Downtown Clarendon Hills has two projects that were supposed to be open by now. One has scaffolding and a sign for a coffee shop that first got a village subsidy back in October 2024. The other has been dark since a restaurant announcement almost fourteen months ago, sitting in a building that's been vacant, in whole or in part, since 2019.
Neither project is open yet. The downtown restaurants listed below remain open while the two projects continue through their timelines.
Sparrow Coffee's project timeline
Sparrow Coffee first showed up on the village's radar in December 2023, when the roaster whose custom blends supply roughly 160 Chicago restaurants, including about half of the city's Michelin-starred kitchens, pitched a plan to take over the entire building at 100 Park Ave. That meant relocating the State Farm office that had been there and pushing Little Creperie down the block to 95 Park Ave, where it still operates.
In October 2024, the village agreed to a $622,000 subsidy from the downtown tax increment financing district, with owner Chris Chacko committing to finish the renovation within a year. That put the original deadline at Halloween 2025.
It came and went. The village granted a six-month extension, pushing the target to April 30, 2026. That deadline came and went too, not helped by a stop-work order the village issued in early March 2026 over fencing and dirt-on-the-street issues at the site, which was lifted within days once the crew cleared it up. By mid-April, the board approved a second six-month extension, this time with Halloween 2026 as the new line.
As of an August 6 update, Village Manager Paul Dalen told Patch he didn't have a grand opening date. Village President Eric Tech's read in the July-August village newsletter was that the project was making "excellent progress" and would open in the "coming months." Chacko, for his part, has been consistent that construction is fluid and that the delays aren't for lack of trying. Chacko has said the crew is doing everything within its means to move fast.
The current deadline, October 31, 2026, would put the project about two years after the original signing. Chacko initially committed to finish within a year, and the village subsidy was $622,000.
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Subsidy agreement signed | October 2024 |
| Original deadline (1 year) | October 31, 2025 |
| First extension granted | October 2025 |
| First extended deadline | April 30, 2026 |
| Stop-work order issued and lifted | March 2026 |
| Second extension granted | April 2026 |
| Current deadline | October 31, 2026 |
Prospect Tavern's timeline at 27 South Prospect
Prospect Tavern was proposed in June 2025 for the long-vacant storefronts at 27 and 29 S. Prospect Ave, a building that's been empty since Sue's Cakery closed in 2019. Owner Chase Lofti, who runs a similar restaurant in Hinsdale, requested $265,000 from the downtown TIF toward a roughly $600,000 renovation.
The Village Board split and rejected the deal in September 2025. Parking was a point of disagreement: Lofti requested five spots on Prospect Avenue reserved for outdoor dining, and the board declined a reduced request of three. Lofti told Patch at the time he'd walk away entirely, and that residents would keep driving to Hinsdale or Westmont for his style of food.
The deal returned in December 2025 with the parking condition dropped, and Lofti signed in January. By April, village staff reported that no permits had been pulled and no construction documents filed, and recommended that the board terminate the agreement for default. The board voted to give the project another chance. According to Patch, Lofti called himself "100 percent committed" and said he'd apply for a demolition permit that week.
In a mid-May memo to the board, acting Village Manager Paul Dalen wrote that the recipient had continued to fail to perform its obligations under the agreement. The building remained unopened.
On April 13, 2026, the Village Board granted Sparrow's second six-month extension, voted to give Prospect Tavern another chance rather than terminate its agreement, and held a special meeting on the direction of a proposed downtown plaza redesign. The plaza discussion was part of the village's broader Downtown Improvement Plan.
The village is also redesigning the block
Underneath both stalled projects, Clarendon Hills has been working through a separate Downtown Improvement Plan, including a proposed plaza reconfiguration for the business district. The village brought in planning firm Houseal Lavigne to present a concept at its March 16, 2026 board meeting, held a community listening session on June 22, and has another public discussion scheduled for September 8 at Village Hall. The plaza would be funded through the same downtown TIF district, meaning no direct cost to individual homeowners.
Some residents have floated the idea of putting the plaza redesign on hold until they see what a fully open Sparrow does for foot traffic on that block. Whether to wait for Sparrow to open is a question to consider at the September meeting.
Downtown's currently open restaurants
Here are five downtown businesses:
- Ginger Wasabi, 31 S. Prospect Ave, took over the former Wasabi Restaurant & Bar space under new ownership from Clarendon Hills residents Tao Duan and Dongyong Wei starting January 2025, now serving a combined Chinese and Japanese menu.
- Thassos Greek Restaurant, downtown, multi-level dining with a seasonal patio built around Greek staples.
- Clarendon Hills Country House, a longtime downtown spot for burgers and casual comfort food.
- The Open Door Taproom and Bottleshop, 20 S. Prospect Ave, a family-run bar and grill downtown.
- Tierra Distilling Co. and Cafe, downtown's craft distillery, pouring brandies and whiskies in a tasting-room format.
The five businesses listed here are currently open downtown. For a Wednesday evening visit to Thassos or the Country House this fall, consider making a reservation.
What's actually on the calendar
Daisy Days already came and went in June, with its usual carnival rides and beer tent on North Prospect. The next real test of downtown's capacity is Oktoberfest on September 12, hosted by the Clarendon Hills Firefighters Association, which draws crowds to both South Prospect Ave and Burlington Plaza for German beer, food trucks, and live music. It'll be one of downtown's major fall gatherings.
If either project opens before the leaves turn, that will be an update. Sparrow's current deadline is October 31, 2026. For information on village actions, check the board agendas at clarendonhills.us.
Downtown Clarendon Hills has several places to eat, while projects at 100 Park Ave and 27 and 29 S. Prospect Ave remain unopened this fall.
If you're curious how downtown's current mix of open businesses and projects may relate to home values on the blocks nearest Prospect Avenue, Loncar Realty tracks the Clarendon Hills market closely and can walk you through what's changed. Request your instant home valuation to see where your property stands today.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
