The Buffy pop-up in Wicker Park is among 20 great Halloween pop-ups. | Barry Brecheisen/Eater Chicago
These bars and restaurants have plentiful tricks, treats, and spooky scares
No, it’s not just you. It does feel like it’s way too early for Halloween to be right around the corner (Thursday, October 31). We suggest you get into the spirit and have plenty of ways to do it. From a hotel rooftop where horror movies come alive to a haunted house that comes with a warning, this year’s festivities aren’t for the faint of heart. Those looking for something a little less scary — specialty drinks and upscale Halloween-themed food at a fancy-pants cocktail lounge where costumes are required, perhaps? — we have you covered, too.
It’s been a year since scintillating South Asian restaurant Vajra moved from West Town into the Wicker Park space where to Spring and Trencherman called home. But until last week, the restaurant was take-out only as ownership worked out what it wanted to do inside their new home near Wicker Park’s six corners.
Last weekend Vajra began bar service. They’ll serve cocktails and bar bites like momos and a goat burger. But the big news for fans of Vajra’s delectable dishes like Sichuan Chicken Chili, Goan Shrimp Curry, and malai kofta is that the dining room will finally debut to the public on Thursday, August 1. Reservations are live via Tock.
Restablishing the bar means a reunion with star bartender Juanjo Pulgarin. Vajra specializes in Nepali and Indian cuisine, with the two countries diverging but coming from the same culinary traditions. But until recently, South Asian restaurants in America didn’t focus too much on cocktails. Liquor licenses are expensive, especially for the first wave of immigrant restaurant owners. There are also cultural taboos surrounding alcohol in some South Asian communities.
Juanjo PulgarinAshok Selvam/Eater Chicago
But not everyone carries those old-school traditions, and often time dissolves those binds. Pulgarin, who is Colombian and grew up in Spain, thrilled customers with a high-end program utilizing mixology tricks and ingredients seen at fancy cocktail bars. That earned Pulgarin a 2020 Jean Banchet Award nomination for best bartender. But as management closed Vajra’s dining room and bar during the pandemic, Pulgarin left Vajra and is now the lead bartender at Gold Coast steakhouse Maple & Ash where he’s helping the company relaunch its 8 Bar to open more locations across the country.
Pulgarin’s drinks include a riff on mango lassi, called Xanadu y El Cielo. Lassi, a non-alcoholic drink famous in northern India, is known for its viscous texture. When served traditionally it’s akin to a cheesecake milkshake and it comes in sweet or savory versions. Vajra’s version captures the flavor without the thickness, creating a light drink made with whisky, amaro, nixta, yogurt, coconut milk, mango, and citrus. Pulgarin loves the looks of drinkers expecting the traditional take and seeing their surprise when they see and taste his version. Another drink, Sakura Garden, is made with gin, sake, watermelon, saffron, lychee, and lime. Pulgarin helped create the menu and he’s close with management so he can pursue other projects, like Maple & Ash, while contributing to Vajra.
When Vajra opened in 2019, they were ahead of the South Asian cocktail revolution. This was before Lilac Tiger and Kama opened.
Co-owner Dipesh Kakshapaty says his team was worried that folks would want a full at the bar and that’s why they scaled back. They served a version of the goat burger in the past, as many restaurants pivoted to simpler food during the pandemic because of to-go operations — It’s also cheaper from a labor standpoint. The burger’s return made sense as Vajra builds out its bar menu.
It’s been a journey since 2020 when the restaurant shifted to takeout and delivery-only, pushed by the pandemic, and then challenges at their original location, 1329 W. Chicago Avenue — now home to Jook Sing — prevent them from reopening. Vajra closed in January 2022 but some members of ownership pursued a new restaurant venture but that never gained much traction. It would reopen for takeout and delivery in September 2022 inside the same West Town location. They moved to Wicker Park nine months later.
The previous tenant, Ooh Wee It Is, never opened — despite putting up signs. That stretch of Wicker Park has been tough to crack, but Vajra hopes a hearty cocktail program, an established takeout and delivery business, and some of the best Indian and Nepali food in town can create a sustainable operation.
Vajra, 2039 W. North Avenue, bar open now, dining room opening Thursday, August 1, reservations via Tock.
Tequila is the top-selling liquor at Virtue, the Hyde Park restaurant from award winners Erick Williams and Damarr Brown, says General Manager Jesus Garcia. The fact that the agave-based spirit beat out rum and bourbon surprised the team, as Virtue celebrates Black American culture.
The data reiterated the thirst for cocktails in Hyde Park, and Garcia says staff regularly turns away customers who just want to come in and have a drink. Virtue is food-focused, showcasing a gamut of southern culinary traditions. But the demand for tequila reveals an opportunity that Williams and Garcia hope to capitalize on when they open their new bar this fall, just around the corner from Virtue.
The newly named Cantina Rosa will focus on the beverage side, taking Virtue’s approach to Black culture, “leading with kindness and hospitality” and applying that to Mexican culture. Garcia grew up in Rogers Park but was born in Mexico. He arrived in America when he was 3, his family is from Puebla, Mexico. They returned to Mexico after about a decade before once more settling in Chicago. While Garcia lacks memories of Mexico as a young child, he vividly remembers his second stint in Mexico as a teen. The bar won’t focus on a particular region or spirit. Garcia is happy to show that Mexico is about more than agave and he wants to showcase bourbon and Charanda — a rum from Michoacan, Mexico.
Garcia sees a chance to fill a niche in Hyde Park, and while he doesn’t mind expanding customers’ tastes, introducing them to Mexican flavors they haven’t experienced, he doesn’t want to be heavy-handed.
“We are mindful that before it’s a Mexican bar, it’s going to a bar,” Garcia says. “If somebody comes in and orders an Old Fashioned, we’re going to be able to make that.”
This philosophy also tracks with the bar’s name. Williams and Garcia wanted to pick something English speakers could gravitate toward, something personal, yet easy to pronounce. It’s not exactly the “Martha” moment from Batman v Superman, but Garcia’s mother is named Rosa, and Williams’s grandmother is Rose.
They’re still orchestrating the bar bites menu, offering tacos and more. The drink menu is already finalized. They worked with celebrated barman Paul McGee on the beverage list and the bar’s layout. While Williams and Garcia are confident in operating a restaurant — they met while working at Mk The Restaurant — they brought in McGee, seeing how he helped make Lost Lake in Logan Square a successful tropical drink destination.
Garcia began his restaurant career at 15 as a busser at Chef’s Station, a since-shuttered restaurant in Evanston. He held several positions at Mk before delving into wine and serving as the restaurant’s general manager. He remembers meeting Williams and noting that he “came across as very genuine and intense.” The two bonded over strong work ethics and Williams credits Garcia’s leadership at Virtue in making the restaurant successful.
The space, a former laundromat, will be redecorated with local art, pottery, and seating options for big and small groups. Stay tuned for more information about Cantina Rosa as fall approaches.
Cantina Rosa, 5230 S. Harper Avenue, planned for a fall opening.
After six months of anticipation, the owners of Headquarters Beercade have launched a new cocktail den around the corner from their arcade bar, just north of River North.
Chireal Jordan and Brian Galati, who also own Machine, the Instagram-friendly floral phantasmagoria in Wicker Park, have spent more than two years creating Dearly Beloved, which opened Friday, June 14 at 900 N. Franklin Street in the former home of French dining stalwart Kiki’s. The longtime friends and business partners have until now kept most details under wraps, but are unabashed about their ambitions for the new “cocktail restaurant” — their latest and most elaborate venue yet.
“We really want to rub elbows with the big dogs,” says Jordan, who notes that he and Galati spent about a year and a half on research trips around the country and the world. “We want to compete not just locally, but nationally.”
Dearly Beloved is the most ambitious venue yet from the owners of Machine and Headquarters Beercade.Marisa Klug-Morataya/Dearly Beloved
Armed with more than two decades of experience in Chicago hospitality, the partners see Dearly Beloved both as the culmination of what they’ve learned and a rare opportunity to unleash Aneka Saxon’s most outside-the-box ideas for drinks featuring lesser-known distillers and esoteric ingredients. Saxon is a Violet Hour alum and Machine’s lead bartender. Her opening offerings include the “Captured Shadow” (makrut lime-infused Kyro dark gin, agave, absinthe, coconut chai foam, citrus dust) and “Beautiful and Damned” (Ritual Sister smoked pineapple, Amara Amaro D’Arancia Rossa, Field Trip squash, dandelion honey, fenugreek).
Jordan wants patrons with open minds and the willingness to try unusual spirits and flavor combinations. Still, those seeking a more familiar tipple can order from a lineup of classic cocktails with slight twists like Pisco Sours (Logia Acholado pisco, tangerine apricot oleo saccharum, quail egg, juniper berry) and espresso martinis (Tenjaku vodka, Good Liquorworks coffee fruit vodka, Big Shoulders espresso, mascarpone, Faretti biscotti liqueur).
Hot and Cold Blood (Balvenie 14-year Caribbean scotch, passionfruit, tres leches espuma).Marisa Klug-Morataya/Dearly Beloved
Waiting for the Moon (Iichiko Saiten shochu, snap pea infused Glendalough gin, Sirene Americano Bianco, Luxardo limoncello, cheese moon).Marisa Klug-Morataya/Dearly Beloved
Dearly Beloved’s menu also attends to a growing demand for tasty, well-made nonalcoholic drinks — a phenomenon Jordan understands well, as his fiancée is expecting their second child — with booze-free concoctions like Last Straw (Seedlip spice, chicory coffee, shiso, lavender, Madagascar vanilla). “We don’t want Shirley Temples on this menu — we wanted cocktails that you can’t tell are alcohol-free,” he says.
As the partners’ coinage of “cocktail restaurant” heavily implies, drinks are the main attraction at Dearly Beloved, but Machine executive chef Kristofer Lohraff offers selections that are heavy on vegetables in fun and unexpected forms. Dishes include carrot mochi (coconut curry, sesame, ginger), cigar-shaped Potato and Caviar (potato pave, malt vinegar, burnt shallot), French onion ramen (short rib, French onion soup dashi, fontina). The latter is particularly notable as Chicago is seeing an uptick in surprising cross-cultural ramen inventions like avgolemono ramen at newish Mediterranean restaurant Tama in Bucktown.
At 6,000 square feet, Dearly Beloved is divided into various tiers and sections, seating 60 at the bar and 94 in the lounge. The aesthetic rides a narrow fence between eeriness and elegance as moody lighting filters through glass chandeliers. An elaborate Victorian metal railing flanks an elevated section and ornate, otherworldly artwork fills the walls, punctuated by a 2,500-pound sculptural centerpiece above the back bar. A visual vignette of a woman in two forms — masked and unmasked — it extends two-and-a-half feet from the wall and taps into the sexy-yet-sinister masquerade style of Stanley Kubrick’s 1999 thriller Eyes Wide Shut.
French onion ramen (short rib, French onion soup dashi, fontina).Marisa Klug-Morataya/Dearly Beloved
Marisa Klug-Morataya/Dearly Beloved
A dozen years have passed since Jordan and Galati founded ultra-casual arcade bar Headquarters Beercade in Lakeview and the partners say they’ve grown significantly as operators over the intervening years. With Juneteenth being more widely recognized, Jordan says that Chicago’s hospitality scene has also evolved, especially for Black hospitality entrepreneurship following the racial justice protests following the murder of George Floyd.
“I [once] felt very painted in a corner with a handful of other [Black] operators for years,” he says. “Now I’m seeing more people of color opening on the North Side — people I don’t know are getting more opportunities to get loans and open up. It’s not like fixed everything and now it’s an even playing field… we’re probably decades away from that, but I think we’re moving in the right direction.”
Authentic dive bars, not merely the spaces that have adopted the aesthetic — those pretenders are filled with vintage neon signs and serve marked-up cans of domestic beer — are plentiful in Chicago. There’s a dedicated cohort of independent tavern owners who take pride in keeping these shot and beer spots alive.
On the other hand, the city’s cocktail bars have been dominated by larger hospitality groups. While customers can see semblances of DIY culture in many of those bars, some can be more glitz than substance. In recent times, Chicago’s bar scene has experienced a revolution, with taverns like Lemon and West Town and Moonflower in Portage Park showing drinkers that not all independents need to have sticky floors like a dive.
A case in point is Truce, an intimate drinking den that debuted before Memorial Day at 1935 N. Damen Avenue in Bucktown. The opening was pushed back a few times, but the final product is worth it. Stepping into the narrow space along Damen Avenue visitors will find a unique warmth rarely seen at a bar open for only a few weeks. The staff is friendly, the menu offers many options without feeling like a dense atlas, and nothing feels out of place — including the customers; there’s a welcoming and accepting vibe.
Two couples run and own the spot: David Mor and Matthew Hunnel, plus Rami Ezzat and Sarah Kmiec. Their hospitality experience runs the gamut, including from Robert et Fils, Bavette’s, and Cindy’s.
Mor is behind the drink list. He’s associated with Zubair Mohajir, the chef behind the casual Lilac Tiger and the Indian tasting menu restaurant the Coach House, both in Wicker Park. Mor is also a partner in Mohajir’s upcoming Mexican-Indian restaurant, Mirra — opening this summer around the corner from Truce. He’s using Mohajir’s masala chai recipe in his triple chai daiquiri, a viscous concoction made with Mount Gay rum. Mor put serious thought to the fancy drinks on the menu, but his bartenders quietly suggest more folks drink the simple strawberry vermouth and sparkling water. Truce celebrates various cocktail cultures, including Chicago’s. That explains a shot — RBF, which is made with cacao, Aperol, lemon, and Jeppson’s Malört. For folks who stay away from the famously bitter spirit, RBF does the unthinkable — it delivers a bright and sweet flavor while retaining a hint of that famously bitter flavor. Making Malört would strip the spirit of its essence,
Truce is also open in the mornings with coffee from Valparaiso, Indiana-based Yaggy Road Roasting Company. It’s the base for several “latte-like” drinks, which are also available later in the day for folks who don’t want to drink alcohol. There are small bites like bagels and overnight oats, too.
Walk through the space below. Truce is now open.
Truce, 1935 N. Damen Avenue, open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, and 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. from Thursday to Monday
Hub 51 will close next month after 16 years in River North, according to a news release. The two-level, part restaurant, and part bar, marked a new chapter for Chicago’s largest hospitality company, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, as it symbolized a passing of the torch from co-founder Rich Melman to his sons, Jerrod and R.J. Hub 51 was a canvas for the brothers in establishing their own venture.
The space also featured a bar, called Sub 51, and plenty of rooms for private events. Hub 51’s menu was, eclectic to say the least, covering a tremendous amount of ground from fish tacos, to chili, to chicken tenders. While the restaurant debuted with a roar, busy on weekends, and where visitors would see the occasional celebrity, at the end it felt like a garden variety chain. And even as a LEYE restaurant, that was never ownership’s original intention.
In closing Hub 51 at 51 W. Hubbard Street — its final day is scheduled for Saturday, June 8 — LEYE is turning the page again and introducing a pair of new venues. They’ve recruited HaiSous’s Thai Dang and the Vietnamese-born chef will debut a Southeast Asian restaurant, Crying Tiger, in 2025. Crying Tiger is a reference to the marinated beef dish often served as an appetizer at Thai restaurants. The “tears” are from the juicy fat dripping from the meat during cooking and hitting the flames of the grill.
Dang’s Pilsen restaurant, which he runs with his wife Danielle Dang, won’t be impacted. HaiSous will remain independent as LEYE has also made him a partner in the endeavor. Lettuce has selected David Collins Studio — the same interior architecture firm that designed Tre Dita, its lavish restaurant inside the St Regis Chicago — to design Crying Tiger.
For Dang, who moved to Chicago from Virginia to follow the career of French chef Laurent Gras, partnering with LEYE is a full-circle moment. Gras was working at Michelin-starred L20. At the time of his arrival, Dang says he didn’t know that L20, which was open from 2008 to 2014, was a Lettuce Entertain You restaurant.
But before Crying Tiger opens, Lettuce will unveil a cocktail bar later this year. It’s called the Dip Inn and will feature “expertly crafted iconic drinks.” LEYE is calling it a “classic American cocktail bar.” The drinks are from Kevin Beary, the beverage director at the company’s tropical-themed bars in River North, Three Dots and a Dash, and the Bamboo Room.
Details are scarce but look for more information in the coming days. In the meantime, Chicagoans have less than a month to say goodbye to Hub 51.
Crying Tiger, 51 W. Hubbard Steet, planned for a 2025 opening
The Dip Inn, 51 W. Hubbard Steet, planned for a late 2024 opening
The team behind Common Decency knew they had big shoes to fill inside the former Lost Lake space. Their response? Focus on food and cocktails that everyone could enjoy. That includes making sure the bread used in their Cuban sandwich is gluten-free (which accommodates beverage director Kelsey Kasper’s allergy) and giving partner Jason Turley a top-flight vegetarian option with the mushroom French dip, made with roasted portabella and gruyere.
While Lost Lake focused on liquids and was often crowded with folks holding drinks garnished with umbrellas, Common Decency sports tables in the aisles where diners can enjoy small bites like skillet cornbread or thrice-cooked (baked, smoked, fried) chicken wings to more robust dishes like a hanger steak or dumpling cacio e pepe. Dumplings have been a signature dish for ex-Funkenhausen chef Mark Steuer since his days at Carriage House in Wicker Park. The difference in Logan Square is ensuring the gluten-free dumplings are airy.
They’ve added a disco ball.
The space feels wider and flashier thanks to the ’80s vibe which allows visitors to enact their Miami Vice dreams. But instead of fighting over who gets to play Crockett and who gets to play Tubbs, Steuer sees a welcoming atmosphere. There’s a disco ball and a photo booth, plus a new backroom for larger groups.
Don’t look for banana daiquiri on the drink menu. There are frozen drinks, like frozen Key lime pie with rum and Greek yogurt. The drinks from Kasper, a partner in the bar who formerly managed Spilt Milk, showcase her gift of balancing acid, says Steuer, her fiance. A drink called Barbershop Celebrity uses sticky rice, mango, and Thai basil mixed with coconut-washed vodka. The Coffee Date is their answer to the espresso martini using Hexe espresso, honey, dates, and cacao. Steuer says they’ll eventually make seltzer and vinegars using citrus peels and other waste from fruit.
Common Decency’s owners are offering workers profit sharing and health insurance co-pays after six months of employment as part of their way of raising the standards in the workplace for hospitality workers. Those benefits will be baked into the cost of food and drink. Steuer says QR codes and surcharges are pet peeves he’ll avoid.
Earlier this month, partner and co-chef Felipe Hernandez suddenly died in an accident. Hernandez’s loss is felt on several fronts, including lost recipes that weren’t written down. Steuer and company have attempted to reverse-engineer some. Later this summer, a companion restaurant, Fever Dream, will open next door inside the space where Thank You, the Chinese American takeout spot that was once operated by Lost Lake’s owners. Hernandez was to play a large role in Fever Dream. Steuer says they’re still figuring out how to properly honor their friend at the bar. There’s a bit of push that the best way to remember Hernandez is to make sure Common Decency is successful.
While Hernandez won’t be present for the next stop in their journey, he’ll remain in the staff’s hearts when Common Decency opens on Friday, April 26.
Common Decency, 3154 W. Diversey, opening Friday, April 26.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25496807/Hot___Cold_Blood___Dearly_Beloved___MG_2495_.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25496810/Waiting_for_the_Moon___Dearly_Beloved___MG_8936_.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25496815/French_Onion_Ramen___Dearly_Beloved___MG_5030_.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25496801/_MG_5548_Enhanced_NR.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25480956/img_3301_enhanced_nr_edit_53769900583_o.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25480962/img_3417_edit_53770119400_o.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25480953/img_3273_edit_53769900633_o.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25480960/img_3360_edit_53770026299_o.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25480959/img_3335_enhanced_nr_edit_53769695591_o.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25412190/53632568000_44a4638320_h.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25412178/53632331303_8fc1d811a9_h.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25412171/53632123406_0de97ce14d_h.jpg)
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25412172/53632123471_a7bd5288d5_h.jpg)