Here’s your guide to what just opened, what’s coming soon and what’s no longer.
Chicago will get its first authentic Kurdish restaurant when The Gundis opens in Lakeview in early October. The Gundis comes from a pair of Kurdish immigrants via Mardin, Turkey, who share the same first and middle names: Mehmet Besir Duzgun and Mehmet Besir Yavuz. After meeting five years ago, the Mehmets discovered they shared the dream of opening a Kurdish restaurant and have been planning one ever since.
“We’re really good friends, like brothers, who have similar stories and have had similar struggles,” Duzgun wrote in an email. “We want to serve Chicago our food, the food of our people.”
That food, Duzgun wrote, comes from recipes in Kurdish homes throughout Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey, all inspired by their mothers’ cooking. The basics of Kurdish food are similar to other Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine, but the dishes also have a “Kurdish twist” that distinguishes them from other regional fare.
“Our food is spicier, it’s more citrusy, greasy in all the best ways, and involves a lot of bread,” Duzgun wrote. “Who doesn’t like bread?”
The drinks menu will feature a standard selection of beer and wine, and Duzgun hopes that list will eventually include Ava Zer, a Kurdish lager that is not yet sold in the U.S. Black tea and coffee from the Kurdish mountains will also feature prominently, as those are oft-consumed beverages among Kurds, according to Duzgun.
Duzgun and Yavuz emphasized their excitement at becoming the city’s first Kurdish restaurant — different from Turkish restaurants, Duzgun noted — as well as the chance to become a part of Chicago’s food scene.
“Chicago is our home and it’s known for some of the best food in the country,” Yavuz wrote. “It just needs Kurdish food to be complete.”
2909-11 N. Clark St., no phone number yet, www.facebook.com/chicagokurdishkitchen
River North will welcome a 24-hour diner called Griddle 24 (get it?) this fall, from the owners of some of the city’s other popular round-the-clock diners (Hollywood Grill, White Palace Grill and Plymouth Restaurant & Bar).
Owner George Liakopoulos said the restaurant will be a “simple 24-hour diner,” but with a slightly varied vibe for the River North crowd, from its residents to the regular walking traffic to the hopping nightlife.
“Each neighborhood that we go into … I name all the stores different because we try to fit the neighborhood,” Liakopoulos said. “But it will be a little bit different than the rest of our diners.”
The food and drink will be “typical, with a twist,” such as booze-infused milkshakes, of which he expects to offer eight to 10 different types, at first. He also plans to serve local craft beer, although he hasn’t decided which brews yet. Booze will be table service only — no bar.
As for the food: “There are a few (different) menu items, maybe a little healthier, like a spinach goat cheese salad. Most diners have a julienne salad — we don’t have a julienne salad here,” Liakopoulos said. “So just a few things, some of the cheeses are a little different; the sandwiches are a little different.”
Griddle 24 should open by the first week of October, Liakopoulos said. He feels the diner will bring a necessary late-night, dress-down dining option to the area. The launch was first reported by Eater.
“We’re not high end, we’re not tablecloth, but you can go at 2 a.m. or 4 a.m. to Hollywood or White Palace and get something good to eat,” he said. “(River North) needs that.”
334 W. Chicago Ave., no phone number yet, www.griddle24.com
Other openings:
Little Wok, the Asian fusion and sushi spot in Evanston, made its way south to Lakeview, where a second location opened in August. The new space is much like the first, with a lengthy menu of Asian cuisine and an even cleaner, more modern interior design. Diners can choose from typical Chinese and Japanese dishes, including sushi, as well as a small selection of Korean items. The restaurant also offers small dessert menu and — don’t worry — a full bar.
3144 N. Broadway, 773-525-8111, www.little-wok.com
Life after Jerry’s Sandwiches has already begun on Division Street, where a yet-to-be-named live-music gastropub is expected to open by the end of the year. According to DNAinfo,
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owner Zafer Genc and his business partner are catering to the Wicker Park scene by hosting live music, while the space will combine “industrial and rustic.” As the gastropub tag suggests, the menu will expand beyond burgers and wings, with drinks including beer and cocktails. Otherwise, Genc reportedly said plans are largely in “conception mode.”1938 W. Division St., no phone number or website yet
In case you missed it:
At Vol. 39, on the second floor of the Loop’s Kimpton Grey Hotel, you might feel like a time traveler, thanks to its classic accommodations, small-batch spirits, long wine lists, tableside food-cart service and a “tall, dark, and handsome” type of atmosphere.
Stephanie Izard’s Duck Duck Ta’Go — the takeout window at Duck Duck Goat in the West Loop — will now be open until 10 p.m. nightly for dinner, so no more long lunch-break trips to grab this Asian street food before 2 p.m.
For 48 years, the Parthenon had been a mainstay both in Greektown and the Chicago dining scene as a whole; the restaurant announced Wednesday that it is shutting its doors for good.
DNAinfo reports Happy Village in Wicker Park has retired along with its longtime owner Cherlyn Pilch. Lucky’s Sandwiches is reportedly in talks to purchase the location, but an issue with the liquor moratorium on Wolcott Avenue would need to be resolved before any sale.
Theatergoers lost a prime spot to grab a bite before the show, as Rosebud Theater District confirmed late last week that it had shut down for good.
After nearly four years in Wicker Park with a wax candle that never went out, the Monarch has been evicted, per DNAinfo.