LOGAN SQUARE \u2014 Two new Mexican restaurants are now open along the neighborhood\u2019s bustling Milwaukee Avenue, and a slew of restaurants and cafes, including two sushi spots, are set to debut in the coming months in Logan Square and Avondale.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what\u2019s happening in the neighborhood\u2019s restaurant scene this summer:<\/p>\n
The storefront that formerly housed The Old Plank, a Tex-Mex restaurant from local restaurateur Esam Hani that closed earlier this year, has new life as Mucho Gusto Barra + Cocina.
\n2700 N. Milwaukee Ave.
\n(773) 661-2190
\nNoon-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, Noon-2 a.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-Friday, 10-3 a.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday.
\nThe restaurant is decked out in colorful Mexican flowers, lit signs and artwork as a love letter to the Mexican city San Miguel de Allende, serving modern versions of Mexican classics.
\nMenu items include enchiladas made with Oaxaca black mole, cochinita pibil slow-roasted in banana leaves and shrimp saut\u00e9ed in a spicy tomato-garlic sauce. The cocktail program is focused on mezcal and tequila drinks and house infusions, with fresh juices and Latin spirits.
\n\u201cIn Latin culture, when someone thanks you for anything \u2014 your service, your time, your food \u2014 the natural response is \u2018con mucho gusto,’\u201d the owners said in a statement. \u201cThat spirit of generosity sparked the idea behind the name. Everything we do here is truly con mucho gusto \u2014 with flavor, with soul and with love.\u201d
\n\u201cCon mucho gusto\u201d translates to \u201cwith great pleasure.\u201d
\nHani, who owns several other restaurants on the block, is part-owner of Mucho Gusto Barra + Cocina.<\/p>\n
A few blocks south of Mucho Gusto, La Lunita opened June 14 at 2539 N. Milwaukee Ave., the old location of Trike Sushi.
\n2539 N. Milwaukee Ave.
\n(312) 264-4688
\n4-11 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 3 p.m.-12 a.m. Friday and Saturday
\nLa Lunita is the second restaurant by the Sanchez family, who opened La Luna in Pilsen six years ago. The menu highlights local and seasonal ingredients with meat and veggie-friendly classics like tacos, elotes, Oaxacan fondue and seafood options that include octopus, striped bass and tuna plates.
\nThe drink menu has Mexican wines and craft beers, plus mezcal cocktails, all of which can be made non-alcoholic.<\/p>\n
Last month, Allez Cafe opened a Logan Square outpost inside Cara Cara Club, 2545 N. Kedzie Blvd. This is the Bucktown cafe\u2019s second location.
\n2545 N. Kedzie Blvd.
\n7 a.m.-1 p.m. daily
\nThe new cafe has a full espresso menu and other coffee drinks, handmade pastries, breakfast sandwiches and a rotating list of food options.
\nThe owners will be playing vinyl albums 10 a.m.-1 p.m. every Friday in the bar\u2019s high fidelity listening room, they announced on social media.
\nAllez Cafe opened a new location inside Cara Cara Club June 28, 2025 in Logan Square, 2545 N. Kedzie Blvd., seen July 2, 2025.<\/p>\n
Restaurants set to open soon in Logan Square and Avondale:<\/p>\n
A omakase and handroll sushi spot is opening at 3038 W. Armitage Ave. later this month after renovating an empty storefront below an apartment building. It aims to offer quality sushi at an approachable price and a dining experience that combines elegance with accessibility, owners said on social media.
\nAndrew Choi, former owner of Jinsei Motto, is behind the restaurant, which will have a soft opening July 23 and will fully open on July 30, Choi told Block Club.<\/p>\n
The West Loop restaurant closed earlier this year after four years operating out of CH Distillery Bar and\u00a0Table. Its partnership was abruptly terminated in January, said new owner and chef Patrick Bouaphanh.
\n\u201cWe agreed on keeping the agreement going until the end of 2025, with the intention of either continuing the partnership into the future, or spreading our wings, and going on our own,\u201d Bouaphanh told Block Club. \u201cDon\u2019t get\u00a0me wrong, everything we\u2019ve accomplished in CH Distillery was a dream come true.\u201d
\nHe had hoped to stay in West Loop but no location stood out to him, he said. He recently moved the business into the Logan Square building that housed Testaccio, 2456 N. California Ave., adding neon sushi signs that have been getting neighbors\u2019 attention.
\nJinsei Motto is planning a fall opening.<\/p>\n
The team behind Noodlebird, 2957 W. Diversey Ave. \u2014 previously Fat Rice \u2014 is opening a bakery and cafe called Birdys next door at 2951 W. Diversey Ave., in the former home of Fat Rice\u2019s bakery.
\nThe owners are planning a summer opening, according to an announcement in the restaurant\u2019s May newsletter.<\/p>\n
In Avondale, Lark Pizza is prepping for a July opening inside coworking space Guild Row, 3130 N. Rockwell St. The new venture from Meadowlark Hospitality and owner Steve Lewis will specialize in neo-Neapolitan-style pies topped with seasonal ingredients and Italian classics, the team said in an Instagram post.
\nMeadowlark Hospitality also runs Lardon and Union in Logan Square; Lark Pizza will feature Lardon\u2019s house-cured salami, according to the post.
\nThe cocktail program by beverage director Abe Vucekovich will \u201creflect the same playful<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Introduction to Logan Square’s Dining Scene LOGAN SQUARE \u2014 Two new Mexican restaurants are now open along the neighborhood\u2019s bustling Milwaukee Avenue, and a slew of restaurants and cafes, including two sushi spots, are set to debut in the coming months in Logan Square and Avondale. New Restaurants in Logan Square Here\u2019s what\u2019s happening in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24287,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-24285","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dining"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bcc-newspack.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2025\/07\/mucho-gusto--scaled.jpg?w=1920&resize=1920,1440&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24285"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24285"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24285\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24288,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24285\/revisions\/24288"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}