North Park’s Newest Breakfast Spot Offering Do-It-Yourself Pancakes and More

A new daytime eatery with a focus on breakfast is landing at 3020 University Avenue. The 4,200-square-foot space, which includes a mezzanine, is currently vacant. Called Flap Your Jacks, the eatery is scheduled to open June 2019 in North Park.

Partnering with owners Ilan Wornovitzky and Marcos Wornovitzky, COO Raul Esses originally hails from Mexico City and is a nearly 20-year veteran of the hospitality industry who currently runs the South Bay region for Jersey Mike’s Subs. Consulting chef Sergio Howland is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park and an alum of high-end resorts around the globe. Though the restaurant will feature griddles on each table, where diners can cook their own pancakes and customize them with a variety of toppings and sauces, it will also offer a broader menu that includes eggs Benedict, French toast, and Mexican breakfast classics ranging from chilaquiles to huevos rancheros.

The high-ceilinged space, which will feature lots of windows, will include a full bar for brunch cocktails like Bellinis and Bloody Marys. Esses and his partners are also taking over the cigarette store next door, developing the 950-square-foot space into a dessert shop that will complement the breakfast spot. Nate Benedetto of Next Wave Commercial represented the landlord in the transaction.