Here are 14 new additions to the Rockford area food scene in 2023
If you are looking for a new place to dine, get a coffee or hang out after work, you have some new options in the Rockford and Freeport areas.
Several new restaurants, bars and cafes have opened so far in 2023.
Here’s a look back on the businesses that have joined local food scene.
Ambiance Cuisine Catering & Cocktails
Ambiance is a southern soul food restaurant born out of the T & C’s Cooking Creations food truck. The restaurant, located at 307 S. Main St. and owned by restauranteur Tisha Hannah, opened in April.
Big Jon’s
Jonathan and Cooper Tobin, owners and operators of Big Jon’s Dogs N’ More seasonal food truck, expanded into their first brick-and-mortar shop called Big Jon’s More Than Dogs at 105 Buchanan St. in Belvidere. The restaurant opened in March and is currently offering pre-made food to go along with catering services.
Cafe Amore
Cafe Amore, located in The Bricks of Cherry Valley at 125 E. State St., is Cherry Valley’s newest coffee shop and hang out spot offering a variety of coffees and teas. The cafe opened in May.
The Canna Cafe
The Canna Cafe, located inside The Hemp Center at 6830 Spring Creek Road, is a stylish, upscale soup and sandwich shop offering a variety of cannabis infused drinks. The cafe fittingly opened on April 20.
Capybara Cafe
The Capybara Cafe features Colombian coffee and cuisine, including cheesy fingers and empanadas. It’s the only Colombian-style cafe or restaurant in the Freeport area. The business opened in August.
Chavez Mexican Restaurant
Jose Chavez operated Fuego Nuevo Grill for five years at 6876 Spring Creek Road before relocating the
restaurant to 5494 E. State St. in Rockford where he poured $1 million into renovations and renamed it Chavez Mexican Restaurant.
Dirty Dough
The rapidly growing cookie franchise offers a variety of cookies including stuffed chocolate chip cookies to new weekly flavors like an orange creamsicle, cinnamon toast crunch, cookies ‘n’ cream (loaded with Oreo chunks) and even a new protein cookie as well as many others. The business opened its Rockford location in August.
El Vallarta Sports Bar & Grill
The upscale bar is a spacious eatery offering Mexican-style sushi, seafood, steaks and cocktails opened in July in a remodeled space formerly occupied by Granite City Food & Brewery at 7144 Harrison Ave. in the District at CherryVale.
Golden Bowl Asian
Located in the space formerly occupied by Imperial Palace at 3415 E. State
St. in Rockford, the Golden Bowl Asian offers a variety of Southeast Asian foods, including crab Rangoon, egg rolls, pho noodle soup, fried rice, stir fried noodles, orange chicken, Mongolian beef, bao and more. The restaurant opened in May.
Cheezy’s Grilled Cheeses
Cheezy’s is a unique twist on classic grilled cheeses & melts. The food truck rolled into the Rockford area in June featuring signature sandwiches with epic cheese pulls from the Piggly Wiggly — barbecue pork with cheddar and pepper jack cheeses with crispy onion strings and a side of coleslaw — to the Chipotle Philly — shaved ribeye, onions, peppers and American and pepper jack cheeses on toasted sourdough with homemade chipotle aioli.
Our Journeys Cafe and Boba Shop
The cafe inside of Freeport’s Lincoln
Mall opened in May and offers snacks, smoothies, and, of course, boba tea. It’s the first and only boba store in Freeport.
Tom & Jerry’s Loves Park
Tom & Jerry’s, a longtime Rockford favorite for gyros, burgers, ribs, hotdogs, Italian beef and more, opened a restaurant at 7170 E. Riverside Blvd. in Loves Park. The restaurant, which opened in March, is their fourth location in the Rockford area.
Tortilla Express
Owned by Chavez Mexican Restaurant owner Jose Chavez, Tortilla Express is located at State and Main streets in downtown Rockford and offers an express menu of tacos, burritos, tortas, chimichangas and nachos. The restaurant opened in July.
Wood & Brick Tavern
The building at 315 S. Main St. has been occupied by a bar or eatery for at least 97 years, if not longer. Building owner Jeff Lindquist opened the Wood & Brick Tavern in March and is proud to continue the tradition.
Chris Green: 815-987-1241; cgreen@rrstar.com; @chrisfgreen