Fifth Ward resident Jeremy Adler’s lifelong ambition has been to open his own restaurant — and as an Evanston local, he said he’s always wanted to fulfill that dream close to home.
Adler has spent his entire adult life in the restaurant and alcohol industries. He said when the opportunity presented itself to open his own place, he told his wife, “If we don’t do it now, we’re never going to.”
He hopes to open The Addled Bunny, a gastropub serving New American cuisine and cocktails, in August. The restaurant will be located at 1010 Church St., the former location of That Little Mexican Cafe and next door to the new Northlight Theatre, set to stage its first show in September.
Adler said when he heard the theater was returning to downtown Evanston, he knew he had found the perfect spot for The Addled Bunny.
“I think there’s a pent-up demand for a place to go and have a cocktail or a bite to eat later at night in Evanston anyway,” Adler said. “With the post-theater crowd, I think that’s really going to skyrocket.”
Downtown Evanston Executive Director Andy Vick agreed, adding he thinks the incoming Northlight Theatre and Local Note jazz club will lead the way for Evanston’s late-night businesses.
He said the city has seen an increase in these businesses as the downtown recovers following the COVID-19 pandemic and that it’s an exciting direction for Evanston.
“I think we are poised for a downtown resurgence,” Vick said.
He added that other businesses, such as Anthem Karaoke coming to 1707 Benson Ave., are also a part of the post-COVID comeback.
Adler plans to stay open late, making The Addled Bunny’s food, cocktails and atmosphere the latest addition to Evanston’s nightlife. With curated playlists of early jazz and blues music and interior decoration inspired by art deco and mid-century modern styles, the restaurant will be a refined option for community members.
The gastropub will serve brunch, lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday, staying open as late as midnight on Friday and Saturday nights. The menus are still in progress, but Adler said he is most excited about the cocktail menu’s clarified milk punches.
Longtime Evanston resident John Frank (MSJ ’76) said over the years, he has watched the city’s nightlife change. When he bought his first home in 1980, he said the downtown was “all about the students,” with several food spots that stayed open later, including the old 24/7 Burger King on Orrington Avenue.
But the 6th Ward resident added that in recent years, a few more upscale restaurants have popped up in the city, like LeTour in 2022.
The Addled Bunny aims to provide another upscale option.
Frank is skeptical about a nightlife resurgence downtown, though. He said new businesses will help, but he doubts they will “massively transform downtown.”
He added that the city’s downtown is home to many students, but beyond NU’s campus, other areas of the city — including his block — are more family-oriented.
“Evanston’s always had a little bit of an identity issue,” Frank said. “It’s a college town, and I think a lot of times the public officials want to deny that.”
Still, he said he’s happy to see new venues arrive in the city, adding that a “critical mass” of businesses would help create a successful downtown.
Vick said he doesn’t believe the city has reached its potential quite yet, but he thinks a downtown resurgence is only logical as people look to Evanston for more eateries and entertainment.
Adler said he is excited to serve the community he loves.
The Addled Bunny’s menu will include a dynamic cocktail menu, meant to engage community members. Each month, Adler plans to introduce two new cocktails from one of the cocktail menu’s seven sections. The two drinks will go head-to-head, with the highest-selling of the two replacing the least-sold cocktail on that section of the menu.
Adler said he hopes the menu will bring community members into the gastropub and allow them to help shape the new space.
“I just feel like there’s going to be a late night ecosystem that really starts to develop here, and I’m just glad to be a part of it,” he said.
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