How Winnetka’s Four Districts Are Evolving in 2026

Walk from Elm Street to Hubbard Woods on a Saturday in August, and Winnetka feels different than it did a year ago.

A construction fence now surrounds the prominent corner of Lincoln Avenue and Elm Street. Avli has expanded with a new vinyl lounge. A national fitness studio has received final Village Council approval. Meanwhile, the Winnetka Farmers’ Market continues to set up at 754 Elm Street every Saturday morning, maintaining a familiar rhythm as the neighborhood changes around it.

Winnetka’s four districts are becoming increasingly distinct, each offering its own version of village life. At their geographic center, the One Winnetka development is helping reshape how residents experience downtown, and how the village’s commercial districts relate to one another.

The Corner of Lincoln and Elm Is Changing Downtown

The four-story, mixed-use building rising at the southeast corner of Lincoln Avenue and Elm Street is scheduled for completion in December, with tenants expected to begin opening in early 2027.

Plans call for 59 residences above approximately 20,955 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. Six commercial leases have been announced, all representing dining, wellness, financial, or professional services rather than traditional goods-based retail.

That distinction became a point of discussion during Village Council meetings in February and March.

When trustees asked Murphy Development about the absence of apparel, home furnishings, or other traditional retail tenants, Deirdre Clein cited a 2024 JLL study indicating that service businesses now occupy a growing share of commercial space. She also noted that the development team had pursued brands including Jenni Kayne and SPACE 519, both established at Plaza del Lago in nearby Wilmette, without ultimately finding a match.

Trustee Rob Apatoff expressed skepticism that no suitable retail tenant could be secured in the current market. Trustee Scott Myers similarly noted that traditional retail had been part of the original vision for the development.

The council ultimately approved Solidcore’s special use in a 5–1 vote, with conditions related to class scheduling and parking behavior, as reported by The Record North Shore.

The conversation reflects a broader transition underway in Winnetka. Traditional retail faces new pressures, while restaurants, wellness concepts, and professional services are taking a larger role. Each of the village’s districts is responding differently, and those differences are increasingly visible during a walk through town.

Four Districts, Four Distinct Experiences

Elm Street

Elm Street is home to the construction, the market, and one of the North Shore’s signature summer festivals.

The Winnetka Music Festival celebrated its 10th year on June 19 and 20, with Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue and Father John Misty headlining four stages centered around Hibbard Road and Elm Street.

Throughout the summer, the Winnetka Farmers’ Market brings residents to 754 Elm Street from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturdays.

Avli, the Greek restaurant that has anchored the district for 16 years, also reopened this spring after expanding by approximately 2,400 square feet into the Laundry Building. About 1,600 square feet of that expansion became a new vinyl lounge.

Chef Jorge Angulo, a Culinary Institute of America graduate, told The Record North Shore that longtime guests should still recognize much of the menu, while updated presentations and a more developed mezedes program introduce something new.

Of Winnetka’s districts, Elm Street is experiencing the most visible transformation. Construction, expanded dining concepts, public events, and the forthcoming One Winnetka development are reshaping the experience of downtown in real time.

Hubbard Woods

At the north end of Green Bay Road, Hubbard Woods is quickly becoming known as the arts district. It offers an unhurried mix of restaurants, cafés, specialty shops, home stores, and galleries

Mino’s, an upscale Italian restaurant at 985 Green Bay Road, occupies a thoughtfully converted former auto-repair garage. Its soaring ceilings, handsome bar, intimate dining rooms, and seasonal Italian menu make it equally suited to a relaxed neighborhood dinner or a more celebratory evening.

Towne & Oak serves breakfast, lunch, and coffee in a polished daytime setting while also handling private catering. One of the district’s newer arrivals, British chocolatier Hotel Chocolat at 912 Green Bay Road, offers another reason to linger—with its hot chocolate flight making a particularly memorable stop.

Hubbard Woods feels relaxed, established, and comfortably walkable from end to end. It remains the district best suited to an afternoon spent moving between a meal, coffee, and a few local shops without watching the clock.

Indian Hill

Indian Hill is Winnetka’s smallest commercial district.

Aboyer, Michael Lachowicz’s French-American bistro at 64 Green Bay Road, sits across from the Indian Hill Metra station. While First Fridays draw more evening activity to Hubbard Woods, Aboyer remains a reliable choice for an elegant dinner that requires little advance planning.

Indian Hill’s appeal lies in its simplicity: a quieter residential setting, direct rail access, and a destination restaurant close at hand.

East Winnetka and the Lakefront

East Winnetka offers a different kind of consistency.

The Winnetka Park District maintains three swimming beaches, while the Wednesdays in the Woods concert series brings free evening performances to the community throughout the summer.

Unlike the more visible changes taking place along Elm Street and Green Bay Road, the lakefront continues to deliver the rituals residents know well: afternoons at the beach, evening music, and familiar paths through the neighborhood.

When other parts of the village are marked by construction and commercial turnover, that continuity is part of East Winnetka’s appeal.

What to Do Between Now and Labor Day

A few dates from the Village of Winnetka calendar to add to the summer schedule:

• Winnetka Farmers’ Market: Saturdays through late August, 7:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., 754 Elm Street
• First Fridays in Hubbard Woods: August 7 and September 11
• Community Safety Day: August 13, 11 a.m.–1 p.m., 858 Green Bay Road
• Document Destruction Event: August 15, 9 a.m.–noon, 1390 Willow Road
• Schmidt-Burnham Log House: Scheduled afternoon hours through November 20, 1140 Willow Road
• Fuelfed Coffee & Classics: August 30, 9–11 a.m., 111 North Green Bay Road
• Hubbard Woods Art Walk: October 2

Two events deserve a closer look.

The Schmidt-Burnham Log House, preserved by the Winnetka Historical Society, is the oldest log structure in Cook County. Its modest scale makes it an easy addition to a morning spent at the farmers’ market.

Fuelfed Coffee & Classics brings an impressive collection of vintage cars to an open-air setting. It is free, informal, and easy to build into a late-summer Sunday morning.

What the Calendar and Construction Reveal

Taken together, Winnetka’s public calendar and recent Village Council conversations illustrate a broader shift.

Outdoor programming is playing an increasingly important role in village life. The farmers’ market, First Fridays, the music festival, and the summer concert series give residents recurring reasons to gather while the central block at Lincoln and Elm remains under construction.

When One Winnetka opens in 2027, its ground-floor tenants are expected to include Arkadia, a Mediterranean concept from Ballyhoo Hospitality; Solidcore; natural-food fast-casual restaurant Fare; Charles Schwab; Winnetka Aesthetic Studio; and an audiology practice.

The development will bring residents, restaurant guests, fitness clients, and professional-service customers into the center of town. Its effect on pedestrian activity, however, will be different from that of a bookstore, apparel boutique, or home furnishings destination.

Hubbard Woods and Plaza del Lago in neighboring Wilmette will likely continue to play an important role for shoppers seeking more traditional goods-based retail. Elm Street, meanwhile, is developing an identity centered increasingly around dining, wellness, services, community events, and residential life.

For residents, the practical takeaway is straightforward.

For an afternoon of shopping, consider Hubbard Woods or nearby Plaza del Lago. For a leisurely dinner, Tocco, Aboyer, and the newly expanded Avli each offer a distinct experience. For a Saturday that captures Winnetka at its liveliest, begin at the farmers’ market and return for one of the village’s evening events.

The construction fence at Lincoln and Elm will eventually come down. Even before it does, Winnetka’s districts are revealing the shape of what comes next.

If you are considering a move within Winnetka, or wondering how location within one of its distinct districts may influence your home’s positioning, The Kasey Group offers a discreet, design-led approach to preparation, marketing, and timing.

Refining Your Life Story.

Request a Complimentary Home Valuation.