Duck Duck Goat

Restaurant & Bar

Chicago

IL USA

Restaurant & Bar

About

Following the vision of chef Stephanie Izard and her desire to produce, as she cheekily states, “reasonably authentic” Chinese cuisine through an American lens, the AvroKO team created a restaurant that represents an “everytown Chinatown” – a dream-like version of the stores and shops that can be found in all quintessential Chinatowns in America.

The outdoor / indoor style of these neighborhoods is brought to life via each dining room entryway that’s envisioned as a store front. 1960s saturated cinema played a significant role in the use of color leading to a vibrant and over-saturated palette evoking the eclectic irreverence and curious chaos found in most American Chinatown communities. The use of humble materials was also vast in these neighborhoods after WWII, which led to the installation of Western-style wallpapers, sheet-form wall paneling, and simple metals. The goat theme is not lost either as goat figurines are found throughout the restaurant in gleaming gold, cool jade and more.

Restaurant & Bar Design Awards

Best Restaurant: The Americas

LOCATION

Chicago

IL USA

Size

5,850 ft² / 543 m²

Cinema-Inspired

Working with Top Chef alum, Stephanie Izard, to bring her version of "reasonably authentic" Chinese cuisine to life.

The concept merged chef Stephanie Izard's love of traditional techniques from China and memories of her favorite Chinese-American blended dishes. The natural merger of traditional and adatted in her menu led the design team to take queues from the interwoven beauty of American Chinatowns across the country. Varied and whimsical, the restaurant unites dream-like notions of American Chinatowns in various spaces in the restaurant. Color anchors discrete dining and bar spaces which extend off of a central bar, creating an opportunity for guests exploration of multiple varied spaces and the rich themes and palettes within each, inspired by the saturated cinema of Won-Karwai. Seen here is the jade bar with its reliquary of gold goats.

No items found.

Lush & Layered

A wealth of varied dining rooms and bar allowed exploration of tensions in detailing - whimsical or sober, poppy vs. paired back, smooth vs. textured - always imbuing a sense of saturation within the palettes of each space.

No items found.

No items found.

"A restaurant that looks as good as it tastes."

New York Post

Open Gallery

Secret Spaces for Special Gatherings

The culmination of the dining experience is at the extravagant family table and jade bar beyond. A place to have a special dinner or cozy up in the green-hued lounge. Moody rich wood oak panelings infilled with vintage, densely-pattern wallpapering creates the most formal of the spaces, intended to tell the cinematic story of the most fortunate and successful of the American Chinatown inhabitants.