North & Maple Kitchen + Bar Slated For Vacant Bulldog Ale House

NEW LENOX, IL — A Tinley Park-based restaurant and bar is lined up as the new tenant of the vacant Bulldog Ale House in New Lenox.

North & Maple Kitchen + Bar, which has a location at 18401 N Creek Drive in Tinley Park, has leased the space formerly occupied by Bulldog Ale House, adding a second location to its lineup. The restaurant and bar will open at 2387 E. Joliet Highway, pending approval of its liquor license, on the New Lenox Village Board agenda for a first read at the Jan. 22 meeting.

"The North & Maple Kitchen + Bar concept is simple: we want to be your go-to neighborhood restaurant/bar — a place so comfortable and inviting, you call it your second home," the business' website reads. "Our modern style and laid-back vibe are the perfect atmospheres to make new friends, meet loved ones for a delicious dinner, relax with some after-work drinks, and listen to live music."

Owned by Jimmy Kollintzas, the Tinley Park location opened in 2021 and has been a hit locally. Its menu features a wide range of dishes from pork chops to steaks and pastas, popcorn chicken, cheese curds and tacos. All is made fresh, never frozen, Kollintzas said.

With staff and customers from New Lenox frequenting the Tinley Park location, he's been eager to expand the restaurant's reach. He stressed that the Tinley Park location will remain open.

"I love it here (Tinley Park), that’s why it’s great to expand and grow into another community," he said. "Tinley’s been so good to us, that’s what gives us an opportunity to expand and grow."

Kollintzas describes the decor and setting of North & Maple as clean, modern and sleek, a feel he hopes to carry over to the New Lenox space while also keeping it family-friendly. He plans to update the interior to match the aesthetics of the Tinley Park one. The location will also offer TVs for sports viewing.

"We’re really going to make this very nice," he said. "Very comfortable for people to hang out at—we'll make it a neighborhood, family hangout—make it your 'spot.'"

The Tinley Park location hosts events and live entertainment. Kollintzas said the New Lenox location will likely host more acoustic performers, and will also offer space for private events.

"We’re excited to see that spot filled by a restaurant of that caliber," said Mayor Tim Baldermann.

The New Lenox location of Bulldog Ale House closed late last month, with little explanation or forewarning. The New Lenox location opened in April 2014 in Bluestone Commons. Prior to Bulldog Ale House, it was previously occupied by Bluestone Bar and Grill, and most recently by Prime Time Restaurant.

Kollintzas said he hopes to be open by spring, but many factors will determine the timeline.

"New Lenox is a great community," Kollintzas said. "We’re very excited to be a part of it. We're pumped."

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