Fulton Market’s Massive New Food Hall to Feature 18 Acclaimed Chicago Chefs

Fulton Market’s first food hall announced the inaugural lineup of Chicago-based chefs and restauranteurs this morning. Time Out Market Chicago, owned by Time Out Chicago parent company Time Out Group, will be a massive three-floor, 50,000-square-foot venue and is slated to open in the second half of 2019 at 916 W. Fulton Market. The Chicago location is the second largest after Time Out’s original market in Lisbon, which contains 35 kiosks.

The space will ultimately house 18 chefs and stalls, eight of whom were formally introduced this morning: Thai Dang of essential restaurant HaiSous, Brian Fisher of Michelin-starred Entente, the Purple Pig’s chef and owner Jimmy Bannos, Jr., food hall regular Bill Kim of popular ramen spot Urbanbelly, Dana Salls Cree of Pretty Cool Ice Cream, popular fried chicken restaurant Split-Rail’s Zoe Schor, Edward Kim of Mott St. and Mini Mott, and Art Shabez of iconic pizzeria the Art of Pizza, where customers can try “Art’s meaty delight” pizza with sausage, bacon, ground beef, pepperoni and sliced Italian beef. Cree will serve frozen options including coffee pretzel toffee custard bars and red cherry party pops, and Dang emphasizes Vietnamese flavors with dishes like cánh gà chiên, fried chicken wings with caramelized fish sauce. The space will also contain three bars, a demo kitchen, and event spaces with bleacher seating.

Time Out Market [Official Rendering]

Schor said the Time Out Group approached her about the project last fall, and she felt honored by the invitation. “It’s not just a food hall. The idea is to make the scope of [Time Out Magazine] into a brick-and-mortar event space,” she said. “People can get married here, people can come and listen to music here. There are going to be some really great high-end Michelin star chefs, and it makes me excited to be surrounded by such great company.”

Time Out Market CEO Didier Souillat said that chefs are welcome to stay past their one-year contract, but diners should anticipate culinary turnover. “We need to be responsive to trends and newcomers, and give them space,” he said. “Novelty is a good thing.” Diners can expect to spend between $20 and $30 on lunch or dinner, according to Souillat. He estimated the average meal cost at the Lisbon Time Out Market at 13 Euro, nearly $15 in American currency.

Plans for the hall first leaked in 2017, adding Chicago to the long list of 315 cities in 58 countries where Time Out operates. The first Time Out Market opened in Lisbon in 2014, and is now listed as an essential Eater restaurant in Portugal’s capital. The group is expanding rapidly, and this year management plans to launch Time Out Markets in Boston, Miami, New York, and Montreal. Chicago is already home to a cadre of other food halls, including the Chicago French Market, Latin-American street food hall Latinicity, and Loop destination Revival Food Hall.

Other big-name chefs not mentioned in this initial wave were also approached, so stay tuned as Time Out may have more up its sleeve.

Update: March 25, 2:45 p.m.: This article was updated to include comments from Didier Souillat.

Correction: March 26, 2019, 11:30 p.m. This article was changed to correct the spelling of Art Shabez’s name.