Tuesday, December 18th, 2018
Looking for new restaurants in downtown Chicago? From River North and Gold Coast to West Loop and Wicker Park, here are some of our favorites this holiday season!
Aba
Lettuce Entertain You restaurant group’s new Mediterranean concept, Aba, is located in Chicago’s Fulton Market. The West Loop restaurant and features a rooftop patio with fire pits and French-Mediterranean decor. According to their website, this Chef CJ Jacobson restaurant is an extension of Ema (mother in Hebrew) in River North. Aba, meaning father in Hebrew, incorporates a light style of cooking with a large emphasis on raw and cooked protein. Their beverage menu is centered around rare wines and Mediterranean spirits. Aba also offers Lettuce Entertain You’s largest event space of all its restaurants.
Address: 302 N Green St
Bar Sotano
Rick Bayless hits it out of the park with his restaurants and now has his first venture into bars on his list of successes. Bar Sotano is a speakeasy-like bar under River North’s Frontera Girl and features both cocktails and food.
Bar Sotano promises diners a stand-out experience. According to their website, “Bar Sótano’s lifeline is the markets. Where aromatic waves wash over you from the fruit stalls. Where meat vendors set out every part of the pig as a prize. Where herb stands promise health in a hundred or more flavors. Where chiles transform from a single-note spice to a symphonic full-body experience.”
The eclectic menu spotlights a variety of Mezcal cocktails, Mexican light bites, and an impressive raw bar and seafood selection.
Address: 443 N Clark St
Etta
The creators of Gold Coast sensation, Maple & Ash, recently opened Etta in Wicker Park, which offers wood-fired pizzas, pastas, vegetables, meats, and seafood, as well as a comprehensive brunch menu. The Wicker Park restaurant will feature a uniquely curated wine and cocktail list as well as a rooftop terrace.
Address: 1840 W North Ave
Aster Hall
Food halls are one of the greatest new trends in downtown Chicago’s dining scene. They allow groups of all sizes to have quality dining experiences while allowing each diner to choose their preferred type of cuisine. (It turns your Vegan friend, your gluten-free friend, and your Paleo friend can go out together in harmony!). Put the timeless, “where should we go to eat” question to rest– With food halls, you never have to get all your friends to agree on the same spot again!
Aster Hall is Hogsalt Hospitality’s newest food hall concept on the Magnificent Mile near Gold Coast. Diners can choose from a multitude of specialty favorites including Au Cheval burgers, Green Street Meats barbecue, sushi, ramen, tacos, lobster rolls, vegan bowls, pasta, cocktails, and more!
Aster Hall Menu
Address:Â 900 N Michigan
