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Philanthropist Star Chef José Andrés to Open First Chicago Restaurant on Tuesday

Beefsteak debuts at Northwestern’s medical school campus in Streeterville

World Series - Houston Astros v Washington Nationals - Game Five
José Andrés delivers the first pitch at Game Five of the World Series.
Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Ashok Selvam is the editor of Eater Chicago and a native Chicagoan armed with more than two decades of award-winning journalism. Now covering the world of restaurants and food, his nut graphs are super nutty.

José Andrés, the Washington, D.C.-based chef known for his humanitarian efforts, will open his first Chicago restaurant on Tuesday in Streeterville. Beefsteak, Andrés’s fast-casual restaurant, will debut on the ground floor of a new Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine building at 303 E. Superior Street.

Beefsteak will be Chicago’s first restaurant that bears Andrés’s name. The famous chef is a Nobel Peace Prize nominee — he founded a charity that helps feed the poor. World Central Kitchen has recently helped natural disaster victims in Haiti, Bahamas, and Puerto Rico.

Beefsteak serves customizable bowls with a focus on fresh vegetables. It’s the kind of lunch that’s popular with busy students and downtown workers during weekday afternoons. Some of the sauces are from Andres’s other restaurants. Food service company Chartwells, a division of Compass Group, will operate Beefsteak. The first Beefsteak opened in 2015.

Northwestern is trying to make a splash downtown and Beefsteak is part of a few new food additions to its Streeterville campus. The school is also bringing in pop-ups from FOODWORKS, Slice Pizzeria, and Starbucks to the new building. Friends Sushi is the first pop-up.

A second restaurant from Andrés, Jaleo, is targeted for a mid-2020 opening in River North. It’s a full-service tapas restaurant that has garnered more buzz than Beefsteak. Stay tuned for more news on Jaleo’s opening in Chicago.

A native Spaniard, Andrés has grown a loyal fanbase in America. Last month, he delivered the ceremonial first pitch for the hometown and eventual champion Washington Nationals before Game Five of the World Series. President Donald Trump attended the game. The crowd cheered Andrés.

Many of Chicago’s food enthusiasts have also been cheering news of his restaurants opening in the city, and the first happens on Tuesday.

Beefsteak, 303 E. Superior Street, inside Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine’s Louis A. Simpson and Kimberly K. Querrey Biomedical Research Center, hours not posted yet.