Squire on the Square sets opening day in Woodstock’s Old Courthouse

Squire on the Square is set to open in the coming days in downtown Woodstock.

Tammy Linardos, one of the proprietors, confirmed to the Northwest Herald on Friday that the restaurant’s opening day will be Nov. 12.

The eatery, which has similar decor as other Village Squire restaurants, is a joint venture between the Linardos family and Bob Karas of Karas Restaurant Group. Karas Restaurant Group owns the Village Squire restaurants as well as Rookies, among other eateries.

The families have been friends for several decades and have looked at opening a restaurant together before. The two families also own other restaurants in the McHenry County area.

Squire on the Square will be located in the basement of the Old Courthouse in Woodstock, and its menu will feature items similar to the Linardos family’s restaurants and the Village Squire.

The city of Woodstock approved the lease for the Squire on the Square in August and, at the time, city leaders expressed their enthusiasm for the new restaurant.

The vacancy in the Old Courthouse was created by the abrupt closure of Public House at the end of March, only months after the city completed renovations to the building. The city and Katlo Inc., the parent company of the Public House, negotiated a settlement that the city approved in June regarding a loan that the city had provided to the restaurant to help it rebound from closures related to the renovations and COVID-19.

The new lease for Squire on the Square runs through September 2029.

The Woodstock Area Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with the Crystal Lake and McHenry chambers, will host a ribbon-cutting for the Squire on the Square on Nov. 19. The Village Squire’s two other McHenry County locations are in Crystal Lake and McHenry.

Brad Ball, president of the Woodstock chamber, said the Squire’s opening is the “talk of the town,” and people are very excited about it.

“We’re absolutely thrilled,” Ball said.