Though it only moved down the road and across the street, the new location for Good to Go Jamaican Cuisine is “a different type of establishment,” said Lenice Levy, co-owner of the restaurant.

“We have the very loungy, cozy, contemporary, industrial kind of flare,” Levy said. “You can come in and sort of just lounge from lunch all the way through dinner.”

Owners Lenice and Tony Levy opened the new location of Good to Go at 711 Howard St. on Friday, this time landing on the Evanston side of the road. Their former location at 1947 W. Howard St. fell under Chicago’s city limits.

Tony grew up in Jamaica, where his passion for cooking first emerged, he said. Being the oldest of 11 children, he said he was always in the kitchen helping his mother cook for the family.

Tony and his mother only cooked with organic and fresh ingredients, something he carries over to Good to Go. He added that he uses his grandmother’s recipe for the restaurant’s jerk sauce.

“I keep (my food) very authentic by using the same herbs and spice that I know,” Tony said. “I keep it real.”

Lenice said while the new location offers the same authentic Jamaican — not “American-infused” — food, it now also offers a dine-in area and an event room, both with their own bars, as well as an outdoor patio. She said they plan to build a rooftop dining area within the next few years.

“The exterior work is incredible, really well-designed,” said Paul Zalmezak, Evanston’s economic development manager. “(It’s) a really nice architectural addition to the street, very modern, not something that you would think of when you think of a Caribbean restaurant.”

As Evanston residents for 21 years, Lenice said she and her husband had been “aggressively” seeking a property in the city that they could own themselves for the past five years. Lenice, who is also a real estate broker, came across the available property at 711 Howard St., and she said they were able to negotiate a price with the seller to secure the location. The owners spent about a year and a half acquiring and renovating the building.

Lenice said she and her husband feel “strongly connected” to Evanston.

“You get this feel of living in the metropolitan Chicago area without actually having to deal with the hustle and bustle,” Lenice said. “Evanston just offers so much in terms of food, entertainment, education, social activity, so I just think this is a very well-rounded city.”

Tony said he is excited to maintain many of the customers from the old restaurant through the transition across the street. Though the new location is bigger, and owning their own place has required more work, Tony said it has always been his dream.

“When you love to do something and have a passion for it … even though it’s a challenge, you are able to do it with grace,” Tony said.

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