The Loop Gets an Eater Award-Winning Riverside Bar and Cafe Spinoff

After a two-month sabbatical along the Chicago River, an Eater Award-winning bar and restaurant with a standout patio is now open in the former Pearl Brasserie space in the Loop. Cafe Bonhomme and Beatnik on the River opened Monday from Bonhomme Hospitality Group at 180 N. Upper Wacker Drive. The cafe is the front space, and the riverside patio space is a spin-off of Bonhomme’s popular Mediterranean restaurant and bar that debuted last year on Chicago Avenue in West Town.

The cafe’s menu includes coffee, fresh juices, smoothies, pastries, and sandwiches for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Beatnik On the River features cocktails and wine akin to the original which Eater Chicago readers voted as the city’s bar of the year in the 2017 Eater Awards. The 120-seat patio venue also has a similar look and feel to the original, also an Eater Award finalist for design of the year, with lush plants, cozy seating with abundant pillows, and sophisticated small plates with influences from around the Mediterranean. Except this time, rather than being in West Town, it’s all on the Chicago River in The Loop.

The spokespeople for Bonhomme, which also runs Celeste, Bordel/Black Bull, and Fulton Market Kitchen, say they’ll release more information later this week. The spot should benefit from thirsty downtown office workers interested in happy hour specials and more creativity than other places in The Loop starting today.

Café Bonhomme and Beatnik On the River, 180 N. Upper Wacker Drive, cafe open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays; patio open weekdays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; closed to the general public but open for private events on weekends.

Courtesy of Daniel Alonso