Ritual Salad owner Cori Zastera poses in the doorway of her new restaurant location in Lakeside. Zastera and friend Jenna Wersal, left, were prepping the building for paint June 11. (Photo by Mark Nicklawske)

A year after opening in Lincoln Park, a popular grab-and-go lunch counter and mystic shop is moving to a bigger building in Lakeside.

Ritual Salad & Apothecary plans to open a new restaurant in a former driving school at 4501 E. Superior St. this month. The business debuted last spring in a tiny, renovated building on the corner of Superior Street and 18th Avenue West. The move will increase indoor seating capacity from five to 25.

Owner Cori Zastera said she quickly outgrew her old space and was unable to find a larger location in Lincoln Park.

“We did great last year. We sold a lot and I’m really proud of what we did, but we stopped growing because there was no seating room — especially in the winter time,” she said. “We watched a lot of people all winter turn around and walk away and say: ‘Oh, we’ll just come back another day’ or ‘We’ll come back in the spring.’ It’s because there was no seating.”

Ritual Salad in Lincoln Park is relocating to a larger building in Lakeside at 4501 E. Superior St. Renovation work was underway last week. (Photo by Mark Nicklawske)

Ritual Salad will relocate to the former Learning Institute for Excellence, a nearly 100-year-old building with a 2,200-square-foot main floor and a functioning basement. The move will more than triple its kitchen, seating space and retail area.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” she said.

Patrons eating in the new, larger dining room will cut down on wasteful takeout packaging, Zastera said. The dining room can also be used for after-hours special events. The fast-casual style restaurant will continue to serve lunch featuring specialty and build-your-own salads, sandwiches and soups. Breakfast will be added to its menu.

“Because (Lakeside) doesn’t really have a breakfast place, we’ll have grab-and-go breakfast sandwiches, quiches and things I can bake in the oven,” she said.

Lake Superior Brewing, 5324 E. Superior St., serves breakfast/brunch on Saturdays only, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The brewery serves dinner Tuesdays through Saturdays from 3 to 10 p.m.

The New London Cafe, 4721 E. Superior St., closed its breakfast and lunch operations in January 2024. Falastin, a popular Palestinian deli, opened in the space for lunch but closed at the end of May.

Building owner Reilly Brennan said he purchased the property last November and was looking for a new tenant to improve Lakeside dining amenities.

“We’ve got some limited options for food items (in Lakeside), so it’s really nice to have someone who wants to bring that over to this side of the community and fill the gap,” he said.

Brennan said Ritual Salad was a hit in Lincoln Park because it served fresh, healthy, high-quality food. The new restaurant will make things simple for hungry Lakeside residents, especially those looking for vegetarian options, he said.

“I think it checks all the boxes for what people are looking for,” said Brennan.

The new Ritual Salad location will also feature more space for apothecary sales and a tarot corner. The restaurant and retail space celebrates the metaphysical and sells a variety of herbs, crystals and mystical enhancements.

Zastera said a spacious driveway fronting Superior Street will be used for occasional summer markets. A sidewalk along 45th Avenue is wide enough for patio seating.

The building was constructed in 1927 and has served as a laundromat, a church, a driving school and education center. It features a unique corner entrance and large, south-facing windows. A kitchen and main floor bathroom are being installed, structural supports have been upgraded and the renovation uncovered pristine terrazzo floors.

A main floor bathroom and kitchen were added to the former laundromat building at 4501 E. Superior St. The renovation uncovered pristine terrazzo floors. (Photo by Mark Nicklawske)

Brennan called the building “a little tired” and said it was time for improvements. He and his wife Britney also own the Inn on Gitche Gumee, 8517 Congdon Boulevard, and the former Allyndale Motel in the Cody neighborhood, which they recently remodeled and renamed the Trailside Hotel.

“Being able to bring it back in line with some of the regeneration that’s happening around this area is really a privilege,” he said. “It feels good to do something nice for the neighborhood from a building perspective as an investor, but then also to say: ‘Hey, we’ve got this great restaurant that’s coming in too.’ I think it’s just a win for everyone involved.”

Zastera said she plans to have a soft opening Saturday, June 21, in time for Grandma’s Marathon visitors. She said an official grand opening will happen in the following weeks.