Inside 1K Fulton’s New Restaurant Where Fulton and Maxwell Street Markets Converge

The new Maxwell Street-inspired restaurant inside Chicago’s Google building has eliminated almost all traces of the old seafood spot that once occupied the space. Regards to Edith, 326 N. Morgan St., opened on Monday in Fulton Market serving a menu of items inspired by classic Chicago street food. Selections like an Italian beef sandwich use premium ingredients (shaved prime rib) and come with premium prices ($19). The restaurant’s owners, Heisler Hospitality, have flipped the former Smack Shack space, ridding the walls of lobster drawings while revamping the floors and wall coverings.

Chicago’s Maxwell Street market, a former hub for immigrants, inspired the menu and the design. That’s a stark contrast with the restaurant’s home at 1K Fulton, the building at Fulton Market and Morgan that carries an industrial design. After all, it’s home to one of the world’s most-innovative tech companies. Heisler tried to warm up the space by making the room feel like a classic Chicago corner tavern. Leather booths and a wooden bar are highlights.

The Tribune asked Heisler’s co-founder Matt Eisler about his new restaurant’s name. It’s roots are traced to a photograph of a 1930s-era boxer, King Levinsky, that now sits on the bar. Levinsky worked on Maxwell Street and while researching him, Eisler found the photograph on eBay with the inscription: “Regards to Edith, King Levinsky.” This way the restaurant can have a subtle nod to the past without being tied to specific culture or type of food, Eisler told the newspaper.

Check out the photos below. Regards to Edith is open in Fulton Market.