LINCOLN SQUARE — The owner of a Lincoln Square coffee shop is opening a restaurant next door, and a popular fine dining restaurant has found a new home on Lincoln Avenue near Welles Park.
In Irving Park, a Mexican restaurant that opened in 2024 has closed, as has a longtime Pho shop in Albany Park.
Here’s more of what’s happening in the North Side restaurant scene this spring:
Lincoln Square
The interior of the former Market Square at 4701 N. Lincoln Ave. on March 5, 2026. Credit: Alex V. Hernandez/Block Club Chicago
Et Chi
4701 N. Lincoln Ave.
Market Square’s owner Ed Duman closed the business in November with the goal of reopening it as a new Turkish fusion restaurant offering “fine, casual dining” as soon as this summer, he said.
A sign visible March 5, 2026 announcing the new business coming to the former Market Square at 4701 N. Lincoln Ave. Credit: Alex V. Hernandez/Block Club Chicago
“The concept is centered around slow roasted meats prepared in a gas-fired, stone-domed oven,” Duman said.
Once it opens, Et Chi’s menu will feature dishes inspired by authentic Turkish cuisine that’ll be modernized for contemporary diners’ palates, Duman said.
“So think ancient fire with immortal tastes,” he said.
Market Square opened in 2023. Duman is also the owner of Oromo Cafe, which has locations next door to the new restaurant as well as in Bucktown.
A king salmon dish served at Goosefoot’s previous location. Credit: Linda Garard/Goosefoot/Instagram
4520 N. Lincoln Ave.
Acclaimed restaurant Goosefoot has a new home just north of Welles Park on Lincoln Avenue near “the heart of downtown Lincoln Square,” owners Chris and Nina Nugent stated on the restaurant website. The new location is the former home of DueLire Vino & Cucina, which closed in 2024.
The owners posted the following on the Goosefoot website.
“goosefoot® has a new home!
We are happy to announce that we have relocated to the heart of downtown Lincoln Square.
A friendly note: We are no longer BYOB
Our team is delighted to offer a thoughtfully curated wine program to elevate your dining experience.”
It’s unclear when the new location will open. Messages left with the owners were not immediately returned.
The owners initially opened Goosefoot at 2656 W. Lawrence Ave. in 2011, specializing in fine dining. The $145 multi-course tasting menu at the BYOB restaurant included Angus beef with heirloom squash, aigre-doux and beurre noisette; and a diver scallop dish with lemongrass, coconut and lobster. According to the announcement, the new Goosefoot space will include a “curated wine program.”
During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the owners pivoted to takeout-specific menu of comfort food at Goosefoot Food & Wine, 2654 W. Lawrence Ave., the shop they opened next to their restaurant in 2014.
By 2018, Chicago Magazine had ranked Goosefoot as No. 8 on its list of the city’s best restaurants. Before the pandemic, the spot had a waiting list of reservations. The owners announced that they were closing the Lawrence Avenue locations with plans to relocate in February 2024, according to the Sun-Times.
4624 N. Lincoln Ave.
773-312-6497
5-10 p.m. Mondays and Wednesday-Thursday, 5-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 5-9:30 p.m. Sundays
The duo behind North Center’s Amano Bistro opened a restaurant a few steps away from the Davis Theater in January. It features live jazz music every other Thursday, co-owner Nikola Paunovic said.
“It’s an elevated American bar and grill mixed with a speakeasy bar,” Paunovic said. “So it’s got a very dark, intimate atmosphere.”
The cozy interior’s dark walls are adorned with oil paintings, contrasting the restaurant’s white tablecloths.
Ardor By Chance’s menu features items like filet mignon, wet aged ribeye, Chilean sea bass and grilled salmon. Other menu items include pizzas made with artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms and goat cheese and appetizers like beet tartar and Cajun grilled shrimp.
“We have a nice wine list and craft cocktails as well,” Paunovic said.
Lincoln Square Food Wine & Spirits Manager Jay Patel at the shop on March 5, 2026. Credit: Alex V. Hernandez/Block Club Chicago
Lincoln Square Food Wine & Spirits
4605 N. Lincoln Ave.
773-961-7337
10 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sundays
The southern half of Lincoln Square has a variety of boutique shops, bars, restaurants and even a renowned music school. But until now, its convenience store options were a bit limited, said Jay Patel, Lincoln Square Food Wine & Spirits manager.
“We were passing through here in a car and someone we were with wanted a bottle of water. When we stopped here to look for a store, it was all restaurants,” Patel said. “We had to head up to the Walgreens north of here. That’s when my boss got in his mind, ‘We need a convenience store like this around here.’”
The business opened last month and offers a variety of snacks, liquor, beer and other staples for backyard barbecues and impromptu picnics, he said. It also has some grocery items and some drugstore essentials as well.
Restaurant Primo Chukis Uptown #2
2721 W. Lawrence Ave.
773-654-3482
10 a.m.-midnight Monday-Thursday, 10-2 a.m. Friday-Saturday
This Mexican restaurant’s menu offers dishes like al pastor, fish and carnitas tacos as well as chilaquiles con carne, huevos a la Mexicana and more. These late-night dishes are available for delivery as far west as Albany Park and all the way east to Montrose Beach.
The new Lincoln Square location compliments the owner’s other location at 1708 W. Lawrence Ave., which opened in 2024.
Irving Park
Taquizas Valdez, 3038 W. Irving Park Road, on March 5, 2026. Credit: Alex V. Hernandez/Block Club Chicago
3038 W. Irving Park Road
Chef Ivan Valdez opened his Mexican restaurant in 2024 as a love letter to the woman who taught him how to cook: his late mother, Rosa Valdez.
But neighbors noticed the restaurant appeared to have closed for good. The restaurant’s food license wasn’t set to expire until 2027, and it’s unclear what led to the closure.
Valdez could not immediately be reached for comment, but announced the closure in a social media post, saying, “With an incredibly heavy heart, we share that Taquizas Valdez is now permanently closed … [A]fter a year of working two jobs, navigating personal challenges, witnessing the toll our city has endured, and facing an economy that has been unforgiving to small businesses, we were forced to make a decision that deeply hurts — but one we know is necessary.”
The menu featured tacos, tortas served on bread baked in-house and starters like taquiza fries and torre de ceviche.
Big League Burger, 3732 W. Irving Park Road, on March 5, 2026. Credit: Alex V. Hernandez/Block Club Chicago
Big League Burger
3732 W. Irving Park Road
The owner of the Cubs-themed burger restaurant announced he’s decided to close the business after five years in a Feb. 21 social media post.
“We may be turning off the lights, but the memories and relationships we created will never fade. This was never just about food — it was about community, love, and the people that were brought into our lives. God blessed this restaurant with family, friendships, and unforgettable memories,” owner Peter Mihopoulos said in the Facebook post.
The restaurant opened in 2021.
It’s unclear why Mihopoulos decided to close the restaurant. He could not immediately be reached for comment.
Despite the closure, Mihopoulos hinted at a new chapter for his restaurant in his farewell post.
“Five years of hard work, love, and unforgettable moments live within these walls. Though this chapter ends, our journey continues,” he said, in the post. “Saying goodbye to this space is incredibly hard, but what we built here was real, lasting, and full of heart. This door may be closing, but our journey is far from over. This isn’t the end Big League Burgers — it’s the start of something new!”
Albany Park
The outside of L.D. Pho, 4722 N. Kedzie Ave., on March 5, 2026.
Credit: Alex V. Hernandez/Block Club Chicago
4722 N. Kedzie Ave.
773-961-8551
Chef-owner Liu Dang opened his Vietnamese restaurant to offer traditional pho alongside rice dishes, French iced coffee and smoothes in 2015.
But Albany Park neighbors noticed the restaurant had recently closed. Stickers from the Illinois Department of Revenue are visible on the restaurant’s windows, saying, “Warning. This business certificate of registration has expired.”
L.D. Pho also doesn’t have any active business licenses with the city, according to a search of records.
Dang could not immediately be reached for comment.
The outside of L.D. Pho, 4722 N. Kedzie Ave., on March 5, 2026. Credit: Alex V. Hernandez/Block Club Chicago
A GoFundMe campaign was created by the owner’s sister Diamond Huynh on Wednesday to help Dang reopen the business. It’s raised $2,330 of its $50,000 goal as of Thursday.
“As many of you know, LD Pho has had to temporarily close its doors. While Liu has worked tirelessly to keep things running, the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic — coupled with rising costs and back-dated SBA loans — have created a mountain that is simply too high to climb alone,” Huynh said in the GoFundMe page.
Messages left with Huynh were not immediately returned.
“Currently, Liu is working hand-in-hand with an accountant to resolve tax and loan obligations and is aiming to have the doors back open in just two to three weeks. However, the financial gap to get that ‘expired’ sign off the door and the kitchen fired back up is significant,” Huynh said in the GoFundMe page.
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