A tall Old Hickory rotisserie stands next to the front window at 2234 N. Western Ave. It holds around 50 chickens at a time, and someone wrote the name "Eduardo" on it in Sharpie when it was delivered. Eater Chicago reported that nobody knows who wrote it. Two years ago this building was on the market.
The original Taqueria Chingón closed at this address in November 2024, and the building went up for sale. The owners, brothers Oliver and Nicolas Poilevey, then changed course and opened Chez Poulet in the space themselves on Tuesday, August 25. The two other Bucktown openings on Western Avenue this year followed the same pattern. Each one took over an existing restaurant space, and two of the three came from operators who already had a business nearby.
The Building That Came Off the Market
Block Club Chicago reported in May that the brothers wanted to sell to "somebody like us who wanted to do a small restaurant concept." According to Eater Chicago, the only interest came from large developers, so they took the building off the market and planned a new restaurant of their own.
The space itself shaped the concept. There is almost no indoor seating, so the brothers needed food that travels well. A covered patio on the side of the building seats 40 when the weather allows. Le Bouchon also played a part. Their parents opened that Bucktown restaurant in 1993, and it needed more production space. Chef Keagan Beresford runs Chez Poulet and still works at Le Bouchon too.
The menu carries over some of the building's history. Whole and half birds come with four sauces. One is a nutty salsa macha made from a Taqueria Chingón recipe, so a bit of the old taqueria is still at the counter. The other three are a cornichon chimichurri, a garlic toum, and chicken jus.
The chickens are Ivory Amish birds from a small farm in Pennsylvania. Each one goes through three days of prep. It is brined for a day, air-dried in the cooler so the skin crisps, and seasoned with Beresford's rub. Sides include:
- Chicken fat confit potatoes
- Moroccan curried corn with yogurt
- Papa Louis' Macaroni Gratin, named for the brothers' grandfather, who once made Comté in France
- Oliver's collard greens, made with maple syrup, sherry vinegar, fish sauce, bacon and sambal
- Mindy Segal's "chicken bread" from Mindy's Bakery, a cross between naan and a flatbread
There are also seasonal salads, house-made charcuterie such as chicken liver mousse, and a small cheese selection. Weekends bring specials like a chicken banh mi.
Taqueria Chingón is still open. In its August report, Block Club Chicago said it remains in business in Fulton Market under co-owners Oliver Poilevey and Marcos Ascencio. It opened at 817 W. Fulton Market in May 2025.
Two More Old Rooms, Less Than a Block Apart
Head south from Chez Poulet toward the Western Blue Line and the pattern repeats at two more storefronts.
Jomon Sushi and Izakaya opened at 1858 N. Western Ave. in July, in the space where Wave Sushi and Sake closed in 2025. WTTW reported that the team behind Mammoth Poke opened it. Mammoth Poke has three Chicago locations, and one is a few blocks up the same street. That one is at 2035 N. Western Ave. The menu has a long sushi list plus izakaya dishes such as ribeye and pork belly skewers, gyoza and tempura. Beer, sake and wine are available.
Less than a block north of Jomon, Bucktown Pizza opened in July at 1912 N. Western Ave. It sits under the Blue Line tracks in the former Oromo Cafe. Owner Joe Smith is the newcomer of the three. Block Club Chicago reported that this is his first restaurant in the city. He has run pizzerias in the suburbs and on the East Coast, including around Newark, where he is from. "Everything we do by hand, hand-roll the dough, hand-stretch the dough, homemade sauces," he told Block Club. It is a counter-service shop. In July the menu had cheese, Margherita, pepperoni, sausage and garlic white pies, and Smith said more were planned and that he was working on a liquor license.
| Address | What's there now | What was there before | Who's behind it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2234 N. Western Ave. | Chez Poulet, opened Aug. 25, 2026 | Original Taqueria Chingón | Oliver and Nicolas Poilevey, building owners and Le Bouchon partners |
| 1912 N. Western Ave. | Bucktown Pizza, opened July 2026 | Oromo Cafe | Joe Smith, first city restaurant |
| 1858 N. Western Ave. | Jomon Sushi and Izakaya, opened July 2026 | Wave Sushi and Sake | Mammoth Poke team, with a location at 2035 N. Western |
None of these three openings needed a new building. Two of them came from people already doing business on this stretch of Western.
The Bigger Names Arrive on Armitage and Damen in 2027
Bucktown's high-profile projects are coming, but on a later schedule. They also follow the same reuse pattern.
Trattoria Lo So is moving into 2044 W. Armitage Ave., the former Jack and Ginger's bar. It comes from chef Sarah Grueneberg and partners Jaime Canete and Rob Mosher, the team behind Monteverde in the West Loop. Monteverde executive chef Bailey Sullivan will lead the menu. Block Club Chicago reported in September that the build-out will have 120 seats plus a 17-seat bar, with an opening target of "early 2027." Plans include meats, fish and vegetables cooked on a robata-style grill, plus a "batteria" of barrels for aging balsamic vinegar like the one at Monteverde. It will join Class Act, Pompette, Mirra and Le Bouchon, which are all within a few blocks.
Vienna Beef Plaza is a planned restaurant and factory store at the company's headquarters, 2501 N. Damen Ave. It has slipped several times since its original spring 2024 target, and Block Club Chicago reported in August that it is now aimed at spring 2027.
Neither project will open before the end of this year. For the rest of 2026, the newest places to eat in Bucktown are the three on Western Avenue.
Western Avenue After the Patio Season
All three spaces were set up for summer: a counter, a carryout window, a side patio. Cold weather affects how each one works. Chez Poulet's 40 patio seats depend on the weather, so in November most meals there will go home in a bag. Its hours are also shorter than the ones published at opening. The official site now lists:
- Wednesday–Friday: 4–9 p.m. or until sold out
- Saturday–Sunday: noon–6 p.m. or until sold out
- Monday–Tuesday: closed
Opening-week coverage listed weekend hours running into the evening. For a Sunday dinner, the current schedule means picking up before 6 p.m. Chez Poulet's Toast ordering page takes scheduled pickup orders, which is the safest way to get a bird before it sells out.
Jomon closes between lunch and dinner. Its ordering page lists noon to 3 p.m. every day, then 4:30 to 8:45 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Bucktown Pizza's hours were noon to 10 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, when it opened in July. It's worth calling ahead.
The neighborhood calendar has two dates before the year ends:
- WPB Trick-or-Treat, this Saturday, Oct. 31, 3–6 p.m. Participating businesses along the Wicker Park and Bucktown commercial corridors hand out treats, and the Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce publishes a digital map of stops.
- WPB Winter Wonderland and Tree Lighting, Saturday, Dec. 5, noon–6 p.m. The Chamber lists free Santa photos, s'mores, rickshaws, a gnome hunt and music. Free ice skating is new this year.
For a short walk on trick-or-treat afternoon, Jomon and Bucktown Pizza are less than a block apart near the Western Blue Line. Chez Poulet is a few blocks north.
We have followed Bucktown's storefronts and the people who run them for a long time, and we'd be glad to talk about what's changing on your block. When you're thinking about your next move, Work with Ballis Group.
