"This is not the goodbye we hoped to have, but we are deeply thankful for the time we were given and for every person who was part of the Lennon's story." That's how Lennon's, at 16 W. Jefferson Ave., announced on social media in late September that it was closing after about a year.
The same Naperville Sun report that carried the news also listed a long run of incoming businesses: tacos, gyros, eyewear, menswear, açaí, focaccia, New York-style slices. A list like that reads as if downtown is filling up fast. The opening dates tell a slower story. From Cress Creek, a few minutes north of downtown, the places you can actually walk into this October come down to a short list. Most of the rest are still target dates, and several of those dates have already passed once.
The storefront that keeps turning over
Start with 16 W. Jefferson. Lennon's opened there in August 2025 as a combined dining and entertainment concept. Owner Jeremy Stolberg described the idea as getting people to "come and stay." Downtown Naperville Alliance Executive Director Dawn Portner said no reason was given for the closure.
The space has gone through this before. AltaVida, a Latin-inspired entertainment complex with a casual Spanish cafe, held the same address before Lennon's and also closed in less than a year.
Across the street at 15 W. Jefferson, Taco Grill Cantina is getting ready to open. Owner Jose Oliver, who also runs Taco Grill and Salsa Bar in Westmont, plans a modern Mexican menu with bone marrow tacos, pork belly tacos and salmon with mole sauce. The restaurant will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. Oliver had hoped to open on Sept. 15 but pushed the date back because of what he called unforeseen issues. As of the Sept. 28 report, no new date had been announced.
So one side of the block has a closed storefront and the other has a restaurant that hasn't opened yet. That's the state of the busiest stretch of downtown dining news this fall.
Two that made it through the door
Only two of the new food spots near the center of downtown have actually opened since late summer.
Bonci Pizza, 22 E. Chicago Ave. Bonci opened during the week of Aug. 26 and held its grand opening Friday, Aug. 28. It's the brand's first location outside Chicago and its fourth in the U.S. The format is Roman pizza al taglio. You pick from the pies on display, say how much you want, and the server cuts it with scissors and weighs it. Then it goes back in the oven before being cut into small pieces to share. The case can hold as many as 15 pies topped with seasonal produce, cured meats and cheeses like caciocavallo. Pumpkin and speck have already shown up on the menu. A margherita is usually available, but the specialty pies change throughout the day. The dough is made from organic Italian stone-ground flour and rises for up to 72 hours. If you go back in two weeks, expect a different set of pies.
Lola's Handcrafted Churros, 8 W. Jefferson Ave. Lola's held its grand opening Sept. 28. This is its third location, and it's known for churro sundaes. The other two shops are in Lisle and Yorkville, and the drinks include mango lemonade and specialty lattes.
Lola's opening date is worth tracking because it shows how downtown openings tend to go. In June, NCTV17 reported that Lola's planned to open "later this month." By August, the target was "this August." Owner Mayra Serna said she'd be ready once the shop passed its inspections and got the green light from the city. The grand opening came at the end of September, roughly three months after the first target. That's typical for a downtown buildout. It doesn't mean anything went wrong.
The status board as of early October
Here's where downtown's announced businesses stand as of Oct. 4, 2026, based on the most recent published reports and Downtown Naperville Alliance listings.
| Business | Address | What it is | Status as of Oct. 4, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonci Pizza | 22 E. Chicago Ave. | Roman pizza al taglio | Open since the week of Aug. 26 |
| Lola's Handcrafted Churros | 8 W. Jefferson Ave. | Churros, sundaes, drinks | Grand opening Sept. 28 |
| Taco Grill Cantina | 15 W. Jefferson Ave. | Modern Mexican, all day | Missed Sept. 15 target; no new date reported |
| I Heart Gyro | 22 E. Chicago Ave. #120 | Greek and Mediterranean | Owner aiming for before end of October |
| SEE Eyewear | 214 S. Main St. | Prescription glasses, sunglasses | Mid-October target |
| State & Liberty Clothing Co. | 144 W. Jefferson Ave. | Athletic-fit menswear | Mid-to-late November target |
| Deep Purpl | 120 Water St., Suite 101 | Açaí bowls | Listed for late summer or early fall; still pending |
| Lizzano Focacceria & Spritzeria | 120 Water St., Suite 101 | Focaccia panini, spritzes | Listed for late summer or early fall; still pending |
| Slyce of NY | 215 S. Washington St. | New York-style pizza, chicken and gyro bowls | Listed "Coming Soon!" with no date |
Two of the nine are open. The other seven are on some version of a calendar.
Why the dates slide
The pending openings share a few patterns, and those patterns make it easier to read the dates.
I Heart Gyro is the furthest along. Owner Khalil Faykov opened the first I Heart Gyro in Vancouver, Washington, about 10 years ago, then moved to Aurora to be closer to family. On Sept. 28 he said he hoped to open within two weeks and was finishing some last steps with the city. The menu will have four gyro wraps: lamb, chicken, falafel and dolma. There's also an Iskander platter that combines lamb gyro meat with tomato sauce, pita and tzatziki, plus lentil soup, tabouli and fattoush. It's moving into a space at 22 E. Chicago Ave. that another gyro shop used to occupy. The Downtown Naperville Alliance lists it as Suite 120 in the same building as Bonci. Both Lola's and I Heart Gyro got held up at the same stage, waiting on city sign-off at the end of the process.
Water Street has a different pattern. Deep Purpl and Lizzano have the same address and the same founder. Gabriel Fleury, a Brazilian-Italian entrepreneur, started Lizzano in early 2025 with a River North location at 636 N. Wells St. He's also behind Deep Purpl's açaí shops in Chicago and San Francisco. Their Downtown Naperville Alliance listings, posted in June, say "Opening Late Summer/Early Fall." On Sept. 28, Portner was still describing both as on the horizon. Pairing two concepts in one Suite 101 makes the space worth watching. No opening date has been published.
Slyce of NY has waited the longest. Its Downtown Naperville Alliance page at 215 S. Washington St. went up in October 2025 and still says "Coming Soon!" Local coverage hasn't settled on the exact storefront either. Patch reported 206 S. Washington, while the Alliance and NCTV17 list 215. Either way, it's on Washington, about a year after it was first announced.
Over on the Route 59 side of town, a developer gave a useful benchmark for restaurant buildouts in general. When construction started on two new restaurant buildings at Block 59, Brixmor Property Group's Rich Dippolito said each tenant's buildout would take four to six months after the shell is finished. Compared with that, Lola's three-month slip looks routine, and a "late summer" listing that moves into winter wouldn't be unusual.
Planning an October run from Cress Creek
Put together, this narrows the options. If you're heading downtown this month for something new, these are the confirmed stops:
- Bonci at 22 E. Chicago Ave. for pizza by weight, with a different case each visit.
- Lola's at 8 W. Jefferson Ave. for a churro sundae or a mango lemonade.
- SEE Eyewear at 214 S. Main St., if it hits its mid-October target. Naperville will be SEE's fifth location, after one in Skokie and three in Chicago.
- I Heart Gyro, two doors' worth of walking from Bonci, if the owner's late-October goal holds.
State & Liberty is further off. It's taking over the former Amber Waves Art of Hair Salon space at 144 W. Jefferson and is targeting mid-to-late November. The chain has more than 50 stores nationwide, including one in Chicago, and specializes in suits, blazers and casual wear cut for broader shoulders and athletic builds.
One more change is a closure just south of downtown. Great Harvest Bread Co. at 192 W. Gartner Road closed in August after more than 35 years. The owners tried to find a buyer for the business, and when the landlord didn't renew the lease, they chose to close rather than move. If a Saturday loaf from Gartner Road was part of your routine, you'll need a new bakery stop, and none of the downtown openings on this list is a bread bakery.
On Jefferson, the next confirmed change is a menswear store in November. For dining, the date to watch is whenever Taco Grill Cantina announces a new opening across from the empty Lennon's space.
At Bill White Homes, we follow downtown Naperville closely because it shapes daily life in Cress Creek and the neighborhoods around it. If you'd like to talk through how downtown access figures into a move you're weighing, or just compare notes on the new spots, get in touch.
