Budlong's New Restaurant Bringing Nashville Hot Chicken To Lincoln Park

The former Bunny space in East Lakeview isn't the only place getting hot this summer. Lincoln Park will get a Budlong Hot Chicken restaurant soon too, as Phil Tadros and Jared Leonard are planning to open a second restaurant at 1008 W. Armitage Ave. Tadros was previously planning a Bow Truss Coffee Roasters for the space, but switched gears due to an existing kitchen combined with the success of the first Budlong on Broadway.

The pair is planning to open the new 40-seat spot in August or September. The space is larger but expect a similar menu as the original, but with more focus on sandwiches, including a Nashville hot soft shell crab sandwich they debuted as a special in Lakeview, rather than only bone-in chicken. "We found demand for the quicker Nashville hot," Tadros says, "so the chicken sandwiches are flying."

In related news, Tadros says that the restaurant component of his planned Aquanaut brewpub near Loyola will no longer be a Budlong. He's still deciding on the food concept for that space, but don't be surprised to see other Budlongs in other parts of Chicago soon.