Chicago's Most Anticipated Spring 2026 Restaurant Openings

Chicago’s spring restaurant calendar is packed, and if the momentum from early 2026 holds, the city is heading into a strong stretch for anyone who eats out regularly. Steakhouses keep their grip on the top of the market, live-fire cooking has moved from trend to expectation, and French cuisine looks ready to push into the spotlight. But the openings generating the most buzz right now cut across styles and neighborhoods, from a West Town bar steeped in Chicago’s mid-century character to a beloved D.C. bagel institution making its Midwest debut.

The team behind Paulie Gee’s is trading pizza ovens for something more vintage. The Alley Cat, a project from hospitality group Tung and Cheek, is targeting an April opening at 2013 W. Division Street in the former Takito Kitchen space. Partners Derrick Tung, William Ravert, and Tony Dezutter are drawing on Chicago’s 1920s and 1940s architectural and cultural identity to shape the bar’s look and feel. Expect vintage bookcases, a repurposed Chopin Theatre chandelier, and a plant-lined Green Room in the back reserved for private events.

The drink program leans unpretentious. Batch cocktails, beer-and-shot specials, and canned beers anchor the menu, with nonalcoholic wines rounding out the options. Food stays in snack territory, including potato wedges topped with chives and a “Girl Dinner” spread built around pickled vegetables, sliced bread, whole-grain mustard, and a dirty martini. It’s a bar concept that takes its setting seriously without taking itself too seriously.

On the other end of the morning-to-afternoon spectrum, Call Your Mother is bringing its Montreal-New York hybrid bagels to Wicker Park this spring. The Washington, D.C.-based chain, founded by Andrew Dana and Dani Moreira, is planting its first Midwest flag at 1615 N. Damen Avenue. The shop built its reputation on Jewish deli classics reimagined with global flavors and a loose, energetic sensibility.

The menu leans into bold combinations. The Jetski layers brisket, pastrami, sofrito, jalapeño, and cheese. The Hidden Cove pairs smoked salmon and mashed avocado with Korean-style cucumbers, seaweed flakes, and shredded carrots. Seasonal items, muffins, latkes, and cookies fill out the board. The design matches the brand’s signature look, pink and teal accents dominating the interior, with a soundtrack pulling from late 1990s and early 2000s hits. For a city that has developed serious opinions about its bagels over the past several years, the arrival of Call Your Mother will draw immediate scrutiny. That’s a good problem to have.

The most ambitious project on the spring list is Naia, a 12,000-square-foot Mediterranean restaurant opening at 300 N. LaSalle Street along the Chicago River. The project is part of a $37 million renovation effort and is led by DineAmic Hospitality, the group behind partners Luke Stoioff and David Rekhson. Chef Athinagoras Kostakos has been tapped to run the kitchen, bringing serious credentials to a space that already commands attention from its riverfront position alone.

The scale here is significant. Chicago has seen its share of large-format restaurant concepts rise and stumble, particularly in high-visibility downtown locations. Naia is betting that a well-defined Mediterranean identity and the right chef can anchor something durable rather than just spectacular. At 12,000 square feet, getting that balance right matters more than at a neighborhood spot where regulars carry the room.

Taken together, these three openings reflect what Chicago’s restaurant scene actually looks like right now. A neighborhood bar reclaiming a specific piece of local history. A regional chain testing whether its identity translates into a new market. A major hospitality group swinging big on a riverfront anchor. None of them are chasing the same diner or the same moment.

Spring historically shakes loose some of the most interesting openings of the year in this city. Operators know Chicagoans are ready to be outside and willing to try something new after a long winter. The question, as always, is which of these spots will still be packed when the temperatures drop again.