José Andrés Opens First of Two Chicago Restaurants

Bridget Hallinan

After throwing out the first pitch at Game 5 of the World Series late last month, chef and humanitarian José Andrés has another win to celebrate—his first restaurant in Chicago. On Tuesday, his fast-casual concept Beefsteak, famed for its veggie-centric menu, debuts in the city's Streeterville neighborhood, reports Eater. The new location will be housed at the Louis A. Simpson and Kimberly K. Querrey Biomedical Research Center at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, joining a Slice Pizzeria, Starbucks, and Smart Market, as well as "local pop-ups" that will rotate weekly. The expansion is part of an ongoing partnership with food service company Compass Group.

Courtesy of Beefsteak
Courtesy of Beefsteak

The first location of Beefsteak opened in spring 2015 at George Washington University’s Foggy Bottom campus, and additional outposts are located in D.C.’s Dupont Circle neighborhood, at Florida International University (as a food truck), Montgomery Mall in Bethesda Maryland, and at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. Like its predecessors, the Chicago Beefsteak location will offer customers plenty of bowls and salads, featuring “flash-prepared vegetables, hearty grains, house-made sauces, crisp and fresh toppings, and optional meatier toppings like salt-cured salmon, chicken sausage, or a poached egg,” per the announcement. The current menu on the restaurant’s website also features burgers made with plant-based protein and beets, as well as soups.

Beefsteak won’t be Andrés’ only restaurant in the city, either. In September, ThinkFoodGroup announced that Jaleo—his first restaurant concept in the U.S., which opened in D.C. in 1993—would debut its sixth stateside location in Chicago in mid-2020. The restaurant will be at 500 North Clark Street in a 10,000 square-feet space. Not many details are available yet about the menu, but each location of Jaleo has “unique elements and menu items,” so there will likely be some Chicago-exclusive meals. Per a spokesperson for ThinkFoodGroup, Chicago is one of Andrés’ favorite food cities in the world, and the chef is looking forward to finally expanding his portfolio there.