Vondra Social House, just south of Lincoln Home Historic Site on Edwards Street, inhabits a quaint and historic two-story brick structure. The building was brought back from the brink of ruin in 2007 and operated as a restaurant under various owners until closing at the end of 2024.
With a front porch that spans the whole front of the building, Vondra is an appealing sight to hungry visitors. Everything is freshly painted and clean. The walls are no longer dark colored, which gives the space a more pleasing feel. There’s a tin ceiling, homey accents (each table has a different set of salt and pepper shakers), a separate bar area and table seating up front. Although we didn’t check it out, we were told that additional seating is available on the second floor, which is set up to handle larger groups.
We arrived on a blustery January day with the wind howling. Vondra was full (with a party waiting to be seated by the time we left), and we ended up at a table near the door, which meant each time visitors entered we were blasted with cold wind. A temporary vestibule would have been a nice touch, but given how temperate our winters have been lately, I can understand why one was not installed.
The menu is fun, with almost all dishes having a different spin or a surprising twist. You can tell that it was prepared by someone much younger than me as the font is pretty small – throw a bone to your elders and make the print a little larger, please. If you’re so inclined, there’s a very thorough drink list that occupies the entire back side of the menu. There’s also a separate evening menu that features small dishes that are best shared and that are more suitable for the cocktail hour.
Other than the two salads (five grain and Caesar), most dishes are handheld. The menu has some sweet dishes like “Smash and Press” (sourdough with powdered sugar, maple-glazed ham, maple bacon, cheese and caramelized onion aioli), the Hawt Hunny (buttermilk biscuit, chicken, jalapeño bacon, honey butter, fried egg and a hot honey drizzle), the French toast (served with house butterscotch and eggnog cream) and the beignets. On the savory side, there’s the BLTT (sourdough, bacon, fried green tomato, lettuce and spicy vodka tomato chutney), the horseshoe (with a green chili cheese sauce) and the kielbasa sandwich. There were no starters or appetizers.
We decided to go with the chopped Italian sandwich and the blackberry jalapeño grilled cheese.
First, let’s talk about Vondra’s excellent potato chips that appeared to come with most all sandwiches – in our case, they were very generous portions. They had to be homemade and were fried to a golden-brown right to the edge, but not past, the burning point. Like everything we tasted, they were well-seasoned and among the best in town.
The chopped Italian consisted of ham, salami, prosciutto, provolone, onion, banana peppers and sun-dried tomatoes all bound together with an Italian aioli. It was served on a toasted baguette. I really liked this dish, particularly the inclusion of the sun-dried tomatoes. No one ingredient prevailed, and it was a well-balanced offering with everything in harmony. I don’t like mayo and believe that aioli is just a fancy name for mayo, but this didn’t bother me in the slightest.
The portion was so large that I ended up eating it as an open-faced sandwich and even then, thanks to the heaping serving of chips, I couldn’t finish the dish. Had I eaten it as a sandwich, it might have been a slightly messy dish. One suggestion in that regard: Hollow out the baguette so that it can better contain the filings.
My guest asked for her grilled cheese to come with regular bacon and that it be extra crispy. Vondra delivered in both regards. She appreciated that the blackberry and jalapeño jam was served on the side. I snagged a taste and it was not all that spicy. She considers herself a grilled cheese connoisseur and enjoyed how the creamy, buttery melt of the Muenster paired with the tangy, sharp flavor of the white cheddar. In her words, the result was a sandwich that was both rich in texture (thanks, also, to the wonderfully grilled bread) and complex in taste. Again, she also was tickled with the potato chips.
Service was a team effort. I noticed that if our server was busy that another server would take care of us, including getting our dishes off of the line and to our table quickly. And, as silly as it sounds, my guests and I particularly appreciated that the paper napkins were substantial – a nice touch when compared to most of Vondra’s peers.
Vondra is a welcome addition to the downtown area dining scene and is worth a visit. We plan to be back.
This article appears in February SBJ 2026.