Nobel House set to open in old Soukup’s building

Another vacant retail space on Main Street bites the dust, as the old Soukup’s Hardware is set to be filled by – get this – another Geneva restaurant. This time it’s Nobel House, a relatively new restaurant to the Geneva scene, it opened its doors in 2014 but apparently the owners are already confident enough in their model that they’ve chosen Glen Ellyn as the location for their next establishment.

“We just love the town,” co-founder Jason Levin said to mySuburbanLife.com. “We think there are a lot of similarities to Geneva. The same things that we loved about Geneva we love about Glen Ellyn as well. The downtown has a really cool look to it. It seems like it’s a town that supports mom-and-pop-type businesses, which is an important part of what we do.”

I personally have not been to Nobel House, but it seems like a more laid-back restaurant/bar than a formal sit-down dinner destination. Looking at their website they boast being able to watch all your teams on one of their many TV’s, and have a “Mug Club” which offers some interesting promotions.

 

I’m not sure what an Imperial Pour is, but who doesn’t want a free birthday beer? It almost pays for the $10 annual renewal fee on its own.

When asked about the owners one of their fellow Geneva clones, Maize + Mash, Levin had exactly the kind of response one would hope for:

“Those guys are friends of mine, and they’ve said nothing but glowingly positive things about Glen Ellyn and their experience there so far, and they were excited for us to come in,” Levin said. “I think our two businesses actually complement each other pretty well. They are similar but different enough. I want as many great operators next to me as I possibly can. I just believe, let’s get a lot of people to the area and there will be enough business for everyone to go around.”

As far as the food goes, Nobel House has some unique offerings on the menu.

“The food that we do is a little bit different than what’s being done in the area now,” he said. “We smoke all our own meats in house… We bring a very relaxed atmosphere that welcomes everyone.”

On one side of the menu you’ll find items you don’t normally see, such as “Oysters on the Half Shell” as well as a “45 Day Dry Aged Burger.” Dry aging is a popular and delicious way to eat a steak, but I’ve never heard of it in burger form. The description of the burger demands my immediate attention, and I cannot wait to eat this: “8 oz dry aged steak burger, arugula, horseradish mayo, mushroom salad.”

The other side of the menu features a wide variety of smoked options that I’m looking forward to trying, the first of which is the Smoked Philly which consists of “Smoked ribeye shaved thin, piled high on French bread, with provolone, horseradish mayo, arugula, and roasted pepper medley.” I may have to drive over to Geneva for lunch here soon.

The menu continues to delight when moving down to the Brunch section. Their brunch is frequently mentioned in Yelp reviews as well, so it seems that Nobel House takes this weekend-only meal pretty seriously.

From all accounts it appears that Nobel House will be a welcome addition to downtown Glen Ellyn when they open their doors, which is supposed to happen this coming spring.  It was a sad sight to see Soukup’s close their doors after 81 years serving Glen Ellyn residents, but it will be nice to see the space quickly put to use by a restaurant with a proven track record, and a delicious looking menu.