New Rick Bayless Cocktail Bar Underneath Frontera Gets a Name

Bar Sótano is the name of the new basement bar that Rick and Lanie Bayless are opening underneath Frontera Grill. Lanie Bayless, Rick’s daughter, is the bar’s beverage director. The bar could open next month as a media preview is scheduled for mid-November at 443 N. Clark Street.

Sótano translates to “basement” in Spanish, so that’s the simple origin of the bar’s name. The Baylesses announced the bar in June and were shooting for a November opening. The hook that made the bar stand out was the use of unique herbs in drinks. There’s still no details on how those herbs would be incorporated. The invite mentions “botanical agave cocktails.” There’s a webpage for the new bar but no new details as it’s still under development.

The media invite also mentions chef Rishi Manoj Kumar. He’s a native Singaporean who interned for Frontera. He’s listed as Frontera’s private events chef. A Bayless spokesperson said Kumar is the bar’s chef. They’ll more information about the menu and space next week, so stay tuned.