Since 2013, the brick building at Wilton Avenue and Cross Street has carried at least four restaurant names. On Oct. 20, 2026, it took a fifth. The new one is Falco, an Italian restaurant serving handmade pizza, fresh pasta and cocktails. Its owner already runs three other restaurants in town.
That owner is BJ Lawless, the restaurateur behind B.J. Ryan's Pub and Grill, B.J. Ryan's B·AN·C House and B.J. Ryan's East. Falco is the group's fourth Norwalk location.
A Power Station Before It Was a Dining Room
The building is older than any of the restaurants that have used it. According to Preservation Connecticut's mill survey, the site started as the Norwalk & South Norwalk Electric Light Co. The generating station went up in 1891, and the building later housed paper production. Norwalk Hat Co. occupied it from about 1925 into the mid-1950s.
The same survey puts the industrial complex on the east side of Wilton Avenue, at its northeast corner with Cross Street. The original 1891 group had a red-brick generating building, a boiler house and an 80-foot chimney. The Hour's report on Falco's opening explains that the plant was built to power local streetlights. Ask a longtime Norwalk resident about the building, though, and they'll probably mention a restaurant before a hat.
Five Restaurant Names Since 2013
The address has changed hands as a restaurant often enough that its history fits in a table. Here are the restaurants local news has tied to 2 Wilton Ave. over the past dozen years.
| Restaurant | When it was there | What the reporting says |
|---|---|---|
| Ash Creek Saloon | Before 2013 | Bought in 2013 by operators who rebranded it |
| Old Mill Smokehouse Saloon | Soft-opened fall 2013 | Lasted about two years after Ash Creek |
| Bogey's Grille & Tap Room | Early 2015 to July 2017 | Closed a little over two years after moving in |
| 1920 Bar & Bistro | Late December 2023 to early 2025 | Closed just over a year after opening |
| Falco | Opened Oct. 20, 2026 | Fourth Norwalk restaurant from BJ Lawless |
The Lighthouse also operated at the address at some point, according to Patch and The Hour.
In 2013, CT Insider reported that new operators had bought the former Ash Creek Saloon and were renaming it Old Mill Smokehouse Saloon. That December, The Hour reported that Old Mill had soft-opened seven weeks earlier and was planning a grand opening in early January 2014. Bogey's moved in early in 2015 and had closed by July 2017, according to The Hour. 1920 Bar & Bistro opened in the last week of December 2023. In February 2025, its owner told The Hour it would not reopen.
Bogey's stayed about two and a half years, Old Mill about two, and 1920 Bar & Bistro just over one. Falco now brings the corner into a group with restaurants that have been open across town for much longer.
Three Restaurants Already Open Across Town
Before Falco, BJ Lawless already had three restaurants in town. Their own sites show how long each has been open:
- B.J. Ryan's Pub and Grill, 57 Main Street, established 2007. It's the group's flagship, serving pub fare, burgers, craft cocktails and beer.
- B.J. Ryan's B·AN·C House, 16 River Street, established 2011. It serves house-smoked barbecue and fresh seafood, with a raw bar every day.
- B.J. Ryan's East, 1 Cove Avenue in East Norwalk, established 2022. It's a neighborhood bar and restaurant with Chef Lisa's dishes and what the restaurant calls the original Partner's pizza.
As of this fall, the Main Street pub is 19 years old and B·AN·C House is 15. In the Aug. 4 announcement, The Hour noted that both had won Connecticut Magazine Best Restaurant awards. Each has been open longer than any single restaurant at 2 Wilton Ave. in the past dozen years.
Falco also has its own identity. Signage, coverage and the restaurant's web address all call it "a BJ Ryan's restaurant." Even so, the menu leans away from the pub and barbecue formats the group is known for. In a Patch interview earlier this year, Lawless said the idea for a fourth restaurant came from wanting to team up with Jared Falco.
What Jared Falco Is Cooking
Falco is the executive chef, and the restaurant carries his name. In 2021 he co-founded Rosina's Restaurant & Bar in Greenwich with Coby Blount. Connecticut Magazine recognized Rosina's that same year, according to The Hour's August report. CTbites, cited by The Hour, says he previously worked at Fortina and was executive chef at Washington Prime, Amore and Speedy Romeo.
The posted menu mixes red-sauce Italian classics with a few larger plates:
- To start: Caesar and caprese salads, focaccia, prosciutto
- Pizza: several handmade pies
- Pasta: pappardelle bolognese, among others
- Mains: veal chop Parmesan, chicken saltimbocca, branzino, NY strip steak
The Hour quotes the restaurant's OpenTable description, which promises "ever-rotating dishes to reflect seasonality and local farm partnerships." The bar serves craft cocktails, draft beer and wine. The menu you see on a mid-November visit may already differ from the one Falco opened with on Oct. 20.
Getting a Table Three Weeks In
Opening week was tightly controlled. Lawless told Patch that tables were reservation-only for about the first week "so we are able to control the pace," while bar seats and walk-ins were open for cocktails and pizza only. On the eve of opening, he told Patch:
"There has been a great amount of anticipation for this project. We ask for everyone's patience as we are already full on reservations for the first week. We will be taking reservations a month in advance."
Opening week has passed. Falco's homepage now says "Reservations recommended" and lists the phone number as 203-750-9688. With bookings opening a month ahead, Thanksgiving week and early December tables are already being booked. Check Falco's website or call for current hours and seating before planning a visit.
The same day Lawless spoke with Patch, he said construction was "90 percent done," with a few exterior items left. The outside of the building may look a little different from one visit to the next this fall.
The restaurants along a street shape how a corner feels day to day, and in Norwalk that's changing block by block this fall. If you'd like to talk about what changes like Falco's opening mean for your part of town, I'm glad to help. At Jillian Klaff, we're happy to put together a personalized market consultation for your street.
