Sitting on the patio of Roux and Lucia, enjoying the beautiful architecture of the building and its landscape, while watching the quiet hustle and bustle of joggers and families with their strollers and four-legged friends go by evokes an emotion that every good Saturday morning should have. Add on a great coffee, delectable pastry, and a mouth-watering entrée, and you have exactly what Roux and Lucia is all about.
Roux Conlon Loar created Roux and Lucia to fulfill a need she saw for a neighborhood eatery she had enjoyed many times in cities around the globe but had yet to find in Dubuque. “At its core, Roux and Lucia was created around the idea of bringing together several things I love: really good food and wine, beautiful spaces, genuine hospitality, and the feeling of neighborhood restaurants and cafes you find in great cities,” said Roux. “I didn’t want it to feel overly formal or like a restaurant that fit neatly into one category. The idea was to create a place that could become part of people’s everyday lives—somewhere you could stop in for coffee and a pastry, meet a friend for lunch, have a glass of wine in the afternoon, or come back for a full dinner.”
With the help of her father Tim Conlon, owner of Conlon Construction, Roux transformed a piece of Dubuque history into the breathtaking café it is today. The building dates to the 1890s where it began its life as a corner grocery store, followed by bakeries, offices, and now, Roux and Lucia. According to Roux, people come and share stories of their former connections with this building when they were growing up, like her own father who stopped almost every day after school. When this iconic building became real estate, Tim knew he had to buy and restore it, which he did in 2020.
Preserving the history of the building and its character was essential to the renovation, as visitors can see through the incredible attention Roux and her father gave to every detail. The outside brick was cleaned of its painted facade and rehabbed with matching vintage brick where needed. The doors and windows were replaced paying homage to the original design, while the inside played into the vintage feel with recreated tile patterns for the floors, light fixtures evoking the feel of a 1930’s Parisian café, with a beautifully dark stained bar, marble café tables, and vintage décor for the walls. The outdoor patio is surrounded by lush landscaping and creates a feeling of relaxation and comfort as it oversees the bakery just steps away across the parking lot. In addition, the upstairs of both buildings house Airbnb’s that make the restaurant even more of a destination.
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