Upcoming Chicago Restaurant Openings and News

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It may not be the easiest time to be in the restaurant industry, with labor, ingredient, and rent costs all rising over the past few years and people going out to eat less often due to economic uncertainty and drinking less when they do, but that’s not stopping chefs and restaurateurs from opening new places in Chicago and the suburbs. From marquee projects by big restaurant groups to passion projects by independent bakers and chefs, there’s a lot to be excited about on the horizon.

This has been updated to include new details.

SuSu

Chicago’s latest steakhouse pulls flavors from the whole world under chef Alexander Willis, formerly of Dusek’s and Moody Tongue. The opulent SuSu takes over the former Grace and Yūgen space at 652 W. Randolph St. in the West Loop, and opened in late February.

Fatback

The Loop has a new sandwich shop thanks to Charlie McKenna of Lillie’s Q and The Fifty/50 Group. Located at 176 W. Wacker Dr., Fatback offers artisan sandwiches like an ‘nduja grilled cheese and one with beets, labneh, and za’atar. It also serves as a market, with soups, salads, and vegetable sides, as well as butcher cuts, some grab-and-go alcoholic beverages, and local food brands. It opened in March.

Gingie

The latest restaurant from the predominant Boka Restaurant Group, Gingie replaces their GT Prime at 707 N. Wells St. in River North. It’s their second collaboration with Chef Brian Lockwood, who has worked at some of the most prestigious restaurants in the country. The partnership opened the tiny omakase counter Midōsuji in the Chicago Athletic Association last fall, and Japanese influence is evident on Gingie’s menu as well, with handrolls and a half chicken accompanied by sansho, yuzu, daikon and shiso. But there are also pastas – a Midwestern-ish gnocchi, a squid ink chitarra – and the requisite steaks, in this case a wagyu ribeye and NY strip, with unexpected sides. Seafood is a throughline. Gingie opens March 26. 

Kitty's Cosmopolitan Club

Lettuce Entertain You's Kevin Beary knows how to draw crowds to a bar: Three Dots and a Dash has been popular for years, while Gus' Sip and Dip across the street won Bar of the Year at Chicago's local Banchet Awards this year. Now he's opening Kitty's Cosmopolitan Club below Gus' and Lettuce's new Southeast Asian restaurant Crying Tiger, offering drinks that have a classic touchpoint but use modern techniques in the lower level of 51 W. Hubbard St. There's even a walk-in freezer cocktail station for especially cold drinks. It opens March 27.

Schneider Deli

Jake and Ariel Schneider opened a Jewish deli in the Ohio House Motel in River North in 2023 after selling food as a pop-up. Now they’re expanding into a larger space and longer hours at a second location at 1733 N. Halsted St. in Lincoln Park, which opens April 1.

Meze Table Market

Elizabeth Gartelos Morris and Beth Salentiny had been friends for decades when they started Meze Table to offer Greek and Mediterranean catering and pop-ups. Now they’re opening a brick and mortar store with their own grab-and-go food, kitchen staples, and goods from local brands and farmers. Meze Table Market will likely open in the next few weeks at 3437 S. Morgan St. in Bridgeport.

Mariela, Muhājir, and Bobo 

The in-demand chef Zubair Mohajir, riding an appearance on Top Chef last year and the triumph of Mirra, his Indian-Mexican restaurant with Rishi Manoj Kumar, is expanding fast. He opened an Indian-Filipino cafe called Sarima and closed his tasting menu spot Coach House behind his bar Lilac Tiger to turn the space over to pop-ups. Now he’s venturing into the moribund food scene of the Loop with Mariela (1 W. Washington St.) inside the Staypineapple Hotel. Due in April, the coastal-inspired restaurant is a partnership with Kumar and bartender David Mor. 

Muhājir and Bobo will follow in May at 2630 N. Clark St. in Lincoln Park. Muhājir is a restaurant that sounds like it will draw from across the globe for its live-fire cooking, using historic spice trade routes from Asia to Europe as its basis. Bobo, a speakeasy inspired by Filipino street markets, will be hidden behind. Lilac Tiger chef de cuisine Jacob Dela Cruz joins Mohajir and Mor for both spots. 

The Alley Cat

The team behind the popular Paulie Gee’s is expanding beyond pizza to open a moody, historically inspired neighborhood bar at 2013 W. Division St. in Wicker Park. Expect classic cocktails, Miller High Life-and-shot handshake combos, and deep-fried potato wedges doused in aioli, seven days a week, from Derrick Tung, William Ravert, and Tony Dezutter. They’re aiming for an opening in early April.

Port Union

Rodolfo Cuadros (Amaru) won praise for his inventive vegan food at Bloom Plant Based Kitchen, but closed the restaurant during a recent pull-back in vegan restaurants. Now he's opening Port Union in the same space at 1559 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Wicker Park. The new restaurant will feature a wide-ranging menu that still foregrounds vegetarian dishes like a banana blossom cake while also venturing into staples such as a pork schnitzel, wagyu meatballs with mushroom gravy, Thai-influenced beef tartare, and shrimp cocktail. A soft opening is planned for April 17, with weekend brunch beginning in May.

The Origin Restaurant and Lounge

The Origin will have a base of Nigerian food but also showcase other cuisines and dishes of the African diaspora at 2010 W. Armitage Ave. A soft opening is tentatively planned for April, with a grand opening in May. 

Gilda 

Chicago has fewer Spanish restaurants than you might expect, and none focusing on the culinary hotspot of the Basque region. Jeremy Leven plans to change that with Gilda, at 1450 W. Chicago Ave. in West Town – but he’s not trying to replicate a straight-ahead pintxo bar. Instead he has partnered with Rafa Esparza of the irreverent pop-up FAFO and Anthony Baier to mix some no-nonsense Chicago into coastal Spanish food, with dishes like crispy prawn heads, Iberico pork served with the sorts of sides the pig itself eats, and a black Basque cheesecake. May 15 is Gilda’s anticipated opening date.

Apothecary Cocktail Lounge

Eric Reid is a pharmacist, and now soon-to-be a cocktail bar owner. Apothecary draws on his background and features complex cocktails like one built around eucalyptus or highballs incorporating fermented ingredients from Zachary Heller, a veteran of CH Distillery. Food from Jacquelyn Lord will include fried mushrooms, duck confit flatbread, and more. Apothecary opens in May at 3242 N. Clark St. in Lakeview. 

Urbanbelly

Chef Bill Kim returns to the West Loop years after his BellyQ there closed, as Urbanbelly, his casual dumpling and noodles spot in Wicker Park, relocates to 950 W. Fulton St. The new location is in partnership with Taratsa Hospitality Partners, which will be announcing a fifth concept in the complex in Fulton Market soon. Urbanbelly is planned to open there in May.

Sanders Prime

It’s been a big year for James Sanders, whose Sanders BBQ Supply Co. won Best Counter Service restaurant at Chicago’s local Banchet Awards, was named best new restaurant by the New York Times, and got a James Beard Award semifinalist nod for Sanders and his pitmaster Nick Kleutsch. Now Sanders is expanding to Hyde Park at 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. with a sit-down restaurant that throws together barbecue and steak. A May opening is planned. 

Hey Friends Cafe 

Block Club Chicago reported the plans for this Filipino cafe at 6050 W. Irving Park Rd. in Portage Park, which is hosting a Kickstarter to raise money to open by the end of May. Expect a longanisa sandwich, teas and mocktails, Veloria Coffee, and Camelia Bakes desserts. 

Cafecito 

This popular local mini-chain is opening its fifth Chicago location in North Center at 4018 N Western Ave., bringing its Cuban sandwiches and coffee north of its more central outposts. (It’s also expanding into Southern California.) Owners Philip and Michael Ghantous are planning for a spring opening.

Guillotine Bakery

Just down the street from Gilda, at 1711 W. Chicago Ave., Guillotine is bringing a different beloved European tradition to Chicago: the French bakery. The trio of Vincent Didry, Alizé Bikard, and Vince Le Bec are bringing simple breads, laminated pastries, and plenty of imported butter to West Town, with an anticipated spring opening. 

All Well

Noah Sandoval is one of Chicago’s most esteemed chefs, winning Best Chef: Great Lakes at last year’s James Beard Awards and maintaining two Michelin stars at his tasting menu spot Oriole. Now he’s expanding with Larry Feldmeier, who has worked at Oriole and other prominent spots, to offer both a five-course prix fixe menu with genre-hopping dishes such as agnolotti stuffed with oozy Delice de Bourgogne cheese and an a la carte menu in the bar. All Well is at 111 N. Carpenter St. in the West Loop, and is a partnership with 16” on Center, the group behind iconic Chicago music venues like Thalia Hall and restaurants like Longman& Eagle. The opening is planned for spring.

NAIA

The biggest – at least in terms of square footage – upcoming opening is NAIA, a massive Mediterranean restaurant along the Chicago River between LaSalle and Wells Streets. A project of DineAmic Hospitality, known for scene-y restaurants like Siena Tavern and La Serre, NAIA features Greek chef Athinagoras Kostakos, whose menu will draw from the Middle East, Greece, Italy, and Spain. Open all day with a patio directly on the river, NAIA is sure to bustle in warm weather – which is why it’s aiming for a spring opening.

Green City Market

Green City Market has brought local produce to Chicago for over 25 years, but it has never had a permanent home where it could offer indoor markets and space for farmers through the whole year. That changed earlier this year when the farmers market bought a building at 2457 W. Montrose Ave. in Lincoln Square, which they hope to have up and running by spring.

Black Briar

Jimmy Papadopoulos made his name at now-closed Bohemian House and Boka’s Bellemore, but hasn’t had a restaurant since COVID. Now he’s back with Bellemore partner Tim Anderson for a tavern they’re calling Black Briar. It’s due to open in June at 201 N. Morgan St. in the West Loop. 

Obama Presidential Center restaurants

The Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park is one of the most anticipated projects in Chicago, period. Cliff Rome, the chef behind the beloved Bronzeville soul food spot Peach’s, is heading up the food offerings there along with Bon Appétit Management Co. WBEZ reported that those will include a fine dining restaurant, cafe, and catering services. Comfort food such as lasagna and braised short ribs will be available. The Center opens to the public on Juneteenth. 

Mansun Pocha

The northwest suburbs have become the center of Chicago’s Korean community, with restaurants like New Village Gastro Pub winning acclaim and visitors from the city. Now New Village’s owners James Shin and Brian Lee are bringing Korean drinking snacks and open-flame cooking to Logan Square with Mansun Pocha, at 2535 N. Milwaukee Ave. They’re targeting a summer opening.  

Soul Ramen 

The African diaspora restaurant Mahari brought a fresh take to Hyde Park last year, winning a local Banchet Award and being named to Chicago magazine’s best new restaurants list. Now the team behind it is partnering with Airian McDuffy on a different unique concept, in which Chef Rahim Muhammad mixes African flavors into Japanese ramen. The upcoming fast-casual restaurant is located at 508 E. Pershing Rd. in Bronzeville.

Bad Butter 

Bread and laminated pastries from Dan Koester of Bad Butter (formerly Dan the Baker) have been some of Chicago’s most sought after for years, but they’ve always been extremely limited, offered only in weekend drops at the Emily Hotel in the West Loop. Now Koester is opening his own space on a side street in Wicker Park, at 1655 W. Cortland St. Expect a line when it opens.

QXY Dumplings

One of the city’s favorite dumpling houses expands from its original Chinatown location, bringing its broth-filled dumplings to 2018 W. Division St. in Wicker Park. The plans were announced last spring.

Haven 

This spot from a decorated pastry chef might be the first of its kind in Chicago, offering a tasting menu of desserts at 1114 W. Grand Ave. Tatum Sinclair is the pastry chef for the singular restaurants of Stephen Gillanders, which include S.K.Y. and Valhalla, and is getting her own place in the form of Haven, which will offer coffee and pastries in the morning before switching to a set menu at night, according to Chicago magazine. It joins a growing collection of exciting restaurants along Grand Avenue in West Town.

Jinsei Motto

Patrick Bouaphanh found success with a sushi and omakase spot of the same name in CH Distillery in the West Loop. Now he’s bringing the concept to its own space at 2456 N. California St. in Logan Square.

Goosefoot

Located on Lawrence Avenue for years, Goosefoot offered a Michelin-starred tasting menu in an unusual location. Now the restaurant is returning, relocating to a more central spot at 4520 N. Lincoln Ave. in Lincoln Square under the continued ownership of Chris and Nina Nugent.

Dewey’s BBQ Market

Texas barbecue is coming to Skokie as Robert Fitzpatrick carries on a family legacy. Dewey’s BBQ Market is named after his father, who was pitmaster at a stalwart that served North Texas with distinctively African American barbecue for over half a century. Brisket, pork ribs, ham, Polish sausage and more will be available at 5013 W. Oakton St. in Skokie, with a planned fall opening.

The Idle Hour and Vicolo 

Megan and Chris Curren brought high-end food to the far suburbs with The Graceful Ordinary in St. Charles a few years ago, and now they’re expanding as O&D Hospitality. First up is The Idle Hour, a members-only lounge and cigar shop at 17 S. 2nd Ave. in St. Charles, slated to open in 2026. Construction has also begun on the group’s cafe and pasta restaurant Vicolo at 7 S. Broadway in Aurora, first announced in 2024.

Other news on the horizon

Hotspot Filipino bakery Del Sur is expanding into a storefront next door to its tiny Ravenswood space, which should help ease its typical lines. One Off Hospitality is opening an avec in north suburban Highwood. The Gibsons group is working on a tavern in the West Loop. The former McCormick & Schmick’s in the Loop is set to become the Mexican-American Espiritu, according to Crain's. John Manion of El Che Steakhouse & Bar is taking over the Proxi space in the West Loop, Crain's reports. Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark of Anelya and Parachute HiFi want to open a spot in Evanston, Evanston Roundtable says. And the team behind Adalina and Adalina Prime are working on something at 15 E. Oak St.  

Get more recipes, food news, and stories at wttw.com/food or by signing up for our Deep Dish newsletter.
Have a food story or recommendation? Email us at [email protected].