Sola is Staying In North Center, Plans for 'ohana Dropped

By Anthony Todd in Food on Feb 21, 2011 6:20PM

News and rumors have been circulating for months about Sola, Chef Carol Wallack's contemporary Hawaiian/American restaurant. Originally, the story was that Sola would relocate to River North, and a new neighborhood restaurant, 'ohana, would open in the same spot. The transition was pushed back a few times, but in December we heard that it was really, really supposed to happen soon. We just got the news that it's all off. 'ohana isn't happening, and Sola is going to stay in its North Center home.

When we interviewed Chef Wallack, she was excited about the move, though frank about the logistical challenges involved. Now, she will be focusing on making the menu at Sola "more affordable" while offering the same quality. "Considering her love for the neighborhood and her loyal guests, she will continue to offer patrons a great place to enjoy fresh farm-to-table food and friendly service in a warm and cozy atmosphere." We hope this setback doesn't derail the original restaurant, since Sola has become a Chicago mainstay. Unfortunately, cancelled expansion plans and lowering prices can be codewords for financial trouble. We look forward to checking out Chef Wallack's new menu, and hope for the best.

UPDATE: We heard from Chef Wallack, and our hopes were answered. She says that the restaurant isn't in trouble, she just decided it "didn’t feel like the right decision" to move right now. Good to hear - now we can just be excited about the new menu.

Sola is (still) located at 3868 N. Lincoln Ave.