Gibsons Restaurant Group is set to open its newest concept, Gibsons Tavern, on November 17 in Chicago's Fulton Market district, bringing together a casual all-day bar and a more polished dining room under a single roof. The restaurant's website lists its address as 925 West Fulton Market, standing at the corner of West Fulton Market and Sangamon. It is the latest expansion for a company that got its start with the original Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse on Rush Street back in 1989.
The project traces back to an announcement first made in 2023, according to Block Club Chicago, which reported the restaurant is planned inside an 11-story office building at 925 W. Fulton St. That timeline has shifted: a 2023 Block Club report had said the restaurant, then described as a 15,000-square-foot space inside a building at 919 W. Fulton St., was expected to open by the end of 2024. Address details have varied across outlets since then — Eater Chicago lists the restaurant's address as 834 W Fulton Market Street, Suite 200, and described the planned space as 14,000 square feet, while Gibsons' own site cites 925 West Fulton Market, so prospective diners should check the restaurant's website for the current listing closer to opening.
Candace Jordan, associate publisher at Chicago Star Media, reported that Gibsons Tavern received a press preview earlier in the week, offering an early look at the space ahead of its public debut, according to Chicago Star Media. The venue features cathedral-vaulted ceilings and turn-of-the-century-inspired details, giving it a historic feel despite being a brand-new build in one of the city's busiest dining corridors.
Two Menus, Two Moods
Gibsons Tavern offers two distinct dining experiences under one roof, each with its own menu, according to the restaurant's own website. The Tavern Bar serves an all-day menu built around elevated comfort food, tavern favorites, Gibsons' signature steaks, fresh fish and desserts. Per Chicago Star Media, the Tavern Bar draws inspiration from sibling concepts including Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse, Hugo's Frog Bar, LUXBAR and Quartino.
The Dining Room, by contrast, offers a sophisticated fine-dining menu available Tuesday through Saturday, per the restaurant's site, with caviar service, tableside Caesar salad, chops, Prime steaks and seafood. Gibsons Restaurant Group partner John Colletti said the main dining room is more upscale than the bar area, Chicago Star Media reported, and said the group brought in Chicago chef Rick Tramonto to help develop the Dining Room's menu alongside that distinction.
Tableside Classics and a New Executive Chef
Diners can expect tableside preparations including Steak Diane, Bananas Foster and Cherries Jubilee, along with dishes like foie gras with French toast, chicken pot pie and tableside salads, according to Chicago Star Media's reporting on the menu. Gibsons Tavern executive chef Kyle Kazniak said the menu should feel familiar while still giving the restaurant its own personality. Kazniak has singled out a dish of steak tips with filet medallions, Asian mushrooms and a teriyaki marinade as a personal favorite, per the same report.
A news release described the broader menu as spanning classic comfort dishes and Gibsons' signature steaks to fresh seafood and unforgettable desserts, according to Block Club Chicago. The bar program leans into the building's era-inspired design with a nod to Prohibition, featuring reimagined “timeless cocktails,” the outlet reported.
Space for Private Events
Beyond the two main dining rooms, Gibsons Tavern has private dining capacity ranging from intimate dinners for 10 guests to events for up to 150 guests, according to Chicago Star Media. The restaurant joins a growing roster of concepts under Gibsons Restaurant Group, which also includes Gibsons Italia, Hugo's Frog Bar & Fish House, LUXBAR and Quartino Ristorante & Wine Bar, per Block Club Chicago.
The opening fits into a broader pattern in Chicago's dining scene — Eater Chicago has noted that taverns are continuing to proliferate across the city, part of a wider wave of new restaurant openings expected this fall. For Fulton Market, long known for warehouse-turned-restaurant conversions and industrial-chic design, Gibsons Tavern adds another large-scale, multi-concept destination to a neighborhood that keeps drawing high-profile hospitality investment.
