Yardbird Table & Bar, the Southern food eatery with a handful of locations across the United States, is making its way to Chicago at 530 N. Wabash.
Minimal information is available regarding the new Yardbird Table & Bar, despite efforts to reach representatives from the company. The only hint of this expansion comes from the restaurant’s Instagram, which notes that new locations are coming to Chicago and Denver sometime in 2022. The exact opening date of this new restaurant is unknown, but a recent building permit suggests it will move into the former home of PF Changs on the ground floor of the Hilton Garden Inn.
This will be the seventh location for Yardbird Table & Bar, with locations currently in Miami, Las Vegas, Dallas, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, and Singapore. The company was founded in 2011 under Top Chef finalist Chef Jeff McInnis. He wanted to start a Southern-style restaurant that resembled the food he ate growing up in the Florida Panhandle. McInnis, along with Miami restaurateurs John Kunkel and Chris Romero, opened the first location in South Beach in 2011, before departing in 2013. Since, the trio of founders has enlisted top-ranking chefs, such as Chef Kimberly-Ann Ryan from Hell’s Kitchen, to run their other locations.
When the Chicago location finally opens, guests can expect an array of Southern comfort food, specifically fried chicken. The fried chicken recipe, created by Kunkel’s grandmother, calls for a 27-hour brine followed by a mix of secret herbs and spices. If that wasn’t enough to convince you to try the restaurant, the biscuits are made fresh every 30 minutes, and the bacon is made in-house. The restaurant has 30 different items on the menu, but they also offer a delicious brunch and dessert menu, along with dozens of bourbons and bourbon cocktails.
