Bar Mar – Chicago

When the José Andrés Group decided to open restaurants in Chicago, it partnered with local hospitality group Gibson’s for three dining destinations inside the River North Bank of America building – a first-floor lunch/dinner restaurant called Bar Mar, the second-floor dinner-only space Bazaar Meat, and a subterranean coffee and sandwich shop called Cafe by the River that wasn’t actually open on any of several attempts we made to visit, and quietly closed in 2024.

During lunch, Bar Mar serves a small selection of seafood-focused items found at other Bazaar locations, such as ceviches, lobster rolls, and bite-sized items ranging from Neptune’s Pillows to savory-sweet cones, plus non-seafood dishes including José’s Pulled Chicken (shown), a riff on pulled pork with crispy chicken skin and buttery mashed potatoes.