First look: Expect giardiniera-spiked Chicago Caviar and beer-infused bites as Guinness Open Gate opens this month

While signature Guinness brews are sure to draw crowds when the brand’s Open Gate Brewery opens in Chicago at the end of September, the food menu’s local touches are likely to charm Chicagoans, as well.

Housemade giardiniera serves as the base of the Chicago Caviar appetizer dip. Chicago purveyors such as Windy City Mushroom and Gotham Greens will supply produce for toothsome dishes with global flair. And early risers will be fueled by Intelligentsia Coffee and the acclaimed Aya Pastry, which will provide croissants and danishes for breakfast.

“I don’t think (customers) are going to be expecting the type of food that myself and the other chefs are putting together,” said chef de cuisine Taylor Bischof. “I think it’s going to wow people.”

After two years of anticipation, Guinness will launch its Chicago brewery at 8 a.m. Sept. 28. Along with the brewery, the former Pennsylvania Railroad Depot, 901 W. Kinzie St. in the West Loop, will house a full-service restaurant, taproom, bakery and cafe within its 15,000-square-foot space.

The Chicago operation is the second in the U.S. for the iconic Irish brand that has been brewing for over 260 years. The first Open Gate Brewery launched in Dublin in 2015, while its first U.S. outpost opened in Baltimore in 2018.

The West Loop iteration will offer 12 to 16 draft beers on any given day, from signatures such as Guinness’ dry Irish stout — imported straight from Dublin — to rotating experimental drafts made on-site and exclusive to Chicago. An initial lineup includes Kinzie Street Pale Ale, Mango Chile Ale and Corn Maize Cream Ale, made with corn from Iroquois County in Illinois.

The drink menu will also feature beer-infused craft cocktails, while nonalcoholic cocktails use mixers from brands such as Chicago’s Pour Souls. The nonalcoholic Guinness 0 will also be served.

[ We taste nonalcoholic Guinness 0 — and make a tweak ]

The restaurant menu, designed in partnership with the hospitality groups behind Stefani Prime, Bar Cargo and Broken English Taco Pub, highlights global foods that can pair well with Guinness, said Bischof, who opened Brekkie & Bake Shop in the now-closed Dr. Murphy’s Food Hall in 2020 and worked with Roanoke Hospitality before joining the Open Gate Brewery team.

“We definitely wanted to look at the global footprint of Guinness, so obviously we’re going to have some of those Irish classics,” she said, “but we definitely wanted to pull flavors and cuisines from Africa, from the Caribbean islands.”

Among the dishes Bischof is most excited for visitors to try is the duck a deux udon, with both duck breast and duck confit playing off the sweetness of ginger, hoisin and carrots. An African-inspired lamb entree boasts warm notes of cinnamon and clove, deepening the marinated lamb’s flavor after a slow braising in Guinness Foreign Extra Stout.

The lamb isn’t the only dish kissed with Guinness character. Wings come slathered in Guinness barbecue sauce, a fish sandwich comes with beer-battered halibut, and a beer-brined chicken is served with maitake mushrooms, black-garlic gravy and a sweet potato and Brussels sprouts hash.

There’s also plenty of Irish pub fare — a double smash burger comes topped with Tillamook cheddar and caramelized onion jam, Guinness stew features beef from Slagel Family Farm, and a charcuterie board will come stacked with Paulina Meat Market sausages, Tillamook cheddar fondue and pretzels.

“It’s been really exciting for me, as a chef, just to get to innovate and also get to play around with the beer and cook with it, pair our food with it,” said Bischof. “When I taste beer, the wheels just start turning in my head for how it can be put into food.”

Bischof said the team is experimenting with desserts, and there will “definitely be some type of chocolate cake” and “a lot of fun-flavored ice cream” made in-house and with North Side-based Milky Milky Ice Cream.

Brunch options, served Saturdays and Sundays, will include a shakshuka pot pie with roasted red pepper, garlic, goat cheese and sourdough; a Maryland crab Benedict with housemade English muffins, an avocado mousse and habanero-basil hollandaise; and a traditional Irish breakfast with fixings such as bacon, sausage, over-easy eggs, mushrooms, grilled tomatoes and smashed potatoes.

The team at Open Gate will also be baking scones, muffins and Brewer’s Bread, the team’s stout-infused take on a traditional soft wheat brown bread. The brewery has committed to donating 10,000 loaves of bread to the Greater Chicago Food Depository each year, in addition to what it serves on site.

901 W. Kinzie St., guinnessbrewerychicago.com

sahmad@chicagotribune.com