Gourmet Burgers At New Bulldogs Grill in Grayslake

Mac n' cheese and bacon on a burger? Yep. It's the Mac Daddy.

Or how about ham, grilled onion, fries, a fried egg (yes, an egg), and cheddar and American cheese? Sure. Try the Barkley's Skillet burger.

These are just two examples of the wide variety of toppings from which burger lovers can select at the new Bulldogs Grill in Grayslake. In addition to over 30 types of 1/2-pound burgers, Bulldogs also serves up quesadillas and tacos, wings and beef, tortilla wraps and shakes, soups and salads.

Bulldogs owners Aaron Aggarwal of McHenry and Joe Kafka of Wauconda are eager to bring their retro diner to Grayslake. It will open at 217 Center Street later this month. Bright red Bulldogs awnings just went up.

Check the progress on the Bulldogs Grayslake Facebook page. Their Wauconda location has enjoyed tremendous success and loyal customers who begged them to open a second location.

"Everybody kept telling us about Grayslake," said Aggarwal. "So many people talked about this town because of the Farmers Market and the downtown and The Vine. We walked through the downtown once and loved it. I saw this location and knew it was the perfect spot for Bulldogs. It was a diamond in the rough."

The new diner will be located where Angulo's had been until it closed last year after the owner was arrested. Bulldogs owners secured the building in November 2010 and have been hard at work gutting it, repainting and remodeling everything inside.

"We have painted, put in new floors, and brought in new equipment," Aggarwal said.

It will be similar to their Wauconda location. It is a small restaurant by design, seating only 50 people at counter stools and tables with a small room for groups in the back.

"We want to cover the walls with retro decorations and local artwork by school kids or groups," Aggarwal said. "We want to be actively involved in the community. We are very family oriented."

Bulldogs has won awards at their Wauconda location for Entrepreneur of the Year, Best BBQ Wings of the Chicago Wing Fest, and Best Burger in Lake County in the Patch Lake County Chowdown Showdown.

The restaurant was also featured on Chicago's Best TV, with host Ted Brunson.

Aggarwal was a chef for 18 years, and his business partner Kafka was a bartender at Duke's in Crystal Lake. Then Kafka had a corporate job at Chase, but eventually was laid off. That is when he decided to open Bulldogs.

"It's all about energy, passion, consistency and quality," said Kafka. "We are both passionate about that. And we also like to have fun."

In fact, fun is one of the requirements for employees. Bulldogs Grayslake is hiring for all positions. "People don't need experience," Aggarwal said, "but they do need a smile, a good personality and they need to know how to have fun."

Pairing fun and food sums up the mood at Bulldogs.

"Grayslake has that charm, that hometown feel that is perfect for us," Aggarwal said. "It has so much personality. We're extremely excited to get the doors open and start slinging burgers."

For more information, visit http://BulldogsGrill.com or call 847-223-2388.