The best new pastry on Randolph Street this fall comes out of a steakhouse's back door. Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to noon, Susu at 652 W. Randolph St. is handing out preordered pastries and a wagyu sujuk breakfast sandwich through its rear entrance, in the building that used to house Grace. A few blocks north, the Japanese cocktail bar Kumiko now serves breakfast on weekend mornings.
Both run out of rooms built for the evening, and these new daytime hours are the biggest change on the West Loop's restaurant row this fall. Several big dinner openings have landed since September, and more are due before the year ends, but the neighborhood's restaurants are also cooking for Saturday morning now.
A steakhouse bakery with no coffee
WTTW put it plainly: pastries are a departure for a West Loop steakhouse, because this stretch has belonged to evening fine dining like Oriole, Sepia, and the former Grace. Chef and partner Alexander Willis cooked savory food at Moody Tongue, Dusek's, and Moto, and he told WTTW he'd always wanted his own bakery. He and owner Paul Alqas modeled the idea on Kasama, where a destination dinner spot runs a casual bakery on the side.
Willis also explained why the setup works for the business:
"Not only is it an extra source of revenue for us, but it's also another venue of creativity for me."
So the kitchen and the address stay the same, and the restaurant earns a second income from hours that used to go unused.
The opening menu, according to Chicago Food Magazine, includes croissants, a chai "Tea Tea Cheesecake," a shakshuka danish, tahini chocolate chip cookies, and a tahini canelé, plus an occasional mystery item. The breakfast sandwich puts house-made wagyu sujuk, French scrambled eggs, American cheese, red shatta aioli, and green chermoula on hand-rolled sourdough pita. Willis calls the bread "Wonder Bread meets pita." There's no coffee program, and quantities are limited each weekend.
That last detail changes how you plan your morning. Susu is a pickup counter, not a café, so you'll want coffee from somewhere else.
Kumiko's morning menu started at a sidewalk window
Café Kumiko isn't a brand-new idea. According to Kumiko's own history, it started in 2020 as a small service window, where people ordered from the sidewalk and gathered in the garden under the elevated tracks. Today it's served inside the Kumiko bar at 630 W. Lake St. The menu has classic Japanese breakfasts, kissaten-style lunch dishes, breakfast sandwiches, and a few Kumiko favorites, along with coffee, tea, and spirit-free drinks.
WTTW listed the weekend brunch among recent West Loop openings in its fall restaurant roundup. The posted hours are Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Food orders stop at 2:15 p.m. and drinks at 2:30 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome, and you can also book through the café's reservation link.
Together, the two openings fit into one weekend routine:
- Monday, 3 p.m.: Susu opens preorders for the coming weekend on its website. They close Thursday evening.
- Saturday or Sunday, 9 a.m. to noon: Pick up your order at Susu's back entrance, 652 W. Randolph St.
- 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Café Kumiko serves a sit-down breakfast or lunch at 630 W. Lake St., with coffee and tea.
Susu announced Oct. 17 as the bakery's first weekend, with the first preorder drop on Monday, Oct. 12. If you're planning for this weekend, the preorder window at susuchicago.com is the place to check, since the bakery runs on limited quantities.
The new evening spots are easier to walk into than you'd guess
The fall's dinner openings fit the same pattern. Several of them make it easy to show up without a plan.
Berenjak, at 113–125 N. Green St., opened Friday, Oct. 2, inside Soho House. Being inside a private club doesn't make it members-only. WTTW reported that the restaurant is open to the public, and Windy City Magazine noted that it takes walk-ins along with online reservations. It's the second U.S. location of a London restaurant inspired by Tehran's kabab houses, and it's built around family-style meals. Eater Chicago points to black chickpea hummus, kababs, charcoal-grilled prawns, and fish stew. Berenjak is chef Kian Samyani's restaurant, and the Chicago location is a partnership with Soho House and JKS Restaurants, according to Eater Chicago's August preview.
Black Briar, at 201 N. Morgan St., opened Saturday, Sept. 26. Chef Jimmy Papadopoulos, known for Bohemian House and Bellemore, teamed up again with his Bellemore partner Tim Anderson on a tavern built around a coal fire. Studio K designed the room after English pubs. At opening, Eater Chicago reported daily service from 4 to 10 p.m., with reservations on OpenTable. It opens at 4, earlier than a typical dinner reservation, so it works for an early bite on a weeknight. Check blackbriarchi.com for current hours before you go.
Victory & Vice, at 318 N. Carpenter St., opened Wednesday, Sept. 9. It's a sports bar from Brian Galati, Chireal Jordan, and Josh Howe. Eater describes a big-screen viewing setup, a patio, and bar food. WTTW described the team as the entrepreneurs behind several high-concept bars. It covers the stretch of a Sunday that brunch doesn't: the afternoon kickoff.
Still on the way, and still undated
Three more West Loop openings are coming, and one of them pushes hours past dinner again. Lettuce Entertain You says Pizzeria Gabbo will serve lunch as well as dinner, so the newest Fulton Market tenant will be open at midday.
| Restaurant | Address | Who's behind it | What to expect | Timing as of late October |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMARA | 844 W. Randolph St. | Chef Nemanja Milunovic, with managing partner Vincent Martin of Carbon | Pan-Balkan and Mediterranean shared plates, the return of his somun bread, and a bar program of amari and vermouths led by his brother Marko | "Coming Soon" on its site, which takes email signups for the opening date |
| Pizzeria Gabbo | 834 W. Fulton Market, Suite 200 | Lettuce Entertain You, with food by Andrew Ashmore of Beatrix | Tavern-style and crisp New York-style pizza, salads, pasta, soft-serve, and Italian-inspired cocktails | "Coming Fall 2026" |
| Gibsons Tavern | 925 W. Fulton St. | Gibsons Restaurant Group | Steaks, seafood, and desserts in a classic American tavern | November estimate |
A few notes on the table. AMARA is Milunovic's first sit-down restaurant with his own menu. He previously cooked at Aba and Adalina Prime and ran Serbian pop-ups and a ghost kitchen, according to WTTW. Block Club Chicago first reported the project in August. Pizzeria Gabbo will share a building with Beatrix and Aba, and its drinks come from the Aba and Ema beverage team. Gibsons Tavern was first announced in 2023. WTTW called it the group's first spot in a neighborhood that now works like an extension of the downtown dining district.
Restaurant timelines move. Berenjak's August announcement aimed for late September, and the doors opened Oct. 2. For the three restaurants above, amarachicago.com, pizzeriagabbo.com, and Eater Chicago's fall preview are the best places to watch for firm dates.
What a West Loop weekend looks like now
A Saturday on this stretch can now start with a shakshuka danish picked up at Susu's back door at 9 a.m., continue with a Japanese breakfast at Café Kumiko before the kitchen's 2:15 p.m. cutoff, move to the patio and screens at Victory & Vice for the afternoon game, and end at Berenjak's charcoal grill or Black Briar's coal fire. When Pizzeria Gabbo opens with lunch service, Fulton Market will add another midday option.
If your Saturday mornings now start at Susu's back door, you already know how much a neighborhood's daily routine adds to what it's like to live there. Whether you're weighing a West Loop condo or planning a move between Chicago and Paradise Valley, Anthony Provinzino can help you put your budget, timeline, and favorite blocks into one plan. Let's Connect.
