Two years after Bonhomme Hospitality Group added a natural wine bar next to popular Loop spot Beatnik on the River, the local hospitality company is expanding on the pairing by opening a second GoodFunk next to Beatnik West Town on Thursday.
“The concept has remained true to its core since we first opened in the Loop,” Bonhomme Hospitality Group founder and creative director Daniel Alonso says. “We aim to be a wine bar for wine lovers created by wine lovers, and a haven for those seeking the untamed beauty of unfiltered, organic wines in a cozy, laid-back setting.”
Bonhomme has been planning the expansion since the end of 2023 as management converted the west side of Beatnik West Town; the two venues share an entrance. This adds a third restaurant to Bonhomme’s Chicago Avenue strip. Bonhomme’s Michelin-starred seafood restaurant Porto is just next door (it’s been closed since August, but management plans to reopen in April). The opening comes a day after John Manion debuted Brasero, the esteemed chef’s new South American restaurant located across the street.
“We love the neighborhood,” Alonso says. “West Town, East Village, Wicker Park, and Bucktown have been very welcoming to us. Since 2012, we have been proud to be a part of this community with Mama Delia, Beatnik, Bordel, Porto, and now GoodFunk, too.”
GoodFunk’s international selection of natural wines will be paired with a new food menu from Bonhomme culinary director and Beatnik executive chef Marcos Campos which is also rolling out at the original Loop location. Last year, Campos traveled to Galicia, Spain to open Bonhomme’s new Casa Beatnik Hotel.
“Chef Marcos and his culinary team are always committed to working with the best purveyors and seasonal products available,” Alonso says. “As we transition from winter to spring, it gives us the chance to update our menus and debut flavors and ingredients that fit into the season and our personal cravings.”
Dishes designed to highlight natural wine’s funky flavors include a meat and cheese board served with sourdough bread and a spin on a pepperoni flatbread made with soppressata picante, ricotta, honey, and confit tomato. The menu will also continue the emphasis on the food of Spain and Portugal found in Bonhomme’s Porto and Mama Delia by offering pintxos and conservas.
The hospitality group’s in-house design team Maison Bonhomme has also replicated the Art Deco influences they brought to GoodFunk’s Loop location.. A tiled front counter from 1920s Paris was attached to a brass counter to produce the main bar, which is set with teak bar stools made in Nicaragua. Plants and restored cast iron Chicago street lights hang overhead. Velvet sofas provide a bit of extra seating.
Bonhomme has been in the midst of an ambitious expansion, opening Silk Road-inspired restaurant Bambola and French bistro Coquette at the same West Loop address in 2022 and adding an opulent cocktail bar and entertainment venue Kashmir last year. A new all-day concept, Expat, will open inside Bambola and Coquette in the spring in Fulton Market. It will serve as a cafe by day and bar at night.
The new GoodFunk follows Bonhomme’s tendency of clustering concepts geographically to allow patrons to move easily between them throughout a night of dining and drinking. Alonso was coy about the potential to add another GoodFunk.
“Right now, we just want to open a great wine bar in West Town that we hope is embraced by our community.”
GoodFunk, 1604 W. Chicago Ave., Opening Thursday, February 8; 4 p.m. to midnight Wednesday and Thursday; 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday; 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.