Under the Western Blue Line platform at 1912 N. Western Ave., a counter-service pizzeria has been hand-stretching dough since July. Less than a block south, a sushi bar fills a room that sat dark after its last tenant closed. Farther north, at 2234 N. Western, a rotisserie chicken shop with only a patio for seating has been selling whole birds to go since late August.
Each one moved into a room another restaurant had already built and then left. Bucktown's western edge got busier this summer without adding a single new dining room. Instead, it refilled empty ones, and one of those rooms came close to leaving restaurant use for good.
Three Addresses, Three Previous Lives
Here is what changed at each address:
- 1912 N. Western Ave. Bucktown Pizza took over the former home of Oromo Cafe, directly under the Western Blue Line station, according to Block Club Chicago.
- 1858 N. Western Ave. Jomon Sushi and Izakaya moved into the former Wave Sushi and Sake, which closed last year.
- 2234 N. Western Ave. Chez Poulet opened Aug. 25 in the original Taqueria Chingón, which closed this location in November 2024.
Two of the three stayed close to what came before. Sushi replaced sushi at 1858. A small counter restaurant replaced a small cafe at 1912. At the third address, the owners had planned to sell rather than open anything there at all.
The Building That Was Supposed to Be Sold
Taqueria Chingón left Western Avenue in November 2024. Less than a year later, Oliver Poilevey and co-owner Marcos Ascencio reopened the taco spot in Fulton Market. The Bucktown building stayed on the market, Block Club Chicago reported in May.
The brothers Oliver and Nicolas Poilevey own Le Bouchon, Obélix, Taqueria Chingón and Mariscos San Pedro between them. They had a specific kind of buyer in mind for the property. Nicolas Poilevey told Block Club:
"We wanted to sell the building to somebody like us who wanted to do a small restaurant concept and make a little bit of money with the rental properties in the back. It pretty much seemed it was only big corporate developers who wanted to do something and then flip it."
So they kept it and built a concept around its limits. With seating restricted to an outdoor patio, they needed food that would "eat just as good in 10 or 15 minutes at home as it would here," which the tacos didn't always manage. Le Bouchon, which their parents opened in Bucktown in 1993, had also outgrown its kitchen and needed more prep space. A takeout rotisserie shop that could also produce charcuterie and other Le Bouchon specialties solved both problems.
That makes Chez Poulet something unusual on the strip. It is a restaurant in its own right and also overflow kitchen space for a 30-plus-year-old Bucktown institution a short drive away. The plan was announced for mid-June, and the doors opened Aug. 25.
A Room Built for Carryout Meets November
The design choice that made sense in August matters more now. Eater Chicago described Chez Poulet as takeout-oriented, with a side patio that seats about 40 people "when weather permits." As the patio weather runs out, the shop becomes what it was built to be, a place to pick up dinner.
The menu is built for that. You can order a whole or half rotisserie chicken with sauces, plus rotisserie potatoes, Moroccan curried corn, collard greens, macaroni gratin and seasonal salads. There's also charcuterie, cheese and breads from Mindy Segal, with French wines, cider and beer to drink. The Infatuation's review singled out the chicken.
The hours are already tighter than they were at opening. In late August, Block Club listed 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, noon to 9 p.m. Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday. The schedule now posted on Chez Poulet's site shows the shop closed Monday and Tuesday, open 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and noon to 6 p.m. on weekends, each "or sell out." That sell-out note is worth keeping in mind on a Sunday afternoon. Check the site before you walk over.
The Two Rooms Near the Station
The southern pair sits within a block of each other near the Western Blue Line stop, and both are casual.
Bucktown Pizza is owner Joe Smith's first restaurant in Chicago itself. He has worked in and run pizzerias in the suburbs and along the East Coast, including the Newark, New Jersey, area, where he is from, Block Club reported. It opened with a short menu of cheese, Margherita, pepperoni, sausage and garlic white pies. Smith described the approach to Block Club like this:
"Everything we do by hand, hand-roll the dough, hand-stretch the dough, homemade sauces, personalized service. You're going to see the product made in front of you."
Opening hours were noon to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. In July, Smith said he was working on a liquor license. The Infatuation reported in August that four more slice varieties were on the way. The city's retail food establishment data shows its food license running from July 21, 2026, through Aug. 15, 2028.
The Infatuation describes Jomon as coming from the team behind Mammoth Poke. The menu covers sushi and izakaya staples such as ribeye and pork belly skewers, gyoza and tempura. Rolls include the Haru Rainbow with yellowtail, salmon, tuna and crab stick, and the Bushido Salmon with shrimp tempura and spicy mayo. Rice and noodle dishes round it out, along with beer, sake and wine. The same review praised the sushi and noted a long sake list and a low-key room.
Of the three, Jomon has the longest schedule. Its ordering page lists lunch from noon to 3 p.m. daily and dinner from 4:30 to 8:45 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, until 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with pickup and delivery available. On a Monday, when Chez Poulet is closed and Bucktown Pizza's July schedule had it dark, Jomon is the one that's open.
The Same Pattern Moves to Armitage
The next big Bucktown opening follows the same pattern, at a larger scale. Sarah Grueneberg, Jaime Canete and Rob Mosher of Monteverde are bringing Trattoria Lo So to 2044 W. Armitage Ave., the former Jack and Ginger's. It will be a 120-seat restaurant with a 17-seat bar, with executive chef Bailey Sullivan leading the menu, according to Block Club Chicago. Grueneberg and Sullivan called it Monteverde's "cool aunt" in an October interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, which reported an opening target of January or February 2027.
The clearest exception is on Damen. Vienna Beef is still planning a restaurant and factory store at its headquarters, Vienna Beef Plaza at 2501 N. Damen Ave., with a spring 2027 target. Vice president Tom McGlade told Block Club Chicago the project is "more of a service to our neighborhood than it is a profit-maker." Here too, the owner of the property chose to put food in it, much as the Poilevey brothers did at 2234 N. Western.
Here is the short version for the months ahead:
- Now: Chez Poulet for carryout chicken Wednesday through Sunday, Jomon for lunch or dinner any day, Bucktown Pizza under the Blue Line tracks.
- January or February 2027: Trattoria Lo So's target opening at 2044 W. Armitage.
- Spring 2027: Vienna Beef's target for its restaurant and factory store at 2501 N. Damen.
Coming from a background in residential construction, I'm always interested in what happens to a building between tenants. If you're thinking about what your own Bucktown property could become, or what the storefronts near you mean for your block, Taylor Nirchi is glad to talk it through. Let's Connect.
