Inside Logan Square’s Intimate New Dining Den With a Wood Burning Oven

Logan Square’s highly anticipated intimate, supper-clubby restaurant and bar opens today, finally realizing its owners vision almost exactly two years after they launched a seafood pop-up that went on to spawn the new venue. Good Fortune, a project from Charles Welch and Andrew Miller of Out to Lunch Hospitality, sits at 2528 N. California Avenue in a space that previously housed the General.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Miller said in an interview. “All of this was a lengthy process, and to get to the finish line is hugely rewarding.”

The pair, who have known each other for about seven years, said they faced numerous logistical challenges while working to open Good Fortune. While Miller managed the buildout process and legalities, Welch traveled and cooked to keep his skills sharp. “It’s tough when you’ve spent a few years not at the helm of a kitchen,” said Welch. “There’s a loss of identity, feeling like you’re just on the sidelines... you have to have patience and grit to hang on and believe in process of making a restaurant.”

Good Fortune, the fruit of their labor, is a 2,000 square-foot, split-level restaurant and bar that seats 44, with another eight seats at a small bar. Welch and Miller are shooting for a moody, modern aesthetic that evokes the feeling of the crowded dinner parties Miller and his fiancee throw at their home. “The food, the amount of wine we consume, the laughter, the music — it’s a very contagious atmosphere,” he said.

When they selected the restaurant’s location, both Miller and Welch were struck by its close quarters and how much it felt like an apartment. The bifurcated space includes a bar and dining area in front, and in back there’s a dining room with a clear view into the restaurant’s open kitchen. Peacock blue, gold, and black tones run throughout. Plush blue banquettes line the walls, and local metal artisan and bar owner Bobby Middleton (the Giant Penny Whistle) fabricated midcentury modern chairs and light fixtures. Welch and Miller plan to open up patio seating next summer. “This is our little house and our little family that lives there and we just want to share it with the neighborhood,” said Welch.

The menu, a blend of new American and Mediterranean flavors, ingredients, and techniques, is tight and thoughtful with a limited selection of dishes in each category: first courses, pastas, large plates, and desserts. Smaller starter dishes include black lime-cured arctic char (kombu, pickled turnip, sesame jam, carrot ponzu) and caramelized halloumi (stone fruit, za’atar, sunflower seed, za’atar yogurt). These are followed by three hand-made pasta offerings like black garlic rigatoni (patty pan squash, smoked maitake mushroom conserva, pepitas).

Protein-centric larger plates feature head-on prawns (octopus, black lentils, morcilla sausage, shellfish oil) and a pork collar (marble potatoes, shishito peppers, salsa verde, jus) roasted in a custom wood-burning oven. The menu also includes three dessert selections, most notably a roasted corn ice cream with corn crumble, blueberry, and saffron. Corn for the ice cream is also roasted in the custom oven. The full menu is available below.

The cocktail list from bar director Miranda Breedlove (Bad Hunter, Sportsman’s Club) is composed of slight riffs on classic drinks. Diners can anticipate options like a mezcal Negroni (Italian sweet vermouth, campari, amaro) and a herbaceous Salty Dog (vodka, grapefruit, basil, fennel, campari, salt), as well as three draft beers. Groups can seek out Americanos (Campari, Italian sweet vermouth, sparkling water) in one and three-liter bottles. A wine list emphases both old world and new world American wines by the glass or bottle, featuring red, white, orange, rose, and sparkling options.

The owners are especially pleased to be located in restaurant hotspot Logan Square. “We’ve already been getting love,” said Welch, citing a visit from the whole kitchen team of nearby acclaimed Mexican restaurant Mi Tocaya Antojeria and some neighbors who dropped off fried chicken at Good Fortune because they knew the team had a long day. “It warms my heart to be in the neighborhood,” he added. “Having them extend themselves to us is an opportunity to do the same thing, to pay it forward or back.”

Welch and Miller first opened Good Fortune as a pop-up in 2017 after exiting their Fulton Market restaurant Honey’s. Its original menu focused on seafood, including dishes like oysters Rockefeller, hamachi tartare, and striped bass, and quickly garnered critical acclaim. The pair ended the pop-up in October of that year.

Tour the space and get a peek at some dishes in the photographs below.

Good Fortune opens today in Logan Square. Reservations are available on Resy.

Good Fortune, 2528 N. California Avenue, open 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. on Wednesday through Monday.

Jacquelyn Trezzo

Jacquelyn Trezzo

Jacquelyn Trezzo

Jacquelyn Trezzo

Jacquelyn Trezzo

Jacquelyn Trezzo

Jacquelyn Trezzo

Jacquelyn Trezzo

Jacquelyn Trezzo

Jacquelyn Trezzo

Jacquelyn Trezzo

Jacquelyn Trezzo