Chomp Chomp, the little restaurant with the onomatopoeic name, is approaching its one-year anniversary with plans to expand its reach and offerings.
“It’s been an amazing year, it exceeded my expectations. It’s overwhelming,” said Mark Lynn, co-owner of the restaurant at 106 E. Adams St.
“Downtown has been great and we’ve had a lot of support,” he said.
What began as a late-night spot for the bar crowd expanded into regular lunch hours in February and has a solid clientele from local businesses, law firms and regulars.
Lynn said the restaurant’s concept is “chef-inspired street food, seasonally fresh with an internationally eclectic flair.”
“It’s like a trip around the world. We wanted to bring these flavors Downtown,” he said.
The most popular menu item is the banh mi, a French-Vietnamese inspired sandwich made with pork, chicken or tofu and pickled vegetables served on a French baguette.
Other mainstays include the chinois tacos and panko-crusted chicken sandwich.
There is a daily special, which the crew creates and rotates for a limited time. The most popular — and “insane” as Lynn described it — was a doughnut burger, made with glazed doughnuts as the buns, a fried egg, cheddar cheese, hot sauce aioli and other ingredients.
Lynn said because the restaurant is not in a large space, the recent emphasis has been “getting the food out” through delivery, which is available around Downtown, Springfield and parts of San Marco and Riverside. He said he hopes to expand to more areas in the coming months.
Lynn and the other owners, Ian Chase and John Touchton, are working on a website they hope will be available soon and offer information about the restaurant, its changing menu and its location.
“It’s working for us because we have the right concept and we dropped it on the public at the right time,” Lynn said.
“People come in and say it reminds them of places in New York, it reminds them of places in Chicago. It’s comforting for a lot of people Downtown that this place exists, that Downtown has a pulse,” he said.
Hours are 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Thursdays; 11 a.m.- 2:30 a.m. Fridays; and 6 p.m.-2:30 a.m. Saturdays. It is open until 10:30 p.m. for First Wednesday Art Walk.
It is closed Sundays and Mondays.
“We’re like Garfield –– we hate Mondays,” Lynn said.
356-2466