16 hours ago
South Loop's Two-Year Wait for the Southern Ends Today
Their dream began just about two years ago. Chef Xavier Vance and his business partner Troy Vivrett first shared the plan to open Southern Chicago via social media, declaring their restaurant as set to open in summer 2023. Two years later, the sprawling venue finally opened on Tuesday, June 24, at 2000 S. Wabash in the South Loop.
Vance says they've gutted and renovated the 10,000-square-foot building, splicing soul food with an upscale steakhouse, a departure from the ownership's initial vision, which focused on brunch, cocktails, and contemporary Southern cuisine. The journey hasn't been easy for the entrepreneurs, and their vision has expanded over the last two years.'My business partner and I have been winging this project ourselves,' Vance says. 'It is our first restaurant.'
Even without additional investors, Vance says he and Vivrett took over an additional 2,000 square feet of neighboring space: 'We also had to do an entire build-out on our own, and that caused an additional leg of permits that we had to go through,' Vance says. 'So that was a massive delay and altered our original timeline.'
The work and wait, Vance says, will be worth it as after the expansion, Southern Chicago is now equipped to be a fine dining restaurant with an outdoor patio and private space for personal and corporate events. Ownership wants to lure patrons from nearby Wintrust Arena, Soldier Field, and McCormick Place. In a city that's thoroughly familiar with soul food, Vance's concept is to elevate traditional expectations into a more elegant experience.
'The concept of the restaurant is a Southern American steakhouse,' Vance says. 'We really want to emphasize that… sometimes when people are thinking of a restaurant that has the word southern or South, it's just strictly soul food, and that is not the case here.'
Menu items include a wagyu burger, tomahawk steaks, seafood platters, and sides like braised collards and baked macaroni.
Vance's background as a well-established professional caterer with culinary training from the Illinois Institute of Art prepared him to meet this moment. Years of event catering showed him what was missing from Chicago's scene, and what could set Southern Chicago apart.
'We want to give the people a fine dining experience from the moment they enter — from our host to our service, to our pastry chef, and the food quality,' Vance says. 'We want people to feel all the sweat and tears over the years that Troy and I have put into this project, because it was not easy.'
The goal is to eventually offer lunch and brunch, but right now, in their initial opening, the plan is to focus on perfecting their dinner service. They've built a team that gives Vance confidence in what's to come.
With nearby establishments like Oliver's and Apolonia carving out their own high-end niche at the southern end of the South Loop, this could mean new potential for the neighborhood. Southern Chicago will be one of the largest establishments in the area. 'I'm excited to be able to also give the city the versatility in having both a fine dining restaurant and also an event space.' Living in the Gold Coast and River North areas showed Vance and Vivrett a world of possibilities. 'Thinking of like, a Tavern on Rush or Gibsons — you know — myself and my partner lived in those neighborhoods for a number of years, and we enjoyed those dining aspects. And this should be in every part of the city… including the South Loop, because the area deserves it.'
Southern Chicago, 2000 S. Wabash, Chicago, open from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Wednesday; 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, and 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday. See More: Bars
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