Old Town Square is about to be bookended with pizza places, and the new one is local

Old Town Square is about to be bookended with pizza places.

Old Chicago, of course, has been at Second and Mead for years.

Now, sisters Darinda and Raelene Knolla are preparing to open Knolla’s Old Town at 338 N. Mead in the former Pinot’s Palette space on the north end of the square.

“I’ve always been interested in Old Town,” Darinda Knolla said. “It was literally just trying to find the right spot.”

She owns the Knolla’s at Central and Rock Road, and the sisters own another downtown Knolla’s together at Douglas and Main streets. That opened in 2020.

At about 2,500 square feet, the new Knolla’s will be about the same size as those restaurants, but the layout and feel of the restaurant will be completely different.

For one, the space has brick walls and concrete floors.

“That building has such a cool vibe,” Darinda Knolla said.

There will be one area with raised seating, and she plans to do some communal seating as well. She has a church pew ready for that seating.

There will be room for about 40 or 50 seats, and there will be a patio with more seating as well.

“It’s going to be really nice when it’s all done,” Knolla said.

She’s replacing what she called an almost medieval-looking overhead door with glass panels to open when the weather is nice.

In addition to always wanting a space like this, Knolla said Old Town Square is ideal in other ways.

“We’re just really, really excited to be close to other restaurants.”

She hopes to have beer on the menu, though that may not be available when the restaurant first opens in late January or early February.

Knolla is going to offer a photo tour of the new space when it is ready.

“It’ll be pretty cool in there,” she said. “We’re just really excited to be in that spot.”