River North is buzzing with energy — just walk the streets and you’ll feel the momentum. New restaurants are breathing life into the neighborhood, and leading that charge is LIA, the latest concept from acclaimed restaurateurs Chef Justin Vaiciunas and Michael Mauro, the creative minds behind Canvas Hospitality and Detroit’s Pollock-inspired restaurant, The Jackson.

Now open at 11 W. Illinois Street, LIA — short for Life Imitates Art — is far more than a dining destination. It’s an immersive, 110-seat culinary gallery where food, music, and visual art collide in unforgettable ways. Every corner of the 3,500-square-foot space serves as a canvas, merging art-forward design with globally inspired cuisine and late-night vibes.

A Multisensory Experience at the Intersection of Art & Dining

From the moment you enter, LIA invites you into a vivid world. Guests dine alongside floor-to-ceiling installations from local and international artists, including rotating works on a 10’ x 10’ gallery wall curated by LIA’s in-house art team. The entire restaurant — designed by Detroit’s Pophouse Design — is a visual experience, featuring everything from velvet-draped lounges and moody lighting to graffiti-wrapped kitchen stations and sculptural installations.

The centerpiece? A 62-by-7.5-foot Pollock-inspired mural, hand-painted by Vaiciunas and Mauro — now the longest canvas in Chicago.

Artist Residency Program: Where Art Meets Edible Expression

LIA’s innovative “artist in residency” program sets it apart. Each quarter, a featured artist partners with the culinary team to inspire a one-of-a-kind tasting menu and showcase their work. The first resident, Kb of Chicago’s Laundry Room Studios, brings her text-based artistry (including the popular “Guest Check” series) into a new, edible medium.

Chef Justin’s six-course tasting menu, crafted in collaboration with Kb, includes playful dishes like Five-Spiced Pickle Beef Tartare, inspired by her “Are you going to eat that pickle?” artwork — blending concept with cuisine in an imaginative way that changes with each new artist.

The Menu: Global Flavors with Artistic Flair

Drawing on decades of culinary travel, Chef Justin’s dinner menu spans Mediterranean, New American, Asian, and European influences, with a focus on shared plates and bold flavor. Dishes like Banana Leaf Monkfish in Thai green curry, Chorizo-Stuffed Dates, and a crispy Chicken Brochette offer something for every palate.

Desserts turn heads too — such as a chocolate-shelled face that guests crack open to reveal cake à la mode, blending sculpture with sweetness.

Elevated Drinks with a Creative Twist

Sommelier and co-owner Michael Mauro curates a globally inspired wine list split between “Classics” (Old World) and “Creatives” (New World). The cocktail program is equally inventive, featuring avant-garde presentations like smoky mezcal-bourbon cocktails served in paint cans, a nod to the artistic theme running through LIA’s DNA.

More Than Dinner — It’s a Show

“At LIA, we’re not just serving food — we’re putting on a show,” says Chef Justin. “It’s meant to feel alive, like something between a dinner party and a gallery opening.”

With rotating art residencies, live DJ sets, and a bold vision for the future, LIA is redefining what it means to dine in River North. Whether you come for the food, the art, or the atmosphere, you’ll leave inspired.

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