Galit’s owners plan to open a new restaurant next door to the acclaimed Middle Eastern restaurant in Lincoln Park, located at 2431 N Lincoln Ave.
Co-owners Zachary Engel and Andrés Clavero have yet to decide on a concept and have ruled out another tasting menu restaurant, according to Crain’s Chicago Business. Instead, they are planning something that will allow more flexibility in the menu while also providing their 42-person staff with more opportunities. Like Galit, Engel will serve as the restaurant’s executive chef, while Clavero will be the general manager. The new restaurant hopes to debut between the Michelin-starred restaurant and Victory Gardens Theater early next year.
“We’re looking at what are the other things we can offer to the neighborhood that Galit cannot,” Engel tells Crains. “What does the neighborhood need, and what is it that our team wants to put into place at the new location?”
The two opened Galit in 2019 before eventually pivoting to a tasting menu during the pandemic. This concept allowed the restaurant to control costs while adapting to COVID restrictions. Galit, which is celebrating its fourth anniversary this month, earned its Michelin star last year, joining three other newcomers. While Engel and Clavero bought the neighboring two-story building late last year for $765,000, they are still renting out the space for Galit.
“(We) needed to somehow keep the lights on, pay the rent and pay our staff, and we couldn’t do that with someone coming in and just getting hummus and a glass of wine,” Engel said. “That was very much part of our business model when we opened.”
