KITCHEN + KOCKTAILS BY KEVIN KELLEY COMING TO CHICAGO

Kevin Kelley is the owner of Kitchen + Kocktails, located at 444 N. Wabash Ave., by Kevin Kelley which is set to open on Sept. 3. Photos provided by Kevin Kelley
Kevin Kelley is the owner of Kitchen + Kocktails, located at 444 N. Wabash Ave., by Kevin Kelley which is set to open on Sept. 3. Photos provided by Kevin Kelley

Kitchen + Kocktails by Kevin Kelley is coming to Chicago

BY TIA CAROL JONES

Kevin Kelley loves Chicago, its people and the food culture. It seemed like a fantastic fit for Kitchen + Kocktails by Kevin Kelley. The restaurant will be located at 444 N. Wabash Ave. and is set to open on Friday, Sept. 3. Kelley also is the owner of Kitchen + Kocktails in Dallas, Texas.

Guests will find dynamic comfort food. Shrimp and grits with blackened shrimp and fried lobster tails. Chicken dishes include traditional fried chicken, Nashville hot chicken, Asian Hennessy flavored chicken, smothered fried chicken, as well as jerk chicken. “What we’ve done is we’ve taken comfort food and we’ve tried to take it to another world,”
Kelley said.

Kelley, who is an attorney by trade, has lived in Paris, Spain. Those experiences eating in the best restaurants in Europe has helped his to decide what he wants in his restaurants, including the vibe. Kitchen + Kocktails by Kevin Kelley in Chicago is his second concept.

Kelley is respectful of the differences in cultures and environments of Chicago. He has added items to the Chicago menu that are not on the Dallas menu. Guests will have the option of ordering their Tomahawk steak traditional, jerk, or with the Asian Hennessey sauce. The menu will also include a lobster mac and cheese and lobster mash potato dish. For
the winter season, Kitchen + Kocktails by Kevin Kelley is working on a jerk
chicken noodle soup.

“We’re working to make some adjustments so Chicago can know we love
them a lot and we love the opportunity. It’s not a copycat of Dallas all the way,” he said.

Kelley predicts the most popular drink will be the Peach Dusse frozen, it’s
the most popular drink in Dallas. The Strawberry Hennessey is another popular drink that he thinks will be popular here. Kelley’s favorite drink is the True Flame – rum, with other alcohol, that gets lit on fire and poured tableside. He thinks guests will be really excited to try the drink.

The dishes will be served artistically on plates, with flatware that has the
logo etched into it. Kelley described the restaurant as a vibe and fun. People will hear music they know, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Kanye West and Common. The art on the walls will be pop art, created by Black artists.

“This isn’t going to be an upscale restaurant where guests are going to feel
like they have to wear a suit and walk in and feel stuffy. This will be a place where we’re going to want you to be comfortable, to feel good about yourself and enjoy yourself,” Kelley said.

Kelley chose the location in River North, based on the Dallas location being in the center of Downtown Dallas. He wanted the Chicago location to be easy for guests to come to because of its centralized location. He also wanted the restaurant there because River North is known for its nice, upscale restaurants.

“We want to be in a place where the best and the brightest are. We want our guests to know we’ve brought them to where the best restaurants. We want them to come to a place that they can be comfortable and call their own,” he said.

When it comes to the dress code, Kelley wants people to respect themselves and respect the other guest in the restaurant.

Kelley hopes people will enjoy having great food and drinks and have
a great time at Kitchen + Kocktails. It has made him happiest, as a restaurant owner, to see people get engaged at his establishment. “When I look across the restaurant and see people in their seats grooving and enjoying themselves to the familiar music, or just having a good
time, I’m looking forward to bringing that to Chicago,” he said. “Ultimately, I’m coming to Chicago to make people happy.”

Kelley opened the Dallas location in August 2020, during the COVID-19
pandemic. Since its opening they are always booked. To date, it has served more than 200,000 in less than a year. “What that told me is that our culture, our people, will support a concept if its good and if that concept is for them,” he said. “That is what this concept was created for, to ensure that our people could have a nice restaurant to go to and feel like it’s
their own.”
 
Kitchen + Kocktails by Kevin Kelley will be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Monday-Thursday; and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday-Sunday. Brunch will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, visit kitchenkocktailsusa. com.

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