🍽 ON THE PLATE
Beaumont's is opening this week. The iconic Lincoln Park bar — which first opened in 1979 and ran as a 4 a.m. hangout for more than 40 years before closing in 2023 — is coming back as something completely different. Brothers Paul and John Abu-Taleb (Pilsen Yards, The Alderman) spent nearly three years gutting and restoring the 1890 building at 2020 N. Halsted, and what they've built is a 200-seat tavern on the ground floor anchored by a large square bar at its center, with an upstairs steakhouse called The Bull Moose that holds 76 guests across tufted booths, two fireplaces, and a menu built around dry-aged beef prepared in-house. The first floor runs a classic American-tavern menu layered with French and Italian touches; the upstairs is designed to make steakhouse dining feel less formal and less expensive. Public opening is targeted for late May — soft opens begin this week. The team has described the project as stewardship as much as construction, preserving a landmarked building while reshaping it for a new generation. Chef Johnny Besch runs the kitchen; Alexa Linsemeyer is GM. Reservations going live as soft-service begins.
Apothecary Lounge got a tavern and retail food license at 3242 N. Clark in Lakeview/Boystown. For anyone who has hit Apotheke in NYC’s Chinatown - we will see if these folks can match the vibe.
Chiya Chai has closed in Logan Square after a decade on the neighborhood's Milwaukee Avenue strip. The owners are promising a return somewhere on the Northwest Side, but no location or timeline has been announced. A fixture of the neighborhood since 2015.
🏗 PERMIT DESK
Dinkel's Lofts got its construction permit. The project to redevelop the former Dinkel's Bakery site at 3329 N. Lincoln Ave. in West Lakeview — a neighborhood institution that closed in 2022 after a century — has cleared permitting and can begin construction. Developer PCR Group is moving forward with a seven-story, 42-unit building designed by Jonathan Splitt Architects. The project is notable for what it's keeping: the original Dinkel's Bakery facade and the famous neon blade sign will remain as the face of the new structure, with the building rising behind them. The block is one south of the Paulina Brown Line stop. No demolition permits have been pulled yet for the existing buildings on site.
606 W. Wrightwood — $10 million new construction. A full building permit was issued for a new structure at 606 W. Wrightwood in Lincoln Park. A prime corner - will keep an eye on.
2600 N. Clark building permit issued. Chicago YIMBY reported a full building permit issued for the 48-unit, seven-story mixed-use development at 2600 N. Clark — the Foxtrot/Initium Development project first flagged in Issue 4 when ground broke. This confirms the project is now formally permitted.
See you next Friday — The 60614