Taste of Chicago may or may not happen in 2023, but the city’s chefs are preparing a raft of delicious menus to debut this spring. That means Chicagoans don’t have to brave 90-degree temperatures and slog around Grant Park to experience some of the best new flavors in town. Eater Chicago’s most anticipated spring 2023 restaurant opening is packed with variety.

Read on below to find the restaurant openings that will create the most buzz around town.

Listed alphabetically.

Asador Bastian

Address: 214 W. Erie Street, River North

Key Players: Doug Psaltis, Hsing Chen, Chef Christian Eckmann, Eat Well Hospitality

The owners of Andros Taverna and partners have kept this River North project under wraps since 2020 when they bought the Flair Building, a 140-year-old gallery that hosted parties and shows. Crews have kept the facade, but gutted the space to make way for a Spanish steakhouse in the style of the kind of restaurants visitors would find in San Sebastián in the Basque Country. This is not your typical River North steakhouse with creamed spinach and fried mushrooms. The beef is from a farm in Pennsylvania – they started raising cattle two years ago so the steak could be ready for the opening in March 2023. There are several private eateries and a promise to bring back some of the eating energy that the pandemic took away from Chicago downtown. Doug Psaltis, who headed up Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises’ RPM wing, has experience sourcing fancy steaks, so look for specials that diners can’t find elsewhere. Hsing Chen, the talented pastry chef who is also a partner in this project, says that the seafood selection will also be top notch.

Eat well Hospitality

Bellevue

Address: 1031 N. Rush Street, Gold Coast

Key players: Jim Banks, Fred Barbara

Tavern on Rush closed last year, ending a chapter of Chicago nightlife. The building’s owner decided to take over the operation and the remodeled space is called Bellevue. The two-story space will be open seven days a week for lunch, dinner and evening drinks. Ownership is excited about a new patio that will offer views of Rush Street.

Bellevue

Daisies

Address: 2375 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Logan Square

Key players: Joe Frillman, Leigh Omilinsky

Daisies closed its original location the weekend of March 4 as it prepared to move toward Fullerton and Milwaukee, inside a space that most prominently housed the German-American restaurant Radler. Pasta pro Joe Frillman has a dynamic all-day concept with pastries from former Boka dessert master Leigh Omilinsky. She is also a partner in the operation. Daisies is an Italian restaurant put together with parts from the Midwest, an operation that allows Frillman and company to have fun. Maybe for Father’s Day he’ll blast Guns ‘n’ Roses and serve baby back ribs and tell dad jokes. It’s this kind of attitude that has endeared Frillman to the community and with a bigger space, look for bigger and better menu options.

Daisies

Federale’s Logan Square

Address: 2471 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Logan Square

Key players: Four corners

Federales is a taco bar in the West Loop with a large patio that has built a reputation as a place for 20 people to party. This is a concept from Four Corners, and they consulted with Au Cheval’s Brendan Sodikoff who was originally on the menu seven years ago. They’ve found a similar footprint in Logan Square where they want a retractable roof and perhaps the infamous patio clock. This is the goal of customers who slam into a shot glass made of ice and then throw the container counter-clockwise. It’s become a tradition, and Federale’s arrival in Logan Square has worried some locals who feel it represents a turning point in how the neighborhood will be received. Because when it’s a Federales, what other bars can follow? Look for a spring opening.

Four corners

Kimski 2.0

Address: 954-960 W. 31st Street, Bridgeport

Key players: Won Kim, Maria’s Community Bar, Marz Community Brewing

Vant Kim probably doesn’t get enough credit for what he does behind the scenes to encourage other chefs. Kim, a Chicago native, was the opening chef at Kimski and ushered in an era of Polish and Korean mashups, making sense of his employers, Marszewski of Marz Community Brewing. Now seven years after opening, Kim is looking for a reset. Feeling more confident in his craft, the graffiti artist and DJ is creating a menu that is more Korean. Now people can argue for authenticity, but Kim won’t hear it. Look for kalbi, rice cakes and chap chae in early April.

Kimski

Miru

Address: St. Regis Chicago, 363 E. Wacker Drive, Lake Shore East

Key players: Hisanobu Osaka, Salad Entertain You Enterprises

Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises plans two restaurants inside the new billion-dollar St. Regis Chicago luxury hotel near Navy Pier. The first restaurant is a Japanese place called Miru which is designed to serve the daily responsibilities of hotel guests. But instead of sending it in, LEYE has enlisted chef Hisanobu Osaka to create a restaurant that’s part izakaya, part sushi place, and one that serves a modern American breakfast. Maybe they will bring traditional Japanese breakfast offerings in the future. Look for a spring debut.

Rockwell Group

Smoke Steak

Address: 3310 N. Elston Avenue, Avondale

Key player: Barry Sorkin

Smoque Steak is the second concept from Smoque, one of Chicago’s best barbecue restaurants – regardless of north or south side. Now they want to open a neighborhood steakhouse, using sous vide and other techniques to make even lesser-known cuts of meat taste like butter. Smoque Steak owner Barry Sorkin says a spring debut is the plan.

Smoke Steak

Thattu

Address: 3118 N. Rockwell Street, Avondale

Key players: Margaret Pak, Vinod Kalathil

Signs have gone up in Avondale for Thattu, the South Indian restaurant that’s causing a stir. Chef Margaret Pak uses the recipes of her mother-in-law, who lives in Kerala, India. They have traveled a few times, exploring the country and looking for inspiration. They will first open for lunch and build up to dinner. This is an independent venture that Pak and her husband Vinod Kalathil have been saving for years. They are famous for beef curry and appam, a grilled cake. They want to open by the end of March and are introducing a no tip policy. Their prices will have the cost of service baked in. There’s a ton of ambition in this restaurant, so look for more coverage soon.

Ashok Selvam/Eater Chicago