The Food Halls Craze Takes Chicago

by Natasha Wolff | April 4, 2018 11:00 am

Whether you trace the food hall trend back to recent coastal iterations in New York and L.A., or all the way back to its deep roots in medieval Europe, you can’t deny it’s finally arrived in Chicago[1]. Ignited by the success of Revival Food Hall[2], which houses barbecue mecca Smoque and James Beard–winner Mindy Segal’s Hot Chocolate Bakery, the local food hall scene has already spawned forthcoming copycats like Forum 55[3], which opened last fall with high-profile concepts including a barbecue joint from Food Network star Jeff Mauro and a premium sandwich counter compliments of the Butcher & Larder. Wells St. Market[4] followed with cheeky offerings like Piggy Smalls, an authentic take on Greek street food.

And there’s no sign of these communal destinations slowing down. In fact, the next development will come from an unlikely yet famously reliable source: London-based, taste-making media company Time Out Group, publisher of the Chicago edition of Time Out. Next year, it will unveil a tri-level, 600-seat food hall in Fulton Market featuring a collection of local purveyors curated by the magazine’s editorial staff. With the star-power of big-name chefs and the enthusiastic patronage of locals and tourists alike, it appears the food hall trend has plenty more courses to come.

Main image credit: Jennifer Catherine

Source URL: https://dujour.com/cities/food-halls-chicago-revival-forum-55-wells-st-market/