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Modern Asian restaurants in Chicago: A timeline
Here’s the path of how the trend finally got off the ground.
By David Tamarkin
Published: August 28, 2012
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It’s been a hard road for Chicago’s Asian-food enthusiasts. While New York exploded with Momofukus and L.A. with Kogi food trucks, Chicago lagged behind with the traditional and familiar. And every time a modern Asian concept did open, it often closed just as quickly. Now, three new restaurants—OON (coming soon), Embeya (ditto) and bellyQ (just opened)—suggest a breakthrough. Here’s a selective history of how we (finally) got here.
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December 2007 Takashi Yagihashi opens Takashi in Bucktown, filling a void in the city for upscale Asian fare that isn’t married to tradition (see Arun’s).
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May 2008 Shochu opens in Lakeview, giving Chicago a taste of a nationwide izakaya trend. Less than a year later, it morphs into an American grill.
Meanwhile, L2O, Laurent Gras’s spare-no-expense-seafood-spot-with-Japanese-influences, opens in Lincoln Park.
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August 2008 Bill Kim leaves Le Lan, the upscale Vietnamese spot he was running, to open Urbanbelly, a slick, BYOB noodle shop in Avondale. (Le Lan closes less than a year later.)
December 2008 Mantou Noodle Bar, helmed by chef Rick Spiros, opens in Wicker Park. For a minute it looks as if there’s going to be a sexy noodle-shop trend. But a month later, Mantou abruptly closes.
October 2010 Riding on the success of its banh mi stand in the French Market, Saigon Sisters opens a small, stylish restaurant serving contemporary Vietnamese food. Its chef, Matt Eversman, leaves seven months later.
Photo: Michael Jarecki392.rb.eo.op.newasian.saigonsisters.jpg156279069
December 2010 Rick Spiros returns with The Bento Box, a BYOB spot filling bento boxes with all manner of creative, pan-Asian fare.
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November 2011 Takashi expands into River North with Slurping Turtle, a mod noodle shop.
August 2012 Bill Kim just can’t quit! bellyQ, which slings Asian-tinged barbecue, opens in the former one sixtyblue space.
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Fall 2012 Embeya, an Asian/French concept from a couple of RIA alums, is slated to open in the West Loop. And rIght down the street, Eversman is set to open OON.
It’s been a hard road for Chicago’s Asian-food enthusiasts. While New York exploded with Momofukus and L.A. with Kogi food trucks, Chicago lagged behind with the traditional and familiar. And every time a modern Asian concept did open, it often closed just as quickly. Now, three new restaurants—OON (coming soon), Embeya (ditto) and bellyQ (just opened)—suggest a breakthrough. Here’s a selective history of how we (finally) got here.
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