Soo Ahn plans 8,500 sq ft Gold Coast restaurant

Chef-partner Soo Ahn is preparing a new Gold Coast restaurant called ARLA, an 8,500-square-foot project that will combine Mediterranean seafood cooking with Japanese techniques, according to reports published in April and again on June 1. The restaurant is planned for the top floor of 15 East Oak Street in Chicago, in the former Fred’s space at the Barneys New York building. (modernluxury.com) Modern Luxury included ARLA in its June 1 list of Chicago’s most anticipated restaurant openings of 2026. Chicago Food Magazine and other outlets reported the concept is targeting a summer 2026 debut. (luxuryfacts.com) ### Where exactly is Soo Ahn’s new restaurant going? ARLA is slated for 15 East Oak Street, on the top floor of the building that previously housed Fred’s at Barneys New York, according to LuxuryFacts and Chicago Food Magazine. (luxuryfacts.com) The address places the project in the center of the Gold Coast luxury retail corridor near Oak and Rush streets. March 12 filings first pointed to the project when a liquor license application under the name Arla appeared for 15 E. Oak St., Floor 6, What Now Chicago reported. That report said the opening date had not yet been finalized at that stage. (modernluxury.com) ### How big is the project, and what will be inside? The restaurant is planned at 8,500 square feet, with a multilevel layout and two outdoor terraces, according to Modern Luxury and Chicago Food Magazine. LuxuryFacts reported the room count at 230 indoor seats and 60 additional seats on the terraces. The design team is LG Group and its in-house studio Offshoot Creative, Chicago Food Magazine said. (luxuryfacts.com) The published descriptions say the interiors will mix Mediterranean and Japanese references through wood and marble finishes, gold details and patterned fabrics, with views toward Lake Michigan and the surrounding streetscape. (whatnow.com) ### What kind of food is Ahn planning to serve? Soo Ahn is leading the menu as chef-partner, and the concept centers on Mediterranean flavors from the sea shaped through Japanese technique, Modern Luxury said. Chicago Food Magazine described the offering as fresh seafood, vegetarian dishes, live-fired hearth proteins, plus sushi and raw bar selections. (modernluxury.com) LuxuryFacts reported the menu would use a Mediterranean coastal base with Japanese technique running through it. That account also said Ahn’s background includes a Michelin star earned at Band of Bohemia in 2019 and an appearance on Top Chef Season 21. (luxuryfacts.com) ### Who is developing ARLA with Ahn? Hospitality Included is the group behind ARLA, according to Chicago Food Magazine and LuxuryFacts. The group is tied to Adalina Italian in the Gold Coast and Adalina Prime in Fulton Market, both cited in the launch reports. Phil Siudak, Matt Deichl, Miles Muslin and Jonathan Gillespie are listed as partners alongside Ahn. (modernluxury.com) In comments published by Chicago Food Magazine, Siudak said the team’s approach to hospitality had been shaped through Adalina Prime and Adalina Italian and would continue with ARLA “just steps from where our group began.” (luxuryfacts.com) ### When is the opening supposed to happen? Modern Luxury listed ARLA as a summer 2026 opening in its June 1 roundup of anticipated Chicago debuts. Chicago Food Magazine used the same timing in its April 17 report announcing the project and the formal launch of Hospitality Included. (luxuryfacts.com) The next concrete milestone remains the opening date, which the company had not publicly fixed as of the March 12 What Now Chicago report. For now, the named participants are Ahn and the Hospitality Included partners, and the site remains 15 East Oak Street in Chicago’s Gold Coast. (whatnow.com) (modernluxury.com) (chicagofoodmagazine.com)