Assorted offerings to be served at Boka Restaurant Group’s dessert shop, Milk Bar
Chicago’s flourishing restaurant scene will welcome an array of long-anticipated restaurants this year, bringing flavors from across the globe to your neighborhood.
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939 W. Randolph St. / Website
A buzzy New York pizzeria is set to open its doors on Thursday, Jan. 16, unveiling a 2,800-square-foot storefront on Randolph Street’s “Restaurant Row.” Prince Street Pizza will offer square, Sicilian-style slices and original Neopolitan pizzas prepared daily from scratch. To celebrate the restaurant’s Midwest debut, it will offer a new Chicago-exclusive specialty pizza with sausage, green peppers and Caruso’s hot giardiniera, in addition to signature squares like the “The Spicy Vodka” with fresh mozzarella, spicy vodka sauce and pecorino romano and the “Green Machine” with nut-free pesto, shredded mozzarella, ricotta and black olives.
Chef Zach Engel and Andres Clavero of Galit and the pair’s newest restaurant concept, Cafe Yaya
2431 N. Lincoln Ave. / Website
This winter, James Beard Foundation Award-winning chef Zachary Engel and partner Andrés Clavero are opening all-day dining and event destination Cafe Yaya, located next to the pair’s Michelin-starred fine-dining inaugural project, Galit. With a pastry program helmed by Galit’s longtime pastry chef Mary Eder-McClure, guests will enjoy a selection of bourekas, crunchy baklava, challah and more, paired with coffee from Sparrow Coffee Roastery. Dinner offerings combine French, Jewish, Southern, Middle Eastern and Midwestern culinary techniques, coupled with a convenient counter-service model and beverage pairings led by Scott Stroemer, including varieties from independent winemakers, a vast by-the-glass selection, craft cocktails and seasonal spirit-free libations. The eatery’s second floor will serve as a multi-use space for community events and private gatherings, from wine tastings to pop-up dinners.
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3152 W. Diversey Ave. / Website
Common Decency’s vibrant, elevated older sister, Feverdream, will debut in Logan Square this year. Located in the former Thank You space, the restaurant will bring sophisticated plating, inspired cocktails and out-of-the-box ingredients into the limelight and onto its guests’ plates. Chef Mark Steuer, alongside his partners Kelsey Kasper and Jason Turley, has furthered Milkhorse Hospitality’s mission of incorporating dietary restriction-friendly menu offerings and providing sustainable employee support—including insurance, employee loyalty benefits and more—at the group’s latest culinary endeavor.
200 N. Green St. / Website
The first Midwest location of New York City-based dessert shop Milk Bar is coming to the first floor of The Hoxton in early 2025, opening in partnership with Boka Restaurant Group. Founded by James Beard award-winning pastry chef Christina Tosi, the bakery will serve a curated lineup of signature cookies with flavors like cornflake chocolate chip marshmallow and confetti, plus cake truffles, pies, milkshakes, “MilkQuakes” and bread, including cream cheese-filled “Bagel Bombs.”
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531 N. Wells St. / Website
A River North neighborhood pizzeria and tavern from Boka Restaurant Group will open on the corner of Grand and Wells in early 2025, featuring an Italian-inspired culinary program from Boka Restaurant Group chefs Chris Pandel (Swift & Sons, Cira and Swift & Son’s Tavern) and Lee Wolen (Boka, Alla Vita and GG’s Chicken Shop). Zarella!’s menu will include an ever-evolving menu of specialties, fresh salads, entrees, small bites and tavern-style and artisan pizzas, including a range of specialty pies (also available with a gluten-friendly crust) with flavors like spicy vodka with Calabrian chili and mozzarella; carbonara with pancetta, pecorino and egg; and Italian sausage with giardiniera, oregano and mozzarella.
Chris and Megan Curren
7 S. Broadway, Aurora / Website TBD
The husband-and-wife-duo behind St. Charles’ The Graceful Ordinary, executive chef Chris Curren and Megan Curren, are back with their newest restaurant concept, Vicolo. The European-inspired cafe and pasticceria will feature Italian cuisine, handmade pasta and fresh-baked pastries in a 3,200-square-foot space. During the day, the dining destination will host live music, movie screenings and family-friendly performances. At night, a refined dining experience will be ushered in via craft cocktails and chef-curated menu offerings.
405 N. Wabash / Website TBD
James Beard Foundation Award nominee Junior Borges is opening a globally influenced dining concept set to arrive in River North this spring. Nic & Junior’s will serve everything from housemade pasta to contemporary Brazillian fare, drawing from Borges’ background as the former executive chef of Brazillian fine dining destination Meridian and his current role as chef-partner for Austin-based Excelsior Hospitality, which includes overseeing the culinary programs at Northern Italian restaurant Juniper and Italian eatery Uncle Nicky’s. Nic & Junior’s is Borges’ first concept as chef and owner, an endeavor he is working on alongside Nicholas Yanes, owner of the Excelsior Hospitality group. The restaurant will feature a bar area, a la carte menu offerings and a raw bar, plus a 30-seat dining room with a six-course prix fixe menu. The beverage program, helmed by award-winning mixologist Travis Tober, will encompass craft cocktails, curated wine pairings and more.
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700 N. Clark St. / Website
Ambar, the Michelin-recognized restaurant from Street Guys Hospitality, is set to arrive in River North this spring, bringing fresh interpretations of classic Balkan dishes to the local dining scene. Taking over the former Etta space, the 5,300-square-foot eatery will exist as its first outside of Washington, D.C., which currently houses three locations. The dining destination will feature the hospitality group’s signature Dining Without Limits experience, with 30 signature dishes offered for one set price, including slow-cooked courses from Northern Serbia, grilled meats from Southern Serbia and fresh seafood from Montenegro and Croatia.
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Location TBD / Website
Chef Jenner Tomaska, Scott Weiner and Greg Mohr have joined forces to debut The Alston, a classic American steakhouse that will combine high-caliber Midwestern ingredients and French Nouvelle cuisine. Set to open this spring, the restaurant will feature tableside service, including bread and cheese carts, along with Chef Jenner’s inventive rendition of a Duck a la Presse carved tableside, with sauces prepared and cooked in front of guests. In addition to a 350-seat dining room, the space will house a Champagne bar, a private terrace and private and semi-private dining spaces. The restaurant will also feature an invitation-only members’ club, which grants exclusive access to chef collaborations, curated partnerships, bespoke events and other unique experiences.
Chef and partner Thai Dang
Address TBD / Website
Renowned chef and owner of Pilsen’s James Beard Award-nominated HaiSous Vietnamese Kitchen, Thai Dang, is unveiling his first restaurant concept with Lettuce Entertain You, anticipated to open in the summer months of 2025. Crying Tiger will offer Southeast Asian dishes in a resplendent atmosphere, designed in collaboration with acclaimed interior architecture practice David Collins Studio—the team responsible for Tre Dita and the St. Regis Chicago’s iconic atmospheres.
See also: The 17 Most Sought-After Reservations In Chicago
Photography by: Photos of Crying Tiger courtesy of Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants; photo of Zachary Engel and Andrés Clavero by Brian Cassella; photo of Vicolo courtesy of Matt Reeves, photos of Milk Bar courtesy of brand; photo of Nic & Junior’s courtesy of Junior Borges
