Legendary French Restaurant Les Nomades Has Closed After Nearly Five Decades

CORRECTION: The building that houses Les Nomades has been on the market since 2024, and the restaurant’s lease was set to run through June 2026. The listing broker for the property contacted Eater Chicago with the clarification. The story has been updated to include those details.

Les Nomades, one of Chicago’s oldest fine dining institutions, has served its final souffle. After nearly five decades in Streeterville, the acclaimed French restaurant is now closed amid the impending expiration of its lease and sale of its historic building at 222 E. Ontario Street.

“The time has come for us to hang up our aprons and say farewell,” owner Mary Beth Liccioni announced in a post on Instagram. “When we opened our doors … we never could have imagined the incredible journey ahead — the laughter shared over meals, the celebrations hosted at our tables, and the friendships that blossomed over the years. You welcomed us into your lives, and for that, we are forever grateful.”

Restaurateur Jovan Trboyevic opened Les Nomades in 1978 as a private club built around a vision of understated French elegance: white tablecloths, fireplaces, flower arrangements, and a strict jacket policy. Under Roland Liccioni, who led the kitchen for much of its run, the restaurant earned national attention and a devoted following for its seasonal cooking and signature dishes like wild mushroom soup, roasted duck, and Grand Marnier souffle. His then-wife, Mary Beth Liccioni, purchased the business in 1993 and managed it until its closing. Among the chefs to pass through Les Nomades over the years was Chris Nugent — he would later go on to found Goosefoot in Lincoln Square — and Duck Sel’s Donald Young. Roland Liccioni retired in 2024.

In June 2024, the three-story brownstone that houses Les Nomades was listed for $3.5 million, according to the building’s broker. Earlier this summer, owner Mary Beth Liccioni told CoStar she didn’t expect the restaurant to continue after the sale, though the broker notes that the property remains on the market and the restaurant’s lease was set to run through June 2026. Mary Beth Liccioni could not be reached for comment, but a message on the restaurant’s OpenTable page says, “The building that houses Les Nomades is being sold. We are unfortunately retiring.”

With its closure, Les Nomades joins a list of longtime fine dining institutions that have shuttered in recent years, such as Spiaggia, Everest, and Blackbird. Once pillars of the city’s culinary scene, these restaurants offered decades of refined cuisine and elegant service, and their departures underscore the ongoing transformation of Chicago’s fine dining landscape.