As restaurants disappear, food halls swarm inside the Loop.
By Danielle Braff
(Chicago) As soon as Chicagoans began working remotely, restaurants in the Loop began shutting down in quick succession. Trattoria No. 10, Well’s Street Market, Ronny’s, Everest . . . gone.
Their replacements appear to be food halls: Central spots where multiple restaurants serve food in a quick-service style. Here are a few of the latest food halls to hit the Loop.
Kitchen United Mix The 10,500 sq ft shared kitchen space, which launched May 19th, was the latest to open, replacing the former Wells St. Market on West Wacker in the Loop. While not all of the restaurant concepts are in yet, Kitchen United Mix plans to have about a dozen brands ranging from Hawaiian Bros (authentic Hawaiian dishes) to the first United States location of Camile Thai. While Kitchen United is a food hall, it sets itself apart with its ordering concept. You can mix and match your orders from any and all the restaurants within this food hall so you and your friends don’t have to wait in line at multiple restaurants.
“Chicago has served as a great market for our concept,” says Atul Sood, the chief business officer of Kitchen United Mix.
205 W Wacker Dr., Kitchenunited.com
Revival Food Hall This is just about as fancy a food hall as you can get. They’ve got the infamous Mindy’s Hot Chocolate Bakery, Aloha Poke Co. Brown Bag Seafood Co., and City Press Juice & Bottle, among others at this massive 24,000 sq ft marketplace. They have a total of 15 fast-casual restaurants, and nearly every restaurant had its own cult following outside this food hall. While it’s still quiet right now, it’s expected to get incredibly busy as everyone returns to the office. Crowds and long lines typically appear between 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
125 S Clark St., Revivalfoodhall.com
Urbanspace This was slated to open in 2020, but due to the pandemic it was delayed. So look for it to open any day now. It’s going to be a 12,000 sq ft space filled with more than 20 vendors, the majority of which will be local chefs.
15 W Washington, Urbanspacenyc.com
Hayden Hall The DMK restaurant group appears to be taking over Chicago, and we’re not complaining. With this concept, they’ve brought up 10 stalls which can be accessed through the Grubhub app (order from the app and even monitor your food-prep timing). There’s a coffee bar, a bakery, salad bar, fish restaurant, BBQ spot and more.
333 S Wabash Ave., 2nd floor, DMKrestaurants.com
Time Out Market Chicago Opened just before the pandemic, then closed, now open again - this food market in the West Loop is a beast. It’s 50,000 sq ft, three stories, home to 18 chefs, four bars and even a demo kitchen. It’s a little pricey, but if you think of it more like an evening out rather than a place to grab a quick lunch, you’ll understand the appeal.
916 W Fulton Market, TimeOutMarket.com
Politan Row Chicago This one hasn’t reopened yet, but it should be back very soon. While Politan Row is technically a chain (there’s one in Chicago, Miami and in Houston), there are different restaurants and concepts in each city. In Chicago, there’s an international feel to the restaurants, with a Japanese spot, a Cajun-Indonesian restaurant and even an Israeli area. Politan Row is known for its happy hour, as it has a gigantic bar along with a beautiful beer garden. Much of the Loop heads here after work, especially on Fridays.
111 N Aberdeen St. Chicago.politanrow.com