Ashok Selvam is the regional editor for Eater Midwest and in charge of coverage in Chicago, Detroit, and the Twin Cities. He’s a native Chicagoan and has been with Eater since 2014.
Four years after opening in Chicago, Kitchen + Kocktails by Kevin Kelley is moving into a larger home. They’ll remain in River North inside a space that neighbors the House of Blues and in the shadow of Marina City. A July opening is likely inside the former Katana.
Kelley says the menu will remain the same. He’s adamant in keeping the same experience at all his restaurants for dinner and weekend brunch. Kitchen + Kockails debuted in 2020 in Dallas. Kelley has since opened locations in Washington, D.C.; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Atlanta. More locations are on their way.
There aren’t many Black-owned restaurants in Downtown Chicago, which makes Kitchen + Kocktails a unique success story. The restaurant’s formula takes an elevated approach to soul food, with dishes like Caribbean jerk lamb chops and Southern fried catfish, and puts diners in a dining room with Instagram-worthy photo opportunities. Kelley says their current space is almost certainly crowded on weekends: “Every year our sales have increased,” he says. That’s quite an accomplishment, knowing the downtowns across the country struggled during the pandemic with fewer office workers and tourists. Chicago wasn’t immune to those challenges.
So an opportunity to double down on their commitment to Chicago presented itself in the former Katana space that also housed Bin 36 wine bar at 339 N. Dearborn. Kelley is particularly excited about an upstairs space, which they’ll call the Assets Lounge, where customers can watch the big games. There will be a new private dining room, and Kelley wants to start welcoming corporate events, too…