Just a few months after the debut of Gordon Ramsay Burger in River North, Gordon Ramsay is officially expanding his Chicago restaurant empire—and this time, the celebrity chef is paying homage to one of his most popular TV shows.
Gordon Ramsay Hell's Kitchen, inspired by the reality TV show of the same name, is set to open a few blocks south of Gordon Ramsay Burger at 508 N State Street in River North in early 2023. Located in a space formerly occupied by the Mexican chain restaurant Cantina Laredo, Hell's Kitchen will span 18,000 square feet and two levels, with a vertical, airy design intended to evoke the history of Chicago's skyscrapers. Like most of Ramsay's restaurant ventures in America, Hell's Kitchen first debuted in Las Vegas; the celebrity chef is also planning locations in Miami and Washington D.C. that will open later this year.
"When we thought about where to open additional locations of Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen, Chicago was key for me. River North is one of my favorite neighborhoods, and I'm thrilled to soon have two restaurants there," Ramsay said in a statement.
So what does a restaurant modeled after a famously intense TV show entail, you ask? The experience will be more elevated than the fast-casual fare at Gordon Ramsay Burger, and you can expect some of Ramsay's well-known dishes—like beef Wellington and sticky toffee pudding, which are often used in technical cooking challenges during Hell's Kitchen—to appear on the menu. On the drink list, diners can choose from classic options (think negroni and Old Fashioned cocktails) or themed concoctions like Notes from Gordon, which comes with a personalized message from Ramsay himself. And in a nod to the show—which sees aspiring chefs compete for a position as head chef at a restaurant—a centrally-located open kitchen will showcase the cooking process, an effect meant to make guests feel like they're watching a Hell's Kitchen competition unfold as they eat.
We'll have to wait a year until Hell's Kitchen opens its doors, which gives you plenty of time to get caught up all 20 seasons of Hell's Kitchen if you're hoping to immerse yourself in the ever-expanding Gordon Ramsay universe. And in the meantime, there's always Gordon Ramsay Burger.