Update 12/7: Jonna’s will close for the season Dec 15.

Just because summer is over doesn’t mean we don’t still love our Lake Michigan, and the more indoor spots we have to view it, the better. That’s why we were happy to hear that Jonna’s Beach Cafe and Bar, on the main floor of the Indiana Dunes State Park pavilion, plans to be open year round.

Jonna’s opened in late May with little fanfare but was quickly mobbed, co-owner Gary Lane said, serving thousands of customers a day with grab-and-go food and customers seating themselves inside and out.

Now that the busy season is over, Lane and co-owner Jonna Paglicci can take a breath (they’re closed on Mondays and Tuesdays) and offer table service. They’re serving up comfort foods like slow-roasted pot roast, Italian beef sandwich, wine-braised short ribs, and bratwurst with sauerkraut and spaetzle. Also on offer are desserts, homemade muffins and pastries, iced and hot coffee, tea, beer and spirits. I saw only a couple of wines on a recent visit.

The couple, who have had a catering business in Portage for the past 25 years (Jonna ran a couple of restaurants before that), plan to be open Wednesdays through Sundays 11 am-5 pm off-season (now through Memorial Day). Jonna says that if a group is enjoying drinks at the bar, she’ll stay open longer and has come up with a simple bar-food menu for such occasions.

Even on a cloudy day, when I visited, the lake roaring outside the restaurant’s floor-to-ceiling windows is a sight to behold. I can’t think of another spot right on Lake Michigan to have a drink or a meal this time of year.

Gary tells me he’s working with the park to come up with a way to refund customers the park entrance fee ($7 per carload for Indiana residents; $9 for non-residents).

The rooftop restaurant at the pavilion, The Lookout, is closed for the season. I wrote about that here. It’s run by Lincoln Kitchen out of Valparaiso.

Follow Jonna’s on Facebook for updates and specials or call 219-803-9800 with questions.