Michelin-Starred Galit Unveils an All-Day Cafe in Lincoln Park

The team behind Michelin-starred Galit will open an all-day cafe next to their award-winning restaurant. Chef Zach Engel and partner Andrés Clavero plan to debut Cafe Yaya this winter at 2431 N. Lincoln Avenue, sandwiched between the Biograph Theater and Galit.

The counter-service cafe will debut with morning pastries and an al carte dinner menu, but there are plans for lunch, brunch, and takeout, according to a news release. It’s a walk-in cafe with reservations available for parties of four or more. Cafe Yaya’s second floor will be available for private events, and ownership hopes to work with local artists, teachers, and entrepreneurs.

Engel and Clavero feel the new project is a natural extension of Galit, and that the new cafe will further nurture the Lincoln Park community. Mary Eder-McClure, Galit’s longtime pastry chef is baking pastries like walnut baklava; fig, goat cheese, and zataar-stuffed challah, potato bourekia (a savory hand pie) with everything spice; and a vegan apple puff with sahleb (a Middle Eastern milk pudding).

Beyond the more casual setting, Cafe Yaya’s wine program will diverge from Galit with bottles from overlooked regions, including Chinon, France; and South America. There will be plenty of wines by the glass with the selection curated by Scott Stroemer, Galit’s bar director.

Galit set a standard for food with Israeli and Palestinian influences, and Engel is a James Beard Award winner. Cafe Yaya’s dinner menu with a blend of French, Jewish, Southern, Middle Eastern, and Midwestern touches. They’ll pour coffee from Sparrow Coffee Roastery, a familiar sight at many local fine dining restaurants.

News of Clavero and Engel’s project broke in the spring 2023, and progress has inched along. Meanwhile, Galit has continued to star with a family-style multi-course meal. Construction is still far from completion, so expect more details as 2024 comes to an end.

Cafe Yaya, 2431 N. Lincoln Avenue, scheduled to open in winter 2025

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