A new restaurant in downtown La Salle is set to open this fall.

The Thirsty Mule, a nod to the mules that pulled the boats through the I&M Canal, will open at 541 1st St., the location of the former Social Kitchen that closed in 2019.

Owners Dayne Junker and Shayn Donahue hope to have a soft opening for the bar open by mid-October. The kitchen likely won’t be operating until the end of the year.

To start, the menu will be simple with appetizers, burgers, pizzas, and for lunch, a soup and salad bar. Daily specials will be offered as well.

“As time goes on, I’d like to expand a little more, but for the beginning, we just want to keep it simple,” Junker said.

Junker and Donahue also own The Backstreet in La Salle.

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