WICKER PARK — A Nepalese-Indian restaurant in Wicker Park has closed to in-person dining, but it’s expanding its takeout service and event and catering business while prepping to launch a cafe serving espresso drinks.
Vajra, 2039 W. North Ave., closed its dining room and bar late last month.
The restaurant — known for Indian classics such as tikka masala and biryanis and Nepalese momo dumplings — is no stranger to takeout-only; from the early days of the pandemic until summer 2024, the award-winning restaurant only served orders for pickup and delivery.
But a little more than a year after opening its Wicker Park dining room, Vajra’s owners have decided to pivot after struggling to regularly bring in customers, on top of facing rising labor and other costs, general manager Dipesh Kakshapaty said.
“It was not very sustainable. The dining habits have changed. It’s hard to fill the dining room,” he said, adding that the restaurant faced several recent temporary closures due to mechanical issues.
As Vajra dials back its dine-in and bar program, it’s ramping up other offerings.
That includes launching a Mediterranean menu out of the same kitchen under the name Oma, which will also be takeout-only and available for catering and events.
Kakshapaty said Vajra’s chefs are slowly getting Oma off the ground, but Mediterranean staples will start appearing on the restaurant’s online menu this week before it’s launched as a standalone brand.
“We will do a lot of charcoal kebabs, chicken, lamb, seafood, and then we get to our falafel, hummus, baba ghanoush, saffron rice,” Kakshapaty said. “So that will be our core menu, and then slowly we’ll be expanding on that as we go.”
Vajra is also adding a coffee shop in its bar, which will use its dining room as a cafe space during the morning and afternoon.
The restaurant is partnering with Sparrow Coffee to offer an espresso menu and pastries, with a planned Nov. 17 soft opening. Kakshapaty said Vajra just upgraded its Wi-Fi in the expectation people will take meetings or work remotely in the former dining room.
Vajra chef Min Thapa is also trained as a pastry chef, and the cafe will eventually add his own creations and possibly brunch options, Kakshapaty said.
“We are a neighborhood place, so we just want to make sure that we are sustainable. Take it easy, take it slow, baby steps,” he said.
An Italian steakhouse called Dēliz is taking over the former Etta Bucktown space next month. Credit: Matt Reeves/Provided
Dēliz Taking Over Etta Bucktown
An Italian steakhouse is taking over the space that was formerly Etta Bucktown, which closed last month.
Restaurateur Steve Gogolab and chef Jake Peterson, who previously worked at Etta, will open Dēliz at 1840 W. North Ave. in early December, according to a press release.
The menu will feature premium steak cuts, including wagyu beef from Australia, as well as pastas and seafood. Dishes will include charred octopus, buffalo ricotta gnocchi, shellfish and a 40-ounce Tomahawk steak served with garlic and herb butter.
Dēliz will have a 240-seat dining room on its ground floor and a more casual upstairs bar that will stay open late, according to the press release. Classic cocktails and wines from “Italian and New World producers” will also be on offer.
Hotel Chocolat opened last week at 1617 N. Damen Ave. in Wicker Park. Credit: Quinn Myers/Block Club Chicago
Hotel Chocolat Opens Wicker Location
A UK-based chocolatier and retailer acquired by Mars in 2024 has opened its latest Chicago store and cafe in Wicker Park.
Hotel Chocolat opened last week at 1617 N. Damen Ave. in a formerly vacant storefront that was previously an AT&T store. It’s the latest outpost for the company in the Chicago area, where the brand has been rapidly expanding this year.
Hotel Chocolat cafes feature a range of chocolate flavors and other gifts, plus drinking chocolates, coffee, tea and pastries, according to a press release from earlier this year.
The company plans to open a flagship location on the Mag Mile this year, Crain’s reported Friday.
Bagel Chain Taking Over Former Dimo’s Spot
Chicago’s bagel boom is showing no signs of slowing down.
D.C.-based bagel company Call Your Mother is planning its first deli in Chicago, where it’s taking over the former Dimo’s Wicker Park location at 1615 N. Damen Ave — next door to the new Hotel Chocolat.
Dimo’s this summer moved its longtime Wicker Park pizza joint up Milwaukee Avenue to Logan Square.
Call Your Mother’s menu includes a classic stable of bagel options as well as breakfast sandwiches with eggs, smoked salmon and more. It also sells deli staples like babka and potato latkes, plus a full coffee menu.
The deli is planning a spring opening on Damen Avenue, according to Eater.
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