Everything You Need to Know About Void, Serving Old School Italian American Charm in Avondale
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When a restaurant opens — or has even been around for some time — it feels natural to want to turn on the charm, the flash, the flair. Some spots, however, choose to fly more under the radar and let word of mouth work in their favor.
Such is the case with Void.
The team — all-around front-of-house guy Pat Ray and co-chefs Dani Kaplan and Tyler Hudec — wanted to keep things low-key when they opened the restaurant in August of 2024 in the former Moe’s Tavern space in Avondale. According to Ray, the name itself signifies the absence of preconceived notions. “We’re not trying to give away too much,” he said. “Same with how the front of the building is unassuming. We want people to come in and make their own impressions.”
Those impressions start as soon as you walk in the door. From the vintage decor to modern twists on familiar fare, Void doesn’t need flash to draw you in. They do, however, want you to get comfy in a space that feels as if it’s been around awhile — it’s old school, Italian American meets dive bar charm.
The three owners have collectively worked at some of Chicago’s best restaurants and bars over the past 15 or so years. We’re talking Violet Hour, Boka, Sepia, Lula Cafe, Analogue, Wyler Road, The Winchester, Lost Lake, and more. They’ve taken all of those experiences and put them together at Void — the foundation is strong.
Here’s everything you need to know before you visit.
The space is immediately transportive.
Void is set on a cool stretch of Milwaukee Avenue with Mother’s Ruin next door, Loaf Lounge across the street, and Deep Red Wine Merchant a block south. Stepping in, you’re greeted with red leather booths in a lounge area, high-backed banquettes with comfy cushions, and a 20-seat butcher block-topped bar adorned with wax-dripped Chianti bottles and faux-Tiffany lights reminiscent of 1970s Italian joints.
Then you notice the vintage art — a lot of it. The team scoured resale shops, flea markets, and estate sales to collect a range of chic and quirky pieces. Initially, Kaplan said, they sought out choice pieces to fill the walls (Chicken in a Basket and Girl With Cherries are team faves). They then quickly realized just how much wall space needed covering, and procured even more pieces to fill in gaps. These all found spots around the crown jewel: a 15-foot painting of The Last Supper. Pretty old school.
Familiar Italian American fare gets a modern spin.
Start your meal with housemade focaccia that goes through an 18-hour ferment and gets served with garlic honey butter. Eat that alongside either a classic wedge with cherry tomatoes, cucumber, pepperoncini, carrots, and a creamy garlic dressing, or the rotating seasonal salad (recently a summery broccoli salad with golden raisins and crispy pancetta).
Next come the larger dishes. Inspired by family Chinese dinners in the Chicago suburbs, Kaplan marries shrimp toast and scampi by placing head-on lemon-garlic prawns atop caramelized shrimp-pasted Texas Toast-style bread. Then there’s the fried chicken marsala. Inspired by Korean fried chicken, this dish consists of lightly breaded, double-fried chicken served with maitake mushrooms, marsala, and “valle nascosta” sauce, which translates to Hidden Valley. As in Ranch. And yes, it’s delicious when you dredge your chicken through it.
Whatever you do, order the now-famous Spaghetti Uh-O’s, a true nostalgia play. Served tableside in a custom can designed by Kaplan’s sister, the dish combines anelli (an O-shaped Sicilian pasta) with a rich and tangy tomato vodka sauce and a healthy amount of handmade mini meatballs (the team makes thousands of these ground chuck, pork shoulder, and pancetta meatballs weekly).
You’ll also find a layered eggplant parm; a take on sweet Italian sausage and peppers; pan-roasted branzino with asparagus, chicory, green beans, and anchovy aioli; and a few more dishes on this very focused menu, which changes every few months. Check the website for the latest.
Malört? How about No-Lört?
The bar team often tinkers and creates new cocktails to rotate onto the list, which is split in two sections. First, the “Familiar” has takes on classic cocktails like the Negroni Tre (gin, strawberry amaro, aperol, and blanc vermouth), the Black Manhattan (rye whiskey, amaro, and bitters), and the Oaxacan Old Fashioned (Vago mezcal, Arette reposado tequila, agave, and bitters).
Or opt for something off the “Unfamiliar” section. The Giardtini, served in a vintage etched Nick & Nora glass, is a play on a dirty martini combining vodka with olive leaf gin, Lustau vermut blanco, and an olive brine infused with giardiniera ingredients, giving the savory drink a slight spicy kick. You’ll also find the clarified Spumoni Milk Punch (bourbon, rum, Apologue Aronia, cacao, lemon, and pistachio foam) and the Tijuana Zebra (tequila, pisco, Aperol, guava, and lime).
The team accidentally stumbled into the recipe for a non-alcoholic version of Malört, Chicago’s infamously nasty wormwood-based spirit, while making a wormwood tincture. “It seemed like a good idea at the time,” laughs Ray of the drink, which has since become a staple of the beverage program. “We removed Malört’s only redeeming feature,” Ray jokes. “If we were trying to make something worse than Malört, we succeeded.” There are a handful of other NA cocktails, beers, and THC-based drinks from nearby Hopewell Brewing. They also sell bottles of the No-Lört so you can, ahem, enjoy it at home, too.
Italian wine … and more.
The mostly Italian list features a smartly curated selection of wines from well-known producers from throughout the country. You’ll find a sparkling Medici Lambrusco from Emilia-Romagna alongside a Sorgente prosecco from Friuli. For whites, you’ll find Soave from Pieropan, Carricante (Etna Bianco) from Tornatore, and Pinot Grigio from Elena Walch. For reds, you’ve got an Occhipinti Frappato from Sicily, Castello di Volpaia Chianti Classico, and G.D. Vajra Nebbiolo from Piemonte — and their rosé, too. And while the list skews Italian, Ray also snuck in a few wines from Oregon, Washington, and Michigan (yes, there’s great wine in Michigan) to round out the list for those whose taste leans New World.
Reserve a table … or the bar.
Void opens their reservations 30 days out and if you’re looking for a peak time on the weekend, plan ahead as those book up quickly. Weeknights are more flexible, even if you want to drop in.
And while many restaurants keep their bar seats open for walk-ins, Void saves 13 of the 20 bar spots for reservations. You can get the full menu there, or simply grab a cocktail, beer, or glass of wine with some meats, cheeses, and that light-yet-doughy focaccia. They also recently opened their patio seating out front along Milwaukee. Watch for the restaurant to install the original Old Style sign once they get it refurbished — another old-school touch in a refreshingly modern destination.
Ari Bendersky, a lifestyle journalist specializing in food, wine, spirits, and travel, is the author of Something Glorious with Ari Bendersky on Substack and the host of the docu-series Family Meal. Follow him on Instagram. Follow Resy, too.
