Naperville Considers Increasing Late Night Permits for New Sports Bar

A new Chicago sports-themed restaurant and bar could fill the vacant space formerly occupied by a Blockbuster video store at 1595 N. Aurora Road in Naperville. 

The Naperville City Council was expected to vote Tuesday night on increasing the number of late night permits for liquor service from 37 to 38 to accommodate the Chi City Tap Sports Grill. 

The bar and restaurant would be located at the Riverbrook Center in a 6,700 square foot stand-alone structure previous occupied by Blockbuster Video, according to the Naperville City Council packet for its July 15 meeting. 

The restaurant will have space for 175 customers and the bar will seat 20 customers, according to the city council packet. 

Chi City will be a family-owned and -operated restaurant with a full kitchen offering of appetizers, soups, salads, entrees and desserts for lunch. Chi City 

Partners Blair Machaj of Naperville and Dimitri Giannakopoulos of Kenosha, Wis., said the restaurant would offer "upscale bar food with a Greek twist," and would have 24 beers on tap, including some local brews from Two Brothers and Solemn Oath, according to the Naperville Sun.

Mayor A. George Pradel said Chi City Tap Sports Grill would be a great addition in an area where there are several empty businesses, according to the Naperville Sun. He said the hope is that the new restaurant would draw additional businesses to the area, according to the article.  

The restaurant would be open seven days a week from 11 a.m. until 1 a.m. on weekdays and 2 a.m. on weekends. 

A light night permit is required for businesses selling alcohol from 11 p.m. until 1 a.m. on weekdays and until 2 a.m. on weekends. Late night permits are capped; 19 for premises located in the downtown and 37 for premises not located in the downtown.

 The city council will decide Tuesday whether to raise that cap to 38 premises for businesses located outside the downtown area so Chi City can open on Naperville's north side. The council meets starting at 7 p.m. at the Naperville Municipal Center, 400 S. Eagle St.

Read more in the Naperville Sun or on the Naperville City Council packet