After much anticipation, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s new restaurant in downtown Naperville, Ramsay’s Kitchen, will open on Tuesday.
Beef Wellington, photo courtesy Ramsay’s Kitchen
Ramsay’s Kitchen menu a mix of the chef’s personal favorites
Doors will open at the 39 W. Jefferson Avenue location at 11 a.m. The menu is a mix of some of Ramsay’s signature dishes along with a few of the chef’s favorites.
“I am thrilled to bring my culinary adventures to guests in Naperville. These are some of my favorite dishes inspired by my travels around the world and our team couldn’t be more excited to share them with this beautiful city,” said Ramsay in a news release.
Appetizers include jumbo lump crab cake, maitake mushrooms, tuna tartare, and Parker rolls. There is a mix of sandwiches and salads, including a roast beef sandwich, RK burger, and wedge salad. Featured entrees include the chef’s famous Beef Wellington, pan-seared scallops, fish & chips, steaks, and spring pea tagliatelle. Among the desserts are sticky toffee pudding, a chocolate tart, and strawberry Eton mess: a mix of baked meringue, chantilly cream, strawberry jam, and basil.
Diners can catch a glimpse of meals being prepared through the open-concept kitchen.
Interior of Ramsay’s Kitchen, courtesy Ramsay’s Kitchen
A nod to the spot’s history
The restaurant layout covers more than 5,600 square feet, with room for over 160 guests. Besides the main dining room, there’s also a bar and lounge, two private dining areas, and a seasonal patio.
It’s in a building that’s a rich source of Naperville history. It was home to a pharmacy in 1875, which later changed hands to one of the store’s employees named William Wallace Wickel, who opened the W.W. Wickel Pharmacy. After several decades, he would sell it to his son-in-law, Louis Oswald, who changed the name to Oswald’s Pharmacy. It would be housed there until 2004, when it was changed into a restaurant space, later housing Ted’s Montana Grill.
The décor inside pays tribute to a bit of that history, with vintage medicine bottles in view, and the original wall which was made from limestone from the now closed quarry which currently is the location of Centennial Beach. Mixed with that are some notes of British influence, including subway-tiled half-tubes running along the ceiling to reflect London’s subway system, better known as “the Tube.”
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, courtesy Ramsay’s Kitchen
Third Ramsay’s Kitchen location
The Naperville outpost is the third Ramsay’s Kitchen in the U.S., with the other two located in Boston and Las Vegas. It’s also the second-Chicago area restaurant for the chef, with the other being Gordon Ramsay Burger which opened in Chicago in 2021.
The restaurant will be open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Reservations may be made through the restaurant’s website.
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