that the shop promises "high-end curation," "zero stuffiness" and "just clever sourcing for curious drinkers." The business is set up in phases. Retail wine sales come first, and a "small by-the-glass program" is planned for later.
In practice, 4354 Johnson Ave. is a place to buy a bottle on the way home or before a dinner party. It isn't yet a place to sit with a glass the way The Opry was. If the pour program opens, the space will serve both roles. For now, it's a retail stop.
The conversion that didn't happen on Hillgrove
The third storefront didn't change at all. Bensenville-based Scott Harris Hospitality owns both Davanti Enoteca, at 800 Hillgrove Ave., and Vasili's, a Mediterranean restaurant with a location in Naperville. The company had planned to remodel the Davanti space into a Vasili's.
In early September, the village received notice that the remodel was canceled and Davanti would stay. Village spokesperson Selmin Cicek confirmed this to Patch in a September 8 report. The report gave no reason for the reversal, and this post won't guess at one. Practically, Davanti's regulars keep their Italian wine-bar dinner on Hillgrove. The new cuisine downtown might have gained this year, Mediterranean, isn't coming for now.
What the three changes add up to for a night downtown
Taken together, the year's changes left downtown more Italian than it was in the spring. If Alano opens on schedule, Davanti Enoteca and Alano Ristorante will both be serving Italian dinners downtown by Thanksgiving week. The Clever Drinker fills in as the retail stop. Hillgrove Tap's owner will run two Western Springs dining rooms. Two residents run the bottle shop. Davanti stays with Scott Harris Hospitality.
Choosing between the two Italian rooms comes down to what each owner has said. Elsey describes Alano as "elegant" and gives a $30 to $45 per-person range, with a full menu running from pizza to steaks. Davanti keeps its enoteca format. When Alano publishes its menu, that will be the time for a real comparison.
A November calendar to pair with dinner
The Theatre of Western Springs and the Village calendar both have events this month that line up with the downtown changes. The post goes live Thursday, November 5, so the first item is this weekend.
- Macbeth, November 6–8, in the Theatre of Western Springs' Cattell Theatre.
- Pumpkin Smash Composting Event, Saturday, November 7, 9 a.m. to noon, in the St. John of the Cross Parish School parking lot, according to the Village of Western Springs calendar.
- What Happened After Once Upon a Time, November 13–15, also in the Cattell Theatre.
- Holiday light collection and recycling, November 16 through January 31, with drop-off at Village Hall, Village Ace Hardware and Thomas Ford Memorial Library.
- Radio Gaga, Saturday, November 21, 7:30 p.m., on the Lou & Nancy Schauer Mainstage, part of the theatre's Performance Series.
Radio Gaga is the one to watch. It falls the night after Alano's target opening, so if the opening holds, a reservation before the 7:30 curtain would be one of the restaurant's first Saturday seatings. If the date slips, Davanti is still on Hillgrove. A bottle from Johnson Avenue for a later gathering at home works on any of these nights.
Into December
The calendar picks up again right after Thanksgiving. The Theatre of Western Springs stages Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella on the Mainstage from December 4 to 13. The Village calendar lists Winter Wonderland for Saturday, December 5, as an all-day event, but the 2026 program hasn't been published yet. Last year's version ran from noon to 5 p.m. on Tower Green, according to the 2025 Village calendar. The Western Springs Business Association's 2025 brochure described Santa arriving by firetruck, the lighting of the Village tree and photos with Santa. These are 2025 details, so check the Village calendar for this year's times and locations as the date gets closer.
If Alano is open by then, Winter Wonderland will be the first big downtown Saturday with all three of this year's storefronts operating: Alano on Burlington, The Clever Drinker on Johnson and Davanti on Hillgrove.
We follow downtown Western Springs storefronts closely because they shape daily life here. If you're weighing a move to the village or nearby, or have questions about the area, Dillon Turgeon Luxury Collective is glad to talk it through, maybe over dinner at one of the tables above. Contact Us.
