Minyoli Is Calling: Why Chicago Restaurant Week Is the Perfect Time to Answer

Restaurant Week in Chicago has a way of separating the buzz from the real thing. It’s when diners lean in a little closer, hoping to discover something memorable instead of merely trendy. This year, that call leads north to Andersonville, where Minyoli isn’t just participating in Restaurant Week, it’s making a statement.

Minyoli is the first solo culinary concept from Chef Rich Wang, and from the moment it opened, the restaurant arrived with intention. Named one of Bon Appétit’s Most Highly Anticipated Restaurant Openings of Spring 2024, Minyoli is a deeply personal exploration of Juan Cûn cuisine, a food tradition born in Taiwan’s military villages. These were communities shaped by displacement, resilience, and shared memory, and their food reflects that history with soulful precision.

Chef Wang’s story mirrors the menu. Born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan, he moved to Chicago as a teenager, eventually training at Kendall College before refining his craft in some of the city’s most respected kitchens, including Michelin-starred Boka and James Beard Award-winning Fat Rice. His cooking carries the confidence of fine dining, but never loses its emotional grounding.

In 2019, Wang traveled to Lanzhou, China’s most revered noodle city, where he studied the art of handmade noodles and earned certification as a Chinese-style noodle maker. That pursuit of mastery later took him to Macau, where he worked under Chef Tam Kwok Fung at the Michelin-starred Wing Lei Palace. Those experiences come together at Minyoli in dishes that feel simultaneously refined and comforting, like stories passed down and retold with clarity.

The restaurant itself feels inviting rather than precious. Lunch runs Wednesday through Saturday from 11am to 2pm, with dinner served nightly starting at 5pm. Sundays bring brunch from 11am to 2pm, a quiet luxury in a neighborhood that appreciates lingering mornings. The bar program deserves its own applause, featuring expertly crafted cocktails and thoughtful non-alcoholic options built around Taiwanese ingredients that echo the flavors coming from the kitchen.

Minyoli’s impact hasn’t gone unnoticed. In 2026, the restaurant earned a Jean Banchet Award nomination for Outstanding Hospitality, a nod not just to the food, but to the warmth and care that define the dining experience.

Restaurant Week is often about value, but at Minyoli, it’s about access. Access to a cuisine rarely explored with this level of respect. Access to a chef telling his story through noodles, broth, and balance. And access to one of Chicago’s most meaningful new restaurants while the city is paying attention.

When Restaurant Week calls, Minyoli answers with depth, memory, and flavor.

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