The cannabis compound CBD has been showing up on food and drink menus around Chicago for several months.
If you’re keeping tabs on such CBD-friendly spots, add this one to your list: Wake ’N Bacon, an all-day brunch cafe coming to Lakeview later this summer that will specialize in elaborate cocktails and CBD add-ons.
The new space comes from Chicago hospitality veterans — and wife/husband duo — Sarah and Gabriel Ayala. Gabriel has worked various jobs at restaurants including SafeHouse and Dragonfly, while Sarah actually founded the latter restaurant before selling it and heading back into finance, until now. The pair were partners at Dragonfly.
The couple will open Wake ’N Bacon together, planning to “dip their toe” into the blossoming trend of CBD-infused food and drink.
“We don’t really think it’s a fad. We think it’s going to keep going, especially with legalization in Illinois soon,” Gabriel said. “We think that’s only going to expand people’s minds to different alternatives in food and eating, so we just want to jump on that bandwagon before it’s all built.”[Most read] Second stimulus check updates: President Trump says he can talk GOP into ‘larger’ coronavirus aid package »
At the start, Wake ’N Bacon will offer CBD as an add-on option to any food or drink. The Ayalas plan to use a broad-spectrum, water-soluble solution to infuse beverages, and they’ll be creating house-made CBD-infused oil and butter with which to cook and infuse food items.
The Ayalas said they have not yet decided on a specific CBD product, nor dosage per serving, and are working on finalizing those decisions.
Restaurant and bar news and reviews, recipes and more, delivered weekly.
“I do think (CBD) will pique people’s interest, but we think the food that we want to create, and the drinks we will have, will keep people coming back,” Gabriel said. “We have a multicultural background … so there will be a lot of different flavors showcased.”
The Ayalas declined to share specific menu details, but Gabriel is half Argentine and half El Salvadorian, while Sarah is half Chinese and half Taiwanese, so the cultural and geographical scope of influence is expansive.
Gabriel did say the restaurant plans to go big on its drink menu, which will tout what he calls “peacock drinks” — the elaborate attention-grabbers with garnishes that outsize the beverage.[Most read] Cubs magic number and playoff tracker: They lead the NL Central by 5½ games with 10 remaining »
In the same playful vein, Wake ’N Bacon will also lean in to its, uh, green aesthetic, starting with its address: 420 W. Belmont Ave. The restaurant’s interior will be situated around a massive indoor tree with walls bathed in pink and blue.
The Ayalas do not have an opening date, but they plan to open Wake ’N Bacon in late summer, they said.
“We hope we have a bit of an edge, since no one else in the area is doing (CBD-infused menus) yet,” said Sarah.
