Tagged Articles

Chicago

  • Before & After: Prosecco in Chicago's Dramatic Transformation

    Prosecco, a popular upscale Italian restaurant in Chicago, got a major facelift with the help of Chicago-based Antunovich Associates. The interior design principal on the project was Patricia Rotondo, senior principal and director of interior design with Antunovich. Other team members included president Joe Antunovich; architecture principal Jeff Zelisko; and design team members Justine Scrimali, Stan

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  • Seoul Taco Brings Two New Units to Chicago Area

    Seoul Taco, the Korean-Mexican fast-casual fusion chain, plans to open restaurants in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood and in the Chicago suburb of Naperville.

  • Fisk & Co.: Inspired by the Mussel

    Located in Kimpton Hotel Monaco Chicago, Fisk & Co. is a mussels-and-beer concept that combines a unique spin on nautical design with industrial elements inspired by a hat factory that occupied the space in the 1920s.

  • Lowcountry Brings the Outdoors Inside

    Lowcountry was inspired by founder Pan Hompluem’s yearly family trips down to the Gulf Coast as a child.

  • Chicago's Proxi is Globally Inspired but Distinctly American

    It took nearly 10 years for Emmanuel Nony and Chef/Partner Andrew Zimmerman to add a second restaurant after their first, Sepia, led the Chicago’s collection of seasonally-driven, fine-dining restaurants. Proxi, with its high design and globally-inspired cuisine, has already garnered numerous accolades, both for its innovative food and lively ambience.

  • BLVD Glows with Golden-Age Glamour

    Opening a new fine-dining restaurant in Chicago’s red-hot Fulton Market neighborhood, where some of the city’s highest-profile restaurant groups now play, isn’t for the faint of heart. 

  • Before and After: Inside Chicago’s Iconic Topolobampo Remodel

    Renowned chef Rick Bayless has operated Chicago’s Topolobompo for nearly 30 years. In all that time, it hadn’t undergone a major redesign until this past winter.

  • Burrito Beach Leaves the Kitsch Behind

    The look of an operation should always align with the quality of its food. That simple statement drives plenty of redesigns, including the project recently completed by Burrito Beach.

  • The Dearborn Redefines Downtown Revelry


    Sisters and partners Amy and Clodagh Lawless of The Gage and Acanto in Chicago have opened the doors to their highly anticipated restaurant project, The Dearborn, catering to preshow revelers, cocktail seekers and power lunch crowds alike. The massive 8,000-square-foot urban American tavern at the Block 37 complex in the office-friendly Loop district offers upscale, seasonal cuisine

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  • Piccolo Sogno Team Goes Casual

    As more fine-dining chefs look for alternative revenue streams to offset narrowing profits, they’re exploring casual concepts. Partners Tony Priolo and Ciro Longobardo of Piccolo Sogno in Chicago have become part of this group with the opening of Nonnina, a new full-service Italian restaurant featuring homemade pastas helmed by Executive Chef/Partner Chris Macchia, and the adjacent

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  • Former Trotter Chefs Open Smyth + The Loyalist in Chicago

    Former Charlie Trotter Alums and Chefs John and Karen Shields opened their first Chicago restaurant in the West Loop neighborhood. The dual-concept Smyth + The Loyalist features a tasting menu, finer dining restaurant (Smyth) with 40 seats upstairs with a more casual, 80-seat restaurant and bar (The Loyalist) downstairs.

  • Krispy Kreme Returns to the Chicago Market

    Krispy Kreme Doughnuts announced its official return to Chicagoland after a seven-year hiatus and amidst a continuing artisan doughnut shop trend. The shop, operated by franchisee Chicagoland Restaurants, LLC, in Homewood, Ill., is scheduled to open in November.

  • Ryan Indovina, Director at Four Corners Tavern Group, Dishes about the Latest SteakBar

    Meat-centric, dining-to-nightlife concept SteakBar is the first collaboration of Four Corners Tavern Group and Hogsalt Hospitality in Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood.

  • The Dearborn Opens at Chicago’s Block 37

    Amy and Clodagh Lawless, from the family behind Chicago’s successful The Gage restaurant, have opened The Dearborn, a massive, urban American tavern spanning 8,000 square feet, at Block 37, a multiuse building in Chicago’s Loop.

  • Joy District Opens in Chicago’s River North Neighborhood

    Chicago’s bustling River North neighborhood saw a new addition to its nightlife scene with Joy District, a new, multi-level restaurant and lounge from the team behind Hubbard Inn, Barn & Company and Pomp & Circumstance.

  • Old Crow Takes Flight with Kicked-Up Design

    Transforming a restaurant from one distinctive brand to a very differently themed establishment is hard enough. Try renovating the space while keeping the old business open.

  • Old Crow Takes Flight with Kicked-Up Design

    Transforming a restaurant from one distinctive brand to a very differently themed establishment is hard enough. Try renovating the space while keeping the old business open.

  • Design Market: Chicago 2016

    Chicago shows no signs of slowing down any time soon when it comes to new restaurant openings. Here’s a look at four design-forward restaurants you won’t want to miss if in town for the National Restaurant Association show this month.

  • Chicago Mainstay The Boundary Undergoes Complete Renovation

    The Boundary, a bustling local bar and grill in Chicago’s bustling Wicker Park neighborhood, underwent a complete renovation in just two weeks. The remodel included replacing all booths with rolling high-top tables for customizable seating, and removing the woodwork along the west wall and exposing the original brick.

  • Tapping a Trend

    Developing a restaurant to feature multiple tap handles requires many considerations.

  • Farm Bar Showcases Farm-To-Table Design in Chicago

    Farmheads, the growing hospitality collective responsible for hyper-local, farm-fare concepts Farmhouse Chicago and Farmhouse Evanston, opened Farm Bar, a "little sister" concept in the heart of Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood.

  • The Lunatic, The Lover & The Poet

    Tom Powers hopes to recharge the wine bar concept with The Lunatic, The Lover & The Poet, set to open by the end of the year in Chicago’s restaurant-heavy West Loop neighborhood. Powers, the owner and sommelier of the expansive 7,000-square-foot warehouse-turned-three-level space, plans to offer cocktails, craft beer and more creative small plates as a way to bridge the gap between the wine-and-cheese-only bars popular in the ’90s and the way consumers like

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  • Domino's Expands to Italy

    Domino's entered the Italian market with the opening of a franchised location in Milan. Franchisee ePizza S.p.A. plans to open three more stores in the city by the end of the year.

  • New Pork Shoppe Proves Barbecue Can Wear Plaid

    A certain aesthetic springs to mind with traditional barbecue restaurants, where design often receives far less attention than smoke, sauce and brisket. The same does not apply at the new Pork Shoppe in Chicago's eclectic Andersonville neighborhood. The owners of this two-unit restaurant set out to prove that serious barbecue and sophisticated design need not be mutually exclusive.

  • Renovating Two Historic Landmarks in Chicago

    Thalia Hall and Cindy’s at the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel

  • Chicago’s Lou Malnati’s Keeps Rising

    Iconic Chicago pizzeria chain Lou Malnati’s, founded in 1971, continues to find avenues for new growth in its home city. The 41-unit family-owned company opened its newest location in May in Chicago’s vibrant Lincoln Square neighborhood.

  • Miss Ricky’s Debuts in Chicago

    Virgin Hotels Chicago, located in the landmark Old Dearborn Bank Building, has opened the doors to its newest restaurant, Miss Ricky's, a fresh take on the American diner with a touch of British cheekiness.

  • Design Market: Your Restaurant Design Bucket List for Chicago

    Great architecture, world class designers and award-winning chefs come together to make Chicago one of the nation’s most exciting restaurant cities. Its newest, most buzzworthy restaurants offer up innovative,  on-trend designs and cuisines while maintaining a welcoming, comfortable vibe. Here we take a look at some newcomers to check out next time you visit the Windy City.

  • Peet’s Coffee & Tea Opens New Chicago Flagship Store

    Peet’s Coffee & Tea in late January celebrated the grand opening of its new flagship store in the iconic Wrigley Building at 400 North Michigan Avenue. The store showcases the company’s new craft-focused contemporary design prototype while integrating the history and character of the building.

  • Tippling Hall Design Celebrates Chicago's Industrial Past

    Chicago-based multiconcept restaurant company Mercadito Hospitality celebrated the opening of one of its newest concepts, Tippling Hall, in the city's River North neighborhood in October.
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