On a Friday evening in late September, Nina Nugent greeted guests at the door of Goosefoot with a line that sums up this year in Lincoln Square dining. "You are in our home because we live upstairs," she told them, as Block Club Chicago reported. It's literally true. She and her husband, chef Chris Nugent, bought the building at 4520 N. Lincoln Ave. so they could live above the restaurant.
That story repeats across the neighborhood this year. Most of 2026's food news around Lincoln Square and Ravenswood involves places people already know. One restaurant bought its building, another moved here, a bakery is taking over the storefront next door, and a bar reopened after a fire. The brand-new concepts are the ones still marked "coming soon." Below is where each one stands as of early October 2026.
Goosefoot bought its building and moved onto Lincoln Avenue
Goosefoot closed its original spot at 2656 W. Lawrence Ave. in 2024 after 12 years. The Nugents have lived in Lincoln Square for 25 years. They wanted a storefront with an apartment upstairs, and Chris Nugent found the former Italian restaurant at 4520 N. Lincoln during a late-night scroll through commercial listings. "We always wanted to be on Lincoln Avenue," he told Block Club. They bought the building in the winter of 2024 and brought as much of the original dining room with them as they could.
The restaurant opened quietly in March. The Nugents held off on promoting it while they fine-tuned the service and got used to the space, which includes an outdoor patio. The formal grand opening is set for October 10.
Some things have changed since Lawrence Avenue:
- Drinks: The old location was BYOB. The new one has wines from around the world and a selection of craft beers.
- Menus: The seasonal chef's menu is $225, with an optional $140 wine pairing. There's also a four-course tasting menu for $135.
- Current courses: Foie gras truffle mousse with lingonberry gastrique, roasted duck breast with kabocha squash and burgundy truffle, Angus beef with parsnip aigre-doux, and chocolates made in-house.
- Who's coming in: Nina Nugent said the old location was more of a destination. At the new spot, many customers live within walking distance.
That last point is the clearest sign of how Goosefoot has changed. The same chef and the same tasting-menu format now sit on Lincoln Avenue, and more of the people at the tables are neighbors. Diners still travel for it, too. Block Club spoke with a couple who drove in from Michigan for their anniversary.
The Getaway reopened a few doors down
The Getaway is two addresses north, at 4530 N. Lincoln. The neighborhood bar closed in the first week of July after a gas stove caught fire in the building. It reopened on Thursday, August 27. "We're looking forward to welcoming you back to The Getaway and rejoining the Lincoln Square community," the bar wrote in its announcement.
That means the 4500 block of Lincoln Avenue starts the fall with a neighborhood bar back in business and a French-American tasting room holding its grand opening, a few doors apart.
Zimi's moved from Rogers Park
Farther up the avenue, Zimi's Restaurant is now at 5077 N. Lincoln Ave. The Infatuation's August 10 review says the Balkan pizza spot spent a few years in Rogers Park before moving here. Along the way it changed its name from "Zimi's Pizza And Grill" to "Zimi's Restaurant." The menu still has the pizzas, plus qebapa, pleskavica and burek.
Zimi's is a lot like Goosefoot here. It's an established restaurant with regulars that chose a Lincoln Square storefront for its next location. The review doesn't give an exact opening day. It confirms Zimi's was open on Lincoln by early August.
Del Sur is expanding next door
Del Sur Bakery opened at 4639 N. Damen Ave. in Ravenswood in 2025. It won an Eater award, and Block Club's May headline said the expansion was meant to ease its long lines. Owner Justin Tiu Lerias had been eyeing the space next door since the bakery opened. Del Sur closed temporarily on Sunday, June 14, so construction could start.
Eater Chicago's September 11 preview lists these plans for the bigger space:
- A seating area designed to feel like a living room.
- An expanded coffee menu with pour-overs made from locally roasted beans, served in ceramic mugs Tiu Lerias makes by hand.
- A separate lamination room, which means more pastries.
- Possible new menu items, including granola-fruit parfaits and seasonal salads.
- Possibly one more day open each week.
Timing is the part to watch. In May, the owner hoped to reopen sometime in July or by the end of summer. By September, Eater listed the ETA as fall. As of October 4, Del Sur's homepage says "Reopening Autumn 2026" and gives no date.
The new concepts are still on the way
All four places above had a following before 2026. The status of the year's genuinely new projects is less certain.
| Spot | Address | What's been announced | Status as of Oct. 4, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| EtChi | 4701 N. Lincoln Ave. | Turkish fusion with slow-roasted meats from a stone-domed oven, targeted for summer | Website says "Coming soon," no date |
| Del Sur Bakery | 4639 N. Damen Ave. | Expanded bakery and cafe | "Reopening Autumn 2026," no date |
| Former Atelier space | 4544 N. Western Ave. | Future of the leased storefront called "up in the air" in May | Unconfirmed |
| Hindsight Tavern | 2020 W. Irving Park Rd., North Center | Games bar with no TVs | Website says "Opening Soon" |
EtChi comes from the owner of Oromo Cafe. It's moving into the former Market Square space, which closed in November 2025. Block Club's March report said it could open "as soon as this summer." Summer has passed, and the restaurant's own site still says it's coming soon.
Atelier served its last dinner at 4544 N. Western on May 15. The Michelin-starred restaurant offered a rotating 12- to 14-course menu built around Midwestern ingredients. Block Club reported at the time that the future of the leased storefront was up in the air. What comes next for the space is still unconfirmed.
Hindsight Tavern is just over the line in North Center. In August, Block Club reported it was working through inspections and liquor licensing, with no firm opening date.
What 2026 added up to
In mid-May, the area lost its Michelin-starred tasting menu when Atelier closed on Western. Before that, in March, Goosefoot had already reopened on Lincoln, a short walk from the Square, and its formal grand opening comes in October. Atelier's chair at the fine-dining table in Lincoln Square has effectively been filled by a restaurant whose owners live upstairs.
The rest of the year follows the same pattern. The Getaway came back to its block. Zimi's brought a Rogers Park following to the north end of Lincoln Avenue. Del Sur's growth is a bigger version of the bakery Ravenswood already lined up for, adding more seats, more coffee and more pastries. The new arrivals, EtChi on Lincoln and a future tenant for the Atelier space, are what will show whether the neighborhood draws first-time concepts as well as returning ones. For now, both are still unsettled.
If you're curious how Lincoln Avenue's storefronts and the blocks around them are changing, or what that means for a home you own nearby, I'm always happy to talk it through. Dave Gould has lived in and worked across Chicago's North Side neighborhoods for decades, and I'm glad to share what I'm seeing. Let's Connect.
