Which of Bucktown's upcoming openings can you actually plan a night around? Of the three that have drawn the most attention, only one has a date on the door. Each is going into a space the neighborhood already lost: a wine shop on Milwaukee Avenue, a bar on Armitage Avenue and a hot dog cafe on Damen Avenue. Their timelines run from next week to next spring, and each target means something different.
Milwaukee Avenue Slipped Eight Weeks, and Now It Has a Date
Red & White, the wine shop at 1861 N. Milwaukee Ave., closed in fall 2025. In April, Block Club Chicago reported that Arin Butzon and Joy Johns were turning the storefront into Friends & Neighbors, a women-owned wine bar, and hoped to open by Labor Day. Both owners live a few blocks away.
Labor Day came and went. The Friends & Neighbors website now reads "Opening October 28th!" That's next Wednesday, about eight weeks after the first target. The posted hours fit the date. The bar is closed Monday and Tuesday and opens Wednesday and Thursday from 3 to 10 p.m., Friday from 3 to 11 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 11 p.m.
Expect a different room from the one you remember. The owners told Block Club they are giving part of Red & White's bottle shop to a large community table. Some wine will still be sold to go. "There's not really a place that represents me, as a mid-30s mom in Bucktown, and everyday wine drinker," Johns told Block Club.
An eight-week slip on a small renovation is about as ordinary as delays get. Of the three projects, this is the only one with a specific day, a posted schedule and a short delay behind it. It's the one to put on the calendar, and keep checking the site for changes.
Armitage Avenue Has a Season, Not a Day
At 2044 W. Armitage Ave., the building that held the bar Jack and Ginger's has been under construction for months. Block Club reported on September 17 that it will become Trattoria Lo So. That's the second restaurant from chef Sarah Grueneberg and partners Jaime Canete and Rob Mosher, the team behind Monteverde Restaurant and Pastificio in the West Loop.
The plans are big for a Bucktown side street: a 120-seat restaurant with a 17-seat bar. Monteverde's executive chef, Bailey Sullivan, will run the menu and culinary direction. She was a 2026 James Beard Award finalist in the Emerging Chef category. Meats, fish and vegetables will cook on a robata-style grill. Dried pasta will come from Italy's Mancini Pastificio Agricolo, and a custom "batteria" of barrels will age balsamic vinegar, as Monteverde does.
The target is "early 2027." The team announced a season, not a day, and the menu is still being worked out. Treat it as a winter project. The new restaurant will sit within a few blocks of Class Act, Pompette, Mirra and Le Bouchon, which puts more of the neighborhood's sit-down dining close to Armitage.
Damen Avenue Runs on the Owner's Clock
The longest wait in Bucktown is at 2501 N. Damen Ave. Vienna Beef moved production to Bridgeport in 2015 and closed its cafe and factory store there in 2020. A plan to turn the site into a Drive Shack driving range fell apart during the pandemic. In 2023, the company announced Vienna Beef Plaza, with corporate offices, a factory store, a restaurant and retail tenants. Binny's opened on the east side of the plaza in 2024.
The restaurant and factory store were first slated for spring 2024. In August, Vienna Beef vice president Tom McGlade told Block Club the new target is spring 2027. Part of the reason for the delays is the company's push to grow its pickle business. Electrical and HVAC work is done, and framing has started. McGlade explained the pace this way:
"But we do it with no great rush, because we own the building. It's more of a service to our neighborhood than it is a profit-maker, intentionally."
That quote explains the timeline. The company owns the building and isn't rushing, so the date has slipped three years from the first target. Visible construction progress is a better guide than the season on the calendar. Spring 2027 is still a target.
| Corner | What it was | What's coming | First target | Current target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1861 N. Milwaukee Ave. | Red & White wine shop | Friends & Neighbors wine bar | Labor Day 2026 | October 28 |
| 2044 W. Armitage Ave. | Jack and Ginger's bar | Trattoria Lo So | Early 2027 | Early 2027 |
| 2501 N. Damen Ave. | Vienna Beef cafe and factory store | Vienna Beef restaurant and factory store | Spring 2024 | Spring 2027 |
Western Avenue Filled In Without the Wait
While those three corners were under construction, Western Avenue added three new places with little advance notice. Block Club reported in July that Bucktown Pizza opened in early July at 1912 N. Western Ave. Jomon Sushi and Izakaya opened at 1858 N. Western Ave. a week before that July 23 story.
Further north, Chez Poulet opened August 25 at 2234 N. Western Ave. Eater Chicago described it as mostly carryout rotisserie chicken and wine, with a patio. The Infatuation's review praised the chicken and named chimichurri its favorite sauce. Chez Poulet and Friends & Neighbors could make a good wine-and-dinner pairing once the bar opens.
One more opening is on Damen, a few blocks south of the Vienna Beef site. Cafe Gimme opened in late July at 2115 N. Damen Ave. Block Club reported that it serves coffee, smoothies and breakfast and lunch all day, with wine and cocktails later in the day.
All four are serving now, while the three corners above are still working toward their dates.
The Calendar Between Now and the First Pour
The Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce has its own events before and after the Friends & Neighbors opening:
- Sunday, October 25. The final Meet Me On Milwaukee of 2026 closes Milwaukee Avenue from North and Damen to Ashland, starting at 10 a.m. Expect a fall harvest theme, pumpkin decorating, trick-or-treating, sidewalk sales and a food drive. The chamber's listing gives two different end times, so check before heading out late.
- Wednesday, October 28. Friends & Neighbors is scheduled to open at 1861 N. Milwaukee Ave.
- Saturday, October 31, 3 to 6 p.m. WPB Trick-or-Treat covers participating business corridors, with a digital map showing where to go.
- Friday, November 6, 6 to 8 p.m. WPB First Fridays is a free, self-guided art walk through Wicker Park and Bucktown.
- Saturday, December 5, noon to 6 p.m. WPB Winter Wonderland & Tree Lighting brings free photos with Santa, fireside s'mores, holiday rickshaws, a gnome hunt and the Wicker Park Holiday Tree Lighting. New this year is free ice skating.
After December 5, the next big date belongs to Trattoria Lo So on Armitage, sometime in early 2027. Vienna Beef on Damen comes after that, on a schedule the company has said it isn't rushing.
A new opening can change what buyers will pay to live near a corner. If you own near Milwaukee, Armitage or Damen and want to know what these openings could mean for your home's value, Millie Rosenbloom can walk you through the numbers. Get a Free Home Valuation.
