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After years away from the day-to-day of restaurant life, two alumni of Bellemore are returning to Chicago’s dining scene with a project they’ve long imagined: Black Briar, a West Loop spot that opens Saturday, September 26. The restaurant represents both personal closure for its founders and a fresh entry in a neighborhood packed with new openings.
A project decades in the making
Jimmy Papadopoulos first sketched a plan for his own restaurant in 2009 while working as a sous chef outside the city. Over more than a decade in Chicago kitchens — including a celebrated stint at Bohemian House and later as executive chef at Bellemore — the idea evolved in his head. When Bellemore closed during the pandemic, Papadopoulos briefly stepped away from restaurants. Black Briar is the return.
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He recruited Tim Anderson, a former food-and-beverage director who also thought he’d left restaurants for good. The two signed a letter of intent in November 2024 and had the lease in place by January. Together they shaped a menu and bar program designed to reflect their combined experience.
Food that feels familiar but has a twist
The menu is intentionally straightforward—divided into sections such as Raw & Chilled, Starters & Snacks, Salads & Vegetables, Pastas & Grains, Meat & Fish, and Dessert—yet many dishes reveal layered technique and unexpected ingredients on closer inspection. Portions and descriptions are accessible; the surprises live in preparations and condiments.
Standouts include preparations that mix classical technique with bold flavor additions and careful sourcing. Bread figures prominently: a house sourdough built from a long-lived starter plays into several dishes, and the pastry program supports both savory and sweet plates.
- Snail toast — braised Burgundy snails on grilled sourdough with a rich jus amplified by umami elements such as shio kombu and truffle paste.
- Hamachi crudo — fish butchered in-house, served in a chilled green-apple and celery broth with toasted buckwheat for crunch.
- Sourdough cavatelli — a homey take on cacio e pepe using the restaurant’s signature starter and a whipped pecorino-olive oil mousse.
- Pork short rib — an exclusive cut prepared with brine, smoke, sous-vide and a final char over coals, finished with an apple-cider glaze.
Seasonal vegetables from local farms appear alongside richer cuts; a Caesar-style vinaigrette studded with warm guanciale and anchovies, for example, is used to lift bean and ricotta preparations. There’s also a short children’s menu—an obvious choice for Papadopoulos, who is a father of four.
Technique and heat
The kitchen centers a Josper grill and a large prep basement; proteins are often finished over coals to add smoke and texture. Doughs and starters are maintained in-house, and some pantry items—like roasted pineapple juice used to infuse butter—derive from the restaurant’s own char and smoke program.
Bar program and wine
Tim Anderson leads beverages with the kitchen as a guiding influence: the raw bar and the hot line sit adjacent to a 20-seat U-shaped bar so cocktails and plates can converse. The cocktail list often favors American spirits, and a highlight riffs on an Old Fashioned using barrel bourbon and tea-infused demerara. Another served drink integrates charcoal and rendered fat from the grill to produce a savory, martini-style pour.
The wine list comprises roughly 80 selections split between domestic producers and Old World names. Anderson said the team prefers to keep bottles moving rather than letting them gather dust—about 15 options will be offered by the glass, with rotating early-service pours.
Design, atmosphere, and the bar as centerpiece
Studio K Creative’s Karen Herold translated the owners’ tastes into a 110-seat room that foregrounds the bar. Leather stools ring the U-shaped counter, while the dining room mixes tavern-style tables, large booths, and a lounge-like area with high tops. Shelving displays jarred preserves that will be used in future menus, and repurposed elements—an antique butcher block repurposed as a host stand, brass chandeliers—help shape a lived-in, multigenerational vibe.
Personal touches nod to Papadopoulos’s life outside the kitchen: music-themed art and artifacts from the founders’ adventures are visible throughout the space. The overall aim, Anderson says, is an approachable place that still aspires to longevity in Chicago’s restaurant scene.
Back of house: ergonomics and retention
Papadopoulos redesigned counters a few inches higher than typical to reduce hunching and fatigue on the line—a small change intended to improve food quality and create a workplace attractive to younger cooks. The pair describe the restaurant as the result of “decades of experience” distilled into a single room.
They also point to relationships forged at Bellemore—Herold’s long friendship with Papadopoulos and the partnership between the two owners—as central to the project’s identity.
Why this matters now: Black Briar is a sign of chefs and managers who left the industry during the pandemic returning with renewed focus on durability, staff-friendly operations, and menus that balance familiarity with creative technique. Its opening enriches the West Loop’s dining landscape at a moment when diners are seeking thoughtful, chef-driven neighborhood spots.
- Address: 201 N Morgan Street, West Loop, Chicago
- Opening: Saturday, September 26
- Hours: 4 p.m.–10 p.m. daily
- Reservations: Available on OpenTable
Black Briar positions itself as both a neighborhood bar and a restaurant with technical ambition—part family-friendly table, part chefs’ counter—aiming to be a long-term fixture rather than a fleeting trend. For diners tracking new Chicago openings, it’s an example of how established hospitality professionals are recalibrating the city’s restaurant formula for the post-pandemic era.
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