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A golden door in front of descending stairs outside.
The Old Post Office underwent a $800 million renovation.
Barry Brecheisen/Eater Chicago

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Explore the New Food Hall Inside the Renovated Old Post Office

From Here On features hot chicken, pho, breakfast sandwiches, and tacos

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.

The renovations inside the long-vacant Old Post Office are impressive. Walk through the renovated lobby and visitors will see tall ceilings mixing modern design elements with nods to the building’s history. Workers built the post office in 1931, and the latest changes are thanks to an $800 million renovation that’s lured new corporate tenants such as Uber, Cisco Systems, PepsiCo, and Walgreens.

With From Here On — which opened in June — the owners of Revival Food Hall seized an opportunity. 16” on Center (Dusek’s, Pizza Friendly Pizza) kicked off a food hall renaissance in Chicago in 2016 when Revival opened in the Loop. The hospitality group brought together several well-known restaurants under one roof in Downtown Chicago to give tourists and office workers a tour of the city without needing to commute all over town.

Steps outside toward an old stone building.
The building originally opened in 1931.
A variety of patio seats on stone tile outside.
The food hall also offers al fresco dining.

The pandemic shook consumer confidence, especially in shared spaces like food halls. Many restaurants also decided to pull out of food halls and other projects, wanting to concentrate on their main locations. In response, Revival reloaded on the fly and found new tenants in the forms of unproven culinary talent. They lacked the big-name reputation but had strong resumes working at top restaurants around town or running successful pop-ups.

A food hall stand with four people working with a sign reading “Hot Chi.”
Hot Chi Chicken now has a second location.
A platter of two chicken sandwiches, two chicken tenders, and crinkle fries.
Be care at picking the right spice level.

That’s the approach at From Here On, which features eight restaurants and a bar. West Town’s Tempesta Market, known for its gargantuan Italian sandwiches and meats, could be the best known. Others, like Flo’s Kitchen, a taco truck that permanently docked outside an Avondale home during the pandemic; Hot Chi Chicken Cones, a South Side chicken stand that makes an outstanding and unique sweet and spicy chicken using harissa and Kashmeri chilis; and Phodega, the Wicker Park Vietnamese restaurant that’s offering an expanded menu under a new name at the post office (Phobox) get chances to wow customers they wouldn’t normally have a chance to reach. Phobox is a collaboration with Phodega and Chicago Lunchbox.

A breakfast sandwich on a round bun on a pedestal.
A platter with six round backed goods.
Two tables in front of a bookshelf with a window that shows a bakery.

Familiar Bakery has tons of desserts.

Familiar Bakery, an operation from pastry chef Ashley Robinson (Japonais, Spiaggia, Spinning J), provides baked goods. Robinson already runs a location out of Revival. She’s hoping for companies to take notice and make big catering orders — perhaps breakfast sandwiches for early morning meetings.

Fare, a vendor that’s been in other food halls pre-pandemic, provides healthy options. There’s also a diner that suburban Chicagoans may be familiar with: Millie’s Pancake Shop, which has been around since 1959 in Addison, has a food hall location with counter seating.

Walk through the space below. From Here On is now open.

From Here On, 433 W. Van Buren Street, open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays.

A bookshelf full of drinks and records, and books.
This matches the 16” on Center aesthetic.
A food hall stall with four people standing in line.
Flo’s Kitchen is what happens when a food truck finds a permanent location.
A counter of chairs with light wood and dark metal.
A round table with stools.
A bench with three tables and chairs.

The space is a lot brighter compared to the Old Post Office.

A platter with crab rangoon, dumplings, and a banh mi.
Dumplings and banh mi are new at Phobox.
A rice bowl with drizzled sauces over beef.
Rice bowls with beef are another new item.
Barry Brecheisen/Eater Chicago
Hot sauce pouring down on a cheesy taco salad.
Millie’s is a longtime suburban Addison diner.

From Here On

433 W Van Buren St, Chicago, IL 60607 Visit Website
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