Asian Restaurant and Rooftop Bar Arriving in Normal Heights

A large two-level Asian restaurant and bar is coming to Normal Heights as part of a mixed-use building that’s nearing completion at the corner of Bancroft Street and Adams Avenue. Owner Louie Chau is developing the project, which sits on a 13,250-square-foot lot and will include 11 apartment units; his new SKA Bar and Restaurant will span 4,500-square-feet on the ground floor and a 2,500-square-foot rooftop. Chau and his family also run a Chinese restaurant, Lotus Garden, in City Heights and own the building it’s housed in as well as the adjacent Asian market.

Aiming to open this May, SKA will feature a menu that combines Pan Asian dishes with American bar food; expect ramen and fried rice along with salads, wings, and burgers. Chau says he also plans to offer specials, including steak and lobster nights. The downstairs dining room, with garage doors that roll up onto Adams Avenue, will include a 40-foot bar that spans the length of the restaurant. Food will be sent via dumbwaiter up to the rooftop lounge, where tables will sit on raised platforms to allow for panoramic city views. And what’s a rooftop with a view without brunch? SKA will likely serve brunch from Thursday to Sunday.

Local industry pro Elliott Mizuki has been signed to create the drink menu, which will include Asian influences. Mizuki makes the move from Adams Avenue cocktail temple Polite Provisions, where he’s worked as a manager and bartender for the last six years.