17-07-2025
S.K.Y. 2.0 Set to Open This Weekend In Lincoln Park
S.K.Y.'s move to Lincoln Park is complete, and the restaurant will welcome diners starting this weekend for a pair of dates on Saturday, July 19, and Sunday, July 20. Regular hours should be announced next week. The opening dates were announced in an email sent out to customers, with reservations now available.
Stephen Gillanders's contemporary American restaurant with Asian influences takes over the former Intro Chicago space inside the Belden-Stratford at 2300 N. Lincoln Park West. S.K.Y. closed this past March after eight years in Pilsen to focus on the relocation. Gillanders is no stranger to the restaurant's new home — he was a chef in residence and eventually the executive chef at Intro, the Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises spot that served as an incubator for young culinary talents. Gillanders parted ways with LEYE in 2017 and went on to open S.K.Y., which is named after his wife, in Pilsen that same year. Intro ended up shuttering not long after Gillanders's departure.
Via an Instagram post earlier this month, Gillanders writes that he bought the Intro assets from LEYE founder Rich Melman for $1, telling Melman that he wanted to open his own version of Intro, giving young chefs opportunities. It's a new chapter for S.K.Y. Though it received praise from critics for the cooking, there were clashes with the local community during its run in Pilsen. Anti-gentrification activists protested and vandalized the restaurant with graffiti before it even opened in 2017. Then, in 2022, a group of guests alleged that they were racially profiled while dining. The incident involved S.K.Y. sommelier Jelena Prodan, and in the aftermath, the Jean Banchet Awards pulled her nomination for the prestigious honor. The Banchets nominated Prodan once more in 2024, and in January, she won Sommelier of the Year. Gillanders has said that he moved S.K.Y. to Lincoln Park, in part, because it's closer to where the restaurant's core customers live. Prodan and Gillanders also plan on opening a wine bar, called Le Mistral, in Lincoln Park.
Menu details haven't been revealed yet, but fans can probably expect to see some old favorites like lobster dumplings, black truffle croquettes, and fried chicken with habanero butter and creamed corn. The restaurant will be open for dinner and weekend brunch.
S.K.Y., 2300 N. Lincoln Park West, opening on Saturday, July 19, reservations available via OpenTable
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