-Grubbing in Chicago
Michelin Star Bar Food in the West Loop
Earlier this month I lamented on a lack of interesting openings but I may have spoke too soon. That’s because today we’re checking out All Well - one of the more interesting restaurant openings of 2026, particularly because it comes from the team behind two starred Oriole though it goes in a much more casual direction. All Well opened in April at 111 N. Carpenter, in the old La Sardine space. It's a collabo between Noah Sandoval, the chef/owner of two-Michelin-starred Oriole, and Larry Feldmeier, who spent three years as Oriole's chef de cuisine. The idea is basically Michelin level cooking applied to the neighborhood restaurant / bar format. Actually the setup brings us two restaurants under one roof as there’s also a five course contemporary American tasting menu on offer. The tasting menu is $145 so about half of what it costs to dine at Oriole. But it’s the bar menu that I find most interesting.
Recently Opened in the West Loop
The best description I can give the menu at All Well is it takes the techniques and seriousness of fine dining but applies them to foods you crave. We started with a complimentary bowl of Togarashi cucumbers which was a simple and refreshing bite that immediately lets you know there’s going to be more going on here than meets the eye. First ordered dish out for us was a Hiramasa Crudo plate with cantaloupe, saffron, and finger lime. The yellowtail like fish was fresh and fatty and worked really well sitting in a pool of sweet melon juice with aromatic saffron and sharp almost caviar like bursts of finger lime. Next out was a plate of the squash blossom quesadillas which comes two to an order. Here’s another example of the kitchen taking something familiar and giving it a bit of the fine-dining treatment. The quesadillas were cheesy and pungent with the squash blossoms playing more of a supporting role, as it was the accompanying salsa de calabacita that took these to the next level.
Hiramusa Crudo at All Well
Squash Blossom Quesadillas
The Lake Perch was a must order for me as you don’t see it on many menus in Chicago. I thought this was the clearest example of the kitchens philosophy with perfectly crisp and crunchy filets that remained flaky and buttery, served with a flavorful tartar sauce and caperberries to help cut through the richness. It’s essentially a fish fry elevated without losing any of the reason you wanted fried fish in the first place. Maybe the best lake perch I’ve ever ate. It was so good we ordered seconds. I thought the pasta was the weakest link of the meal but still really good. It looks like it changes regularly with mafaldine mixed with spring allium, tomato, and parmesan being the preparation on our visit. I don’t have any complaints about this dish it just wasn’t as satisfying as the rest of the offerings. But it was just as well prepared with the pasta itself having a nice bite while the sweetness of the spring alliums and acidity of the tomatoes kept the pasta feeling bright and somewhat light.
Fried Lake Perch at All Well
Mafaldine
There are no burgers on the menu but the short rib sandwich is a really pleasant surprise. I'll be honest I've come to associate short rib with wedding food and I think of it as a bit of a dinosaur dish but it's underutilized in sandwich form. Thick and tender chunks of short rib go into a sesame seeded roll slathered with a nice swipe of horseradish aioli. Pickles and tomato provide the acidity to cut through all the richness of the beef. It's messy, meaty and incredibly satisfying. I have no doubts they could make a good burger here but the short rib sandwich is a much better menu item. Burgers are a dime a dozen these days, especially around the West Loop, while a sandwich like this is non existent elsewhere. I’d be surprised if this doesn’t end up being the most popular item on the menu. Overall I thought the food at All Well was exactly what I want when I think of “elevated bar food”. None of it was too serious but it felt like every element of each and every dish was given some serious thought.
Short Rib Sandwich at All Well
All Well
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