The owners of Ellyn’s Tap & Grill have opened their second restaurant, Warren's Ale House, at 51 Town Square in Wheaton, with plans to take the traditional American pub menu up a notch.

The Hernandez family grew up in the restaurant industry. Working at their father's Mexican restaurants, George, Jerry and Leticia Hernandez learned the ins and outs of running an establishment.

Brothers George and Jerry started with Ellyn's as kind of an experiment, Jerry said. "It took off from there," he said, with positive feedback and a lot of regulars and families. 

Leticia joined her brothers as a server and bartender at Ellyn's, and is now a manager and part owner at Warren's. 

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"I've grown up in the restaurant industry, so it's like second nature to me," she said.

Warren's started with a soft opening last week that has so far been a success. 

"A lot of customers have come in (and) talked about how good the food is, how great the service is," Leticia said.

Jerry said he is very focused on the quality of the food at Warren's.

"Anybody can open a place and sell alcohol, but there are very few places out there where people go not only for the drinks ... but they go for the food and the people," he said. "That's what made Ellyn's successful, in my opinion."

The menu features more—and better—beer and wine options and "fun, cool and interesting" food, Jerry said, such as the Prince Edward Mussels made with Belgian-style beer, a charcuterie appetizer, shrimp and grits or the Pork Belly Cubano sandwich.

"As a whole, we want this to be an experience—in everything from the service to the food and the environment," Leticia said. "Since we grew up in the industry, we've always gone to different restaurants ... and there are certain things that stick out in your mind."

Warren's Ale House is located at 51 Town Square in Wheaton. For menus and more information, go to www.warrensalehouse.com.