The 13,153-square-foot building at 833 Deerfield Road in Deerfield Square used to be a restaurant. In January, the plans before the Plan Commission showed something else there. They called for a 5,300-square-foot rooftop play area behind an eight-foot decorative fence, a 1,200-square-foot play yard where the service drive is now, and 10 playrooms for N. Family Club, a U.K.-based child care operator. The petitioner described the building as vacant in a "challenging leasing environment." The traffic study filed with the proposal measured the child care use against a high-turnover restaurant, the kind of tenant the space had been built for.
On October 29, the Village of Deerfield sent its second issue of "Good Taste, Deerfield." The village bills it as a new twice-monthly email about where to eat in town. Over the past year, Deerfield's response to a thinner restaurant scene has been to promote the independent owners it already has. Those same owners are also the people helping the village decide what to change next.
The year the village started paying attention to dinner
The building at 833 Deerfield Road wasn't the only loss. In May, the Daily Herald reported that Guzman y Gomez was closing every U.S. restaurant it ran, and its Deerfield location was on that list. The Australian chain had opened its first American store in Naperville in 2020 and grew to eight Chicago-area locations. The company's statement, as the Daily Herald quoted it:
"After six years of burritos and big dreams in Chicagoland, we've made the difficult decision to close our U.S. restaurants."
The village had already started on the problem. This spring it formed a Restaurant Task Force, and its first agenda, dated April 29, set the meeting for Conference Room 206 at Village Hall, 850 Waukegan Road. The agenda had three main items: liquor licenses, outdoor seating, and a round table. Its written outline says the group exists "to evaluate the current restaurant environment and identify opportunities to support the long-term sustainability of Deerfield's restaurant community." That covers both existing restaurants and new ones.
Who sits at the table
The task force outline lists its members. Village Trustee Larry Berg chairs it, and Assistant Village Manager Justin Keenan is the staff liaison. Village planning staff, an economic consultant and Chasity Savage, executive director of the Deerfield Bannockburn Riverwoods Chamber of Commerce, sit beside the people who run Deerfield's dining rooms day to day:
- Susan Munic, Taco Vida
- Jimmy Seriuk, Jimmy Thai
- Andy Zatos, Field House & Brunch Café
- Joe Rhodes, Chick-fil-A franchise
- John Sciarretta, Italian Kitchen
- Sean Devine, owner of Deerfield Park Plaza
- Ilija Pod, Horizon Management
After that first meeting, Berg reported to the Village Board that six restaurants had come and that "there was a lot of positive energy." He expected three or four more meetings.
The roster explains the newsletter. Its first two issues put Taco Vida, Italian Kitchen, Field House and Brunch Café in the spotlight. Owners of each of those restaurants sit on the task force. The village's marketing and its policy work start with the same small group of local operators. The task force lists "marketing and promotion opportunities" in its scope, next to outdoor dining rules, signage and the liquor licensing structure. Good Taste is the first of those items residents can see.
A November week, built from the newsletter
The first two issues add up to a weekly schedule. It's useful because it's specific. The specials below are as listed in the October 2026 issues. Restaurants change their offers, so a quick call before you go is worth it.
Monday through Friday, 3 to 5 p.m. Happy hour at Taco Vida. The owners, Susan Munic and Freddy Sanchez, both live in Deerfield. According to the October 10 issue, the kitchen makes its corn tortillas in-house, prepares guacamole to order, and cooks with peppers the owners grow themselves plus produce from area farmers markets when it's available.
Tuesday. Tamale Tuesday, Taco Vida's weekly special.
Wednesday. Deerfield Italian Kitchen takes 15% off dine-in checks, alcohol excluded.
Thursday. Veal parmigiana at Italian Kitchen is $25.99, and every bottle of wine is half off. Live jazz is added every third Thursday. This month that's November 19, one week after this post goes up.
Friday. Italian Kitchen runs an all-you-can-eat fish fry with Lake perch and wild-caught cod.
Any night with kids. Italian Kitchen's newest deal gives one free kids' menu meal for each adult entrée, for children under 10. Deerfield High School students get 20% off.
For a gathering. The October 29 issue featured Brunch Café's catering, along with its Bloody Marys and mimosas. It listed the fall menu as coming soon. The same issue marked a year since Field House opened and promoted its fall menu.
A family could eat out four nights in a row using only the deals in two village emails. The village is trying to fill the tables in the restaurants it has before the next "challenging leasing environment" shows up on a Plan Commission agenda.
What the task force hasn't changed yet
Nothing about Deerfield's restaurant rules has changed yet. The outline describes the task force as advisory, says it will meet about six to eight times, and leaves final decisions to the Village Board. When it finishes, it's supposed to hand over a summary of findings, a list of recommended policy and program changes, and a set of "quick wins" alongside longer-term ideas.
The September 28 minutes of the Appearance Review Commission show where that work stands. Staff reported that the task force had met the week before and would meet again "to finalize possible changes," and that the commission would review and approve several of the resulting code updates. Signage and outdoor dining are both on the task force's list. When either one changes, it will show up first as a new storefront sign or patio layout going through that commission.
The same meeting showed a few restaurant names moving through the signage process. The Wild Roaster was expected to come in for signage along with a Jimmy John's, whose application gives the address 601 Lake Cook Road. Taco Bell signage was also discussed. As for 833 Deerfield Road, in late January staff told the Plan Commission the applicant had asked to defer its appearance before the Village Board.
Two dates on the calendar with food nearby
The newsletter's goal of getting people out to eat in town lines up with two village events this season.
| Event | When | Where | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Field of Honor | Through Friday, November 13 | Jewett Park | 600 U.S. flags, free to visit, proceeds to Midwest Veterans Closet and Lake County Honor Flight |
| Winter Market | Saturday, December 12, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Patty Turner Center | Live entertainment, retail and craft booths, nonprofits, food vendors, children's activities |
By the time this post is up, the Field of Honor will be in its last two days. The village, the Deerfield Park District, the Deerfield Public Library and the Deerfield-Bannockburn Fire Protection District present it together, under the theme "Honoring Our Veterans," with evening programs at Jewett Park while the flags are up. If you walk the flags at dusk on Thursday, you'll be finished in time for Italian Kitchen's veal and half-price wine. On Friday you'll be finished in time for the fish fry. Flag dedications and donations are on the Field of Honor page linked in the village's October 30 e-news.
To get the next Good Taste issues, sign up through the village's notification page. The village says the newsletter will cover restaurant spotlights, featured dishes, seasonal specials, events and chef profiles.
The restaurants in this post are the ones Deerfield is working to keep. If you're planning a move and want to know how life in town fits together, schedule a free consultation with Anne Hardy. I'm always glad to share which corner of Deerfield your next weeknight dinner is on.
