ABOUT
WRIGLEYVILLE’S NEIGHBORHOOD tavern WITH A MODERN TWIST
The team behind Chicago’s iconic Swift & Sons Steakhouse brings you a neighborhood tavern concept featuring familiar American favorites.
Swift Tavern, located just steps from Wrigley Field, is a welcoming neighborhood restaurant and bar where timeless flavors meet warm hospitality. Helmed by Chef Chris Pandel, this lively spot serves up crave-worthy dips and sharable plates, seasonal salads, steak sandwiches, and fresh oysters alongside expertly crafted cocktails and a curated beer selection. Whether you're a Cubs fan, a local, or just passing through, Swift Tavern offers a relaxed yet refined dining experience in the heart of one of Chicago’s most beloved communities.
chef chris pandel
EXECUtiVE CHEF
Rooted in local Midwestern ingredients and global flavors, Chef Chris Pandel brings effusive goodwill, a love of community, and a deep appreciation for quality to the table. Known for his handmade pastas and locally-sourced ingredients previously at The Bristol and Balena, Chef Pandel currently helms the kitchens at steakhouse phenomenon Swift & Sons, Wrigleyville neighborhood spot Swift Tavern, and modern Mediterranean restaurant Cira.
Later that year, with Boka Restaurant Group and B. Hospitality Co., Pandel opened Swift & Sons, a retro-modern steakhouse that celebrates the history of Chicago's meatpacking district. At Swift & Sons, Pandel brings his signature focus on high-quality, locally-sourced ingredients and classic culinary techniques to a menu of reinvented steakhouse classics, thoughtful vegetarian dishes, and seasonal sides. Quickly rising to the top of the Chicago steakhouse scene, Swift & Sons was ranked #2 in Chicago Magazine's 2017 list of the top 10 steakhouses in Chicago. Swift & Son's Beef Wellington was also named one of 66 reasons "Why We Love Chicago" by Chicago Magazine in 2017.
In December 2015, Pandel also opened Cold Storage, located adjacent to Swift & Sons. The casual seafood concept offered an approachable menu of fresh seafood, salads, and sandwiches, along with fish-friendly wines and a Chicago-centric draft and beer bottle selection.
Since opening The Bristol in 2008, Chef Chris Pandel has become known for some of Chicago’s most beloved neighborhood restaurants. Located in the Bucktown neighborhood, The Bristol featured handmade pastas and charcuterie, farm-fresh and locally sourced produce, and a nose-to-tail approach to cooking.
In 2012, Pandel and Boka Restaurant Group opened Balena, an ode to Italian-inspired simplicity in Lincoln Park. With a menu of handmade pasta, wood-fired pizza, and local farm-fresh meats and produce, Balena was a James Beard semi-finalist for "Best New Restaurant" in 2013 and was listed as one of the 50 "Best New Restaurants in America" by Bon Appetit.
Following his love of Italian-inspired food and hospitality, Pandel opened Formento's in 2015, an Italian-American heritage restaurant with warm hospitality and polished service.