Wildwood restaurant in Geneva closes

GENEVA – Wildwood in Geneva has permanently closed, according to a post on the upscale steak and seafood restaurant's website.

Owner Patrick Neary stated in the May 15 post that the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on dine-in service in Illinois contributed to the decision to close.

"There are just too many memories to share in a short communication and honestly it’s a bit painful at the moment to go through that process. Our day to day operations, resulted in hundreds of new personal acquaintances and, importantly, some lasting deep friendships," Neary wrote.

In his post, Neary urged his customers to support other local restaurants and merchants during the coronavirus crisis.

The restaurant was awarded with an Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator magazine. in 2014 for the fourth year in a row.

"It's been something we're really proud of," Neary told the Kane County Chronicle in 2014. "When I buy the wines, I try and get a representation from California and Europe, along with countries like New Zealand, Australia and South Africa."

Wildwood was located at 477 S. Third St. in downtown Geneva. It had been in business just over 14 years.