Two exciting new additions are headed to Time Out Market Chicago next week!
2d Restaurant and Libanais will be open for business inside the Fulton Market food and cultural hub starting August 19. They join a star-studded lineup of the city’s best restaurants and chefs, including Qing Xiang Yuan Mini, Demera, Urbanbelly, Art Smith’s Sporty Bird and more. Diners will be able to try a variety of sweet and savory offerings from the newcomers, from mochi doughnuts and milk tea to crispy falafel and juicy shawarma. Here’s what to expect.
2d Restaurant
Kevin Yu and Vanessa Vu were supposed to go to Paris for their honeymoon in 2020 before the pandemic put those plans on hold. Stuck at home, Vu, who’s an interior designer, was inspired to create a comic-themed world where folks could escape to. Out of that vision came 2d Restaurant, a concept in Lincoln Park that blends unique aesthetics with an assortment of Asian-style dishes and drinks.
The first thing you’ll immediately notice upon entering 2d is the stunning and adorable design. Every inch of the space is covered in black-and-white art that transports guests across the pond.
“Everything was designed and hand drawn by Vanessa and myself,” Yu says. “It looks like you’ve walked into a comic book that you loved growing up.”
You’ll spot all sorts of Parisian attractions along the walls, such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and the Arc de Triomphe, as well as other cutesy touches like a clawfoot tub for photos. But while it’s the setting that draws diners in, it’s the food that keeps them coming back.
“The vision we have for 2d Restaurant is to bring not only joy to our communities, but to showcase the best of Asia, either through art, food or beverage,” Yu says.
2d’s menu at the Market will feature its signature pon de ring doughnuts, a variation on mochi doughnuts—a sweet treat popularized in Japan that’s made its way to Chicago in recent years. Unlike traditional doughnuts, mochi starch is the main ingredient in pon de ring doughnuts, giving them a fluffier and chewier texture. And what sets 2d apart is that it uses organic tofu instead of eggs, meaning they’re vegan-friendly.
Flavors will rotate, but best sellers like the lychee glaze, ube and strawberry doughnuts will be permanent fixtures on the menu. For those who need a jolt, 2d will also serve Vietnamese coffee along with milk teas and freshly-squeezed lemonades.
“Local Chicagoans are learning and embracing the mochi doughnuts, and we can’t wait to keep showcasing more of the flavors of Asia to our customers,” Yu said.
Libanais
The roots of this family-owned eatery can be traced back almost nine decades. That’s when Libanais CMO Elias Khnaser’s grandfather opened Nasr Restaurant in Beirut. Generations and thousands of miles later, the spirit of hospitality lives on at the border of Chicago and Lincolnwood, where diners sit down to authentic Lebanese cuisine and are treated like kin.
Established in 2015, Libanais, which is the French term for Lebanese, is a celebration of Middle Eastern cooking. The menu features beef and chicken shawarma—shaved right off a vertical spit—wraps, falafel, hummus, baba ghanoush, spinach pie, salads and more. If you’re trying to maintain a nice, balanced diet, you’ll be plenty satisfied.
“When you look at Lebanese cuisine in general, the amount of vegan, vegetarian and healthy options that you have there is phenomenal,” Khnaser says.
And while guests may be familiar with some of the staple dishes, there’s a good chance they’ve never had it like this before.
“The restaurant is called Libanais by design because we want to highlight the way that we’re cooking, the spices that we’re using, the way that we’re making the sandwiches and the falafel and the hummus—it all has a Lebanese twist to it,” Khnaser says.
The savory offerings are only half of what makes Libanais special. The restaurant also shares its Lincolnwood space with a large-scale baking operation. When diners step into Libanais, they’re greeted by a tantalizing selection of sweets and pastries. A handful of those items will be available at the Market, including baklava, petit fours and coconut macaroons, so you can end your meal on the perfect note.
Salivating yet? 2d Restaurant and Libanais are ready to serve you all day long at Time Out Market Chicago starting Monday.