Long before becoming an independent restaurateur, Brian Lupino was the kid pulling a stool up to the counter or stove, watching his Italian-American relatives cook. No culinary-school lessons or formal training—just years of observing, tasting, and learning how ingredients work together.
Today, after 35 years in the restaurant business, those early experiences still influences the way he cooks.
“I can almost taste it before I make it,” he says of creating a dish. It is an intuitive understanding of flavor—knowing what an ingredient needs, what will complement it and when something simply works.
After college Brian realized his real passion—and future—was in the restaurant business. While working in management for restaurant chains, he experienced every side of the operation.
When one restaurant found itself without a kitchen manager, he volunteered to step into the role—even without additional pay. He simply wanted the experience. He knew he was destined to do more, and if he was going to eventually own a successful restaurant, he needed to understand what happened in every part of one.
That determination eventually led him to open his first restaurant in the western suburbs, beginning his career as an independent restaurateur that would include ownership as well as consulting with other restaurant owners.
Over the course of his career, Brian has continued to learn and hone his craft, gaining an appreciation for the many moving parts behind a successful restaurant. He jokes that he should charge aspiring restaurateurs $5,000 to talk them out of opening one. Explaining, enjoying restaurants is one thing; running one requires understanding everything from service and kitchen operations to purchasing, staffing, and aesthetics.
After spending years becoming familiar with the local dining scene around McHenry County, Brian began to see an opportunity. He believed Crystal Lake was ready for an upscale gastropub—a place that retained the comfortable, welcoming feel of a neighborhood pub while elevating the experience through chef-driven food, thoughtfully crafted cocktails and genuine hospitality.
When the right space became available, he jumped at the chance.
At Pub Eighty Ate–a play on the building's address at 88 Railroad Street–the food comes first. The scratch kitchen features sauces, soups, dressings, and other components made in-house and replaces seed oils with beef tallow whenever possible. For Brian, those choices aren't about following trends. They are about controlling ingredients, quality, and ultimately, flavor.
That philosophy carries through the menu. A core selection of dishes offers something for nearly every appetite, from composed salads and creative sandwiches to hearty burgers made with a variety of ground meats, and a dry-aged ribeye, while seasonal features let the kitchen showcase ingredients at their best.
The elevated-yet-approachable concept carries into the rustic space, with open ceilings, high- and low-top tables and a covered patio that expands the experience outdoors in warmer months.
And while food is the foundation, what is in the glass isn't an afterthought. The bar follows much the same philosophy as the kitchen, with bold drinks designed to complement the food and seasonal cocktails that reflect the flavors of the moment.
That combination—scratch cooking, thoughtful ingredients, creative drinks, and an inviting downtown setting—is the gastropub Brian Lupino believed Crystal Lake was ready for.
After 35 years in the restaurant business, his latest venture feels both like something new and a return to where it all began: good ingredients, bold flavor and an instinct for knowing what belongs together.
Three Ways to Apple
This fall, Pub Eighty Ate is putting its own spin on a seasonal favorite. A base of vodka, Apple Pucker and a house sour blend becomes three distinct cocktails: a crisp Appletini; a sweeter take with caramel drizzled inside the glass; and an Apple Mule, which adds the bubbly, spicy kick of ginger beer. The finishing touches that make each uniquely theirs? Those are secrets best kept behind the bar.