This All-Day Bar & Cafe Is About To Open In West Loop

By Anthony Todd in Food on Mar 9, 2017 8:33PM

Chef Gabino Ottoman of The Ruin Daily. Photo courtesy of 16" on Center.

While Fulton Market, Restaurant Row and the part of the West Loop around Randolph Street have a ton of great stuff, there's a corner of the neighborhood (down by Jefferson and Van Buren) that still hasn't seen much in the way of great eats. That's about to change, as The Ruin Daily, a new sandwich shop/bar/restaurant is coming to the area and promises a full, all-day menu of food and cocktails.

From 16" on Center, the group behind Revival Food Hall and The Promontory, this new spot will take care of guests all day long. For breakfast, The Ruin Daily will serve Metric Coffee, breakfast sandwiches and pastries from Mindy Segal (of Hot Chocolate). For lunch, expect a range of sandwiches with homemade deli meats. After work, there will be share plates, charcuterie and a full bar. We're expecting something of an irreverent vibe; after all, the tagline for the restaurant is "Because Life is Too Short for Sh*tty Sandwiches."

The chef behind the restaurant is Gabino Ottoman, a vet of Le Bernadin, Longman & Eagle and St. Lou's Assembly, while the bar program will be helmed by Dylan Stewart, of Revival Café-Bar, Mercadito and North Pond.

We're totally obsessed with the obscure name. It's actually a reference to President Martin Van Buren, who, because he wasn't thought of as a particularly great president, was nicknamed "Marty Van Ruin" by his opponents. The spot is next to Van Buren Street, hence "The Ruin Daily." Ok, so it's a bit of an obscure path to get there, but it's better than just naming it after the darn street.

Not much detail about the menu has been released yet, and the closest the restaurant would give to an opening date was "in the very near future." So keep your eyes on this space and we'll bring you more as we have it.

The Ruin Daily is (will be) at 328 S. Jefferson.