Atelier Restaurant
Fine dining restaurant · Ravenswood ·
Michelin-starred tasting menus with creative, locally sourced dishes
Michelin-starred tasting menus with creative, locally sourced dishes
"After closing and relocating, the tasting menu restaurant Atelier has reopened in Lincoln Square—“very softly,” as our server put it. But though their multi-course menu is still loading, this American spot's new à la carte line-up is less of a whisper and more a fun and exclamatory, “We’re Back.” And the upgraded space is bigger, with a front bar area and a back dining room by the open kitchen. The complex, tweezered bites are excellent, like linguini in mushroom conserva with raisins and granola, or a playful “bacon and eggs” that’s a potato pavé with egg sabayon, sturgeon bacon, and caviar. But even straightforward corn fritters or patty melts are tasty, thanks to punchy dips like huitlacoche comeback sauce or fermented tomato-pepper jam. Atelier’s tasting menu and beverage program will return soon (they’re BYOB), but the current bar menu already warrants a visit." - John Ringor
"After two years in one of Chicago’s smallest fine dining rooms, this Michelin-starred restaurant has reopened a few blocks away at 4544 N. Western Avenue, doubling its footprint to an 1,800-square-foot space with 36 seats across a dining room, bar, and small lounge while keeping its neighborhood feel. Executive chef Bradyn Kawcak keeps seasonal, globally influenced tasting menus at the core and debuts a new bar menu for drop-ins, mixing playful comforts like boiled peanuts and a patty melt with caviar and truffle supplements; greatest hits return too, including Buttermilk and Brassica (a roasted broccoli and buttermilk salad with Concord grape jelly) and bacon–blue cheese canelés. Beverage director Ali Martin spotlights women winemakers and crafts cocktails from kitchen leftovers (think syrups from macerated summer fruit or the liquid from preserved lemons), with both standard and reserve pairings plus spirit-free options. The warm, workshop-inspired room shows artwork by staff and friends, and the signature open kitchen remains, now framed by windows to invite peeks and a sense of community. Backed by owner Tim Lacey, a longtime Lincoln Square resident, the move was modestly remodeled and buoyed by a fundraising campaign that reached nearly 97 percent of its $500,000 goal. Soft-opening service features the à la carte bar menu with BYOB encouraged while the liquor license is pending; the full tasting menu will launch once it arrives, with hours 5:30 p.m.–9 p.m. Tuesday–Thursday and 5 p.m.–9 p.m. Friday–Saturday until the grand opening." - Jeffy Mai
"After Christian Hunter took the helm in Lincoln Square, this restaurant earned a Michelin star in 2023 and 2024 before his departure in March; it temporarily closed in July and is set to reopen soon in a bigger space just a few blocks from its original location." - Jeffy Mai
"Michelin-starred and now closed at its original home, this restaurant ended service on Saturday, July 19 at 4835 N. Western Avenue, then held a garage sale to sell off kitchenware; it will reemerge a couple of blocks away in a larger space at 4544 N. Western Avenue, with an opening date yet to be announced." - Jeffy Mai
"The Michelin-starred tasting-menu restaurant in Lincoln Square will be moving to 4544 N. Western Avenue, a few blocks away from its old space, which had its last night of service on Saturday, July 19. No reopening date has been announced, but the team will host a garage sale on Saturday, July 26 to sell off kitchen wares that won’t be making the move." - Jeffy Mai
