Frank Sinatra can be heard crooning as guests walk into WiseGuys - A Chicago Eatery in Round Rock. The scents of crackling sausages, grilled tenderloin and tangy garlic and onions waft through the restaurant as guests sit down—some of them regulars, others experiencing a Chicago dog for the first time.
From the outside, WiseGuys may be just a restaurant in Round Rock, owner Bill Nychay said. However, when guests step inside, they are transported to the quintessential sights, sounds and culture of Chicago, he said.
“Everything we get in here comes from Chicago. Even the breads, the meats, the desserts—everything comes from Chicago
,” Nychay said. “You have to be authentic.”
Nychay, a Chicago native, said that crafting the aesthetic of a restaurant is equally as important as the food one serves.
Pulling from its mob culture influence, WiseGuys’ menu items bear names like The Godfather, The Don and Marilyn Monroe. The restaurant’s interior includes Prohibit-era signs, mugshots of the FBI’s most wanted gangsters and a mounted car that Al Capone once drove, complete with bullet holes on its door.
