Beginning on Monday, October. 5,Susu will launch its Daytime Service and Bakery, serving breakfast, pastries and coffee from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
“The West Loop has an incredible dining scene, but we saw an opportunity to bring something new to Randolph Street earlier in the day,” says Owner Paul Alqas. “Daytime service gives us the chance to create a completely different experience while still feeling true to what Susu is.”
For a stretch of the West Loop known for its lunch and dinner scene, Susu is setting its sights on the morning crowd with a menu from Executive Chef/Partner Alexander Willis that combines French technique, Middle Eastern flavors and a bit of Midwestern nostalgia.
The centerpiece is Willis’ Wagyu sujuk breakfast sandwich, made with housemade Wagyu beef sujuk sausage, French scrambled eggs, American cheese, red shatta aioli and green chermoula on a hand-rolled sourdough pita made fresh daily. Willis describes the bread as “Wonder Bread meets pita,” a nod to his Midwestern upbringing and Lebanese heritage. Willis specifically chose sujuk for the sausage because its fenugreek lends a naturally maple-like aroma that works with traditional breakfast flavors.
“I wanted it to feel like a breakfast sandwich first, with things I love like creamy eggs and American cheese and then build on that with the flavors I grew up with,” said Willis. “It’s familiar, but there’s a lot more happening once you bite into it.”
For vegetarians, a falafel hash brown sandwich is in the works.
On the bakery side, a selection of six to eight pastries that will rotate regularly.
The opening menu includes a Baklava Bear Claw filled with pistachio praline and finished with orange-spiced honey; a savory Shakshuka Danish filled with spiced tomato sauce, jammy egg, kalamata olives and French feta; an Everything Ka’ak, Lebanese bread similar to a bagel; Croissants; Kouign-amann; and other rotating sweet and savory pastries. A Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookie will serve as one of the bakery’s recurring staples.
“I’ve always wanted to take French pastry techniques and combine them with flavors that are personal to me,” says Willis. “The daytime menu gives us another creative outlet to do that in a really approachable way.”
A full beverage program will feature Sparrow Coffee, traditional espresso drinks, flavored lattes, an espresso tonic, a blue matcha latte and rotating specialty beverages.
The daytime concept has been in development for nearly two years. The team initially considered operating bakery pop-ups through Susu’s rear alley before deciding to open the restaurant itself to daytime guests.
The six-day schedule is equally intentional, with the goal of becoming a consistent morning destination for West Loop workers, residents and weekend visitors.
What's Happening
Beginning on Monday, October. 5, Susu will launch its Daytime Service and Bakery, serving breakfast, pastries and coffee from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
“The West Loop has an incredible dining scene, but we saw an opportunity to bring something new to Randolph Street earlier in the day,” says Owner Paul Alqas. “Daytime service gives us the chance to create a completely different experience while still feeling true to what Susu is.”
For a stretch of the West Loop known for its lunch and dinner scene, Susu is setting its sights on the morning crowd with a menu from Executive Chef/Partner Alexander Willis that combines French technique, Middle Eastern flavors and a bit of Midwestern nostalgia.
The centerpiece is Willis’ Wagyu sujuk breakfast sandwich, made with housemade Wagyu beef sujuk sausage, French scrambled eggs, American cheese, red shatta aioli and green chermoula on a hand-rolled sourdough pita made fresh daily. Willis describes the bread as “Wonder Bread meets pita,” a nod to his Midwestern upbringing and Lebanese heritage. Willis specifically chose sujuk for the sausage because its fenugreek lends a naturally maple-like aroma that works with traditional breakfast flavors.
“I wanted it to feel like a breakfast sandwich first, with things I love like creamy eggs and American cheese and then build on that with the flavors I grew up with,” said Willis. “It’s familiar, but there’s a lot more happening once you bite into it.”
For vegetarians, a falafel hash brown sandwich is in the works.
On the bakery side, a selection of six to eight pastries that will rotate regularly.
The opening menu includes a Baklava Bear Claw filled with pistachio praline and finished with orange-spiced honey; a savory Shakshuka Danish filled with spiced tomato sauce, jammy egg, kalamata olives and French feta; an Everything Ka’ak, Lebanese bread similar to a bagel; Croissants; Kouign-amann; and other rotating sweet and savory pastries. A Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookie will serve as one of the bakery’s recurring staples.
“I’ve always wanted to take French pastry techniques and combine them with flavors that are personal to me,” says Willis. “The daytime menu gives us another creative outlet to do that in a really approachable way.”
A full beverage program will feature Sparrow Coffee, traditional espresso drinks, flavored lattes, an espresso tonic, a blue matcha latte and rotating specialty beverages.
The daytime concept has been in development for nearly two years. The team initially considered operating bakery pop-ups through Susu’s rear alley before deciding to open the restaurant itself to daytime guests.
The six-day schedule is equally intentional, with the goal of becoming a consistent morning destination for West Loop workers, residents and weekend visitors.
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Location
652 W. Randolph Street, Chicago, IL
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