"The ones that are doing well are supporting empty ones, and the empty ones have to be reconcepted," Esam Hani told Block Club Chicago in August. Hani's company, One of a Kind Hospitality, owns or co-owns a large share of the storefronts on the 2700 block of N. Milwaukee Ave. His plan for the block is pooled money and patience. When a concept stops working, the room stays dark while the busy places nearby carry it, and then it comes back as something new.
The Walk In is the latest room to come back. To get in, you walk through the busy business next door.
The door goes through the deli
The Walk In, at 2727 N. Milwaukee Ave., had been closed for a remodel for more than a year. Block Club reported on Nov. 5 that it was reopening as a speakeasy, with its door moved inside the walk-in cooler at Red Star Liquor and Deli, 2725 N. Milwaukee Ave. The old front door on Milwaukee is still there, but Hani said it won't be used until at least spring.
The bar's name comes from that cooler. When Red Star started out, it occupied the space where The Walk In is now, and the bar was named for the deli's walk-in. Hani also gave a practical reason in the Block Club report: "It's also a way to support the deli and liquor store. People can get snacks and sandwiches." So every guest heading to the bar now passes the deli counter first.
According to Block Club, the remodel added new bathroom tile, a new back bar, fresh paint and paneling, vintage pop art, vintage speakers, exposed brick, brass railings and interior art by local artist Jeanette Margaret. The new menu has more cocktails, more liquor options and a short list of draft and canned beers. A new team was hired in October.
The grand reopening is Saturday, Nov. 14. After that, Block Club lists these hours:
- Friday and Saturday: 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.
- Sunday through Thursday: 4 p.m. to midnight
The bar has been around for a decade. Hani told Block Club he had expected to reopen last year, but he got busy opening other businesses nearby and wanted to give the space time to "breathe." That delay is the same system at work. He has enough rooms on the block that one can sit closed while the others keep the company going.
Who holds the 2700 block, address by address
Walk north from Mucho Gusto and most of the doors you pass belong to the same company. Block Club has reported these Hani and One of a Kind Hospitality addresses:
| Address | Business | Relationship |
|---|---|---|
| 2700 N. Milwaukee | Mucho Gusto Barra + Cocina | Co-owned by Hani |
| 2704 N. Milwaukee | Mr. E's Late Nite | Owned by Hani's company |
| 2714 N. Milwaukee | Cafe Con Leche | Operated by One of a Kind Hospitality |
| 2715 N. Milwaukee | Former Saba Italian Bar + Kitchen | Being renovated for a new Italian concept |
| 2725 N. Milwaukee | Red Star Liquor and Deli | Owned by Hani |
| 2727 N. Milwaukee | The Walk In | Owned by Hani's company |
| 2732 N. Milwaukee | The Harding Tavern | Owned by Hani's company |
Cafe Con Leche keeps the whole arrangement going. It celebrated 25 years on Milwaukee in August, and several of its employees have worked there since it opened. Block Club said restaurants like Cafe Con Leche "have kept the company going strong" while two other concepts were reworked.
Those two reworks have already changed what the block looks like. Hani's Tex-Mex restaurant The Old Plank closed in early 2025, and Mucho Gusto Barra + Cocina opened in its space at 2700 N. Milwaukee in July 2025, with Hani as part-owner. Across from Cafe Con Leche, Saba Italian Bar + Kitchen closed in March 2026 after eight years. On a block with many different owners, a closing like that can leave a "for lease" sign up for a long time. Here, the owner already had the next concept in mind.
The other storefronts on Hani's list
In August, Hani told Block Club his team was getting four empty storefronts ready to open later in the year. The Walk In was one of them. In that interview he described the other three this way:
- 2715 N. Milwaukee, the former Saba. Kitchen and dining room renovations, with a menu that stays Italian but focuses on pasta and pizza. He described it as more casual, with a smaller menu.
- 2410 N. Milwaukee, the former Furious Spoon. A taqueria that Block Club identified in March as Tacos del Barrio. City inspection records summarized by Clean Plate Chicago show it passed a license re-inspection on Sept. 30, 2026.
- 2414 N. Milwaukee, the former Pink Squirrel and Deadbolt. Block Club reported that Hani was turning the space into a "cozy speakeasy cocktail lounge." Hani said he was aiming to open the Logan Square projects in late summer.
He has also said he is working on his first Avondale restaurant on Milwaukee Avenue, though he hasn't shared details. Put together, his projects now run from the 2400 block, where La Victoria at 2447 N. Milwaukee is already open, up toward Avondale. Asked about the growth, Hani described it to Block Club as "one door at a time."
Saturday takes over at the top of the strip
A few steps north of The Harding Tavern, the farmers market shifts to its winter schedule at the end of the month.
The Logan Square Farmers Market wrapped its 2026 outdoor season on Oct. 25. That season ran on Sundays at 2620 N. Milwaukee Ave. The indoor season opens Saturday, Nov. 28, at Avondale Collective, 2800 N. Milwaukee Ave. It runs Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through March 27, 2027, and stays open on holidays. The Logan Square Chamber of Commerce places Avondale Collective inside the Hairpin Arts Center. The market used the same address last winter, according to the Chamber's Nov. 29, 2025 event listing.
Between the outdoor and indoor seasons, the market's farmers sell at Surplus Sundays, a pop-up at 2418 W. Division St. in the Erie Family Health Centers parking lot at Western and Division. It runs 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and its last date is Sunday, Nov. 15. After that, the market has nothing scheduled until the indoor opening on Nov. 28.
The day before the indoor opening, the same building hosts the Black Friday Fit Flip, a free clothing swap from 4 to 7 p.m. on Nov. 27. The Chamber's listing says it's open to everyone.
November on the north end of Milwaukee, by date
| Date | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 14 | The Walk In grand reopening | 2727 N. Milwaukee, entry through Red Star at 2725 |
| Sun., Nov. 15 | Final Surplus Sunday, 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. | 2418 W. Division St. |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | Black Friday Fit Flip, 4 to 7 p.m. | 2800 N. Milwaukee |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Indoor farmers market opens, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Avondale Collective, 2800 N. Milwaukee |
Starting Nov. 28, a Saturday morning at the market at 2800 is a short walk from Cafe Con Leche at 2714, and The Walk In opens at 4 p.m. a few doors south. Through the winter, the stretch from 2700 to 2800 N. Milwaukee is mostly one restaurant group that pays for its own reopenings, plus a farmers market back at the address it used last winter.
At NiKo Collaborative, we follow Logan Square one storefront at a time. That means knowing which rooms on Milwaukee are dark, which are being renovated, and who is behind the next door to open. If you own a home near this corridor and want to know how changes like these on your blocks show up in what your home is worth, Request a Home Valuation and we'll walk through it with you.
