Inside Berenjak’s Game-Changing Third U.S. Spot: Why This London Gem Is About To Revolutionize Your Healthy Eating Habits
Ever wonder how a restaurant can nail that perfect balance between booming expansion and keeping its original soul intact? Step into Berenjak’s brand-new Chicago spot, and you’ll see exactly how it’s done. It’s their twelfth location, yet somehow it feels as cozy and authentic as the tiny Soho starter that kicked off this fiery culinary journey less than a decade ago. Nestled in the bustling Fulton Market District, this place is dialed in—every detail snapped into place so tight, you’d swear you were crossing the pond back to that original kebab haven. But don’t expect a carbon copy; it’s a serious operation with the heart and hustle of a champ, delivering flavors and vibes that stick with you long after you’ve left the table. Hungry yet? Lets dig deeper. LEARN MORE
3 min readIt only takes a few moments—say between 30 seconds and a minute after passing the host’s stand—inside Berenjak’s new Chicago outpost to realize the space is dialed in to the highest degree. This is Berenjak’s 12th location, its ninth public one (Brooklyn and the Cotswolds are exclusive to Soho House members), its fourth in partnership with Soho House, and the third stateside. It sits just above the house’s ground-floor bar in the city’s hot Fulton Market District. And everything about it makes it feel like the most true-to-the-original edition we’ve gotten this side of the pond.
The location is part of a meteoric rise that started only eight years ago with a cramped (founder Kian Samyani does not mince words about the original location’s footprint) spot in Soho. Berenjak Chicago runs with the efficiency of restaurant number 12, but it has a lot of the heart that the original location has.
Though well sized, the new Berenjak Chicago location feels as intimate as the original Soho one.
It’s not small, around 50 seats at a glance, but it feels intimate. The two-tops are close enough to scout dishes as they come out next to you but not so close that you feel as if you’re sharing a table. There’s a lovely six-top in the middle of the room. And about one third of the seating is at counters, one facing the charcoal grill in the kitchen and the other facing the bar. Three-quarter café curtains on the one wall of windows keep the eyes within the space, and a mostly candlelit dining area makes the room feel smaller (charmingly smaller) than it actually is. There’s a lot going on; this is a serious operation. But it’s laid out in a way that doesn’t feel too different from that kababi in Soho.
The real difficulty when scaling restaurants is the menu. Here, Samyani has the team playing all the hits. The Kabab Koobideh, the restaurant’s cornerstone minced-lamb-and-onion kebab, still holds the top spot, and just below it is the chicken Jujeh Kabab. The Jujeh Kabab Tond—meaning spicy—adds a bit of a kick, more up-front spice than lingering spicy, to the chicken kebab. Though the real stars lie within the bread and mazeh section. The black chickpea hummus is divine, a lot deeper and earthier than your standard chickpea spread. Of the masts—traditional Persian yogurt spreads—the Mast O Khiar is my favorite. With cucumber and mint, it’s a fresh bite that stands out against all the deep flavors of the meat-heavy menu.
The mazzeh—yogurts, hummus, and fresh spreads—are the standout bites.
As with every location, live-fire kababs are the centerpiece of the cuisine and the layout.
One of the most interesting bits about Berenjak Chicago is that it has an expanded wine list, and it brings over a few of its classic cocktails that were previously exclusive to the UK locations. The big callout is the Olive Leaf Martini, which has a bit more of an oily texture, similar to that of a potato-vodka martini, that lets it go down incredibly smooth. The best on the menu, for my money, is the Grown Up Doogh, which adds gin to Iran’s favorite yogurt drink. As with the cucumber spread, it just adds a lovely tart hit that complements all the fatty meats and spices. Then there’s the Phel Phel Margarita, which is a nice homage to Soho House’s spicy margarita. The rich Fig Leaf Old Fashioned is sweet and gets a spot on the dessert menu next to black tea.
The Olive Leaf Martini, formerly exclusive to the UK locations, is available on the Berenjak Chicago menu.
Since this location, like the Los Angeles version, is open to the public, it should immediately go onto any and all Windy City food and drink lists.
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