Lunch, more breakfast options coming to Kenilworth Community Cafe

A purpose of the Kenilworth Community Cafe was to fill a need in town. Now, it’s time to feed that need.

The cafe inside the Kenilworth Assembly Hall, 410 Kenilworth Ave., is expanding its breakfast options and adding lunch service starting May 1.

The Kenilworth Village Board on March 21 approved the cafe’s request to amend its special-use permit, which the board approved in May 2022. The original permit did not allow for the preparation of food on-site and limited the cafe’s hours. With the amendments, Kenilworth Community Cafe will add more food options, such as pancakes in the morning and sandwiches in the afternoon, and will be open from 7:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.

“I am excited that we can provide breakfast and lunch options to the (Kenilworth) Community Cafe in  this special Kenilworth setting,” said John Hart, president of the Kenilworth Park Board, in a press release from the district. “I believe that offering a variety of delicious and affordable options for breakfast and lunch will encourage community members to come together to meet old and new friends.” 

The cafe is operated by the Kenilworth Park District, which outsources the food and beverage service to A La Carte, a Wilmette-based group that reportedly has long been on the Kenilworth Assembly Hall’s preferred vendors list. A La Carte was a multi-year partner with the Wilmette Golf Club and continues to offer service for the Glencoe Golf Club.

Kenilworth Community Cafe opened on Sept. 19, 2022, serving packaged pastries and breakfast sandwiches with coffee and espresso. A month in, Park District Executive Director John Kiwala called the feedback “phenomenal.”

Thirteen tables are spread throughout the inside and outside of the assembly hall.

According to the release, with its new menu beginning May 1, the cafe will also allow online ordering and pickup.

The park district also plans to partner with local libraries to offer children’s story time events, as well as adult chess time, during cafe hours, the release says.

“The intention is to blend community programing with the new amenities of the cafe,” according to the release.

Stay tuned to the Kenilworth Park District website for dates and times of the events. A cafe website, www.kcafe.org, will be live on May 1, according to the park district.

Cafe hours (7:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.) are subject to change with events at the Kenilworth Assembly Hall.

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