Chicago openings + Asti Week

Chicago’s April dining calendar just split into two lanes at once: a wave of seven new openings is landing now, and a citywide Asti wine event is already on the books for April 20 through April 26. Eater Chicago published its latest opening report on April 8, and Asti Week announced 16 participating restaurants in Chicago one day earlier. (chicago.eater.com, wineindustryadvisor.com) The flashiest new room is Kitty’s Cosmopolitan Club at 51 West Hubbard Street in River North, which opened on March 27 in the lower level of the building that also houses Gus’ Sip & Dip. Eater says eight cocktails are prepared and held in a minus 16 degree Fahrenheit walk-in freezer station, with seafood and dim sum from chef Thai Dang on the food side. (chicago.eater.com, kittyscosmopolitanclub.com) A different kind of opening is Schneider Deli in Lincoln Park, which opened on April 1 at 1733 North Halsted Street next to Boka in the former Pizza Capri space. The deli menu includes sandwiches, soups, salads, and a deli hot dog, and the owners say the project grew out of Schneider Provisions and a push to build an old-school Jewish deli in Chicago. (chicago.eater.com, schneiderdeli.com, cbsnews.com) Pizza Lobo is using April to get bigger in the West Loop, where its third location opened on April 8 at 165 North Morgan Street. Eater describes a two-level space with seating for nearly 400 people and a walk-up slice window, which turns a neighborhood pizza shop into something closer to a casual all-day hangout. (chicago.eater.com, toasttab.com) The biggest expansion play may be PopUp Bagels, which opens its first Chicago store on April 17 at 2321 North Lincoln Avenue. Eater reports that the Connecticut chain calls this its Midwest debut and says 25 locations are planned across the city and suburbs, starting with a Chicago-only giardiniera schmear made with Portillo’s. (chicago.eater.com, popupbagels.com, timeout.com) Not every opening on the list is built around alcohol or bread. Eater also highlights Pop/Culture Chicago in Lincoln Park, a 1,200-square-foot soda shop that opened on April 4 with more than 60 craft and hard-to-find sodas, plus teas and collectibles, as a direct play for customers who want a drinks outing without liquor. (chicago.eater.com) Then the calendar flips from openings to pairings. Asti Week runs from April 20 to April 26, and the organizer says 16 Chicago restaurants will offer special pairings, curated menus, or by-the-glass pours built around Moscato d’Asti and Asti Spumante from Asti Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita, the top protected designation for that Italian wine region. (wineindustryadvisor.com) The Chicago edition is the second United States stop for Asti Week after last year’s New York launch, and the pitch is aimed at diners who want lighter pours with food. Wine Industry Advisor says Moscato d’Asti is about 5 percent alcohol and Asti Spumante is about 7 percent alcohol, which helps explain why the event is leaning into seafood, spicy dishes, desserts, and fusion menus instead of a single old-school Italian template. (wineindustryadvisor.com) The restaurant list gives the event real shape: North Pond, Robert’s Pizza, Piccolo Sogno, Volare, Uvae Chicago, Sakana, Indian Garden, and The Dining Room at Kendall College are all in the lineup, along with eight more spots across the city. Put together, the April story in Chicago is simple: one week is for scouting what just opened, and the next is for booking a seat where the glass is part of the menu. (wineindustryadvisor.com, chicago.eater.com)