The Spoke & Bird (South Loop)

Spoke & Bird Is Back Open in Pilsen | Eater Chicago

"Open since 2014, this South Loop café—run by Scott Golas and business partner Alicia Bird—specializes in sourcing and using products from local farms and purveyors; Golas even has a "tomato guy," and later in the morning the patio will be filled with tomato plants and those who have preordered them. The café features a menu of seasonal, mostly made-from-scratch baked goods, sandwiches, and salads, with local beer on tap and an extensive coffee drink menu. Golas says, "We buy as much as we can from local farms and urban gardeners, and then take that to create made-to-order items," and adds, "We design our spaces with very little storage, so we don’t buy anything frozen." Located in a historic building shared with the Chicago Park District, it offers indoor and outdoor dining; tableside service runs Friday through Sunday while ordering is done via QR codes at a kiosk on other days. On adapting service models, Golas notes, "The pandemic forced us to explore different service models," observing that people now accept a lighter-touch approach that lets the team "slip back and forth between different options." Catering has been strong given the proximity to McCormick Place and nearby hotels. The owners emphasize operating in neighborhoods that lack access to healthy food: "Our plan is to not to head north because there seems to be a plethora of options available there," he says. "It’s to go into neighborhoods that don’t have access to healthy food." - Lisa Shames