Richard Sandoval’s New Mag Mile Restaurant Dives Into Peru’s Nikkei Cuisine

Four years after COVID lockdowns shuttered Richard Sandoval Hospitality’s massive food hall Latinicity, the celebrity chef is returning to Chicago and opening a new cocktail lounge within the InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile.

Casa Chi focuses on the fusion of Japanese and Peruvian flavors known as Nikkei. Riesler Morales, who serves as head of mixology for Sandoval’s empire of more than 60 restaurants and bars spread across four continents, developed a menu that includes a gibson made with coconut-fat washed mezcal and lactofermented cucumber, and green tea-infused pisco blended with passionfruit, lychee, and kumquat. Casa Chi also offers 142 varieties of mezcal and tequila plus a selection of sake and Japanese beers.