Just opened: Rock Island Cafe

It’s now on Rock Road instead of Rock Island. But after almost 20-year absense, the once-popular sandwich shop Rock Island Cafe has reopened.

Kristen Teague, a former manager at the original Rock Island Cafe, reopened the restaurant a week ago in the space at 3236 N. Rock Road formerly occupied by Yogurt Xplosion.

The original restaurant operated from 1985 until the mid-1990s in the space at 725 E. Douglas that famously housed the first incarnation of Tanya’s Soup Kitchen. Teague is recreating the whole experience, from the restaurant’s breakfast-and-lunch-only approach to the complete original menu.

She describes the restaurant as a “gourmet sandwich deli.” Her offerings include 11 pre-imagined sandwichies, such as the popular Conductor’s ham & turkey made with smoked Gouda, mayo, sliced tomato and lettuce on an onion bun, plus build-your-own sandwiches and sandwiches on pita.

Breakfast options include muffins, cheesy eggs, yogurt parfaits and a breakfast burrito. She’s also brought back the restaurant’s famous chicken salad.

Several former devotees have already visited. “Yesterday, a lady told me she’d been waiting 20 years to come back,” Teague said.

The restaurant’s hours are 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Teague is offering delivery “pretty much anywhere,” she said, though she’d probably be reluctant to take a small order all the way to the west side.

For more information or to place an order, call 316-260-5905.

This story was originally published June 6, 2012 at 10:20 AM with the headline "Just opened: Rock Island Cafe."