Dover Straits looks like a traditional seafood restaurant. You know the kind, with the fish tanks and ship wheels and diver helmets and wooden posts wrapped in thick rope.
And that’s not a bad thing. The six Metropulos brothers — Bill, Arias, George, Spiros, Louie and Chef Art — who hail from the Peloponnese area of Greece, know what formula works and have been in business in Mundelein since 1978.
“We all came from Greece in the ’60s, and we started working in the restaurant business from busboys, servers and managers,” says Bill Metropulos of Glenview, the eldest. “We had the opportunity to go into seafood.”
Here in America, there were varieties of seafood not found as easily back home. “Lobster, crab legs, sea bass, swordfish, Atlantic salmon, Lake Superior whitefish, Florida snapper, walleye pike, with eight to 10 specials every day. We do have a nice selection, a full menu of steaks, ribs, chicken and pasta. Fresh-soft-shell-crab people who require the taste for that can’t get enough of us,” Metropulos said.
And Dover sole from the straits of Dover, “known for excellent water, the best kind there is,” Metropulos said. “That’s how we got our name.”
Servers create customized salads tableside, and each dining room has its own salad boat, with names like Santa Maria and Sophia.
Over the years, seafood has been harder to obtain, and therefore more expensive. “Jumbo King Crab legs are not the same jumbo as they used to be,” Metropulos said. But Dover Straits offers a lighter, early bird menu, with 11 dishes ranging from $14.95 for White Bass Filet Savoy to $29.95 for a Captain’s Selection of broiled lobster tail and sauteed shrimp that draws crowds of senior citizens daily until 6 p.m.
The brothers used to own a second Dover Straits in Hoffman Estates, with the three younger brothers running it, but three years ago they made the decision to close it down and sell the land. Now all the brothers work together in one restaurant. And they know their regulars, greeting most of them with broad smiles, hearty handshakes and friendly kisses.
“Many of our customers are older, middle age and up,” Metropulos said. “We have a kid-friendly menu with a nice selection. It’s fine dining and tablecloths. People ask, ‘Is it OK to bring kids?’ Of course! Future customers.”
Pricing: Lunch: Appetizers from $3.50 for cup of Boston Clam Chowder to $11.95 for Captain’s Platter. Sandwiches from $8.50 for a hamburger to $11.50 for Maryland Style Crab Cake Sandwich. Salads from $8 for Caesar to $14.50 for Atlantic Salmon. Captain’s Selections from $13.95 for Golden Tilapia Filet to $35.95 for North Australian Lobster Tail. Dinner: Appetizers from $10.95 for Baked Cherrystone Clams to $12.50 for Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail. Salads from $8 for Caesar to $16.50 for Dover Market Salad with grilled shrimp. Sandwiches from $9 for a cheeseburger to $12.95 for Maryland Style Crab Cake Sandwich. Dinners range from $23.50 for Mediterranean Pasta, $31.95 for Filet Mignon, $46.95 for Alaska Jumbo King Crab Legs and $49.95 for Surf & Turf. Early bird menu daily until 6 p.m. from $14.50 for Breast of Chicken Marsala to $29.50 for Captain’s Selection.
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11-1 a.m. Friday, 3 p.m.-2 a.m. Saturday, noon-10 p.m. Sunday.
Dover Straits is at 890 U.S. Highway 45, Mundelein. Call 847-949-1550 or visit doverstraits.com.
Shonda Talerico Dudlicek is a freelance writer.
