LOGAN SQUARE – A popular Uptown restaurant serving Oaxacan cuisine is opening its second location in Logan Square this week.
Kie-Gol-Lanee, 2901 W. Diversey Ave., will celebrate its grand opening Wednesday after being redecorated and having a successful soft opening earlier this month.
The storefront formerly housed Mezcala Bar and Kitchen, which closed last month after about two years in business, the owners announced on social media. The Kie-Gol-Lanee team found the space in December after hearing Mezcala was closing and moved in last month, said Fernanda Guardado, the restaurant’s marketing director.
The Diversey location’s easy accessibility, patio and size proved ideal for the restaurant, Guardado said.
“The diversity was the biggest attraction,” Guardado said of the expansion to Logan Square. “The family-oriented neighborhood and traffic are similar to the crowd we have (in Uptown). People who like us want the dining experience, to feel welcome and like they’re walking into their mom’s kitchen.”
The Oaxacan restaurant in Uptown, 5004 N. Sheridan Road, has become known for its tamales, moles and rare meats. It was opened in 2016 by siblings María and Reynel Mendoza and their spouses Léonides Ramos and Sandra Sotz.
The owners, who hail from the small mountain village of Santa María Quiegolani, named the restaurant as a tribute to their hometown. Quiegolani is the Spanish translation of Kie-Go-Lanee, which means “old stone” in Zapotec, the village’s majority language, Guardado said.
The restaurant was listed in the Michelin Bib Gourmand 2020-2023 guide and is known for tamales wrapped in banana leaves, braised rabbit, grasshopper appetizers and traditional tlayudas, or toasted homemade corn tortillas topped with refried beans, vegetables and meat.
The Logan Square location will offer the same items on the menu, and more cocktails will be added. Rotating specials and breakfast items will also be on the menu. Eater Chicago was the first to report on the new location.
“We’re attracting a new, younger crowd. Logan Square has that appeal,” Guardado said.
Kie-Gol-Lanee Logan Square is open Wednesday through Monday from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
The Uptown and Logan Square locations are also participating in Chicago’s Latin Restaurant Week through August 30, offering special cocktails and menus for a limited time.
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