If you’ve dined out in Chicago in the past 30 years, you’ve probably been at one of Jason Chan’s restaurants, whether you knew it or not. The long-time manager and owner has a pedigreed career, including famous spots like Butter and Juno, and has such an extensive consulting resume that I’ve often run into him at restaurants that I had no clue he was working at — everyone wants his expertise. Now he’s unveiled his latest project, a tiny French spot at 1529 North Wells Street in Old Town that is meant to put all he’s learned into practice.
The restaurant, Gavroche, has been in the works for a long time, but only came to be through a very fortunate coincidence. Potential space after potential space fell through, until literally on the way out of yet another failed meeting, Chan walked past a restaurant space with a “for rent” sign. Given his luck with real estate, perhaps it wasn’t surprising that the landlord already had a tenant, but after discussing Gavroche with Chan, the landlord decided that his spot would be the perfect addition to the neighborhood. That started the process, and shockingly, the entire renovation only took three months. “I called on all of my friends, my relationships, from over 38 years in this business to help me out. It was like a village,” says Chan.
Gavroche is only 1,100 square feet, with room for 24 diners (plus 7 more at a counter). “I feel like the guy in Up,” laughs Chan. “I’m this tiny space surrounded by all of these huge bars.” But the small space and limited number of patrons means that Chan can do the elevated food and, more importantly, high-end, high-touch service that he thinks is key. “I tell my staff every day — our goal is to be remarkable — that way we are remarked about,” says Chan. “Our goal is blowing the minds of every single guest that comes in here, which we can do because we only have 24 seats.”
Chan thinks that, despite the large number of recently opened French spots in Chicago, bistro fare in town has gotten a little stale. “I didn’t want to do what everyone else is doing; open a French restaurant, give people what they want,” explains Chan. “You’ve had the same French onion soup, trout amandine, and steak frites at 17 other restaurants in Chicago, and more are opening, and it’s all the same.” While he hates the word “twist,” that’s one way he describes executive chef Mitchell Acuña’s approach, which elevates bistro dishes into something new.
His steak frites, for example, is a carefully-sourced wagyu flat iron steak, served with beef fat fries and bearnaise. “The steak frites at a restaurant in the neighborhood is a 3-ounce skirt steak from Sysco and it’s $39,” Chan says. “I talked to my chef and said how do we match that price, but do it exponentially better?” Likewise, his roast chicken, a bistro staple, is a Koji dry-aged Poussin Rouge, the same chicken famously served at the French Laundry. Served with chanterelles, baby turnips, and summer truffles, it’s just $26. “The response has been ‘oh my god, I can’t believe you’re only charging this.’”
Chan knows he has to keep the restaurant full to make any money in such a small space, and so far, it’s been packed every night. He also hopes to innovate with extended hours — post-COVID, it can be hard to find late night food, and there are thousands of hungry industry professionals who crave a good bite after a shift. Chan hopes to turn Gavroche into that spot, while also keeping the neighborhood, which appears to be craving a replacement for the beloved French bistros of the past, happy. “Everyone comes in missing Bistro Margot, Bistro Zinc, places like that,” says Chan. “The support I’ve gotten from the neighborhood is incredible.”