Introduction to West Town Restaurant News
WEST TOWN — A Spanish sandwich and tapas restaurant that previously called Lincoln Park home has relaunched in West Town, but only for coffee and lunch at the moment. Bocadillo Market, 1117 W. Grand Ave., held a grand opening Friday. Chef James Martin has crafted a menu of bocadillos — Spanish sandwiches — and small plates such as patatas bravas and eggplant croquetas in a space he’s sharing with Gemma Foods.
Bocadillo Market’s New Venture
Martin opened Bocadillo Market in 2021 in Lincoln Park, where it operated until around the beginning of this year. Martin, who lives with his wife and Bocadillo creative director/co-owner Jessica Neal in the West Town area, said sharing the Grand Avenue storefront — which Gemma uses a few days a week to prep pasta — means his restaurant can grow sustainably amid wider industry challenges. “It just allows us to really invest in our brand, invest in myself, my family, and invest in my team, and then, hopefully, this allows us to just keep overhead down and be more successful in this climate where food is more expensive,” Martin said Monday.
Menu and Operations
Many of the products Martin uses in his dishes are imported from Spain. Bocadillo’s coffee is from Owens Famous, a roaster and shop in Lakeview. On top of lunch offerings, Bocadillo Market is launching a dinner series Sept. 5. It will feature single seatings of 26 people with a focus on paella and tapas, Martin said. Reservations will go live soon. “We sit down at once. We do BYOB so you can buy wine from Grand Cru next door. And we just do a whole family chef Spanish supper,” he said. “For our lunch last Sunday, for 21 guests, they all sat down at 1 o’clock and they ate until 4 o’clock.” Bocadillo Market is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday-Sunday. Dinners will take place Friday-Sunday.
Aya Pastry Closing
Aya Pastry, 1332 W. Grand Ave., in West Town. Credit: Quinn Myers/Block Club Chicago
An acclaimed bakery that provided baked goods to coffee shops and retailers across Chicago is closing. Aya Pastry, 1332 W. Grand Ave., will have its final day Sunday, employees at the bakery confirmed this week. The news comes after a series of ownership changes and lawsuits involving Aya Pastry and associated businesses. Aya and Etta in Bucktown filed for bankruptcy last year under previous owner David Pisor. The bakery’s current owner is RDM Hospitality, Eater reported. Aya Pastry was founded by pastry chef Aya Fukai, who worked at Maple & Ash and other restaurants before launching the Grand Avenue bakery. Fukai left the business a few years ago. Aya became known for French-style pastries, cakes and breads, as well as its Samoa Cake, a play on the Girl Scout cookie.
New Restaurant Opening: Atsumeru
“Nordic-Japanese” tasting menu restaurant Atsumeru will open in early September at 933 N. Ashland Ave. in West Town. Credit: Provided
A tasting menu restaurant that will feature three eight-person seatings per night is opening in early September in the former home of another tasting menu restaurant. Atsumeru has taken over the Temporis space at 933 N. Ashland Ave. Temporis closed permanently in 2024 following a fire; the Michelin-starred restaurant opened in 2017. Atsumeru is the brainchild of chef-owner Devin Denzer, who during the pandemic launched a pop-up dinner series called Loon featuring private tasting-menu experiences in people’s homes. At Astumeru, guests can expect a 10- to 12-course meal, with a pre-dinner cocktail and snack in a downstairs lounge, followed by the tasting menu upstairs. Diners return downstairs for dessert. The menu is “seafood-forward,” with fish and shellfish sourced from Scandinavia and Japan, according to a press release. Cocktails include a take on a martini with barley sh
