Chicago will soon be home to Time Out Market, the food and cultural market bringing the best of the city under one roof: its best chefs, drinks and cultural experiences, based on editorial curation.
Today, Time Out Market Chicago has revealed the first eight top chefs and restaurateurs to join, including some of the city’s most acclaimed names. The inaugural lineup features award winning and celebrated culinary talent, serving an incredibly diverse range of cuisines which Time Out Market Chicago will make affordable and accessible for all.
Set to open in the second half of 2019 and located in a unique stand-alone brick building at 916 W. Fulton Market in the heart of the Fulton Market District, Time Out Market Chicago will offer a curated mix of 18 eateries, three bars and a demo kitchen. But this is not just about food and drinks; there will also be cooking classes with top chefs, cultural experiences and more.
Following in the footsteps of the wildly popular Time Out Market Lisbon—which opened in 2014 and is now Portugal’s most visited attraction with almost four million visitors per year*—Time Out Market Chicago will be spread across 50,000 sq ft and three floors, offering 600 seats. There will also be an event venue, a retail area, a viewing/entertainment platform with bleacher seating and a rooftop.
“Time Out Market is unlike anything else—it is the world’s first food and cultural market based wholly on editorial curation,” said Time Out Market CEO Didier Souillat. “Time Out journalists have been writing about the best of Chicago since 2005 and people have relied on our magazine and website ever since to experience this great city. Now we are bringing this curation to life at Time Out Market. Our local Time Out critics have tested, tasted and reviewed the best of the city and then we have selected and invited the very best to join Time Out Market Chicago. It is all about making fine dining casual, and casual extraordinary—we call it the democratization of fine dining.”
The following first lineup for Time Out Market Chicago has been revealed—spanning everything from fine dining cuisine, Asian, charcuterie, burgers to artisan ice cream and more:
Chef Brian Fisher of Michelin-starred Entente will bring approachable high-end dishes to Time Out Market
Backed by a culinary career that spans top kitchens from New York to San Francisco, Brian Fisher has explored many cuisines and cooking styles. His dream of opening his own restaurant became a reality with Entente, where he acts as chef and partner, alongside Ty Fujimura. After just one year in business, the restaurant earned its first Michelin star in 2017, which it retained in 2018 under Fisher’s leadership. Dedicated to delivering high-end dishes in a casual atmosphere, Entente is a fine dining hot spot that is affordable and approachable. The restaurant’s culinary vision is contemporary and imaginative with masterful, ever-changing dishes driven by seasonal ingredients—the result of the creativity and collaboration of a diverse and talented team. In 2018, Fisher was named a James Beard Award semifinalist in the ‘Best Chef: Great Lakes’ category. At Time Out Market Chicago, visitors will enjoy Fisher’s unexpected and flavor-bending dishes that are unique to his acclaimed restaurant.
Chef Bill Kim will serve unique takes on casual Asian cuisine
Chef Bill Kim’s earliest food memory is standing at his mother’s side in their kitchen in Seoul, grinding sesame seeds with mortar and pestle. Years later in Chicago, with the opening of urbanbelly in 2008, Kim kickstarted the wave of fine dining chefs branching into creative casual fare. His boldly flavored brand of dumplings, booze and bowls, now a decade strong, is on full display at his Wicker Park restaurant and in the pages of his first cookbook, “Korean BBQ: Master Your Grill in Seven Sauces.” This year, Kim and Cornerstone Restaurant Group will open a full-service restaurant in partnership with Crate and Barrel. Kim’s border-blurring cuisine is celebrated nationwide, and Time Out Market Chicago guests will be treated to his “radically delicious and curiously familiar” fare through dishes like Edamame Dumplings, Katsu Udon Noodle Soup and a Spicy Thai Basil Leaf Bowl with Aromatic Jasmine Rice.
Chef Thai Dang will offer vibrant flavors through his masterfully executed modern Vietnamese fare
Chef Thai Dang explores the depths of Vietnamese cooking at his nationally acclaimed Pilsen restaurant, HaiSous, which he owns and operates with his wife Danielle. Born in Vietnam and raised outside of Washington, D.C., Dang grew up celebrating the heirloom recipes his family brought from their homeland. Through bold, authentic flavors and masterful execution, Dang is highlighting what modern Vietnamese cuisine can be. In 2018, HaiSous was a James Beard Award semifinalist in the ‘Best New Restaurant’ category and Chef Dang has recently been nominated as a semifinalist for ‘Best Chef: Great Lakes’. The restaurant was also honored with a Michelin Bib Gourmand Award the past two years. At Time Out Market Chicago, Dang will introduce visitors to the vibrant flavors found at HaiSous through dishes like Hàu Ăn Sống (grilled oysters with scallion confit, roasted peanuts and Nuoc Cham), Cánh Gà Chiên (fried chicken wings with caramelized fish sauce) and Bún Tôm Hoa (thick rice noodles with minced prawns, coconut milk, fried shallots and Vietnamese herbs).
The Purple Pig will come to Time Out Market with shareable, mouth-watering charcuterie boards
Fondly referred to as Chicago’s “cheese, swine and wine emporium,” The Purple Pig is famous for its vast charcuterie and cheese selection. Chef/partner Jimmy Bannos, Jr., a fourth-generation restaurateur, will now share his love for Mediterranean food at Time Out Market Chicago. The noteworthy restaurant has received numerous accolades since opening in 2009, including the Bib Gourmand designation from the Michelin Guide. In 2013, Bannos was nominated for the James Beard Foundation Award for ‘Rising Star Chef’ and won the title in 2014. Bannos and his team have tirelessly perfected the art of charcuterie-making and will bring their expertise to Time Out Market Chicago through mouth-watering specialties, from Mortadella and N’duja to Sopressata. Cheese lovers have something to celebrate, too, with bold and funky Bohemian Blue and a semi-soft Camembert.
Split-Rail will introduce its pristine fried chicken at Time Out Market Chicago
James Beard Award-nominated Chef Zoe Schor spent years perfecting her fried chicken recipe, and her hard work shows. Now she is bringing her perfect poultry—plus sides and sauces—to Time Out Market Chicago. In her early career, Schor worked in acclaimed California kitchens like Craft Restaurant, Beso and Bouchon. She eventually moved to Chicago to help DMK Restaurants open Ada Street in 2012, where she helmed the menu for over three years. In 2017, Schor launched her first solo venture, Split-Rail, which will now have a second home at Time Out Market Chicago serving Crispy Chicken, addictive Buttermilk Biscuits and gooey Green Chili Mac ‘n’ Cheese.
Mini Mott will be at Time Out Market with their signature burger, lauded as one of the best in the country
Back in 2015, Chef Edward Kim was challenged to add a burger to the menu at Mott St, his celebrated Asian-American restaurant in Wicker Park. He happily accepted and ended up creating one of the best patties in the country. Opening a separate spinoff burger hub made total sense, and in 2018, Mini Mott debuted in Logan Square. Chef Kim’s goal has always been both simple and difficult: to make really good food. His restaurants have been honored with awards and accolades from Michelin, Bon Appétit, The New York Times and Food & Wine. At Time Out Market Chicago, diners will be able to try Mini Mott’s signature patty, which is loaded with melty American cheese, hoisin aioli, pickled jalapeños, pickles, miso butter, sautéed onions and a cloud of sweet potato frizzles.
The Art of Pizza will serve fan-favorite creations and award-winning pies
For almost 30 years, The Art of Pizza has been serving award-winning pies from their humble Lakeview shop. Chicagoans flock to the North Side neighborhood for thin, deep dish, and stuffed pizza and are now able to visit the recently opened South Loop location on State Street. Behind the scenes, owner Art Shabez goes the distance when it comes to sourcing excellent ingredients—from Wisconsin cheese to California vine-ripened tomatoes. Time Out Market Chicago will serve these fan-favorite creations, from Art’s Meaty Delight—with sausage, bacon, ground beef, pepperoni and sliced Italian beef—to Art’s Vegetarian, featuring fresh mushrooms, onions, green peppers, tomatoes, broccoli and spinach. Over the years, The Art of Pizza has frequently been ranked as one of the top Chicago pizza establishments and at Time Out Market Chicago, guests will be able to grab a slice or have a pizza cooked to order from this iconic local favorite.
Pretty Cool Ice Cream will bring their much-lauded hand-crafted artisan ice cream to Time Out Market
It wouldn’t be an overstatement to call Dana Salls Cree one of the best pastry chefs in all of Chicago. Before partnering with Michael Ciapciak to open her passion project Pretty Cool Ice Cream in 2018, she worked in some of the world’s finest kitchens, including Spago, Noma, Kadeau and Alinea. Prior to following her ice cream dreams and opening Pretty Cool in Logan Square, Salls Cree helmed the pastry program at Blackbird, where her impeccable work earned her two James Beard nominations for ‘Outstanding Pastry Chef’ as well as the Jean Banchet award for ‘Best Pastry Chef’. Ciapciak founded Bang Bang Pie and Biscuits in 2012 and the neighborhood darling has earned him numerous awards, including a Rising Star award for ‘Best Restaurateur’ in 2018. Pretty Cool Ice Cream is a unique spin on the classic neighborhood scoop shop, centered around hand-crafted artisan ice cream on a stick. Time Out Market Chicago guests will have the chance to try these delightful frozen novelties, with options like Red Cherry Party Pops and Coffee Pretzel Toffee Custard Bars.
Closer to the opening, Time Out Market Chicago will announce the next additions to this curated mix, an exciting beverage program as well as how local culture will be part of the unique experience.
“Chicago’s restaurant scene is thrilling and among the world’s best. We want Time Out Market to be an incredible reflection of the city’s excellent and diverse culinary talent,” added Souillat. “We are very proud to reveal such an impressive first lineup of chefs and restaurateurs who will join us to showcase their outstanding creativity and skills. When Time Out Market Chicago opens this year, it will not just be a place where you go to eat, but where you get a true taste of the city. We serve Chicago on a plate.”
Time Out Market is rooted in the heritage of Time Out—a magazine created at a kitchen table in London in 1968 to inspire and enable people to explore and enjoy the best of the city. Since then, Time Out editors have been writing about the best food, drink and cultural experiences to help people go out better. Today, a global team of local expert journalists is curating the best things to do in 315 cities in 58 countries across websites, magazines, social media and live events. Now this curation is brought to life at Time Out Market.
In 2014, the editorial team behind Time Out Lisbon turned a historic market building in the city into Time Out Market Lisbon, the world’s first food and cultural market based wholly on editorial curation. This hugely successful culinary phenomenon is now expanding globally with new Time Out Markets set to open in Miami, New York, Boston, Chicago and Montreal in 2019; and in London-Waterloo and Prague in 2021.
What connects all markets is a carefully curated mix of top chefs and restaurateurs, and of unique culinary and cultural experiences—all housed in interesting buildings capturing the soul of the city. However, the execution of each Time Out Market is distinctly local to give a true taste of the city it is in: visitors get to explore local culture and affordable fine dining from a variety of eateries and then come together with family and friends to enjoy their meals—on china with flatware—at communal tables in the center of the market.
With its focus on supporting local businesses and suppliers, a close connection with the city and community is at the heart of the Time Out Market philosophy; as with its existing location in Lisbon, it is expected that the market in Chicago will bring further employment across a wide range of skills, broader benefits and attract a food- and culture-loving audience.
* Time Out Market Lisbon attracted 3.6 million visitors in 2017, and 1.9 million in the first half of 2018