Lawless' Beacon Tavern, Opening Today, Gives the Mag Mile A Breath Of Fresh Air

What was a McDonald's just a year ago is now an elegant bar and restaurant steps from the Magnificent Mile, courtesy of The Gage owner Billy Lawless. Beacon Tavern, a sparkling seafood-centric spot on one of those quaint pathways between Michigan Avenue and Wabash in River North, opens for business at 4 p.m., giving the army of tourists and downtown professionals much more than a Filet-O-Fish and McFlurry.

The space, which is swanky-yet-comfortable, is divided into two sections. You'll enter into a long full front bar area lined with tall, breezy windows that open onto the grass-lined pathway that make you feel far from the hustle of Michigan Avenue. A short hallway leads to the rear dining room, flanked with a window into an open kitchen on one wall and large round booths on another. Nature tones are prevalent, matching the scene outside, with the combination of forest-green and tree-brown on nearly all of the seating, walls, and tiled floors, with the exception the bulbous light fixtures and some tan brick.

Check out chef Bob Broskey's menu of seafood and meat delights here, and take a virtual walkthrough the space in the photos below.

Beacon Tavern, 405 N. Wabash Ave., open daily 4 p.m. until midnight, lunch service coming soon, (312) 955-4226