Chicago’s restaurant openings roundup is your resource to find out what’s on its way in. The list is by no means comprehensive. Have information on another opening? Send all tips to chicago@eater.com.
WEST TOWN — Home Bar, a new martini bar from Aged &
Infused duo John and Jess Feller, opened Saturday, August 15. Martinis are the focus, with Jess’s Martini, made with Prairie gin, Quincy olive brine, and dry vermouth and served ice-cold with a giant green olive, and John’s Martini, a blend of Beefeater gin, limoncello, and a house vermouth blend, anchoring the menu. Other cocktails include a snap pea gimlet and a classic daiquiri. Inside, the clean-lined space pairs a wood bar with tables and outdoor seating. For dedicated martini drinkers, Home Bar also offers Club ’Tini, a yearlong membership that includes a personalized martini session, a saved recipe, and one martini each month for 12 months. Members also receive 10 percent off everything at Home Bar. 2024 W Fulton Street.
RIVER NORTH —Tarra & Sura is a new two-level Thai restaurant and cocktail lounge from restaurateur Michael Chen and executive chef Namo Chowcharoen. Upstairs, Tarra focuses on regional Thai cuisine, with dishes ranging from Southern Thai crab curry to braised short rib red curry. Downstairs, its speakeasy Sura serves inventive cocktails using Thai herbs, fruits, and spices. The 95-seat Tarra takes design cues from water, with earth tones, a water wall, and a Thai-made tile mosaic, while Sura shifts into a moodier lounge with velvet seating and muted lighting. 121 W Hubbard Street.
LOOP — Industry Ales Brewpub reopened Wednesday, August 12, after closing in March because of a water main break. The brewpub’s house beers — including the Cosmic Spaghetti Italian pilsner and the ruby-hued Dri-Dek black lager — are returning, along with beer mussels, smash burgers, and wings. 230 S Wabash Avenue.
HYDE PARK — Little Betty Smokehouse is coming to Hutchinson Commons at the University of Chicago. Chef Dominique Leach announced on Instagram that the restaurant will open Monday, September 28, bringing her Chicago-style barbecue from Lexington Betty Smokehouse to the campus. The menu will feature favorites like the wagyu dog, brisket baked beans, and loaded mac and cheese, alongside new creations including the Betty Beef and Betty Taco. The smokehouse will be open to the public and offer quick, on-the-go lunch options. 1133 E 57th Street.
RIVER NORTH — Gingie, the long-awaited collaboration between chef Brian Lockwood and Boka Restaurant Group, reopened Saturday, August 29. A kitchen fire forced the restaurant to close just three days after it originally opened in March 2026. Favorites from the original menu, including spicy tuna dip with sesame and avocado served with nori tapioca chips and heritage half chicken with sansho pepper, pickled daikon, and shiso, will return. New additions include tortelloni with Délice de Bourgogne cheese, corn, and black truffle and a lobster-stuffed tomato with Calabrian chile and summer blossoms. 707 N Wells Street.
RIVER NORTH — According to a press release, Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao opened its first Midwest location in Chicago on Tuesday, August 24. The Queens-born restaurant is known for its Shanghainese soup dumplings, including the Lucky Six, a sampler of six dumplings with fillings ranging from pork and crab to truffle, luffa shrimp, and scallop. The menu extends beyond dumplings with pan-fried pork buns, scallion pancakes, noodle dishes, stir-fries, dim sum, and fruit teas. The 135-seat restaurant also features an open kitchen where diners can watch chefs make the soup dumplings by hand. 33 W Ontario Street.
FULTON MARKET — Berenjak, the acclaimed Iranian restaurant from London, is coming to Fulton Market in late September as its fourth location and first Chicago outpost. Founded by chef Kian Samyani as an homage to his childhood in Tehran, Berenjak centers its menu around charcoal-grilled meats, large-format dishes, and baskets of crispy bread. Expect staples like grilled meat skewers, lamb khoresht, and spiced mezze, alongside an expanded wine list and cocktails previously available only at its U.K. locations. The restaurant will be located inside Soho House Chicago but will be open to nonmembers. 113–125 N Green Street.
WICKER PARK — Per a release, Buona is bringing its Italian beef to Division Street with the Beef Stand, a new walk-up window opening Wednesday, September 2, next to the Original Rainbow Cone. The concept pays homage to the neighborhood beef stands that helped make the sandwich a Chicago staple. The menu sticks to regular and large Italian beef sandwiches, with options for mozzarella and giardiniera, alongside Italian beef protein bowls and vegan beef sandwiches. Guests can also grab kettle chips, drinks, and Rainbow Cone shakes. 1750 W Division Street.
RIVER NORTH — F1 just landed in River North. The racing-themed F1 Arcade opened its first Midwest location in River North on August 14. The 16,000-square-foot space has 61 full-motion racing simulators, private rooms, and a sprawling bar and lounge. The food menu ranges from wagyu sliders and fried chicken to tacos, flatbreads, and Chicago-style fries made with Caruso giardiniera, while James Beard Award-winning bartender Julia Momosé created two cocktails exclusively for the Chicago location. The Paddock Spritz combines Haku vodka, Koval cranberry gin liqueur, honey, Champagne, and lime, while the Wolf Point mixes Japanese whisky, yuzu sake, Green Chartreuse, banana, lemon, and Angostura bitters. 1 W Grand Avenue.
ROSCOE VILLAGE — Dewey’s Café debuted on Wednesday, September 2. The cafe will eventually offer all-day service with coffee and lunch options to start. Owners Riley Brown and Hannah Grossman are dedicated to sourcing local produce and working with local suppliers to create their scratch menu, which features items like an iced matcha with syrup made in-house using sugar cube melon from Mick Klug Farms and an herb and pakora sandwich. 2036 W Roscoe Street.
BUCKTOWN — Oliver and Nicolas Poilevey, the brothers behind such hits as Obélix and Mariscos San Pedro have reinvented the former home of original Taqueria Chingón in Bucktown, converting it into a space for easy breezy meals of roast chicken and wine. Chez Poulet, which opened on Tuesday, August 25, offers walk-up service with a tight menu that’s geared towards carryout, with a small amount of seating on a covered patio beside the building. 2234 N Western Avenue.
EVANSTON — Soul & Smoke has officially unveiled its expanded menu at its flagship sit-down restaurant in Evanston. Husband-and-wife team chef D’Andre Carter and sommelier Heather Bublick designed the space with the goal of creating a hub for their community that celebrates the Black experience with art and murals that speak to that vision. The evening menu is equally ambitious, pushing beyond Soul & Smoke’s popular barbecue into more steakhouse-esque dishes with creative plating like smoked oxtail rolled in a collard green leaf and presented in a glass ashtray to resemble a cigar. Two Icee machines will churn out nonalcoholic cocktails that can be spiked with alcohol upon request. Customers can still find Soul & Smoke’s traditional menu throughout the day. 1601 Payne Street.
