LOGAN SQUARE — The hospitality group behind buzzy spots Lardon and Union, a pair of neighboring restaurants that debuted across from the California Blue Line station in the past year, is opening a third establishment on the same corner — this one centered around craft cocktails.
Just a few months after opening Union, and about a year after opening Lardon, Steve Lewis and Chris Thompson, of Meadowlark Hospitality, are gearing up to open The Meadowlark at California Avenue and Palmer Street.
The cozy cocktail bar is taking over part of the 100-year-old building that also houses Lardon and Union, 2200 N. California Ave.
The 30-seat bar will serve a range of “apothecary-style” craft cocktails made with seasonal and fresh ingredients, according to a news release. It will have a speakeasy vibe in that it’ll be accessible through an unmarked door in the building’s back alley.
Lewis and Thompson want The Meadowlark to be an “intimate, dimly lit cocktail haven that exudes vintage Chicago charm,” they said in the release.
Though they’re opening the back alley cocktail bar after Lardon and Union, it wasn’t an afterthought, they said.
“Three years ago, when we found this beautiful building in our neighborhood, we knew we wanted to create three fundamentally distinct experiences under one roof that somehow managed to complement one other in a very special way,” Lewis said in the release.
“With Lardon, Union and now The Meadowlark, we’ve poured our hearts into restoring this building with the goal of retaining the unique charm that’s so quintessentially ‘Chicago,’ but in a vibrant way that feels both new and exciting as the neighborhood continues to grow and thrive and embraces the unique character of each concept within.”
Lewis and Thompson said they plan to release more details about The Meadowlark, including an opening date, in the coming weeks. It’s expected to open this summer.
The California Avenue building, the former home of vegan restaurant and music venue Township, has undergone a transformation over the past few years.
Lewis and Thompson bought the building in 2019, about two years after Township shut down, and gave it a gut rehab, opening Lardon last summer and Union in March.
Lardon is a sandwich spot with house-cured meats and charcuterie plates, while Union is a bar/restaurant specializing in new American cuisine and locally brewed beer. Both spots have seen success, earning rave reviews from critics and locals.
Before teaming up to launch Meadowlark Hospitality, Lewis ran Centennial Crafted Beer + Eatery in River North, and Thompson was a partner at Lakeview’s Coda di Volpe and helped run A16 in San Francisco and The Nickel in Denver. They live in Logan Square.
The Meadowlark is the duo’s third establishment. For opening updates, check the bar’s Instagram.
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