Yes, there is Mercat a la Planxa (638 S. Michigan), the restaurants/bars at the Hilton Hotel (720 S. Michigan), Brasserie by LM (800 S. Michigan) and OYSY (888 S. Michigan), but beyond that it doesn't have much to offer. It just feels blah to us. Maybe we're just dreamers.
Restaurants and bars seem to be coming back to Michigan Avenue however. Further up North, The Gage (24 S. Michigan) and Henri (18 S. Michigan) are leading the charge.
Anyway, Eater Chicago had a post last week about a new restaurant called Grant Taproom coming to 320 S. Michigan. While it's just North of the Sloop, slowly but surely more places creep South:
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| Image from Eater Chicago |
The stretch of South Michigan Avenue near the South Loop can be tough to find a meal or a drink, Roger Greenfield believes, and he's out to remedy it. That's one reason why he's opening Grant Taproom near the corner of Van Buren, across the street from Grant Park and diagonally from the Art Institute, this summer. The former owner of 60 Bar Louie locations is adding it to his restaurant stable in a prime yet largely untapped traffic area.
The 8,000 square-foot space will have a main bar and dining room, mezzanine area, open kitchen, and a patio overlooking Grant Park, seating 280 in the indoor and outdoor areas combined. Although he's still looking for a chef, he's jumping on the farm-to-table concept. The full bar will have a liquor and wine program in addition to a midwest-oriented beer list.
Sounds promising to us!