The pandemic transformed restaurants in several ways including a spike in the popularity in comfort foods like pizza and pasta. The owners of Gemma Foods in West Town are hoping that the charge for carbs will continue. For two years, Gemma has sold fresh pasta to customers who take home their noodles to boil in their own kitchens. But home cooks don’t have to stress. Next week, Gemma is expanding operations by offering a full ready-to-eat lunches — no cooking required.
Tony Quartaro says Gemma has always been about sharing their passion for pasta in new and different ways. Gemma did tours of duties at Revival Food Hall in the Loop and Time Out Market Chicago in Fulton Market. That helped grow the brand and better showcase Gemma. Quartaro says it’s sometimes a challenge to explain their mission as a pasta maker to passersby on Grand Avenue, across from D’Amato’s Bakery and Bari Foods.
Gemma Food will now serve hot meals at this counter.Barry Brecheisen/Eater Chicago
Lunch service is a prelude to eventually offering dinner, as Gemma will offer a rotating batch of pasta specials, focaccia, and entree salads like a kale Caesar. Seasonality is essential. Quartaro already has a pair of specials with ramps (carrot gnocchi with ramp, lemon, and mascarpone; plus radiatori alla ramp carbonara).
Another specialty is the meatballs, which the chef admits he “thinks deeply” about — he’s been perfecting the ratio for years. They’ll also offer a Sunday special — pork neck ragu. Look for other treats like lasagna — a meaty red sauce version and vegetarian options like a mushroom ragu or a light one with layered eggplant. Vodka sauce is another item that Quartaro makes with pride. Other options include cacio e pepe, canestrini, and paccheri. Most of the pasta is hand-cut, though a few are extruded.
The pandemic transformed habits as the work-from-home culture grew out of necessity. Quartaro says that wasn’t the sole driver behind offering cooked meals at Gemma, but knowing that potential customers are held captive in their nearby homes by work provided a little motivation to naked use of their counter. Those poor souls need quality afternoon meals. Quartaro has worked at pasta palaces like the dearly departed restaurants Balena in Lincoln Park and the Bristol in Bucktown, plus Formento’s in West Loop. He’s also worked at San Francisco’s celebrated A16. When Gemma opened in March 2022, it was part of a pasta revolution in the area, a push that included the debuts of Tortello in Wicker Park and Flour Power in West Town. Each brings a different spin to the game.
“There’s no shortage of amazing pasta makers in our city,” Quartaro says. “There’s no reason each neighborhood can’t have their own.”
Gemma Foods, 1117 W. Grand Avenue, lunch debuts Wednesday, April 17.
Fans of stalwart mini-chain Goddess and Grocer can order a $95 seder meal for two (or a two-seder meal for one) that plays all the hits: gefilte fish, chopped liver, charoset, matzo ball soup, brisket, tsimmes, garlic mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and flourless chocolate cake. The team is also offering a la carte options including a traditional seder plate, braised beef brisket, matzo-crusted chicken schnitzel, matzo s’mores cookies, and chocolate-and-toffee matzo bark with toasted almonds. Pre-orders must be placed online by noon on Monday, April 15 for pickup at any of their four locations.
In 2020, Chicago — like many other parts of the country — began pedestrianizing select streets to make room for outdoor dining. This was positioned as a lifeline to keep restaurants open while COVID-19 policies prohibited indoor dining.
Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot pushed this outdoor dining program, which was clustered around several North Side neighborhoods like Lakeview, Gold Coast, and River North. The mayor’s office argued the program was a success and showcased the city, counteracting the negative conservative rhetoric that framed Chicago as unsafe. Supporters say pedestrianized streets give Chicago’s downtown a European feel and increased morale during the height of the pandemic; it was also an unorthodox move to help draw people back to Downtown Chicago.
Urbanists hoped that the programs could stick around. Supporters including advocates for reducing car traffic hoped the outdoor dining program was the future. A restaurant owner inside Time Out Market Chicago, the food hall along Fulton, says sales were badly hurt last year when the city stopped allowing the food hall to set up seating on the street.
Street parking is difficult in the West Loop and Fulton Market. Pedestrianized streets take away spaces and require the city to pay an impact fee to LAZ Parking, which operates and maintains the city’s parking meters. But that fee isn’t significant, according to one city hall source. The city made up more in exchange for the positive message outdoor dining can have on restaurants and customers.
River North and its outdoor dining program along a three-block stretch on Clark Street between Grand Avenue and Kinzie Street has brought controversy. Block Club Chicago reported the conflict between 42nd Ward Ald. Brendan Reilly and Mayor Brandon Johnson. Reilly, whose constituents include restaurants like the Smith, Rick Bayless’ Frontera Grill, and Havana Grill, blamed Johnson for nixing the program “on behalf of his allies in organized labor.” Reilly later left the door ajar for the program’s return by saying the program is under the mayor’s review.
In May 2023, a group of alderpersons objected to former Mayor Lightfoot’s policy of automatic permit renewals, something Lightfoot’s office installed to speed up processes during the pandemic. In 2022, Reilly raised the issue of aldermanic privilege and opposed a permanent program that would shut down Clark. The city hall source says Reilly’s objections were rooted in his dislike of Lightfoot which superseded any attempt to quickly take action to allow restaurants to make the most out of Chicago’s short warm weather season: “He sank the vote for it,” the source says. Reilly would eventually support an ordinance that brought back outdoor dining after Johnson took office.
Another city council source says alderpersons are well aware of how important the topic is to Reilly, who’s known to frequent Boss Bar, a late-night tavern that benefited from the street dining program. Because of that, they’re reluctant to speak out: “It’s sacred ground to him,” the source says.
Reilly, who claimed on social media that the street closure was his idea, has forged strong ties with River North restaurants, which complicates matters further as opinions from restaurant owners have varied on whether they want the Clark Street program to return. Meanwhile, since the program’s inception in 2022, several neighborhood groups have sent letters to Lightfoot and Johnson’s offices objecting to closing down the streets. Grant DePorter, owner of Harry Caray’s, sent a letter in December 2022 detailing how the closure negatively impacted his business. DePorter adds that there are accessibility issues, as well. He mentions that 94-year-old Dutchie Caray, the wife of the restaurant’s namesake, has struggled to navigate the traffic. DePorter also mentions former Buffalo Bills head coach Marv Levy, a 98-year-old Chicago native, who also has had trouble getting to the restaurant while Clark has been closed.
Bayless, the city’s most famous living chef — who posed with Mayor Johnson in March to celebrate the city’s proclamation of Rick Bayless Day last month — tells Eater that it’s a complicated topic because downtown businesses haven’t recovered from the pandemic. A lack of Mag Mile shoppers has also hurt River North restaurants.
“Mix that up with the repairs on the Kennedy [Expressway] causing long travel times and the fact that people all around Chicago now say that it’s dangerous to come downtown, and you can see why those of us who are firmly planted in River North are looking for everything we can to boost business,” Bayless writes in a text.
Bayless adds that Johnson believes restaurants will play a big role in reviving downtown.
“Then why not close off the street and create a safe and vital atmosphere to draw people in?” the chef adds: “Will it hurt our business to have the street closed? Probably not much. Would it help our business? I can answer that with a resounding ‘yes.’”
Others share Bayless’s opinion. More than 2,700 people have signed an online petition asking the mayor, Ald. Reilly, and Chicago Department of Transportation commissioner Tom Carney to bring back the program.
On the other side is Sam Sanchez, a former chair of the Illinois Restaurant Association (one of his daughters, Korina, is a current board member). Sam Sanchez says the program should end. It was a pandemic lifeline whose time has come, he argues, stating that the program only benefits a handful of restaurants and gives them an unfair advantage while taking away business from other restaurants who have spent money building their own patios and licensed sidewalk patios.
Sanchez doesn’t blame the restaurants along Clark Street that benefit as he says any owner would love additional capacity, but it’s not fair. He points out that Gold Coast restaurants around Mariano Park didn’t push for outdoor dining programs to continue after Springfield restored indoor dining. Restaurants like Gibsons and Tavern on Rush were examples of ethical businesses, ones that didn’t take advantage of government relief that was supposed to be only temporary, he says. Sanchez also mentions Pink Taco, a Mexican bar — part of a chain — that closed in July 2022 after four years in Chicago. Sanchez says restaurants west of Clark Street are hurt because of traffic jams the street closures caused and that Pink Taco, 431 N. Wells Street, was among those impacted.
“We don’t need to shut down the streets when restaurants are hurting post-pandemic and are still trying to recover,” Sanchez says.
He wonders how new businesses, like the upcoming Hawksmoor steakhouse at 500 N. LaSalle, will do if traffic is jammed up. When asked if it would be okay if the program returned for select weekends in River North — the program will return in Lakeview for two weekends, on June 7 and again on July 12 — Sanchez wasn’t moved.
“We have street fests for this, we have Taste of River North for this — we have many festivals where people can enjoy the outdoors,” he says.
As the arrival of spring teases Chicagoans, restaurants are preparing to squeeze every opportunity and dollar out of outdoor dining, and they await the city council’s final decision. Sanchez says the mayor has more important topics to worry about. In the end, the winner will be which side has the best lobbyists, he says.
A year before the pandemic, Chicago developer R2 announced a partnership with Hogsalt Hospitality, the owners of Au Cheval, Bavette’s, and other Chicago restaurants. They planned to develop a 3.5-acre boatyard site on Goose Island, opening a restaurant and bar and creating dining opportunities off the Chicago River. Back in 2019, Hogsalt founder Brendan Sodikoff told Eater that it was “the most exciting project I’ve had the pleasure to work on.”
Five years later, those plans — next near Kendall College’s former home along Halsted — have never materialized. On Monday, a Crain’s report made the news public — R2 and Hogsalt have broken up. Last year, the development firm sold the northwest portion of the project site to car dealer Joe Perillo for $4.8 million.
Sodikoff tells Eater that he loved the project but they ran into challenges with zoning that prevented permits for outdoor dining, a key component of the project: “We worked with the city for a few years but never found traction and it all ground to a halt during COVID,” Sodikoff texts.
Sodikoff didn’t point to a single moment when the collaboration with R2 snarled, “projects fizzle without progress,” he adds, writing that he hasn’t actively worked on the Goose Island project for years.
R2 has found success partnering on the construction of the Salt Shed, the music venue near Division Street and Elston Avenue. Goose Island Beer Co.will next month open a new brewpub at the Salt Shed, a relocation of its original Clybourn brewery. However, the area’s PMD zoninghas remained intact.
The hope was new development could turn Goose Island into more of an entertainment district, but instead, Crain’s reports developers will look into creating industrial, warehouse, and office spaces that could house photography studios, fitness centers, or retailers that need on-site storage or space for production.
Sodikoff says the project’s demise isn’t a referendum on the city’s restaurants: “Chicago dining is very strong,” he texts. “This city loves to wine and dine.”
He adds that restaurants do face challenges including rising construction costs, increasing rents to accommodate those spikes, and policy changes. His present priority is to focus on reinvesting in existing restaurants and spending more time with his teams, but he also says he’d like to continue to invest in the city when opportunities present themselves.
“It doesn’t mean no new development but it certainly pushes the risk to an uncomfortable level,” Sodikoff adds. “Many wonderful entrepreneurs are developing the majority of their new business in other states.”
The casual bites at Lilac Tiger are worth seeking out.|
Lilac Tiger
Did you get a glimpse of the eclipse? Blink and you missed it — much like Chicago’s way-too-brief spring. All that means is folks need to make better plans to properly savor ramps and all the season has to offer. The Eater 38 is here to help.
This collection of Chicago’s best restaurants provides answers to the classic question: “Where would you dine if you had one night in the city?” The list recognizes some all-time greats and restaurants that have pushed culinary boundaries. This list is for locals who want to make the most out of their nights. It’s also for visitors unfamiliar with the city.
The spring update brings four new restaurants into the fold. There’s a South Side favorite that is once again getting the attention it deserves in Bridgeport. A daring bar with unique cocktails and a killer casual menu of South Asian bites including an incredible mushroom dish. In Lincoln Park, a tasting menu restaurant attempts to push back at consumer culture — if that’s even possible. And in the West Loop, a Korean couple runs an omakase restaurant with some of the best sushi in the city.
It’s almost time to put away those heavy coats, Chicago. Enjoy.
Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.
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The Chicago location of Smith & Wollensky remains closed after a small Friday, April 5 fire in the steakhouse’s kitchen. A firefighter was seen taken off in a stretcher. No customers or staff were hurt, according to the steakhouse.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The steakhouse, via social media, apologized to customers and vowed for an update ASAP. Smith & Wollensky, a chain with 10 locations, opened its Chicago steakhouse in 1998, off the Chicago River in the Marina City complex.
Marshmello fans lineup in front of Wiener Circle
Before his Saturday performance at the Aragon Ballroom, Marshmallo, a DJ and electronic music producer, played a surprise set on top of the Wiener Circle — turntables were installed on the roof. Hundreds flooded toward the restaurant. No ketchup stains harmed the DJ’s glorious white visage.
Thank you to the security team for keeping traffic moving and for @cta for showing your passengers on the 22 Clark bus a good time! pic.twitter.com/BWNsqYfFg0
— The Wieners Circle (@TheWienerCircle) April 7, 2024
Chart-topping musician visits River North restaurant
If music doesn’t work out for singer-songwriter Benson Boone, maybe working in a restaurant will.
Boone, whose album — Fireworks & Rollerblades — released last week was in Chicago where he played two shows at the Salt Shed. In between the concerts, he joined a growing contingent of musicians who arrange to work at a restaurant for publicity. Pizzeria Portofino in River North was the venue of choice. While the Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises’ restaurant along the Chicago River isn’t exactly a magnet for Boone’s Tik Tok-obsessed fanbase, the singer still shared a pizza (topped with marinara, Italian sausage, red onions mozzarella cheese, artichoke hearts, and parmesan) he baked alongside Pizzeria Portofino’s Pizza Chef Jeff Smyl with guests. Boone’s single, “Beautiful Things,” has been No. 1 on global charts since mid-February.
Don Pablo’s Kitchen & Bakeshop, a Chilean empanada shop so popular that it utilized Tock, the platform used by upscale restaurants like Alinea, to sell food, has closed in Uptown. Founder Pablo Soto tells Eater that’s he’s searching for a location in the suburbs.
Don Pablo’s, named for Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet and activist Pablo Neruda, closed on December 31, just over a month before its second anniversary at 1007 W. Argyle Street. “Our lease was up and [we] decided not to renew,” Soto writes in a text message. “Uptown wasn’t the right place for us and we are working on moving to the North Shore.”
Oddly, a move to suburban Chicago (Soto floated the possibility of Wilmette in an Instagram comment) would bring Don Pablo’s story full circle, as Soto and his wife, Julie Morrow-Soto, originally launched the bakeshop in May 2021 as a virtual operation in Glenview. They even intended to unveil a permanent location in Evanston until they discovered the space they’d chosen would need significantly more rehabilitation than anticipated. That turn of events brought the couple to Uptown, where they opened Don Pablo’s in February 2022 on Asia on Argyle, the neighborhood’s bustling Vietnamese-dominated corridor.
Chicago’s hospitality scene isn’t short on empanada options plenty of top-notch renditions of regional varieties that hail from Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, Belize, the Philippines, and beyond. After the 2012 closure of Rapa Nui in Irving Park, however, it became challenging to find Chilean empanadas in local restaurants. Chilean empanadas are larger and more rectangular than their South American peers, and both baked and fried versions are ubiquitous throughout the country.
Stay tuned for news of Don Pablo’s new suburban location.
In December, Goose Island closed its original brewery in Lincoln Park after 35 years. The development, near Clybourn and Sheffield, is set for redevelopment. The Salt Shed, less than a mile south of Goose Clybourn, is a music venue that opened in February 2023 near Elston Avenue and Division Street. It’s run by Bruce Finkelman and Craig Golden. They also run Chicago restaurant group 16” on Center, the company behind Revival Food Hall in the Loop, Thalia Hall in Pilsen, and Empty Bottle in Ukrainian Village.
The newly dubbed Salt Shed Pub will feature beers including Bourbon County Stout, Beer Hug, and 312 on draft, as well as new offerings from head brewer Mike Jacobs. Food wise, executive chef Henry Pariser — studied under Thomas Keller at French Laundry — is bringing back holdovers from Clybourn including a smash burger, Bourbon County Stout milkshake, a smoked trout sandwich, and a burnt carrot sandwich.
The alert describes the move to the Salt Shed as a way to deepen “Goose’s existing connection with the Chicago music scene.” It mentions events like Pitchfork Music Festival and Goose’s own 312 Block Party. The latter has been held outside its brewery’s Fulton Street taproom. Goose has also routinely held another event, Prop Day — its celebration of the barrel-aged beer, Bourbon County Stout — outside the taproom. The Salt Shed gives the brewery a new option, one that’s more tailored to hosting such events.
Goose Island debuted in 1988 and was sold in 2011 to the parent company of Budweiser. At one point they expanded with brewpubs in Philadelphia (it closed in 2020) and London. A Wrigleyville location also closed in 2015. Folks may also stumble into a Goose-branded bars at various airports. While that expansion was occurring, the original lost its luster. There’s hope a move can restore the roar.
Look for more information as opening day approaches.
Millions of Americans, including Chicagoans, will have a chance on Wednesday, April 8, to see a total solar eclipse — a rare opportunity that won’t return for 21 years. The celestial phenomenons have a way of evoking strong feelings (and generating beaucoup bucks), so it’s not surprising that Chicago chefs are getting in on festivities around the so-called life-changing event.
Meanwhile, there are plenty of other pop-ups to keep diners and chefs from descending into Third Winter doldrums. Follow along for a sampling of the best the city has to offer in Eater Chicago’s pop-up round-up.
Have a pop-up that should be listed? Email information to chicago@eater.com.
April
River North: Tokyo Last Call, a month-long pop-up series inspired by Japanese listening bars, will kick off on Thursday, April 4 in partnership with Three Dots and a Dash and a lineup of guest bartenders from several acclaimed Japanese cocktail spots. These include Brooklyn’s Bar Goto (Thursday, April 4 through Sunday, April 7), Manhattan’s Katana Kitten (Thursday, April 11 through Sunday, April 14), as well as Tokyo’s Bar Trench (Thursday, April 18 through Sunday, April 21) and SG Club (Thursday, April 25 through Sunday, April 28). The Three Dots team will play vinyl 45s and play music from a “retro jukebox” on the bottom floor at 51 W. Hubbard Street. Tokyo Last Call, Thursday April 4 through Sunday, April 28 at Hub 51. Reservations via OpenTable.
The Loop: It seems the whole city is talking about 2024’s Very Big Deal solar eclipse, so Downtown’s Raddison Blu Aqua Hotel is serving two specialty cocktails for the occasion. The team will offer the Sunbeam (mango-pineapple vodka, pomegranate, pineapple) and the Solar Flare (tequila, prosecco, grenadine, Cholula) Friday, April 5 through Sunday, April 14. The Sunbeam and the Solar Flare at Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, Friday, April 5 through Sunday, April 14, 221 N. Columbus Drive.
Total Eclipse of the Heart (Bacardi Ocho Rye Cask Rum, Rhum Clément Creole Shrubb, orgeat, lime, fire bitters, tajín).The Gwen
The Loop: Astoria Cafe & Bakery, a suburban spot that specializes in Balkan food, is popping up off the Mag Mile at Venteux, the French restaurant inside the . The bakery had a location on Irving Park road that debuted in 2017, but it’s since closed and they’ve moved to Lisle. Owner by the mother-and-daughter duo of Suzi and Tanja Jeftenic, a news release states customers can expect items like krempita (a vanilla custard slice made with puff pastry & Chantilly cream), burek stuffed with cheese, spinach, or beef, and knedle, a potato dumpling made traditionally with plums, but also made with Nutella and fruit. Astoria Cafe at Venteux, 9 a.m. Sunday April 14 at Venteux.
West Loop: San Francisco-based chef David Yoshimura of Michelin-starred Nisei will pop up for one night with acclaimed chef Noah Sandoval for a collaborative tasting menu on Saturday, April 6 at Sandoval’s fine dining restaurant Oriole. Tickets ($325) are already sold out, but optimistic diners can add their names to the waitlist. Oriole x Nisei, Saturday, April 6 at Oriole. Waitlist via Tock.
Magnificent Mile: Downtown hotel terrace bar Upstairs at the Gwen is marking the solar eclipse with a punny Total Eclipse of The Heart cocktail (Bacardi Ocho Rye Cast Rum, Orgeat, Fire Bitters) available Saturday, April 6 through Monday, April 8. Total Eclipse of The Heart at Upstairs at the Gwen, Saturday, April 6 through Monday, April 8, 521 N. Rush Street, 5th Floor.
Avondale: Minahasa, veteran chef John Avila’s (Duck Inn, Gibsons Italia) rambunctious regional Indonesian spot, will make its triumphant return on Monday, April 8 for Reader pop-up series Monday Night Foodball. More than a year has passed since Avila shuttered Minahasa’s stall at Revival Food Hall in the Loop, but he’s made good on his promise to return and continue honoring the vast diversity of Indonesian cuisine — particularly that of mountainous Tomohon, his mother Betty’s hometown. Avila’s Foodball menu will lean into “Indonesian American twists,” per Mike Sula, such as an Indo fried chicken sandwich (green papaya slaw, acar pickles) and beef rendang animal fries (sambal aioli, crispy shallots), along with Mama Betty’s beloved egg rolls.Minahasa x Monday Night Foodballat Ludlow Liquors, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday, April 8, 2959 N. California Avenue.
Avondale: Lauded South Indian restaurant Thattu is planning two “once-in-a-blue-moon” specials for the eclipse: an egg appam with chili crisp, and a moon pie from chef de cuisine Danny Tervort. They’ll be available for one night only, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday, April 8. Solar eclipse specials at Thattu, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, April 8. Reservations via OpenTable.
Logan Square: Chicago chefs Palita Sriratana (Pink Salt) and Chanita Schwartz will host a festive pop-up celebration for Songkran, or Thai New Year, on Tuesday, April 14 inside indie flower shop Exfolia Botanical, the duo announced on Instagram. Self-avowed prawn fans, Sriratana and Schwartz worked them into the seven-course menu with dishes like tod mun goong (prawns, coriander) and khanom jeen nam prik (prawn-infused curry, rice noodles, seasonal vegetables). Other courses include yum som o (grapefruit, lemongrass, coconut, cashews) and gai haw bai toey (pandan leaf-wrapped chicken, sweet sesame sauce). Tickets ($120) and more details are available via Eventbrite. Songkran Thai New Year, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, April 14 at Exfolia Botanical. Tickets via Eventbrite.
East Garfield Park: Virtual Lao mega-hit Laos to Your House will host its second annual Lao Pi Mai, or Lao New Year, a family-friendly celebration with an abundant buffet-style spread from 2:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 13 at hospitality business incubator the Hatchery, according to co-founder Byron Gully. The team promises a vast array of dishes including spicy khao poon moo, chicken and vegetarian laap (or larb), crispy kanom dok bua (lotus flower cookies), Lao barbecue, and much more, as well as cocktails and beer. Attendees can also shop for retail items like Lao textiles, beauty products, and packaged goods. Tickets ($50) and more details are available online until Tuesday, April 9.Laos to Your House Lao Pi Mai celebration at the Hatchery, 2:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, April 13, 135 N. Kedzie Avenue. Reservations via Laos to Your House.
Rolling Meadows: Chicago chefs including Yuka Funakoshi (Tengokyu Aburiya), Takashi Iida (Lawrence Fish Market), Paul Virant (Gaijin, Petite Vie), and Shinji Sugiura (Ramen House Shinchan), will host a Japanese and French kaiseki-style dinner on Monday, April 22 in suburban Rolling Meadows. A fundraiser to support survivors of a New Year’s Day earthquake on Japan’s Noto Peninsula, the event will feature Chicago Koto Group and local J-pop music group Orihana, as well as a six-course meal that includes tare-marinated salmon with French lentils and seafood terrine with yuzu kosho jelly. Reservations ($125) are available online until Monday, April 15. Together for Noto Japan: Disaster Relief Fundraising Dinner at LaMirage Banquet Hall, Monday, April 22, 3223 Algonquin Road in Rolling Meadows. Reservations via Google Form.
May
Bridgeport: Chef and owner Won Kim of raucous Korean restaurantKimski isn’t wasting any time in preparing for its eight-year anniversary party on Saturday, May 11, announcing a “stacked” lineup of food vendors and DJs around two months ahead of time. Attendees can expect food from Seoul Taco, Pizza Friendly Pizza, Pretty Cool Ice Cream, Omarcitos, and more (plus a few surprise entries), as well as drinks from Bronzeville Winery, Maria’s, and Standard Meadery. “Come eat, drink, celebrate and help kick summer off the proper Bridgeport way!” Kim writes on Instagram. Kimski Eight Year Anniversary Party, 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, May 11 at Kimski.
954-960 West 31st Street, , IL 60608 (773) 823-7336
Fans got their first glimpse of Season 3 of FX’s The Bear on Wednesday, April 3, when a 53-second clip from Disney’s shareholders meeting, held earlier on Wednesday, landed on social media. The clip has since been taken down. There’s no exact release date for the new season, but the episodes should land on Hulu sometime in June.
Season 2 concludes with the opening of the Bear, a new restaurant that should better showcase Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) and Sydney Adamu’s (Ayo Edebiri) fine dining experience. Food media didn’t play a big role in previous seasons, and that may change. The leaked clip features Neil Fak (Matty Matheson) chatting with his brother, Ted (Ricky Staffieri) in the back of the Bear, in the restaurant’s office. The Faks yell out to call Carmy to enter so they can unveil a surprise.
The camera pans to a wall of 10 framed photos filled with portraits. It’s a diverse crew including a white guy wearing tinted glasses and a school-aged girl smiling. Fak points to the wall and tells Carmy these are snapshots of “every major food critic.”
“I hate this feeling,” Carmy says, looking anxious while scanning the photos from a distance.
After Fak asks Carmy to clarify, the chef replies: “I’m not sure, this looks good, though,” he says to the Faks. “This is smart — good job.”
The camera pans over to the photos and it seems the Fak brothers have written a few words under each critic’s name. There are two women named “Eliza Cameron.” One is listed as a blogger and photographer — the photo is of Sue Chan, food industry vet and former brand director at Momofuku. A second “Eliza” is noted as “mysterious” — “She wrote a couple food books. Didn’t read, though,” the photo reads. Another photograph is of Julian Black, a former assistant general manager at New York’s famed Carbone and currently at Prince Street Hospitality. The array also includes New Yorker writer Naomi Fry.
There’s also the curious case of a critic named “Philip Smart.” He’s dressed in a suit and tie — the photo is actually Chris Black of the podcast How Long Gone. Not all of the text is readable, but zooming in, viewers might be able to make out: “He’s from Atlanta, Doesn’t know shit about Chicago. Tough Guy?” The photo also reads: “Likes room temp water. He’s fake sophisticated.”
It’s impossible to know for sure, but the Atlanta reference might be inspired by Chicago magazine critic John Kessler, a former critic for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He’s often lamented Chicago’s flaws.
An FX rep says the clip wasn’t approved for wide sharing and asked for the footage to be pulled. Will this scene remain in the show? Chicago and the rest of the world will have to wait until June to find out.
Update, Wednesday, April 3, 4 p.m.: This piece has been updated to reflect that the footage was taken down by FX.
Chicago has reached the point in its annual cycle when locals suddenly recall that a four-season framework simply does not apply to this city — a place where one can identify as many as a dozen seasons in each calendar year. Temperatures are up and down; a sunny, temperate day might be immediately followed by dreary rain. It’s hard for restaurants to lure customers out of their homes when the weather is so unpredictable, exacerbating the already razor-thin margins of many local restaurants.
Below, Eater is cataloging both temporary and permanent restaurant closures in Chicago. If you know of a restaurant, bar, or another closed food establishment, please email chicago@eater.com. We will continue to update this post.
Kenwood: Fast-casual Chinese restaurant De Rice Asian Cuisine permanently closed in January at 918 E. 47th Street after nearly three decades in business, according to the Hyde Park Herald. Owner Francis Lee, a Hong Kong native who immigrated to Chicago in 1989, originally opened the restaurant on the city’s North Side before relocating in 2003 to work closer to his two sons, then students at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. Chicago restaurateur Racquel Fields (14 Parish Restaurant & Rhum Bar, Dawn) is slated to take over the space, but her plans are not yet public.
Lakeview: CRMD, an Ohio-based chain of ice cream shops that wraps its sweet treats in bubbly egg waffles, has closed its sole Chicago outpost after more than a year and a half at 2951 N. Broadway. In late March, an eye-eyed Lakeview resident spotted workers moving equipment out of the space in the wee hours of the morning. The brand has two remaining locations, both in Ohio. CRMD had taken over for Bobtail Ice Cream back in 2018.
Lincoln Park: Neighborhood sandwich shop Branko’s, a staple among DePaul University students and faculty, is closed after nearly half a century at 1118 W. Fullerton Avenue, according to Block Club Chicago. Founded in 1976 by late Yugoslavian immigrant spouses Branko Jordanovski and Jelica Jordanovska, Branko’s opted to focus on serving sandwiches that appealed to college students like Italian beef but wove in a strain of Balkan culinary culture with pickled banana peppers, tomatoes, and herbs from the family’s backyard garden. Other favorites included Balkan bean stew, gyros, and pizza puffs. Gordana Jordanovska, one of the founders’ daughters, took over the shop after her parents deaths in the early 2020s. Jordanovska tells reporters that she still hopes to keep the Branko’s name alive and is looking for a business partner to help find a path forward.
Arlington Heights: Suburban Thai restaurant Bangkok Cafe is permanently closed at 17 N. Vail Avenue after 30 years of business, according to the Daily Herald. Owner Kim Cho, who opened the restaurant in 1994 with her six sisters, tells reporters that the closure resulted from both a downturn in dine-in business following the early years of the pandemic and a series of health issues in her family, including the death of one of her sisters, who was Bangkok Cafe’s head chef. Village officials are reportedly reviewing a proposal for a microbrewery that aims to move into the space.
Evanston: Jennifer’s Edibles, an all-day suburban restaurant featuring American and Jamaican dishes, is permanently closed after seven years at 1623 Simpson Street in Evanston, owner Jennifer Eason announced on Facebook. Eason tells Evanston Round Table that the logistical and financial stresses of running the restaurant weighed on her for some time, so she decided not to renew her lease on the space. She’s since moved on to work in the kitchen at nearby barbecue hit Soul & Smoke, which aims to launch dine-in service this summer at its flagship location in Evanston.
As Chicagoans prepare to say farewell to Cafe Selmarie, a cozy Lincoln Square favorite that’s preparing to close after more than four decades, news about its forthcoming replacement is beginning to surface.
Andrew Pillman, the owner of neighboring beer bar Lincoln Square Taproom, has applied for a liquor license under the business name Willow Cafe and Bistro at 4729 N. Lincoln Avenue. The restaurant is Pillman’s second takeover of a Lincoln Square institution, as in 2021 he opened the taproom in the former home of Huettenbar, one of the area’s last-remaining German taverns. In 2021, he opened a sister bar, Uptown Taproom. Pillman also runs Lakeview Taproom, which opened in July 2020. In November 2023, the space rebranded to add a coffee component.
In the case of Huttenbar, back in 2021, Pillman told Block Club that he intended to preserve the dive’s German charm. However, regulars say Pillman and his crews drastically changed the bar’s vibe including replacing a mural that helped define the space.
Cafe Selmarie owner Birgit Kobayashi announced her plans to retire and close Cafe Selmarie in September 2023 but has yet to share a closing date. The restaurant will remain open “through at least the end of April,” according to its website.
Pillman and Kobayashi did not respond to requests for comment.
A Lincoln Square pillar since Kobayashi and her late business partner Jean Uzdawanis founded it in 1983, Selmarie (a portmanteau of its founders’ middle names, Birgit Selma and Jeanne Marie) oversaw a transformation in the area from its perch on Giddings Plaza. It was home to the first espresso machine in the neighborhood and quickly garnered a following for its comfortable atmosphere, fresh baked goods made on-site, and an all-day lineup of soups, salads, sandwiches, and pasta. In 2017, Kobayashi became Selmarie’s sole proprietor following Uzdawanis’ death at age 63 after a battle with ovarian cancer.
While few additional details about Willow Cafe and Bistro are available as yet, Pillman seems primed for a busy year. He’s applied for a liquor license for another beer bar, Rogers Park Taproom & Coffee House, at 1615 W. Howard Street. The space previously housed indie coffeehouse Sol Cafe and in February, Pillman told Block Club Chicago that he aims to compensate for the cafe’s closure by serving Hexe Coffee alongside beer, cocktails, breakfast, and lunch.
Stay tuned for more on Cafe Selmarie’s closing date and more details on Willow Cafe and Bistro.
Willow Cafe and Bistro, 4729 N. Lincoln Avenue, Opening date is not yet available.
On a Thursday evening in January, an intimate group of people gathered at Zin’s Flower Shop’s event space in Pilsen for a hands-on lesson in crafting two nonalcoholic drinks with Up Elevated Cocktails. Hosted by Carlos Ramos, this was the second iteration of a class dubbed “High and Dry January,” which seeks to educate people in the making of cannabis-infused mocktails.
During the instruction, Ramos, who’s imbued with the gift of gab, explains the properties of various cannabinoids, terpenes, and their effects, while also providing a mini consultation to establish an understanding of each participant’s tolerance level. Up Elevated cocktails are typically dosed between 5 and 7 milligrams for the average customer. Together, the group mixed up the Moment of Zen — a drink made with pineapple juice, matcha powder, aquafaba, coconut milk, and THC-infused Zen Green Tea from California brand Uncle Arnie’s — anda play on a hot buttered rum, featuring butter-based gummies infused with THC.
Whether someone is sober curious, totally dry, or partaking in the “California sober” lifestyle (i.e. abstaining from booze while consuming cannabis), there’s a piqued interest these days in alternatives to alcohol. Consumers want to opt out of drinking without compromising the overall social experience. That’s prompted companies such as Marz Community Brewing in Bridgeport and Hopewell Brewing in Logan Square to churn out ready-to-sip canned CBD or hopped spritzes.
Founded in 2020 by Ramos, the same year that recreational cannabis consumption became legal in Illinois, Up Elevated’s mobile mixology service takes modern mocktails to new heights by trading alcoholic spirits for cannabis-infused, water-soluble products — such as Cann bubbly tonics or Artet botanical aperitifs and spritzes — that come with an additional dose of education and awareness. Cannabinoid infusions differ based on state law. Illinois prohibits companies from mixing THC with alcohol, but they can use hemp and delta-8 or delta-10.
“We’re not mixing marijuana and alcohol, so it’s an infused mocktail,” Ramos says, though he shares that the company offers regular bar service as well.
Carlos Ramos and Up Elevated regularly hold events.
During January’s canna-mocktail class, participants Ariah, 25, and Taliya, 23 (who asked to withhold last names due to privacy concerns), shared that alcohol has rarely been a factor in their social lives — a decision they deem a less harmful option.
“We’ve noticed what alcohol has done, we know the history, and it’s not pretty,” Ariah says. “Being intoxicated is literally hurting your body. There’s a naturalness to cannabis or even shrooms — there’s an evident, natural benefit to it.”
In Illinois, bartenders can use cannabis in drinks as long as they don’t have alcohol.
“‘Intentional’ is a big word with our generation,” Taliya adds. “People are talking about it on social media. We don’t see the hype [around alcohol]. We’re very conscious of what we want to put in our bodies, from food to things like this [cannabis cocktail class]. Education goes a long way and having fun, social events where you can also learn is a nice way to go about it.”
Ramos still primarily runs bar services himself but collaborates with a team of talented friends for larger pop-ups and social media content. He takes his mission to destigmatize cannabis and normalize its presence in beverages seriously. While Ramos admits that people get cross-faded (the term for being high and drunk), he’s not encouraging that behavior on Up Elevated’s watch.
“I don’t see a world where mixing alcohol and cannabis in one beverage makes sense,” Ramos says, noting his goal is to normalize cannabis as an alternative to alcohol and set a “standard for responsible service and consumption of these beverages.”
Up Elevated doesn’t take itself too seriousl.
A former beer distributor for companies such as Lagunitas Brewing Company, Ramos was working in sales and marketing as a Chicago area rep for 18th Street Brewery in Hammond and Gary, Indiana, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. When he lost his job, he saw it as an opportunity to launch Up Elevated as a mobile mixology service in August 2020 — doing small pop-ups at socially-distanced, outdoor markets and private events as folks slowly restarted in-person activities. He, like many people during that time, had begun more deeply assessing his relationship to his habits, particularly drinking alcohol.
“I try to live an active lifestyle and I realized the days where alcohol consumption was part of my job weren’t really aligning with my lifestyle anymore,” Ramos says. “I was never big on alcohol, but I was socially drinking, and selling beer was my job, being a little drunk a couple nights a week. I didn’t like the feeling, I really didn’t like feeling hungover, and COVID was a deciding factor [in drinking] for a lot of people.”
Developing the concept and menus for Up Elevated steadied his focus while inspiring other avenues of cannabis-friendly social activations, including run club Runners High Chicago, yoga classes, and a chess club — disrupting the “lonely, lazy stoner” stereotype. Finding a new path in the community feels like the bet on himself is paying off. Last year, Up Elevated hosted events in six states, including California, Michigan, Massachusetts, and Colorado, and appeared at MJ Biz Con — the nation’s largest marijuana and cannabis conference and expo, held in Las Vegas. It also participated in January’s Chicago’s No I.D. alcohol-free cocktail competition and tasting event at Artifact Events.
“I’d had the idea since 2018 after I’d worked a couple events with the Herbal Notes collective and seeing how chef Manny [Mendoza] brought to life the beautiful culinary experience for cannabis, I wanted to create that mixology equivalent, because I didn’t see that,” Ramos says. “I didn’t see beautiful cannabis cocktails — if anything, there were alcoholic cocktails still being served at weed events. Even still, now, it’s the landscape where it’s a weed event, but it’s at a bar, you have to buy from their bar. I saw the niche for this.”
He adds, “Another theme of Up Elevated is believing that people who don’t consume alcohol should have better choices than juice, water, or soda. A lot of times, when you go to a bar or somewhere and you sit down and say you’re not drinking alcohol, that kind of ends your service experience. We give just as awesome of an experience if you want to drink alcohol, cannabis, or neither.”
Ramos describes his use of cannabis and THC-infused products as similar to using bitters or carbonated mixers as opposed to making them the hero ingredient. It’s what drew one of his newest supporters, the aforementioned Uncle Arnie’s.
Uncle Arnie’s has plans to join the Chicago market later this year. Founder Ave Miller stumbled upon Up Elevated’s Instagram profile in 2023 and connected with the hope that Ramos’s creativity would inspire consumers to reconsider their cannabis experience. Miller says “most people aren’t even educated” about cannabis beverages, placing Up Elevated at the leading edge of an emerging market: “Most edibles are usually way too high-cost or not as effective because most people are fooled by the 500 milligram Laffy Taffy bar,” Miller says. “Liquid beverages are a really great way to introduce high-dose people to recreational markets. Because of the water-soluble technology and increased bioavailability, 100 milligrams really feels like 150 milligrams because of how your body processes it.”
While making sure the community has space to gather, create, and indulge — it’s never solely been about getting high. Working toward complete legalization of cannabis (the plant) and advocating for more equitable access to resources for Black and Brown, small, craft growers and brands — those most impacted by this country’s war on drugs — is of equal importance. Ramos knows this first-hand, having been arrested in 2007 for selling on Purdue University’s campus in West Lafayette, Indiana, when he was a sophomore. For 12 years, Ramos had felony convictions on his record, which made finding a corporate job nearly impossible. That led him to the craft beer industry, where his honesty about his background wasn’t a detriment.
A member of the newly founded Illinois Cannabis Consumption Association, Ramos and like-minded individuals are also coming together to address and promote efforts around the legality of on-premise cannabis consumption and the minted “cannabis hospitality industry.” While there are legal, onsite consumption lounges in Illinois in towns such as Wheeling and Mundelein, Chicago doesn’t permit consumption outside of private properties or licensed dispensaries, and public consumption remains illegal.
“Chicago is likely gonna make it difficult and costly to do these things,” Ramos explains. “Most of the events that happen around cannabis are technically unsanctioned. For me and my events, we try to keep things as compliant as possible. Some safeguards are 21-and-over, private, ticketed or members only, no direct sales of the plant itself. I’ve cultivated relationships with alderpeople who would like to see day permits for cannabis events, as they realize they are happening and want to mitigate involvement of law enforcement for a plant that’s supposed to be legal in Illinois. It makes no sense that we can buy cannabis, but can’t consume it without being in fear of the law.”
In 2021, he connected via LinkedIn with Steven Philpott Jr., a former Marine and current biology PhD student at North Carolina State University who studies crop and soil sciences with a focus on cannabis, and the two started collaborating and building the education and justice element of Up Elevated Cocktails. With a background in sports medicine and coaching, Philpott became an advocate for cannabis for stress and pain management on a personal level before doing so professionally.
“There’s 120 to 200 kinds of cannabinoids that exist. We only really talk about THC, but all the other ones have health benefits too,” Philpott says. “That’s what me and Carlos do. Cannabis is not just THC.”
Philpott sees an opportunity through Up Elevated to spread awareness about alternatives to alcohol and smoking cannabis. He says it should be viewed as a supplement purchased at a vitamin store. “As I get older, I’m like, ‘I would love to find another way to consume.’ So when I saw Carlos making drinks, I thought he might be onto something.”
Discussing cannabis in its fullest terms also helps the two get around legality concerns when Up Elevated Cocktails pops up in states that have yet to embrace recreational or medical use. Philpott joined Ramos at this year’s South by Southwest music festival for an activation dubbed “Sound Bites” on March 9, which combined music, cannabis, and education in a state that’s long opposed legalization but where hemp-derived products like delta-8 have flourished.
Ramos has high hopes for his operation.
Ramos chose to use “non-THC, minor cannabinoids” during his trip to Texas. “Hemp-derived is legal in all 50 states. We can still give the education, the experience with music and drinks … [and] be within the parameters of what we need to be in that state.”
Looking ahead, Ramos hopes Up Elevated Cocktails can serve as a bridge between casual consumption and real-world implications of lingering, federal cannabis restrictions for those who still haven’t been able to gain a stronger foothold in the now-corporate, regulated industry; this would help foster a deeper sense of community where success is available to those who’ve paid a higher price for being on the cultural frontlines for decades.
“There’s no shortage of weed parties, but I don’t see a whole lot of well-rounded programming really building community, which is what we’re trying to come into our own and do,” he says.
Avgeria Stapaki aims to make that first impression a memorable one as the Greek chef tonight — Friday, March 29 — opens Tama, a Bucktown restaurant where inventive Mediterranean-style cuisine stars.
Stapaki and co-owner Adalberto Olaez (Lao Peng You, Boeufhaus) have created an ambitious menu that stands apart from Chicago’s crowded and competitive Mediterranean dining scene. They view the regional genre as more of a guideline than a rule and apply an international lens to singular creations like avgolemono ramen, a Greek-Japanese mashup featuring ramen noodles made in-house, swiss chard “nori,” and crispy chicken; dolma with tabbouleh and beurre blanc; and unctuous short rib orzo. In keeping with the theme of freedom, patrons can expect menu changes multiple times per year, leaving room for seasonal switches and sparks of inspiration.
Stapaki and Olaez have painted, sanded, and sculpted for months to reshape the 80-seat restaurant that sits on two levels at 1952 N. Damen Avenue. On the first floor, Tama will offer counter service and a bar where patrons can find six signature cocktails and a selection of moderately priced wines by the glass. The second floor is devoted entirely to dining and will be available for private events. An outdoor patio is also in the works, as Stapaki navigates the city’s licensing process.
Dolma (tabbouleh, beurre blanc).Tama
Tama marks a fresh chapter for the restaurant space, which previously housed a long line of fine dining restaurants including Michelin-starred Claudia, Stone Flower, Takashi, and Stephanie Izard’s Scylla. A warm and earthy color palette is designed to evoke Greek, North African, and Middle Eastern sensibilities, and the team has installed lush olive trees to lend an organic feel.
The team imported lights from Morocco for the first-floor space and had hoped to bring in even bigger versions for the second floor, but the exorbitant price forced Stapaki to pivot. Instead, she spent a week of eight-hour days sculpting domed fixtures out of cement and plaster. It’s a dramatic departure from the fussy formality of fine dining that’s designed to attract locals with a casual atmosphere and competitive pricing, a place where passers-by can grab a meal and a glass of wine for about $65. “I like that we put our hands on this,” she says. “We painted it, we fixed the lights — we actually worked for it.”
The opening is a liberation day for Stapaki, too, as she is at last free to reintroduce her food to Chicago on her own terms. A veteran chef who began her career at Nobu Matsuhisa’s restaurant in Athens, Stapaki left her native Greece in 2019 and moved to Chicago to lead the kitchen at Nisos, a flamboyant Mediterranean restaurant that was among 2022’s most hotly anticipated openings. In spring 2023, however, Nisos’ owners at Parker Hospitality decided to close and revamp the venue, which has since reopened as a steakhouse. In the end, Stapaki says the split came down to compatibility, and she felt more at home working alongside Olaez, Nisos’ former chef de cuisine.
The thrill of independence, however, is often accompanied by significant pressure, at least in the hospitality industry. Stapaki is acutely aware of the weight of her responsibilities, particularly as Tama has no investors or corporate backing. When the stress feels overwhelming, she says she’s found solace in her friendship with R.J. Melman, president of Chicago restaurant behemoth Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises.
She credits him as a steadfast supporter following her mother’s death after a heart attack in Greece during the early pandemic, and a shoulder to lean on when her hopes for Nisos went awry. They’d even considered a collaboration, “But he was like, ‘You don’t need me. I want you to shine on your own,’” Stapaki says. “I liked that.”
Read Tama’s opening menu below.
Tama, 1952 N. Damen Avenue, Scheduled to open Friday, March 29.
Six months after closing, workers from the Signature Room have won a $1.5 million lawsuit against their former employers as a federal judge ruled that Infusion Management Group broke Illinois law by failing to give workers proper notice of their decision to shutter, which happened on September 28.
Unite Local No. 1 represented 132 former workers at the restaurant that stood on the 95th floor of the Hancock Center. State law, under the Workers Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, mandates employers to inform their employees with a 60-day notice of their decision to close. This applies to workplaces with 75 or more full-time employees. The $1.5 million is for back pay and benefits. That total comes out to about $11,363 per worker if it’s divided equally. The court ruling was made on March 14, according to the Sun-Times. The paper also reports workers celebrated with a cake decorated with the words “Justice is served.” Infusion wasn’t reached for comment.
Tortilla plant workers file NLRB complaint
Seven months after factory workers from El Milagro tortillas won an NLRB complaint against their employers, workers from another Chicago tortilla factory are claiming their employers aren’t treating them fairly. On Thursday, Authentico Foods workers filed a retaliation complaint with the NLRB as a news release from Arise Chicago says employees at Authentico’s Archer Heights factory have been threatened with layoffs. Arise, a faith-based worker’s rights group that’s done labor organizing in Chicago’s Spanish-speaking communities frames the threat as retaliation for worker protests that have dated back to 2022. Authentico is the maker of the popular supermarket brands El Ranchero and La Guadalupana. Inspired by their peers at El Milagro, workers at Authnetico’s three plants claim similar complaints — abusive managers, low pay, and insufficient breaks under state law.
One Off launches app
One Off Hospitality, the owners of Big Star, the Publican family of restaurants, Avec, and influential cocktail bar Violet Hour, have launched an app with a customer loyalty program. The 27-year-old group, founded in 1997 when Blackbird opened in West Loop, is one of the city’s most recognized groups thanks to partners Donnie Madia, executive chef Paul Kahan, Eduard Seitan, Peter Garfield, Terry Alexander, and the late Rick Diarmit.
The app offers discounts with a points system based on customer spending and allows One Off to better track customer preferences. In a news release, CEO Karen Browne says the project has been years in the making and that made sense “as a growing restaurant group.”
One Off joins Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises as Chicago-based restaurant groups with apps and programs.
Cafes in India often feel like French cafes with similar layouts. The differences stem from Indian bakers using croissants and other baked goods as vehicles for savory flavors like the spiced potatoes that fill a samosa or the tamarind zing from chutney used in snacks like chaat.
And though coffee is popular, especially in places in South India where kaapi, filter coffee made with chicory and cardamom, Indian customers have the patience to wait for a properly brewed cup of masala chai. Generally, there’s a void for cafes that feature teas for all varieties in Chicago, and while there are a few South Asian snack shops that feature desserts like gulab jamun or burfi, baked goods aren’t as easy to track down. Thattu in Avondale offers a puff filled with spicy beets, but there are more possibilities, especially when the authenticity police go off duty which can allow for more flavor mingling.
That’s the goal at Swadesi, a new cafe that recently opened in West Loop. It comes from Sujan Sarkar, the chef behind the city’s only Michelin-starred Indian restaurant, Indienne. Sarkar was also the opening chef at Rooh Chicago in West Loop and brought over Yash Kishinchand to manage the cafe. Sarkar is familiar with Kishinchand due to their time working at Rooh Columbus in Ohio.
Swadesi’s menu is more of a second-generation South Asian American feel that bridges Western and Eastern tastes. That creates inventions like croissants with samosa chaat or butter chicken. Jaggery, a cane sugar that’s used in South Asia, is used in a chocolate chip cookie. Beyond the baked goods there are breakfast and lunch sandwiches served on pav, a type of roll the size of a slider bun.
They’ll eventually serve wine and beer, but it’s mostly a daytime affair. There are rumblings about hosting pop-up events in the evenings. As far as the tea, it’s imported from India and staff will take their time brewing. Other drinks include an oak smoke vanilla latte, malted milk chocolate mocha, and turmeric & ginger latte.
Tour the space and check out some of the food below.
Swadesi, 328 S. Jefferson Street, open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays.
Bakers and spouses Robert and Kissel Fagaragan say they can predict the future — at least when it comes to local hospitality.
The owners of Umaga Bakehouse, a new bakery specializing in Filipino baked goods, the Fagaragans feel confident that the country’s distinctive baking tradition will dominate the next phase of Chicago’s Filipino American restaurant boom. They’ll open the bakery on Friday, April 12 at 4703 W. Foster Avenue across from Seafood City, the pan Asian supermarket with a robust selection of Filipino goods. The bakery’s name means “morning” in Tagalog.
At nearly 4,000 square feet, Umaga is touted as one of the largest Filipino bakeries in the U.S. Local designer Aida Napoles of AGN Design (also behind the design at West Town’s Diego and Mag Mile’s The Evie) who’s opted for warm earth tones with modern touches like bronze tile. To capitalize on natural morning light, Umaga is equipped with floor-to-ceiling windows, and the team commissioned a custom-milled s-shaped wooden table to serve as both a display centerpiece and provide seating for 10.
Umaga specializes in fresh Filipino baked goods.J and L Photography/Umaga Bakehouse
Halo-halo.J and L Photography/Umaga Bakehouse
“I feel like the Filipino bakery is up next in the Chicago scene,” says Kissel Fagaragan. She’s watched with excitement as locals have embraced hits like Michelin-starred Kasama, Boonie’s Filipino Restaurant, and Bayan Ko. “It’s been very motivating [to see] that Filipino dishes are starting to get popular. But I feel like Filipino bread is still a secret, so we want to bring that full force.”
The Fagaragans feel strongly about honoring the techniques and traditions of Filipino baking while placing these baked goods in a contemporary space that’s appealing to both novices and experts — “the Filipino bakery reimagined,” Kissel Fagaragan says.
That means customers can count on staples like hot pandesal, a yeast-raised roll that’s ubiquitous in the Philippines, and fluffy ensaymada, a popular brioche pastry based on a Mallorcan treat of the same name. The Filipino version is distinctive from the original, evolving over 300 years of Spanish colonization. The couple put a lot of effort into perfecting Umaga’s ensaymada and say they’re finally happy with a version they can call their own — one that’s “soft, moist, not too crazy sweet.”
Umaga Bakehouse owner Kissel Fagaragan.J and L Photography/Umaga Bakehouse
Umaga Bakehouse owner Robert Fagaragan.J and L Photography/Umaga Bakehouse
Kissel Fagaragan’s parents owned Kissel’s Bakery in Lancaster, California.J and L Photography/Umaga Bakehouse
Robert Fagaragan’s father ran a bakery out of their home in the Philippines. J and L Photography/Umaga Bakehouse
Those seeking a sugar rush will have plenty of options including sans rival, a layer cake of buttercream, meringue, and chopped cashews; and pan de coco, a sweet roll stuffed with coconut and molasses. The couple also promises plenty of ube-infused delicacies, plus halo-halo and a collection of savory pastries like longanisa rolls, menudo buns, and crispy Ilocos empanadas.
The couple’s commitment to a legacy of Filipino baking has roots that go deeper than cultural heritage — both spent their childhoods working (and playing) in their respective family bakeries. Born on the West Coast, Kissel Fagaragan vividly recalls Kissel’s Bakery, the small bakeshop her parents owned in Lancaster, California. “That was my playground, [and] that’s where I saw the hard work that they did,” she says. “It definitely gave me a work ethic early on and the passion to do this.”
The Fagaragan’s four-year-old daughter Kyle joins her parents in Umaga’s kitchen.
Spanish bread.J and L Photography/Umaga Bakehouse
Ilocos empanada. J and L Photography/Umaga Bakehouse
Her husband, Robert Fagaragan, a native of the Philippines’ Ilocos Norte Province, also recalls learning to make bread alongside his father in the small bakery he ran out of their home. He remembers getting up in the wee hours with his dad and riding his bike through the neighborhood hawking fresh-baked bread. After emigrating to the U.S. at 17, he would eventually find a job as a cleaner in a bakery in Sacramento, California — a move that would prove fortuitous, as that’s where he met his wife and reconnected with the joy baking brought to his childhood.
The couple took a leap of faith and moved to Chicago in 2018 to pursue new job opportunities. They fell in love with the city and are particularly excited about Umaga’s prime vantage point amid the Northwest Side Filipino community. They hope its proximity will draw shoppers from Seafood City (and away from Filipino powerhouse Jollibee). The morning commuters from the nearby Edens Expressway also present another potential source of customers.
But most of all, however, they’re delighted to be creating new baking memories with a new generation: their 4-year-old daughter Kyle.
“She’s very hands-on and loves to work with Play-Doh, so with dough, she’s even more excited,” says Kissel Fagaragan. “But as much as we’d love for her to take over [Umaga Bakehouse] one day, we’re happy with whatever she wants to do — as long as she’s happy.”
Umaga Bakehouse, 4703 W. Foster Avenue, Scheduled to open Friday, April 12.
While this submission isn’t officially labeled a smash burger, the team at J.T.’s delivers each Darn Good Burger (lettuce, onion, pickle, American cheese, dijonaise) and J.T.’s Special Burger (caramelized onions, cheddar, Granny Smith apple, bacon, dijonaise) with a delightfully griddled texture that satisfies all those smash burger cravings.
After more than eight decades, Blommer Chocolate is closing its factory at the end of May. The factory opened in 1939, and while chocolate connoisseurs can’t find Blommer by its name on store shelves, the factory makes confections for some of the country’s more popular brands. But for most Chicagoans, especially ones close to downtown Chicago and neighborhoods like West Loop, River West, and West Town near the factory, locals remained enamored due to the random aroma of chocolate wafting from the building into surrounding neighborhoods.
The Sun-Times reports the closure at 600 W. Kinzie Street will cost 250 jobs. The headquarters will remain in Chicago at the Merchandise Mart. In a news release, Blommer mentions a shift in operations. They’re opening a research and development center this fall at the Mart. A Blommer rep didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Chocolate making can be a thorny subject, where foreign farmers are often exploited. Despite its place as a civic institution, Blommer hasn’t escaped controversy over the years. In 2005, the EPA cited the factory for alleged clean-air violations due to smells coming out of the building. The federal agency responded to an anonymous complaint and argued the cocoa dust wafting from the factory was pollution.
One of the city’s best Korean restaurants, Perilla Korean American Fare, stands across the street from the factory. Co-owner Thomas Oh tells Eater that he often uses Blommer as a landmark. Customers might not be familiar with the intersection of Kinzie and Milwaukee, but they instantly know the factory. Before Blommer closed its store in 2020, staff would often stop in to purchase chocolate-covered almonds and other treats.
Oh did recall a quirky episode immediately after Perilla opened in 2019 when a customer complained on Yelp about the chocolate smell on their way to the restaurant: “How does that have to do with anything we are providing you?” Oh says with a laugh.
There’s no word on what will happen to the 5.5-acre site. Oh says he hopes for a new development that will bring more potential customers to the area.
Chicago, where a baseball stadium is named after the founder of a chewing gum company, is often called “the candy capital of the universe.” The National Confectioners Association was founded 140 years ago in Chicago. But that title might be in jeopardy after Blommer’s shutter. As is the custom, Chicagoans often will add an extra “s” at the end of the company’s name. It’s “Blommers” in the same tradition of “The Jewels” and “Soldiers Field.”
A worker at Mars’ Goose Island campus hard at work.Barry Brecheisen/Eater Chicago
Earlier this year, Mars opened a new global research and development hub on its Goose Island campus. This is where experimental M&M’s flavors and Snickers test bars are made. The $42 million wing will allow for more experiments, and hopefully more variety on store shelves.
Blommer says it’s investing $100 million in other production facilities in Pennsylvania, California; and Ontario, Canada. Fuji Oil Holdings, a Japanese company, bought Blommers in 2018 and they closed down the factory store in 2020. They’re the No. 1 cocoa processor in North America, according to Crain’s, which broke the story.
The team from Chicago’s only Michelin-starred Indian restaurant, Indienne, is opening a cafe where customers can sip fresh-brewed masala chai. Swadesi Cafe should open next week in the West Loop with unique pastries like samosa chaat croissants stuffed with spicy potatoes and a pleasant hint of tart tamarind. The menu also includes chicken tikka toasties with chicken, cheddar, cilantro, and mint.
Indienne chef Sujan Sarkar worked on the food alongside chef Sahil Sethi, his collaborator who oversees Sifr (ownership’s Middle Eastern restaurant in West Loop). But the man in charge of day-to-day operations at Swadesi is Yash Kishinchand. He’s a recent graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Napa where students run a cafe. That’s where Kishinchand received his only barista training.
Sarkar has toyed with the idea for a cafe for years. Kishinchand moved from Columbus, Ohio to Chicago to open St. Regis Chicago — the luxury downtown hotel that now houses Tre Dita and Miru. After he left the hotel, Sarkar offered him a chance to open Swadesi inside the former Ruin Daily at 328 S. Jefferson Street.
Kishinchand who enjoys brandishing a chef’s torch — he keeps a shiny gold-colored one handy for the finishing touches on treats like jaggery chocolate chip cookies — is trained in French cooking, and says he wasn’t as familiar with Indian ingredients and he received an education from chefs Sarkar and Sethi when creating Swadesi menu. The cafe’s name is derived from “desi,” a term that often refers to Indian Americans. The menu intends to reflect their tastes in combining cultures. How else would you explain the cheesy potato tikki tots? And it’s not just South Asian, a carrot halwa cake gives a taste of the Middle East.
This bakery approach isn’t that different from Kasama’s where pastry chef and co-owner Genie Kwon combines her husband’s Filipino culture and her Korean heritage with French pastry. In Lincoln Park, Indian native Arshiya Farheen has slipped in subcontinental influences in her pastries at Verzenay Patisserie.
There’s been a wave of interest in Indian egg sandwiches. Mini chain Eggoholic helped popularize them locally, and places like Superkhana International have taken them to another level. Swadesi will offer its own with avocado on a spiced potato rosti — yes, the Swiss get a say. There’s also a butter chicken croissant with burrata.
Finding the literal sweet spot for masala chai in Chicago has been a challenge. Swadesi will allow customers to customize the sweetness levels with sugar, and down the line, alternate sweeteners may be offered. For now, the masala chai is made to order whole milk, but an oat milk ready-to-go version is available. These drinks fundamentally differ from the chai lattes most coffee shops serve made from concentrate. Masala chai specialists, ones who brew black tea with South Asian spices (Swadesi uses ginger, rose, and cardamom), aren’t frequent in Chicago. Chiya Chai and Superkhana in Logan Square are locals’ best bets. Along Devon, Sukhadia’s Sweets and Snacks is a popular and quick option. Some Indian restaurants don’t offer the beverage. In Avondale, Thattu, which specializes in cuisine from the southern state of Kerala, serves South Indian filter coffee. Brewing masala chai takes time, but so does preparing pour-over coffee, so there’s a labor precedent if a demand emerges.
But it’s not just about tradition. Swadesi also plans to serve a cold nitro masala chai.
Eventually, Swadesi will extend hours and Kishinchand says they’re hoping to sell beer and liquor. The focus is on morning and evening service, but dinner pop-ups are a possibility.
Swadesi, 328 S. Jefferson Street, opening Monday, March 26.
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