CHRISTINA TOSI AND BOKA WILL FINALLY BRING MILK BAR TO CHICAGO

In hindsight, Tuesday morning’s news that Milk Bar would finally arrive in Chicago shouldn’t be a surprise. A release blasted the news nationwide, an announcement befitting of Tosi’s stature. Milk Bar will take over the corner cafe in the Hoxton Chicago lobby at 200 N. Green Street sometime this winter.

For years, superstar baker Christina Tosi has teased Chicagoans as her crew at Milk Bar searched for a space. Milk Bar held pop-ups featuring the confection formerly known as Crack Pie — renamed in 2019 to the more pleasant Milk Bar Pie. As the furor over expansion cooled during the pandemic with the restaurant industry battling for survival, Milk Bar quietly set up a ghost bakery in Chicago where locals could order baked goods for delivery.

In a competitive market, Milk Bar protected its brand. They sued the owners of a River North venue in 2019, JoJo’s Milk Bar arguing the name confused customers into thinking the two were associated. JoJo’s ultimately rebranded to JoJo’s Shake Bar to avoid trademark infringement.

Milk Bar’s official arrival comes in the form of a partnership with Boka Restaurant Group, which manages Hoxton’s food and beverage operations. Boka has two restaurants in the hotel, Chris Pandel’s Cira on the first floor and Stephanie Izard’s Cabra on the rooftop, with a basement bar, Lazy Bird.

The Milk Bar menu will include cookies in flavors like cornflake chocolate chip marshmallow, confetti, and blueberry and cream. Look for cake truffles, and whole cakes and pies also available in slices. Soft-serve ice cream, like the popular cereal milk, milkshakes, and Milk Bar breads are also planned.

Founded in 2008, the chain counts 12 locations in Boston, LA, Las Vegas, New York, and Washington, D.C. Tosi is from Cleveland, and Chicago marks Milk Bar’s first shop in the Midwest. They’ve opened in hotels before including at the Ace in New York.

Milk Bar will also pander to locals; the release teases a Chicago-style hot dog iteration of their stuffed bagel specialty, called a Bagel Bomb. There’s also an upcoming cookie collaboration with a mysterious Chicago institution.

Boka and Tosi make for a powerful duo, one capable of opening opportunities not available to most. Chicago has no shortage of bakeries. Good Ambler, the bakery cafe run by the owners of Thalia Hall, is a few doors north of the Hoxton. Another national favorite, Levain — a New York-based chain known for its chunky cookies — debuted in Chicago in 2022 around the corner on Randolph Restaurant Row. Meanwhile, the space that once housed another bakery, Sugargoat, the sweet emporium from Boka partner Izard, remains vacant. At the Hoxton, Milk Bar will take advantage of hotel guests, which might limit competition and the surrounding impact. Milk Bar will also team with third-party delivery services.

The expansion is reminiscent of another national brand, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams — which has a nearby location on Randolph. Like Tosi, Jeni Britton Bauer is from Ohio (Columbus). Both Jeni’s and Milk Bar routinely draw long lines outside their stores. The two are also James Beard Award winners. Tosi has a pair of medallions, winning Rising Chef of The Year in 2012 and Oustanding Pastry Chef in 2015 while working for Momofuku in New York.

Milk Bar at the Hoxton, 200 N. Green Street, planned for a winter opening.

2024-10-01T17:23:43Z