The northeast corner of School Street and Milwaukee Avenue has hosted several restaurant concepts. First it was Chrissoulas, a reimagined Mediterranean spot that hometown brothers Nick and Theo Dimitrious opened in 2018. Then it became West Side Ramen, same brothers, new concept, same corner. By summer 2025 they had moved on again, this time toward acai bowls, their third food venture in seven years at that address.
Now the space belongs to Kozy, a Korean-inspired restaurant and bar that opened this spring. Kozy is the latest restaurant to open at the address, following earlier concepts.
Kozy's owner, Jay Lim, is not testing a concept on Libertyville. He already runs Naomi Sushi in Arlington Heights, a working restaurant with its own following before he ever signed a lease on School Street. Lim trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago after moving from South Korea in his twenties, and he spent years building that first restaurant before he went looking for a second address. Libertyville was not his first idea. It was his second location, chosen on purpose for a corner he could see already pulled foot traffic, sitting next to Main Street Social with Milwalky Taco across the street. As he put it, the timing felt right to bring something new to the area while staying welcoming to a broad audience.
For residents, the distinction is whether a new restaurant is an operator's first venture or a new location for an existing business. That offers context about the experience each operator brings.
The pattern shows up more than once
Kozy is not an isolated case. A few blocks south, Frunchroom Collective opened Feb. 17, 2026, in the Greentree Plaza on South Milwaukee Avenue, tucked between Burt's Deli and Viet Taste near the old Bakers Square location. Frunchroom Collective is owned by siblings Ivy Sukenik and Stu Nitzkin and combines a coffee shop with an attached wellness studio.
Look at who supplies the coffee. Tala Coffee Roasters has been roasting in Libertyville for about eight years and already runs its own cafe on Liberty Drive. Tala Coffee Roasters supplies the coffee at Frunchroom, bringing a local roaster with its own cafe into the new shop. The Daily Herald reported that Sukenik's goal is a frunchroom space where people feel “cozy, warm and welcomed,” built around coffee, community, and wellness classes rather than a to-go counter alone.
Two more names downtown follow the same shape. Coppolillo's Italian Steakhouse, a cousin concept to Rosebud Steakhouse featuring Chef Steve Coppolillo's family recipes, is backed by Creative Hospitality Concepts. Pizzeria DeVille reopened under new ownership, bringing three decades of experience in the pizza business to a space with an existing local following.
Here is what that looks like side by side:
| New arrival | Who is behind it | What it replaced |
|---|---|---|
| Kozy | Jay Lim, owner of Naomi Sushi (Arlington Heights) | Chrissoulas, West Side Ramen, then an acai-bowl venture |
| Frunchroom Collective | Ivy Sukenik and Stu Nitzkin; local coffee from Tala Coffee Roasters | Former Bakers Square space in Greentree Plaza |
| Coppolillo's Italian Steakhouse | Creative Hospitality Concepts (Rosebud family) | New build-out |
| Pizzeria DeVille | New ownership, 30-plus years in the pizza business | Prior DeVille ownership |
Together, these four openings connect to an existing restaurant, a local coffee roaster, an established hospitality group, and decades of experience in the pizza business.
Why the difference matters if you already live here
A first restaurant venture and an additional location for an existing business are different kinds of openings. Opening another location lets a business draw on prior experience. Factors such as foot traffic on Milwaukee Avenue, rent and nearby businesses may also inform an operator's decision.
For a resident deciding where to put a Tuesday night or a Saturday morning, that distinction changes how you plan around these places. The Board Room, which opened in 2022 in the old Tommy's Pizza & Sports Bar space and has since been recognized by the Daily Herald, offers another example of a local business expanding: founder Liz Turnbaugh built My CharCUTErie in Libertyville first, then expanded into a full restaurant. Kozy and Frunchroom bring different business backgrounds to their Libertyville locations.
These openings do not guarantee that any storefront will last. They show a range of ways operators and existing businesses are bringing new concepts to downtown Libertyville.
The calendar that never needed a reboot
While the storefronts have turned over, the events that structure a downtown Libertyville year have not. The Thursday Farmers Market, a tradition now in its 45th year, runs from May 28 through October 15 this season, every Thursday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., with no market on June 18. First Fridays happen monthly through December, from March's kickoff through the holiday version in early December, with shops staying open late and downtown restaurants filling up around them. Car Fun on 21 is running its 22nd year of classic cars, trucks, and motorcycles at Church and Cook Streets around Cook Park this summer.
These are the fixed points. The restaurant roster around them has also changed, with several openings connected to existing restaurants, hospitality groups or local coffee operations.
For residents, knowing who is behind a new storefront adds context to Libertyville's changing restaurant roster.
Want more of what makes this town worth knowing block by block? Gina Shad and her team track the details that shape daily life in Libertyville because those details matter to the people who already call it home. If you are ever curious what your own corner of downtown is worth in today's market, reach out for a complimentary home valuation and marketing plan.
