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Roscoe Village is getting a restaurant featuring cuisine from southern France. Slated to open this summer, Le Sud is a new restaurant featuring food from chef Andy Motto, last seen in suburban Evanston at Quince, a restaurant that closed in 2015. The new spot, which has had an active social media presence via Facebook and Instagram for the last few months, will also feature rooftop dining at 2301 W. Roscoe Street.
Sandy Chen owns the restaurant, and she’s a familiar name for Chicagoans. Since 1994, she’s run Chen’s (formerly House of Dong Yuang), a Chinese restaurant in Lakeview. Chen has also run Koi Fine Asian Dining in Evanston. French food is an abrupt change for Chen, who also worked at Tang Dynasty, a long-shuttered Chinese restaurant off the Mag Mile. But she’s ready to break out and try something different.
“It’s my dream come true,” Chen said.
Chen said a visit to Nice, France inspired her and that the city reminded her of where she grew up in southern China. They’ll focus on food from Provence, a southeastern region of France near the Mediterranean Sea. The space will have room for about 120 seats inside over two floors and they’ll have bars on each level. Chen’s particularly excited about a rooftop space that has room for about 60. The restaurant was a Mexican spot, Que Rico, before Chen took over. Eventually, they’ll also have a sidewalk patio.
As described by a job listing, Le Sud is “a casual, neighborhood restaurant.” Chen said they’ll serve dinner seven days a week and perhaps work in Sunday brunch. Dining in Roscoe Village is a mixed bag, one that Chen is aware of as she lived in the neighborhood before moving to Wilmette. That allowed her children to attend New Trier High School in the suburbs. She joked that she may move back when the restaurant opens. To check out a smattering of sample dishes, follow the restaurant’s Instagram account.
