Bucktown's three newest restaurants of the summer opened on Western Avenue, the neighborhood's western edge, near the Western Blue Line station and close to where The 606 runs along 1800 North.
Between July and late August, Bucktown Pizza, Jomon Sushi and Izakaya, and Chez Poulet opened within about four blocks of each other on N. Western Ave. Each one moved into a room another restaurant had recently left. The building with the best-documented history among them is Chez Poulet's, and it explains a lot about how Bucktown's edges are changing. When the owners of a building get to choose the next tenant, they tend to choose something small, independent and slow-moving.
Three rooms, three handoffs
The newest tables on Western all sit in spaces that were dining rooms already. This summer the strip refilled its existing rooms. Nothing was torn down to build new ones.
| Address | Now open | Previously | Hours as reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1858 N. Western Ave. | Jomon Sushi and Izakaya | Wave Sushi and Sake | Check before visiting |
| 1912 N. Western Ave. | Bucktown Pizza | Oromo Cafe | Noon to 10 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday |
| 2234 N. Western Ave. | Chez Poulet | The original Taqueria Chingón | 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, noon to 9 p.m. Saturday, noon to 8 p.m. Sunday, closed Monday |
Bucktown Pizza sits right under the Western Blue Line station. Owner Joe Smith opened it in July. Block Club Chicago reported that it's his first restaurant inside the city limits, after years running pizzerias in the suburbs and along the East Coast, including the Newark area he comes from. It's a counter-service shop. The opening menu had five pies: cheese, Margherita, pepperoni, sausage and garlic white. Smith told Block Club that "everything we do by hand, hand-roll the dough, hand-stretch the dough, homemade sauces." In July he was also working on a liquor license. In August, The Infatuation's review praised the thin slices and said four more slice varieties were in development.
Jomon Sushi and Izakaya is less than a block south, at 1858 N. Western Ave. Wave Sushi and Sake, which closed last year, used to be here. Jomon opened in mid-July with a long sushi menu alongside izakaya staples such as ribeye and pork belly skewers, gyoza and tempura. The Infatuation reviewed it in August, liked the sushi and called the room low-key.
The third opening, at the north end of the stretch, is the one with the most backstory.
The building that went up for sale and came back
Oliver Poilevey and Marcos Ascencio co-owned the original Taqueria Chingón at 2234 N. Western Ave. It earned Michelin recognition, then closed in November 2024, and the building was put up for sale. The taqueria later reopened in Fulton Market, where it still operates. Block Club Chicago reported that Oliver and his brother Nicolas own the Bucktown building and had hoped to keep it in the hands of a smaller, independent restaurant. They decided to open one themselves.
That restaurant is Chez Poulet. The brothers also run Le Bouchon, Obélix and Mariscos San Pedro, and Chez Poulet is a much simpler place than any of them. The menu is whole or half rotisserie chicken with sides such as Moroccan curried corn. Eater Chicago reported that the bread comes from Mindy Segal and the drinks list sticks to French wine, beer and cider. Eater gives the opening date as Tuesday, Aug. 25. Oliver Poilevey told Block Club the idea came from trips abroad. "When we're in France, rotisserie chicken is one of the things I look forward to eating," he said.
Before you plan a Sunday dinner, check the hours. Eater's pre-opening story had Sunday service running until 9 p.m. Block Club's report from opening week lists an 8 p.m. close.
A building that was up for sale ended up as a neighborhood rotisserie run by the people who own it. That's the clearest example on this stretch of how Bucktown's edges get filled. When the people holding the deed stay involved, the next use tends to look like the block around it.
The anchor that sets the scale
Margie's Candies at 1960 N. Western Ave. sits between Bucktown Pizza and Chez Poulet, and it shows how long a single family-run room can last on this road. The shop's own history dates it to 1921. The Chicago Sun-Times puts the opening of its predecessor, the Security Sweet Shop, in 1920. The Margie's name has been on the door since 1933. The family has run it for four generations. It's known for homemade ice cream and candy, sundaes big enough to share, and hand-dipped chocolates.
Margie's also has its television moment. In May, Block Club Chicago's guide to restaurants featured on "The Bear" included the sundae stop on Sydney's Season 2 food tour. The guide notes the episode is titled "Sundae" and that a second Margie's opened in Ravenswood in 2005.
The hours are what matter most for an evening on Western. Margie's website lists 10 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday through Sunday. That's later than Bucktown Pizza or Chez Poulet stays open, so Margie's works as the last stop of the night.
Up the road at 2165 N. Western Ave. is Chef's Special Cocktail Bar, which serves Chinese-American food and cocktails. It opened in January 2020, and Block Club Chicago reported it came from the team behind Logan Square's Giant. Its website lists current menus and service hours. Together, Chef's Special and Margie's give the newcomers a clear sense of scale for the strip: owner-run, one location here, and in it for the long haul.
An evening on Western, south to north
The Bloomingdale Trail runs along 1800 North, and it has a trailhead building and street-level water fountains at Western Avenue. That makes a natural starting point. The Chicago Park District lists the Western Blue Line stop among the closest transit access points to the trail.
- Come down off The 606 at Western and walk north to Jomon Sushi and Izakaya, 1858 N. Western Ave., for skewers and gyoza.
- Less than a block on, Bucktown Pizza, 1912 N. Western Ave., sells slices under the Blue Line until 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
- Margie's Candies, 1960 N. Western Ave., is open until midnight or later every night.
- Chef's Special Cocktail Bar, 2165 N. Western Ave., serves cocktails and Chinese-American plates.
- Chez Poulet, 2234 N. Western Ave., sells a whole chicken to take home, Tuesday through Sunday.
On a weeknight, Chez Poulet closes at 9 p.m., so if a chicken is part of the plan, set out early enough to reach the north end in time. The route from the trail at 1800 North to Chez Poulet at 2234 North is a little over half a mile.
The same pattern, over on Damen
The patience on Western shows up in a bigger project on Bucktown's other edge. Vienna Beef Plaza at 2501 N. Damen Ave. sits on the former factory site between Damen, Elston and the Chicago River. It's slated to include a restaurant and factory store. Those were first targeted for spring 2024, and Block Club Chicago reported in August that the goal is now spring 2027. Electrical and HVAC work is done, and the walls are being framed. Production moved to Bridgeport in 2015, and the old cafe and factory store closed in 2020.
Vienna Beef vice president Tom McGlade explained the pace to Block Club:
"But we do it with no great rush, because we own the building. It's more of a service to our neighborhood than it is a profit-maker, intentionally."
That's close to what the Poileveys described at 2234 N. Western. In both cases the owner holds the building, has no deadline to fill it and chose a use built for the neighborhood. On Western, that approach has already produced a rotisserie chicken counter a few doors up from a sundae shop dating to the 1920s. On Damen, the payoff is set for spring 2027.
On both of Bucktown's edges this year, the owner's plans for a building shaped what came next on the block. If you own a mixed-use or residential property near Western and The 606 and are weighing your next step, or you're hoping to find one, Lucyna Wrucha can talk through what's moving nearby, including homes coming soon. Get Access to My Private Listings.
