Misfits is located at 230 West Madison St, Ottawa Il 61350. Their hours are 11am to 8pm on Mondays and Thursdays, 11am to 9pm Fridays, 12pm to 9pm on Saturdays, and 11am to 5pm on Sundays. Check out their website or Facebook page to learn more.

It’s almost time for Ottawa’s Restaurant Weeks! Starting March 8th, cuisine comes alive in the Middle of Everywhere with a two week-long celebration of local flavor, creativity, and community spirit. We have a grand total of TWELVE participating restaurants! Each will have a specialized menu item for the occasion. Grab your Dining Passport at the office or at participating locations. Collect stamps throughout the two weeks for a chance to win prizes and experience all that Ottawa’s food scene has to offer. Check out the event description here for the full details on Restaurant Week!

 We recently had the chance to speak with Matthew Palia and Claire Coffey, the minds behind Misfits. To start things off, Matt told the story of how Misfits came to be.

“The restaurant technically first started serving June, Third Friday. Food started Third Friday in August, and that has expanded since then.”

“Basically, I was the general manager at Red Dog Grill out of Heritage Harbor for three years, and I brought Claire in after year one, as my number two. And we realized we worked really well together. The plan was always to buy Red Dog and make it mine, but then we decided not do that, and come down here to the old C230, where she used to work… It’s a great space for what we want to do with it.”

And what backstory would be complete without a hint of what’s to come? Matt also mentioned some upcoming plans for Misfits.

“We really figured it found our concept in our niche, in fast-casual. We have that side [referring to the currently unused section of the building] that will eventually in the next couple months be open to just lunch.” 

We just can’t wait to see what’s coming next from Misfits!

Of course, we also had to know about their tagline, “Escape the Ordinary,” and where the name “Misfits” comes from. The pair mentioned that they didn’t want to feel pigeonholed and restricted into a specific type of cuisine.

“We didn’t want that. We wanted autonomy to do anything we want with drinks and food… Yeah, we just we always thought of ourselves as Misfits out there, so that’s how the name came up,” Matt said. 

Guests can Escape the Ordinary with a reinvented dining experience and fresh takes on classic eats! All this and more awaits when Restaurant Weeks come to town. Getting hungrier, (for knowledge, of course) we asked what sorts of menu items can be expected for Restaurant Week.

“Our menu is Comfort Food reimagined, so it’s right in our wheelhouse. Half of the items are ones that are already on our menu because we see restaurant week as an opportunity to showcase them to people who haven’t heard of us yet.”

One example is Misfits’ popular sandwich, The Untouchable, their take on an Italian beef sandwich.

“I was just kind of thinking, I lived in Pittsburgh for six years, and whenever I would come back to visit, I was like ‘What would I eat?’ And I just wanted to make it into a sandwich, something a little different. Then, a lot of dishes are very heavy pasta and stuff like that. But chicken parm was something I could change into a wrap… I was, like, ‘I kind of want to do a meatloaf sandwich, but I didn’t want it to be too rich,’” he said.

“But like those things, those Midwest comforts, certain things are really, truly Untouchable… but these other things are ones where I felt like I had some room to play with.” 

The pair expressed that they encourage others to Escape the Ordinary and lean into the eclectic menu at Misfits.

“People would order without it, like the Billy Ray comes with lime aioli on shredded lettuce, and that has a green chili cream cheese instead of mayo. They just want a BLT,” Matt said. 

“I challenge you to get it right the first time, and then you can change it after that… But there’s a reason it’s right, put together the way it is. Try the way it is… It’s pretty intentional.”

Both Matt and Claire mentioned how satisfied customers have been, especially when they’ve Escaped the Ordinary. We just had to ask the minds behind Misfits personally what their favorite menu items are too! Plus, we even got a sneak peak at the next Sandwich of the Month.

“I never ate burgers really much before this,” Claire said. “I would say Our Chappy, the Danny Tanner, Oh, I mean, those are some of the most popular sandwiches for a reason. 

Matt shared with us his thoughts on a favorite menu item.

“I think the most flavorful one we have is the Monique Junot, which is the mushroom French roll, but I’ll Have What She’s Having also,” he said.

“It’s different for me, because when I have the ideas, it’s like some of these ideas were three years in the making, and then to actually have them come out like they do and see people really enjoy them. It’s hard for me to choose.” 

“It really is everything because it’s your menu, but I do eat a Jackie Sinclair once a week, But now I probably have a new favorite, one that’ll be our sandwich of the month for March. Adult PB and J, that’s to come, and it’s sickening. We’ve been testing out with our regulars, and they’ve been requesting it multiple days in a row.” 

Curious about what’ll be in that sandwich? Smoked ham, pickled onions, Tabasco, pepper jelly, and almond butter on rye bread. 

Matt and Claire also shared what they enjoy about being a part of the restaurant scene in Ottawa.

“I see on a regular basis, a lot of new faces on the weekends, especially with spring coming up,” Claire said. “I very much enjoy it and talking with people, telling them about Ottawa, because it is a great place to be and to live, so that’s probably my favorite part.”

Being in the back of the restaurant, Matt’s experience is a little different, but just as rewarding.

“I’m not always out here, but, I’m Italian Polish. I love connecting people through food. We built this concept and right away… But like the atmosphere, everything that we cultivated to say ‘we belong.’ And I think the cool thing about it, too, is that where Ottawa was and where it is now are completely different, you know? We love the competition and what other people are doing. We love Madison Street,” he said.

Finally, we had Matt and Claire share some closing thoughts.

“I think all that… It’s good to know it was worth doing,” Matt said.

Claire agreed with Matt’s sentiment. She spoke on how she feels Misfits has been received by people in the area.

“They were ready for it,” she said.

Many thanks to Matt and Claire for having us!

Stay tuned for more interviews with participating Restaurant Week businesses! We hope to see you out and about from March 8th to March 21st!