Southern Chicago is what happens when two best friends bet on themselves โ and win. Co-founders Executive Chef Xavier Vance and entrepreneur Troy Vivrett, both Chicago natives and South Loop residents, turned a former dog spa at 2000 S. Wabash Avenue into one of the most talked-about Black-owned restaurants in the city. The two reconnected during the pandemic when Vance was selling individual meals out of his catering operation and Vivrett couldn’t stop ordering. That spark of trust became the foundation for something much bigger.
The result is a stunning 10,000-square-foot fine dining experience that blends traditional soul food with an upscale steakhouse approach โ think wagyu burgers, tomahawk steaks, seafood towers, braised collards, and baked macaroni, all served beneath chandeliers and beside 30-foot booths flanked by live olive trees. Vance, who grew up on Chicago’s West Side learning Memphis recipes from his great-grandmother, brings deep culinary roots to every plate. Vivrett, raised in Beverly by a family of entrepreneurs, brings the business vision that turned a neighborhood eyesore into a dining destination.
They put more than $400,000 of their own money into the project Chicago Sun-Times and received a $250,000 Chicago Recovery grant to make it happen. Strategically positioned near McCormick Place, Wintrust Arena, and Soldier Field, Southern Chicago is built to be a South Loop institution โ and from the reviews, it’s well on its way.
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