🍽 ON THE PLATE
Mercadito Lincoln Park opens next week. The River North Mexican mainstay is finally ready: the Lincoln Park location officially opens Thursday, June 4, at 2423 N. Lincoln Ave., next door to Galit at the Lincoln-Halsted corner. Executive Chef Alexander Quintero (Toro Chicago, Aikana) runs the kitchen. The LP menu goes beyond the River North playbook — there's a Quesabirria Pizza exclusive to this location, layered with beef birria, Oaxaca, Chihuahua, and Gouda cheeses, plus the short rib quesabirrias, handmade guacs, and ceviches that made the River North spot a 17-year institution. Dinner service launches June 4; bottomless brunch ($35 unlimited margaritas, mimosas, and tecates) launches mid-to-late June.
Osteria Gilberto is coming to Webster. A liquor license application filed this week signals a new Italian restaurant at 1224 W. Webster Ave., a couple of storefronts west of Floriole on the same block. Owner Sergio Barbone — who runs Bakehouse Chicago, the bakery-café small chain with locations in Lakeview, Roscoe Village, and Southport — is tight-lipped on details beyond "Italian concept" and a July target date. The site sits at the corner of Webster and Magnolia, one block north of DePaul's main campus, with Sweet Mandy B's and Old Pueblo Cantina as neighbors. No website or Instagram yet; a quiet buildout to watch.
Guillotine Bakery is almost open. The French bakery from Parisian expats Vincent Didry, Vince Le Bec, and Alizé Bikard has been in our watch list since Issue 4, when it was "finishing buildout" at 1711 W. Chicago Ave. in West Town. Latest Instagram (@guillotinebakery) says "Opening when it's ready" - recent activity suggests an opening any day now. Imported French flour and butter, open-kitchen setup, breads, croissants, laminated pastries.
📅 MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Chicago Blues Festival — June 4–7, Millennium Park. The nation's largest free blues festival returns with a citywide lineup honoring Chicago's blues legacy, while highlighting established musicians and the next generation of blues performers. Performances run noon to 9pm daily on four stages at Millennium Park, with a ticketed kickoff at Ramova Theatre on Thursday, June 4. Highlights this year include a tribute to Alligator Records' 55th anniversary and a celebration of Billy Branch's 75 years in music. Free. ChicagoBluesFestival.us
Lincoln Park Greek Fest — next weekend, June 5–7. The annual celebration returns to the grounds of St. George Greek Orthodox Church at 2701 N. Sheffield Ave., one block east of the Halsted-Clark corridor. Loukoumades, grilled lamb, saganaki, live music, Greek folk dancing, and a craft fair all weekend. Friday 5–11pm, Saturday noon–11pm, Sunday noon–10pm. $10 suggested donation, all ages. lincolnparkgreekfest.com
🏗 PERMIT DESK
The Phoenix clears City Council in Lake View East. The 12-story mixed-use building at 3611 N. Halsted — a vacant lot just north of the Addison intersection in Lake View East — got full City Council approval this week. Developer David Gassman, working with Studio Dwell Architects, is building 188 apartments above a split-level parking podium with a 900-square-foot ground-floor cafe facing Halsted. The unit mix runs 96 studios, 56 one-bedrooms, and 36 two-bedrooms; groundbreaking is targeted for later this year, completion by 2027 or 2028.
QUICK HITS
Guzman y Gomez is gone. The Australian fast-casual burrito chain that once dreamed of rivaling Chipotle in the US closed all eight of its Chicago-area locations on May 22, citing inability to generate the sales momentum to justify further investment. The company entered the US market in Chicago in 2020, invested over $115 million, and is now facing a class-action lawsuit from former employees over the lack of notice.
Dots Coffee just opened in Roscoe Village. A new café serving specialty coffee drinks (smoky rose cardamom lattes, crunchy peanut cold brew) and Parisian-style pastries including kouign-amanns, ham and cheese croissants, and giardiniera snails has quietly opened. A neighborhood-scale addition to the Roscoe Village/North Center strip.
See you next Friday — The 60614