The Most Anticipated New Chicago Restaurants of 2016

2016 is promising to be a big year for restaurant openings, with many big names (Stephanie Izard, Grant Achatz) inching ever closer to opening long-awaited new spots. Below, in Eater Chicago's Most Anticipated Openings of 2016, are some of the top ones to look forward to throughout the next 12 months.

Duck Duck Goat

Address: 857 W. Fulton St.
Projected Opening: Spring

Construction is still underway on Stephanie Izard's third restaurant, and this time the 'Top Chef' winner is tackling Chinese cuisine. Expect the dining room to be crazy busy, but fear not as a takeout window specializing in Taiwanese street food will be available for walk-ups. The restaurant may already be hiring, but expect a mid-to-late spring opening according to Boka Group's Rob Katz.

[Photo: Duck Duck Goat]

Kitsune

Address: 4229 N. Lincoln Ave.
Projected Opening: Spring

After the opening of Bunny, the Microbakery due later this month, Michelin-starred chef Iliana Regan (Elizabeth) will turn her attention to all things Japanese-inspired. Regan promises a couple of varieties of ramen, a shared home style menu and an assortment of local beers on tap, sakes and more.

[Photo: Iliana Regan]

Oriole

Address: 661 W. Walnut St.
Projected Opening: Spring

Noah Sandoval (formerly of Senza) and his wife Cara are hoping to open their 28-seat fine dining restaurant in the West Loop by early Spring. They've gathered impressive talent: Jean Banchet award-winning pastry chef Genie Kwon is on board, as well as recently announced sommelier Aaron McManus (L2O, Intro). Expect an intimate setting where diners will be able to interact with the kitchen.

[Photo: Oriole]

David and Anna Posey Restaurant

Address: 1350 W. Randolph St.
Projected Opening: Spring

The Sandovals aren't the only married couple coming to the West Loop—so are David Posey (Blackbird) and Anna Posey (The Publican). Expect an eight-course tasting menu along with a la carte options when the unnamed restaurant opens in the spring in the former Sawtooth space.

[Photo: Yelp]

El Che Bar

Address: 845 W. Washington Blvd.
Projected Opening: March

The food at John Manion's second restaurant (after La Sirena Clandestina) will be inspired by the cuisine of Argentina, focusing on Midwestern ingredients. Manion says that he and chef Mark Steuer expect to spend a lot of time working with the wood-fired custom-built hearth that's being installed before their team can tackle it. Meats and vegetables will be smoked, seared, roasted and grilled, while Clandestina's Anthony Mitchell and Paige Jacoby will handle the beverage program.

[Photo: El Che Bar]

Smyth & The Loyalist

Address: 177 N. Ada St.
Projected Opening: Spring

Another West Loop restaurant featuring a married couple (it's officially a thing), this time featuring two different concepts under one roof (upscale Smyth is upstairs, while the more casual The Loyalist is on the ground floor) from Charlie Trotter's/Alinea vets John Shields and Karen Urie Shields, is due to emerge sometime in May. Smyth will seat around 40 and offer two different tasting menus (8-courses at $135, 16-courses for $220). The Loyalist, eager to be a spot for regulars, will be looser and louder by comparison.

[Photo: Smyth & The Loyalist]

Cruz Blanca

Address: 900 W. Randolph St.
Projected Opening: Spring

Rick Bayless' newest project, a brewpub in the West Loop, is moving forward according to reps. Expect plenty of food cooked over wood-burning fires, a tasting room, growler sales and a to-be-revealed food concept (surely Latin inspired) as the project nears completion, which will be Bayless' fifth Chicago full service restaurant.

[Photo: Ashok Selvam]

GT Prime

Address: 707 N. Wells St.
Projected Opening: Spring

After the first report two years ago, Boka Restaurant Group and Giuseppe Tentori's next project, GT Prime, is due to open in the first half of 2016. Prime, which is Boka's first restaurant after last October's steakhouse Swift & Sons, will be a meaty answer to GT Fish & Oyster, promising a variety of meats (not just beef).

[Photo: GT Prime]

Roister

Address: 951 W. Fulton
Projected Opening: Winter

Promising an a la carte menu of refined, rustic dishes from chef Andrew Brochu, Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas' newest project promises to be their most attainable yet. Look for communal seating, loud music, and a dining room carved out into separate spaces, including "a sushi bar-type area" and a spot inside the restaurant for a tasting menu - all of which surrounds the kitchen.

[Photo: Ashok Selvam]

Paulie Gee's

Address: 2451 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Projected Opening: Spring

With a location announced earlier this week, a taste of Brooklyn will hit Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood with the arrival of Paulie Giannone's wood-fired Neapolitan pizzeria. Paulie Gee's is already in Baltimore, Miami and Columbus, OH, with Chicago marking the franchise's fifth city (run here by Za Pi's Derrick Tung).

[Photo: Google Streetview]

The Northman

Address: 4337 N. Lincoln Ave.
Projected Opening: February

Two years in the works, The Northman, from the team behind Fountainhead, is due to open next month, becoming the city's first cider bar, serving more than 100 varieties (on tap and in bottles and cans). Executive chef Cleetus Friedman will serve a menu devoted to French and English bistro food to go with the ciders.

[Photo: Google Streetview]

One Off Hospitality Project at Francesca's Forno

Address: 1576 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Projected Opening: 2016

Little is known about what One Off Hospitality (Avec, Nico Osteria) has in store for Wicker Park next, inside the former Francesca's Forno they acquired last year. The talk is that the project, which is located near the group's diner Dove's Luncheonette and taqueria Big Star, may be a variation of The Publican, and its chef, Cosmo Goss, may run it. But as far as concrete details? None are available just yet, including an expected opening time frame, beyond sometime this year.

[Photo: Daniel Gerzina]