Hub 51 Will Close in June After 16 Years

Hub 51 will close next month after 16 years in River North, according to a news release. The two-level, part restaurant, and part bar, marked a new chapter for Chicago’s largest hospitality company, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, as it symbolized a passing of the torch from co-founder Rich Melman to his sons, Jerrod and R.J. Hub 51 was a canvas for the brothers in establishing their own venture.

The space also featured a bar, called Sub 51, and plenty of rooms for private events. Hub 51’s menu was, eclectic to say the least, covering a tremendous amount of ground from fish tacos, to chili, to chicken tenders. While the restaurant debuted with a roar, busy on weekends, and where visitors would see the occasional celebrity, at the end it felt like a garden variety chain. And even as a LEYE restaurant, that was never ownership’s original intention.

In closing Hub 51 at 51 W. Hubbard Street — its final day is scheduled for Saturday, June 8 — LEYE is turning the page again and introducing a pair of new venues. They’ve recruited HaiSous’s Thai Dang and the Vietnamese-born chef will debut a Southeast Asian restaurant, Crying Tiger, in 2025. Crying Tiger is a reference to the marinated beef dish often served as an appetizer at Thai restaurants. The “tears” are from the juicy fat dripping from the meat during cooking and hitting the flames of the grill.

Dang’s Pilsen restaurant, which he runs with his wife Danielle Dang, won’t be impacted. HaiSous will remain independent as LEYE has also made him a partner in the endeavor. Lettuce has selected David Collins Studio — the same interior architecture firm that designed Tre Dita, its lavish restaurant inside the St Regis Chicago — to design Crying Tiger.

For Dang, who moved to Chicago from Virginia to follow the career of French chef Laurent Gras, partnering with LEYE is a full-circle moment. Gras was working at Michelin-starred L20. At the time of his arrival, Dang says he didn’t know that L20, which was open from 2008 to 2014, was a Lettuce Entertain You restaurant.

But before Crying Tiger opens, Lettuce will unveil a cocktail bar later this year. It’s called the Dip Inn and will feature “expertly crafted iconic drinks.” LEYE is calling it a “classic American cocktail bar.” The drinks are from Kevin Beary, the beverage director at the company’s tropical-themed bars in River North, Three Dots and a Dash, and the Bamboo Room.

Details are scarce but look for more information in the coming days. In the meantime, Chicagoans have less than a month to say goodbye to Hub 51.

Crying Tiger, 51 W. Hubbard Steet, planned for a 2025 opening

The Dip Inn, 51 W. Hubbard Steet, planned for a late 2024 opening