LINCOLN SQUARE — A crop of new restaurants have opened in Lincoln Square, North Center, Ravenswood, Irving Park and Albany Park.
Dine-in restaurants that successfully navigated the pandemic like Garcia’s Restaurant, 4760 N. Lincoln Ave., are being joined by fast-casual options complementing the business corridor, said Rudy Flores, executive director of the Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce.
It’s a welcome sign the industry is rebounding from pandemic-related closures, supply chain disruptions and economic inflation, Flores said.
“I think it’s a good balance because it’s not negatively affecting the already well-established restaurants in the area. I think it’s going to just bring more variety and bring more people to the community and give them more options throughout their week,” Flores said.
Block Club rounded up some of the new restaurants that recently opened or are coming soon.
Lincoln Square
Sojourn
4620 N. Lincoln Ave.
Reservations
5-10 p.m., Thursday-Sunday
Sojourn, which opened in June, comes from the team behind Davis Theater and Carbon Arc. It features food like the The French Dip sandwich and smash burgers alongside cocktails, beer and wine.
City Skyline
4755 N. Lincoln Ave.
The coffee shop from the owner of Raw Edge Boutique is coming soon to Lincoln Square next to Savory Spice.
Teacago
2547 W. Lawrence Ave.
A family-run boba tea shop is coming July 30 to the Lawrence Avenue commercial stretch near Kimberli Sushi, Thai Cuisine and Green Post.
Hello Jasmine
4705 N. Lincoln Ave.
Hello Jasmine already has locations in Chinatown and Lincoln Park serving boba tea and Taiwanese food. Its Lincoln Square spot is opening Aug. 2 next to Oromo Cafe.
North Center
T Square Cafe
2205 W. Montrose Ave.
773-654-3222
11:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Sunday
A pair of sisters and their friends moved their popular boba tea cafe from Chinatown to a larger location just across the street from Welles Park in May. T Square uses fresh-brewed tea made daily from tea leaves, herbs and spices instead of using powdered concentrates. Its six signature boba teas include flavors like jasmine, chamomile and taro, Chen said.
Apero
4160 N. Lincoln Ave.
info@aperochicago.com
4-10 p.m. Thursday, 4-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 4-9 p.m. Sunday
Apero opened this month and has a global selection of wines curated by the wine bar’s owner Robert Cervantes.
A North Center native, Cervantes traveled the world working in the hospitality industry and teaching yoga and decided to bring his love of wine back home. Chef Dylan Heath, who has worked at Café Marie-Jeanne, Pink Salt and Banana Phone Treats designed Apero’s menu featuring seasonal vegetables and a majority of the dishes involve simple preparations, like the Roasted Chicken “Chasseur” in order for guests to better enjoy immediately with a glass of wine.
Ravenswood
Pita Express
4649 N. Damen Ave.
773-654-1453
11 a.m.-10 p.m., Monday-Sunday
Pita Express opened near the Damen Brown Line stop in May. Its menu features Mediterranean bites to go like Arabic style chicken shawarma, burgers, wraps, gyros and falafel.
Teddy’s Ice Cream
2000 W. Montrose Ave.
773-275-1331
Noon-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, Noon-11 p.m., Friday and Saturday
Teddy’s Ice Cream joined Montrose Avenue in June, across from Land & Lake Ravenswood. The shop features flavors like strawberry shortcake, cookie sundaes and banana splits.
Paradise Port Cafe
1918 W. Montrose Ave.
773-441-6690
8 a.m-8 p.m., Monday-Sunday
Just down the street from Teddy’s, Paradise Port serves açaí bowls, smoothies and empanadas.
Irving Park
Katherine Anne Confections
3653 W. Irving Park Road
773-245-1630
8 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday
Katherine Anne’s opened in Logan Square in 2006 and is known for known for its decadent drinking chocolate. Owner Katherine Duncan’s new Irving Park location opens July 21 and will have more space to handle production of its drinking chocolate and other desserts, she said.
Albany Park
Niko’s Bakery
4409 N. Kimball Ave.
773-654-3688
6 a.m.-8 p.m., Monday-Sunday
The Mexican bakery near Kimball and Montrose opened in June and was a new featured stop on the annual Flavors of Annual Park food tour. It specializes in fresh-baked bread, cakes and pastries.
Helmand Chicago
4661 N. Kedzie Ave.
773-654-3703
11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday-Sunday
Helmand Chicago hosted its grand opening in May. The restaurant’s namesake is Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, near the border with Pakistan. It joins Albany Park’s multicultural food scene — but chef and co-owner Wahid Tanha said he is highlighting flavors diners might not have tried before.
Maman Zari
4639 N. Kedzie Ave.
773-961-7866
Maman Zari is set to open July 27 and will have a Persian-inspired tasting menu designed for everyday enjoyment.
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