INSIDE LINCOLN PARK’S FIERY NEW CAFE BACKED BY MICHELIN-STARRED MUSCLE

The pandemic transformed the world in countless ways over the past five years but beyond QR codes and surcharges, people and interests just tend to evolve. When you’re Galit, a Michelin-starred restaurant that opened in 2019 in Lincoln Park, one that’s built a well-defined identity and a loyal fanbase, it’s sometimes challenging to justify change without pushback.

For James Beard Award-winning chef Zach Engel and partner Andrés Clavero, Cafe Yaya is the neighborhood restaurant they hoped to establish with Galit. While Chicago has welcomed Galit, over the last six years since its debut, it has diverged from its roots as a neighborhood restaurant, Engel says. Cafe Yaya represents a desire to return to those origins.

Their all-day bakery and bistro opened last week in Lincoln Park with unique pastries during the day and a dinner menu that gives Engel a chance to cook more than Middle Eastern cuisine. If Cafe Yaya’s opening day’s sold-out status of its pastries is any indication, the neighborhood is fully onboard.

Clavero says that they always envisioned Galit as a flagship and wanted to open a more casual sibling. And so in 2022, the building next door to Galit became available for purchase, and they jumped on the opportunity.

“The building’s location allows us to double-down in a neighborhood that’s embraced us while still staying involved with the day-to-day operations at Galit,” says Clavero. The last three years were spent thoughtfully deciding what they wanted to do with the space in addition to obtaining the necessary permits to transform the former office and upstairs apartment into their second dream project. “It’s been quite the journey,” he adds.

“For us and the team, Cafe Yaya became what we needed as individuals and creatives and also what we saw the neighborhood was asking for,” says Engel.

Heading up Cafe Yaya’s extensive pastry program is Mary Eder-McClure, Galit’s pastry chef. On the beverage side is Scott Stroemer, who also leads Galit’s wine program. Both are operating partners at Yaya. “They have helped us steer and guide this ship through some of the murkiest of waters and we would not be here today without their support,” says Clavero.

For Yaya’s sweet and savory baked goods, Eder-McClure taps into some of the Middle Eastern ingredients and flavors found at Galit, albeit utilizing them in different ways.

Breakfast pastries are one segment she is particularly excited about. Those who visited Galit’s brunch service on a makeshift patio during the pandemic will recognize a few of them, including her flaky potato-and-herb-filled boureka finished with everything bagel spices. Then there’s the challah from Galit that gets recrafted as a handheld shakshuka-style bun at Yaya. “We don’t serve shakshuka at Galit but it’s a similar vibe,” she says.

Baklava, which is available on both the morning and evening menus, is a sweet treat close to Eder-McClure’s heart. “My grandma is Lebanese and this is something that had been passed down to her and then to my mom,” she says. “This was the dessert my family made at Rosh Hashanah and as soon as I was able, my mom passed the making of it on to me.”

Other baked goods include a weekly sundae and a slice of the day, be it a pie, tart, or cake. For its opening, Yaya featured carrot cake, a favorite of Eder-McClure. Come spring and summer, look for fruit-filled crisps and cobblers made with local produce. What you won’t find, either in the pastry case or on the dessert menu, are complicated items. “We are doing simple things that are really tasty and don’t have 12 components on a plate,” she adds.

For the dinner and eventual lunch and brunch menus, Engel is taking a similar approach. “It’s very simple, straightforward stuff that’s approachable for the neighborhood,” he says. “It’s things I want to eat at a restaurant.”

Engel is looking back — embracing his time spent working in New Orleans and California, the former at Shaya Restaurant where he earned a James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year Award in 2017 — as well as exploring more current experiences. Engel has spent the last couple of years visiting bistros in Tel Aviv and Paris. “I really enjoy that freeform style of cooking but also having everything rooted in classic techniques and the ideation of a dish,” he says.

On Yaya’s menu that means half chicken roasted in a wood-burning oven paired with challah croutons, a lamb burger topped with za’atar mayonnaise and served on a potato roll, and duck confit paired with beluga lentils and Swiss chard.

Engel will also serve some “fun and silly stuff,” such as dips (think caramelized onion miso labneh and pimento cheese) which can be paired with fresh baked bread, wood-fired chickpea flatbread, crudites, and other dip picker-uppers. Expect seasonal, local ingredients to make appearances soon. “Once we are up and running, I’m looking forward to being able to change the menu a lot more easily than we can at Galit and capturing those fleeting moments of seasonality in the Midwest,” he says.

What you won’t see at Cafe Yaha is pita and hummus. “They can find that next door,” says Engel. “For Mary and me as chefs, we don’t want to become people that are only known for cooking Middle Eastern food.”

On the beverage side, Stroemer is excited to feature wines that don’t adhere to Galit’s well-regarded Middle Eastern-heavy list. Like at Galit, Yaya’s wine menu features a combination of familiar varietals and ones that diners may not have heard of from unexpected regions. In addition to a diverse by-the-glass program, all wine bottles will be priced under $100.

Cocktails lean heavily on classics with a focus on small-craft producers. “Like the wine program, it’s familiar styles but maybe not familiar producers,” says Stroemer. He also predicts ingredients from Yaya’s pastry program will cross over into the cocktails. “There are a lot of ways we can reduce waste and be creative,” he says.

Rounding out the beverage list is an espresso program featuring coffee from Sparrow Coffee, teas from Rare Tea Cellar, and chai concentrate from Freeman House Chai.

Chicago’s Siren Betty led the interior design of Cafe Yaya, which features a bar and seating area on the first floor and a private event and community-focused space on the second, with separate kitchens for each. They discovered exposed brick when drywall was removed from the walls of the 1904 building. Soft earth tones and richly textured surfaces are featured throughout the restaurant. Engel says they wanted a natural feel.

“Our design meeting was literally make it look like it’s been here for a long time and give it that soul.” Art nouveau design touches here and there add to the vintage vibe as does the logo, designed by Engel’s sister, Illana, which is recreated in a wall mosaic.

Family also comes into play with Cafe Yaya’s name, which is the nickname of one of Engel’s daughters, Yaeli. (Galit is named after her sister.) The cafe’s moniker also references Yael, a biblical figure who plays an important role in the story of Israel’s wars with the Canaanites.

“I am really proud of us for having a vision for how we knew we needed to grow our business,” says Engel. “That’s in terms of the breadth of what we are doing, owning the real estate, and creating multiple outlets as well as including people on our team who deserved to be hailed for their expertise and creativity.”

Cafe Yaya, 2431 N. Lincoln Avenue, open 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Reservations for parties five and larger are available via Resy.

2025-03-18T17:32:47Z