Tag: coming-attractions

2026 is right around the corner and with it, a new crop of restaurant openings. There’s a lot to look forward to in the new year, including projects from some of the city’s biggest hospitality groups and a massive magic venue, and we’ve compiled a list below. Keep an eye out for these spots in the coming months and remember: Delays can, and inevitably will, happen.

Address: 2013 W. Division Street

Key Players: Derrick Tung, William Ravert, and Tony Dezutter

The team behind Paulie Gee’s is stepping away from the ovens to debut a West Town dive bar. the Alley Cat, a new project from hospitality group Tung & Cheek (Derrick Tung, William Ravert, and Tony Dezutter), will feature a drink menu with batch cocktails, beer-and-shot specials, canned beers, and nonalcoholic wines. For food, the bar will serve snacks like potato wedges topped with chives and a playful “Girl Dinner” spread of pickled veggies with sliced bread, whole-grain mustard, and a dirty martini. Housed in the former Takito Kitchen space, the Alley Cat will be decorated with vintage bookcases and a repurposed Chopin Theatre chandelier, with a plant-lined Green Room in the back for private events.

Address: 2545 Prairie Avenue in Evanston

Key Players: Thomas Carlin and Rachel Canfora-Carlin

Evanston is set to welcome Burl, a new restaurant opening in the old Coast Sushi & Sashimi space near the Central Street Metra station. Led by Thomas Carlin, formerly of Galit and Dove’s Luncheonette, and his wife, Rachel Canfora-Carlin, the project will focus on seasonal and globally influenced cooking that’s centered around a wood-fired grill. Diners can expect dishes that highlight meat and seafood sourced from local purveyors, reflecting Carlin’s strong relationships with regional farmers.

Address: 1615 N. Damen Avenue

Key Players: Andrew Dana and Dani Moreira

Hit bagel shop Call Your Mother is opening its first Midwest location in Wicker Park. Founded in Washington, D.C., the chain is famous for its Montreal-New York hybrid bagels and Jewish deli staples reimagined with creative twists. The menu is anchored by sandwiches like the Jetski (brisket, pastrami, sofrito, jalapeño, and cheeses) and Hidden Cove (smoked salmon, mashed avocado, Korean-style cucumbers, seaweed flakes, and shredded carrots). Complementing them are seasonal items, as well as muffins, latkes, and cookies. The restaurant’s design will reflect the look of other Call Your Mother outposts with striking pink and teal accents, accompanied by a playlist of late ’90s and early 2000s tracks.

DineAmic Hospitality Riverfront Project

Address: 300 N. LaSalle Street

Key Player: DineAmic Hospitality

DineAmic Hospitality is planning a major expansion to the riverfront in 2026, with a trio of venues opening as part of a $37 million renovation project at 300 North LaSalle. It will introduce a Mediterranean restaurant situated beneath Chicago Cut Steakhouse, along with an adjacent private lounge available for meetings, events, and dining. Additionally, the main lobby will have a coffee shop with Greek influences.

Address: 919 W. Fulton Street

Key Player: Gibsons Restaurant Group

Gibsons Restaurant Group is headed to Fulton Market with Gibsons Tavern, a vintage-themed restaurant offering refined takes on classic American cuisine. The space will capture the aesthetics of the early 20th century and feature vaulted ceilings, while the menu will include Gibsons’ signature steaks, seafood, and desserts. Beverages will nod to the Prohibition era with modern renditions of classic cocktails.

Address: 701 N. Wells Street

Key Players: Brian Lockwood and Boka Restaurant Group

Boka Restaurant Group shuttered River North steakhouse GT Prime in December 2024, intending to replace it with Gingie. The new restaurant is described as “combining thoughtful European techniques with Japanese-inspired flavors” and will be helmed by Brian Lockwood, who’s also behind Midōsuji in the Chicago Athletic Association. The menu will be divided into three sections — sharables, specialties, and pastas — and feature dishes like baked gnocchi with Wisconsin cheddar, summer truffle, and chive blossom.

Address: 100 E. Ontario Street

Key Players: Glen Tullman, Levy Restaurants, and Rockwell Group

River North’s historic McCormick Mansion will house the country’s largest magic venue when the Hand & the Eye debuts in 2025. A $50 million transformation project will turn the 19th-century building into a place for spellbinding shows. The five-story, 36,000-square-foot space will have multiple theaters, a restaurant, a members-only dining room, and a rooftop bar, all designed with ornate furnishings and elements evoking bygone eras. The dramatic setting will play host to performances by some of the world’s top magicians.

Address: 1101 W. Lake Street

Key Players: Diego de la Puente, Diego Herrera, and MCK Hospitality

Peruvian Japanese restaurant Osaka Nikkei will open its second U.S. location in Fulton Market, bringing a fusion menu of ceviches, tiraditos, and nigiri to a century-old building along the L tracks on Lake Street. Founded in Lima, Peru, in 2001 by Diego de la Puente and Diego Herrera, the restaurant combines the techniques of Japanese cooking with the flavors of Peruvian gastronomy to create dishes like wasabi ceviche — scallops and white fish bathing in citrusy wasabi sauce. The 180-seat space will include a sushi bar and the Kero Bar, a lounge for globally influenced cocktails, DJ sets, and late-night service.

Address: 5311 S. Lake Park Avenue W

Key Player: James Sanders

Beverly’s barbecue hot spot Sanders BBQ Supply Co. will open a new restaurant in the space currently occupied by the Promontory, which is closing at the end of 2025. Sanders BBQ Prime will build on the original with a menu filled with twists on barbecue classics, as well as steaks and items like beef tallow-smoked popcorn. Owner James Sanders describes the new spot as his “signature restaurant,” and it will offer sit-down service.

Paulie Gee’s chef Tony Dezutter serves up some of the best pizza in Chicago at the Logan Square and Wicker Park outposts of the Brooklyn-based pizzeria, slinging a mix of wood-fired, Detroit-style, and New York-style pies. But you won’t find any slices at his dive bar the Alley Cat, which is expected to open in January 2026 in the old Takito Kitchen address at 2013 W. Division Street.

“I finally get a chance to dive back into things outside of pizza,” Dezutter says. “Not that Paulie’s ever stuck to the original format of pizza, but the ability to not have something finished on a piece of dough is going to be a lot of fun for me.”

Alley Cat is the first project of the newly formed Tung & Cheek Hospitality founded by Dezutter, Paulie Gee’s managing partner William Ravert, and Paulie Gee’s Chicago owner Derrick Tung. While they’ll still be operating Paulie Gee’s, the partners have prepared the rest of their staff to handle things at the pizzeria while they focus on the new opening.

“I’ve always wanted to open a bar,” Ravert says. “To be honest, I’m so excited to get almost out of food. I’m just excited to get back into my lane. No more kids. No more pizza. Let’s go.”

The food menu will be limited to about six items, which Dezutter has been testing at popups at Lemon and Bar Berria. The focus is on snack food including crispy fried potato wedges slathered in chives and black walnut aioli — an allergen-free alternative to Worcestershire sauce — and Girl Dinner, a platter of homemade pickled vegetables served with sliced bread, whole-grain mustard, and a dirty martini. There’s also a pork chop for anyone looking for something more substantial.

Dezutter and Ravert cite the Revel Room, Queen Mary, Spilt Milk and the California Clipper among their inspirations for Alley Cat. The bar will be open from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily, kicking things off with a happy hour.

“I’ve always just wanted to have that comfortable third space, neighborhood-type of bar,” Ravert says. “I feel like everything opening up right now is a super high end, fancy dive bar. I love places like Lemon that do it to the level that they do, but I like the idea of just an everyday bar that you can also go to on a date for dinner.”

The drink side will focus on batch cocktails and beer-and-shot combos. The signature drink is a bottled Negroni served with a glass of ice so customers can pour it themselves, which Ravert says was inspired by a Negroni machine he saw in Italy. They’ll also have a small wine list, canned beers, and THC drinks.

“With the market right now, NAs are in, THCs are in, nonalcoholic cocktails are in,” Ravert says. “A lot of the young generation right now just don’t drink as aggressively as the older ones do, so I think catering to all those things and then having some really good NA wine will be fun.”

The Wicker Park space features a narrow bar area decorated with vintage bookcases that seats 26, plus 23 more at the actual bar. A lounge area that will serve as overflow seating has tables for 12 people beneath a 250-pound chandelier that originally hung at the nearby Chopin Theater. A space in the back, dubbed the Green Room, seats 29 at low-tops and can be closed off for private parties; it gets its name from the vining plants running along the ceiling near the skylights.

“Derrick and I have probably looked at 50 different spots,” Ravert says. “This one, the proximity to our other spots makes our lives a lot easier and it’s just a cool up-and-coming neighborhood, like Restaurant Row again over the last couple of years. There’s a lot of new spots, so we’re excited to go into the base floor of that.”

The Alley Cat is located at 2013 W. Division Street. Opens January 2026.

Call Your Mother, the Washington, D.C.-based bagel shop known for its playful spin on deli classics, is bringing its carb-y offerings to Chicago. Husband and wife owners Andrew Dana and Dani Moreira plan to open their first Midwest location in Wicker Park at 1615 N. Damen Avenue next spring, taking over the former home of Dimo’s Pizza.

The expansion introduces the growing company’s signature mash-up of New York and Montreal bagels, cheeky branding, and vibrant spaces to a new market. Dana says Chicago felt like a natural fit after touring cities across the country.

“Two of my best friends live in Chicago, so I’ve spent a lot of time there. We just loved the vibe and the energy — it felt right,” he says. “We were definitely looking for that neighborhood vibe … Wicker Park just felt like somewhere people really live, not some sort of transient, touristy area.”

Founded in 2018 after the couple’s first restaurant, Timber Pizza, became a breakout hit, Call Your Mother began as a farmers market project. They boiled bagels on induction burners in their pizzeria and sold out week after week. Those lines quickly led to a permanent storefront in D.C., and in 2019 the bagel shop landed on Eater’s list of the Best New Restaurants in America. Eventually, the couple expanded the business to several more across the East Coast and Denver. In January 2021, Joe Biden made his first D.C. restaurant stop as president at Call Your Mother in Georgetown.

At its core, Call Your Mother celebrates a blend of cultures and traditions. Dana, who describes himself as “Jew-ish,” grew up with both Jewish and Christian grandparents, while Moreira is from Argentina. Their bagels are a hybrid — boiled before being baked in a wood-fired oven, they combine the sweetness of Montreal-style bagels with the fluffier texture of a New York bagel. The menu reimagines Jewish deli staples with creative, sometimes unexpected twists, like the Jetski (brisket, pastrami, sofrito, jalapeño, and cheeses) and Hidden Cove (smoked salmon, mashed avocado, Korean-style cucumbers, seaweed flakes, and shredded carrots) sandwiches.

In addition to bagels, there will be babka muffins, latkes, cookies, and a Brazilian coffee blend, plus yuca cheesy bread as a gluten-free option. Seasonal items rotate throughout the year, keeping the menu fresh.

Each Call Your Mother location gets an original design while staying true to what Dana calls the brand’s “Boca meets Brooklyn” vision — exposed brick paired with vivid pink and teal accents. Inspired by Dana’s time in New York and childhood visits to Florida, the spaces blend urban minimalism with colorful touches. The Chicago shop will also showcase local artwork and a site-specific mural, giving the new location its own distinctive flavor.

“We try to marry the understated with big splashes of color and vibes,” Dana says. “We say it’s always Spring Break around these parts.”

Music plays a role, too. Each playlist is full of what Dana affectionately calls “late-’90s, early-2000s prom music.” He adds: “It’ll just make you feel good — make you bob your head while you’re biting into a bacon, egg, and cheese [sandwich].”

As for the name, it didn’t come easily. One evening while brainstorming, a friend of Dana’s jokingly said, “Call your mother,” mimicking a cliche Jewish grandmother, and the idea clicked.

Call Your Mother treats its team like a startup, according to Dana, offering long-term career growth. Expanding to new locations creates leadership opportunities for staff, from store managers stepping into corporate roles to team members switching tracks into areas like finance or creative. As Dana puts it, “part of it is you have to grow in order to create new opportunities.”

While Dana and Moreira have expanded to other states, their approach remains grounded.

“We’ve never planned more than six to nine months ahead,” Dana says. “We just focus on quality and service every step of the way.” The couple will temporarily relocate to Chicago for the launch, working alongside their team to open the store.

If all goes according to plan, and, as Dana jokes, “The permit gods cooperate,” Call Your Mother will start slinging its “bomb-ass bagels and good vibes” in Wicker Park by March or April 2026.

Call Your Mother is located at 1615 N. Damen Avenue. Opens in spring 2026.

Chicago’s crowded steakhouse scene will welcome another contender in December with Dēliz, a neighborhood Italian spot opening in the former Etta space at 1840 W. North Avenue. Restaurateur Steve Gogolab and chef Jake Peterson are aiming to create a restaurant that feels both polished and approachable.

Gogolab, who helped launch STK restaurants across the country, notes that the goal is to balance elegance with comfort. “It’s done through hospitality,” Gogolab says. “We want people to come in here, whether it’s families or celebrities … everyone feels like they’re part of one social dining experience.”

Dēliz, derived from the Italian word for “delicious,” occupies a two-level space designed to offer distinct yet complementary experiences. Downstairs, customers will find a more classic and intimate environment with warm lighting and soft accents that make it ideal for date nights and celebrations. A standout feature is the dramatic staircase, which Gogolab predicts will become “one of the most photographed” in the city. On the second floor, the energy ramps up with TVs showing sports, lively music, and late-night service that stretches into the early hours on weekends. “This will be a place where people can come to start their nights, to end their nights,” Gogolab says.

Peterson is overseeing a menu that combines classic steakhouse fare with Italian influences. The menu is stacked with premium Midwest steaks and full-blooded Australian wagyu, prized for its pure Japanese lineage, all cooked on custom Argentinian-style grills. Pastas will be made in-house, featuring seasonal stuffed creations and gluten-free options. Other highlights will include charred Spanish octopus with ’nduja sugo and smoked potato, and a seafood tower — stacked with oysters, shrimp, lobster, and crab — that arrives theatrically in a swirl of fog from dry ice.

It’s a new but familiar chapter for Peterson. He ran Etta’s kitchen in the same space and now joins Dēliz as a partner. “Steve came in and had the food at Etta and fell in love with it,” Peterson says. “We just got to talking, and he asked me to stay on. I’m really excited to move forward with something great.”

Jessica Scott — named Pastry Chef of the Year by the Nevada Restaurant Association in 2022 — consulted on the dessert menu. Highlights include a Basque cheesecake layered with pistachio mousse and chocolate mirror glaze, along with playfully presented tiramisu — chocolate “pearls” resembling caviar sit atop espresso-soaked ladyfingers, mascarpone cream, and a salted rum caramel swirl.

The beverage program at Dēliz pairs the food with a mix of reimagined cocktails: a cannoli-infused espresso martini, a citrusy cosmopolitan with Italian bergamot and Cedro lemon, and an Old Fashioned with fig-infused black walnut liqueur and caramelized honey syrup. The wine list spotlights Italian and New World producers, including select reserve bottles, all housed in a dedicated cellar.

Etta had its last night of service on Sunday, October 19, clearing the way for Dēliz. This marks the end of the restaurant’s Chicago presence, following the 2024 closure of its River North location and a high-profile, multistate bankruptcy filing, though a Scottsdale outpost remains in operation. Etta was founded in 2018 by David Pisor and James Lasky, the duo behind Gold Coast steakhouse Maple & Ash. After a contentious split between the partners in 2022, Pisor launched the Etta Collective, which comprised Etta, Aya Pastry, and Cafe Sophie. All three of the group’s restaurants in Chicago have now shuttered.

Gogolab assisted in the redesign of Etta Scottsdale and quickly became a fan of the restaurant. When he learned the Bucktown location was closing, he seized the opportunity to take over the space. Gogolab relocated from Las Vegas and lives in the same neighborhood as Dēliz. For him, this project is just the start of what he has planned for Chicago.

“Chicago is one of the best restaurant cities in America,” Gogolab says. “I fell in love with the fabric that makes up this city — and I wanted to be part of it.”

Dēliz is located at 1840 W. North Avenue. Opens December.

Honey Butter Fried Chicken is bringing its beloved brand of comfort food to a new setting in September. The popular Avondale restaurant is teaming up with SPF Chicago, the city’s largest indoor pickleball club, to open Honey Butter Beach Club, a breezy, East Coast–influenced spin-off restaurant housed inside the Lincoln Park facility.

The new restaurant will blend HBFC’s casual, counter-service spirit with beach club vibes drawn from places like Cape Cod and the Outer Banks. Guests can expect to find some HBFC favorites — including chicken strips, the original chicken sandwich, and peach dump cake — but the menu will also branch out into seafood and summer-style fare. Owners Christine Cikowski and Josh Kulp are excited to finally share dishes they’ve been dreaming up for years. There will be a lobster roll that’s warmed in honey butter, lightly tossed in a scallion dressing, and served on a seared and buttered New England-style bun.

“Done right, a lobster roll is one of the most transcendent things,” Kulp says.

Another highlight will be the fried shrimp, an item the duo has wanted to offer but couldn’t pull off at HBFC due to fryer constraints. At Honey Butter Beach Club, it’s served with honey butter (of course) and shows up in tacos as well. The menu also features a burger made with Slagel Farms beef, topped with pimento cheese, garlic aioli, and arugula. In total, there will be around 16 items available, with the option to expand portions for larger groups.

Kulp, an avid pickleball player, says the collaboration with SPF came about naturally. The chefs had already helped develop the club’s cafe menu when SPF opened in 2024, and conversations with co-owner Richard Green sparked the idea for a full restaurant. And the coastal theme seemed like a perfect complement.

“The space already feels festive and beachy. There are games, palm trees, and a great bar. Adding a restaurant with that same energy just made sense,” Kulp says.

While guests have to reserve a court to play at SPF, Honey Butter Beach Club will be open to the public. So even if you don’t feel like grabbing a paddle, there’s nothing stopping you from walking in for a bite. The restaurant plans to offer carryout and delivery, too, plus catering options.

“The idea is that it’s fun. You can play pickleball, but you don’t have to. You can just hang out, eat good food, and have a good time,” Cikowski says.

For Kulp and Cikowski, it’s a thrilling new chapter for the Honey Butter brand. HBFC first debuted in 2013 and, outside of a second location in suburban Glencoe that lasted only 10 months, the pair has resisted the urge to open more restaurants despite having lots of ideas. Whether Honey Butter Beach Club leads to further expansion isn’t off the table, but Cikowski says they want to proceed carefully and deliberately.

“This just feels like the right time, space, and partnership to make Honey Butter Beach Club happen,” she explains.

The restaurant is slated to open next month, pending final construction.

Honey Butter Beach Club, 2121 N. Clybourn Avenue, opening in September