The Best Restaurant Openings in Chicago - August 2026

Is there anything these guys don’t do well? Brothers Oliver and Nicolas Poilevey have found success with Taqueria Chingón, Obélix, Mariscos San Pedro, and, of course, Le Bouchon, the 33-year-old bistro opened by their parents. Now they’ve ventured into rotisserie chicken, or what Oliver calls unpretentious French food, with their latest spot, Chez Poulet, loosely translated as “chicken house.” This isn’t your $5 Costco rotisserie chicken. They spent months perfecting the brine, air-drying technique, and spice rubs for their free-range birds. Then they whipped up a bunch of sides and salads, including potatoes roasted in chicken jus, macaroni gratin, Oliver’s collard greens, Caesar-style chicken salad, and carrots with vadouvan. Throw in cheese, charcuterie, baguettes from Mindy’s Bakery, and chocolate mousse for dessert. There’s even a small climate-controlled wine shop in the back and a cute tote bag with separate slots for a bottle and said baguette. Add it all up and you’ve got what will no doubt be one of the hottest takeout spots in town, when you’re not able to snag a seat on the patio, that is.

This dual-concept restaurant and lounge opened August 19, bringing a more traditional Thai dining experience to River North. On the ground floor, the 95-seat Tarra, whose name means river or water, is where chef Namo Chowcharoen, who grew up outside Bangkok, cooks regional Thai dishes in a contemporary setting with water elements throughout. Think beyond pad Thai with dishes such as kra thong tong, a squid ink tartlet with salted egg cream; chu chee pla, Chilean sea bass in red curry; pla goong, an herbal shrimp salad; massaman nuea, a braised short rib curry; and sai uah, a curried pork and shrimp sausage with lemongrass. At Sura, the elegant yet lively Thai-inspired cocktail lounge on the lower level, beverage director Robert Shamblin, formerly of BLVD, uses modern techniques such as fat-washing, dehydrating, and clarifying. Drinks include the Golden Mermaid with Gray Whale Gin, G4 Blanco Tequila, maraschino, aloe and kombu cordial, and coconut water, and the Coco Noir with High West Double Rye, Alessio Vino Chinato, Okar Island Red, pandan, toasted coconut, and coffee bean.

When Boka Restaurant Group opened Gingie with chef Brian Lockwood, previously of Midōsuji and Eleven Madison Park, it hit River North with a grand splash. The former GT Prime space was transformed with plush red velvet booths and contemporary art evoking a high-end gallery. Sadly, just three days after its debut, a kitchen fire forced the restaurant to close for repairs. Now, just five months later, Gingie has risen from the ashes, with a phoenix newly added to the restaurant’s mural. Reopened on August 29, the restaurant melds flavors and techniques from Lockwood’s French and Italian training and his obsession with Japanese cuisine. Cooking over live fire in an open kitchen, Lockwood and his team turn out dishes such as oysters cooked over embers, spicy tuna dip with fermented jalapeño and nori tapioca chips, eggplant lasagnette with smoked mozzarella, grilled lobster with sushi rice risotto, a New York strip with ricotta dumplings, and three handroll sets featuring Jonah crab, tempura rock shrimp, or salmon.

Motel Bar opened back in late May, but its latest incarnation is worth another look. Following his hits with River North spots DJ’s Great Room and Layla & Ringo’s, restaurateur David Morton, of the Morton’s Steakhouse family, revived the bar in the former Groupon Building and styled it after a Wisconsin supper club. That means you’ll find the delicacies of Northwoods Wisconsin with a Chicago twist. Think jumbo shrimp cocktail, a prime rib dip, a crispy cod sandwich with sweet pepper aioli, and, of course, cheese curds. Cocktails include Brandy Old Fashioneds, a Northwoods Manhattan, and a classic Gibson, alongside ice cream drinks such as Grasshoppers and Pink Squirrels. Enter through a door disguised as a vault and step into a dining room with oversized fabric-covered booths, a gallery wall decked out in vintage art, photographs, and found objects such as snowshoes, an upright piano, individual table lamps casting a low glow, and a central bar with blue stools, a Dalmatian-patterned top, and a bright yellow neon sign hanging overhead.

Veteran Chicago chef Todd Stein, who most recently served as vice president of culinary at Ballyhoo Hospitality and was chef and partner at Formento’s and The Bristol, has teamed up with general manager TJ Bachmeyer to open Juniper, adding to Highwood’s bustling dining scene. The modern American restaurant, which opened August 25, offers an eclectic menu featuring a blue and king crab cake, filet mignon sliders, chilled Maine lobster rolls, branzino in a lemon-caper piccata sauce, flatiron steak frites au poivre, and slow-roasted half rotisserie chicken with herbs. Stein also brought on executive sushi chef Akira Yang to oversee a full program of specialty and classic rolls, nigiri, and sashimi. Designed by Kehoe Designs and Hi-Fi Branding, the renovated, 135-seat restaurant includes a main dining room with a rounded, vaulted wood ceiling, burgundy drapes, and dramatic lighting, along with a private dining space and an outdoor patio.