For one Sunday afternoon, the most famous beef stand on television hands its counter to a Michelin-starred chef from London. Santiago Lastra of KOL and actor Will Poulter, who played the Copenhagen pastry chef Luca on FX’s The Bear, take over Mr. Beef at 666 N. Orleans St. in River North on Sunday, October 25, 2026, from 1 p.m. until the food runs out.
They are cooking a Mexican-inspired Italian beef built on sliced beef tongue, and Logan Square’s Pretty Cool Ice Cream is making an ice cream sandwich just for the day. Mr. Beef owner Chris Zucchero and Courtney Storer, co-executive and culinary producer of The Bear, join them on the line. There are no reservations: the pop-up is walk-in only, first come, first served, with limited stock.
A Mexican Italian beef, built on tongue and chorizo
The classic at Mr. Beef is thin-sliced beef soaked in jus and piled into Italian bread, with sweet peppers or hot giardiniera on top. Lastra’s sandwich keeps the bread, the drip and the attitude, and fills it with Mexican flavors. Tender cooked beef tongue, the lengua of taqueria counters all over Chicago, gets layered with caramelized mozzarella, pickled jalapeños, sliced avocado, refried beans and chopped Mexican chorizo.
Expect richness from the tongue and the browned cheese, a bright, spicy bite from the jalapeños, and the cool give of avocado against the spiced crumble of chorizo. It is a one-day recipe, so the only place to taste it is the Orleans Street counter on October 25. Prices for the sandwich and the dessert have not been announced.
Dessert from Pretty Cool Ice Cream
Pretty Cool Ice Cream, pastry chef Dana Salls Cree’s shop at 2353 N. California Ave. in Logan Square, makes the kind of hand-dipped bars, pops and ice cream sandwiches you once chased down the ice cream truck for, each in a wrapper designed by a local artist. For the pop-up, the team created an exclusive ice cream sandwich inspired by Lastra’s debut cookbook, Mexican Soul. Save room: it is the only sweet thing on the menu.
Who is behind the counter on October 25
Lastra was born in Mexico City and raised just south of Cuernavaca. He cooked at Mugaritz in San Sebastián and at Noma in Copenhagen, where René Redzepi asked him to help lead the restaurant’s famous pop-up in Tulum. In October 2020 he opened KOL in Marylebone, London, cooking Mexican food with British ingredients: sea buckthorn brings the sourness lime would, and only corn for the tortillas, chocolate and native chiles come from Mexico. KOL has held one Michelin star since 2022, placed No. 17 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2024 and No. 49 in 2025. In 2024 he added Fonda, a casual taco and tequila spot on Heddon Street.
Mexican Soul, his first book, carries that idea home with more than 80 recipes, from pistachio guacamole to tortillas made with mashed potato. The Chicago stop is one of several collaborative pop-ups Lastra is hosting across the United States through October and November to celebrate the book.
Poulter arrived in The Bear in “Honeydew,” the season two episode in which his character, Luca, teaches Marcus pastry in Copenhagen. The role earned him a nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series at the 2024 Emmy Awards. Courtney Storer has shaped the food on the show since its first season, and Zucchero has spent most of his life behind this counter.
Mr. Beef, the stand behind The Bear
Mr. Beef has been feeding River North since 1963, when Carl Bonavolanto and Tony Ozzauto opened the stand using recipes from Ozzauto’s mother, Mary. Joe Zucchero and his brother Dominic took it over in 1979, the year on the sign out front, and Joe ran it for more than four decades. Joe died in March 2023, and his son Chris runs it today.
Chris Zucchero grew up with Christopher Storer, the creator of The Bear, and the show’s fictional Original Beef of Chicagoland is modeled on this room. FX shot scenes inside and outside the stand and built a replica of its kitchen at Cinespace on the West Side, down to the counters and equipment. The real one is small, loud and fast, with photos of famous visitors on the walls and a line of regulars who know their order before they reach the window.
On a normal week Mr. Beef serves Monday through Saturday until 4 p.m. and is closed on Sundays, so the pop-up opens the stand on a day it usually stays dark.
How to get a sandwich: arrive early
Line up before 1 p.m. on Sunday, October 25. The pop-up is walk-in only, first come, first served, and runs until the food sells out, with limited stock and a line expected.
Mr. Beef sits on Orleans Street just north of Erie Street, about a five-minute walk from the Chicago stop on the Brown Line. Street parking in River North is tight on a Sunday afternoon, so transit or a rideshare drop at the door is the easy move.
Make it a Lastra weekend: Saturday night at Tzuco
Lastra cooks in River North the night before, too. On Saturday, October 24, 2026, Tzuco, Carlos Gaytán’s Mexican restaurant at 720 N. State St., hosts Two Stars, One Table, a collaborative dinner with Lastra. Gaytán, who earned a Michelin star at Mexique in the 2013 Michelin Guide Chicago, was the first Mexican-born chef to hold one, and he opened Tzuco in September 2019.
The dining room menu is four courses for $120 per person, with a welcome drink and a copy of Mexican Soul. Lastra opens with a tuna belly tostada with pink mole, sesame salsa macha, dried figs and tarragon. Gaytán follows with a butternut squash tamal with maitake mushrooms, mole oaxaqueño and umeboshi sesame seeds, then a dry-aged New York strip with pinto bean and foie gras purée, a morita and Port glaze and roasted leeks. Lastra closes with roasted plantain, coconut ice cream, piloncillo syrup and candied popcorn.
For a closer seat, Tales, Tzuco’s private dining room, hosts 16 guests from 8 to 10 p.m. at $250 per person: six courses cooked in front of you, two dishes created only for that room, a tequila tasting from Reserva de la Familia and time with Lastra himself. Reservations for both are on SevenRooms, and the open tables run late, around 9 p.m.
If you want the whole weekend in kitchens, the Celebrity Chef Ball fills The Geraghty with more than 50 Chicago chefs on Friday, October 23, and our guide to things to do in Chicago this weekend covers the rest of the city through Sunday. For another take on Mexican fine dining in town, chef Adair Canacasco’s tasting menu at Esmero runs in the old Charlie Trotter’s through November 22.
Plan your Sunday at Mr. Beef
- What: a one-day pop-up with Santiago Lastra of KOL in London and Will Poulter of The Bear, joined by Chris Zucchero and Courtney Storer
- When: Sunday, October 25, 2026, from 1 p.m. until the food sells out
- Where: Mr. Beef, 666 N. Orleans St., Chicago, IL 60654 (River North)
- On the menu: a Mexican-inspired Italian beef with beef tongue, caramelized mozzarella, pickled jalapeños, avocado, refried beans and chorizo, plus an exclusive Pretty Cool Ice Cream sandwich
- Reservations: none; walk-in only, first come, first served, limited stock
- Getting there: about a five-minute walk from the Chicago Brown Line stop
- Usual hours: Monday through Saturday until 4 p.m., closed Sundays; (312) 337-8500
Mr. Beef Chicago FAQ
When is the Santiago Lastra pop-up at Mr. Beef Chicago?
The Santiago Lastra pop-up at Mr. Beef Chicago is on Sunday, October 25, 2026, starting at 1 p.m. and running until the food sells out. It takes place at the original stand, 666 N. Orleans St. in River North, which is normally closed on Sundays.
What is on the menu at the Mr. Beef Chicago pop-up?
The Mr. Beef Chicago pop-up serves Santiago Lastra’s Mexican-inspired Italian beef: sliced beef tongue with caramelized mozzarella, pickled jalapeños, sliced avocado, refried beans and chopped Mexican chorizo. Pretty Cool Ice Cream adds an exclusive ice cream sandwich inspired by Lastra’s cookbook, Mexican Soul. Prices have not been announced.
Do I need a reservation for the Mr. Beef Chicago pop-up?
No. The October 25, 2026 pop-up at Mr. Beef Chicago is walk-in only, first come, first served, and there are no reservations. Stock is limited and a line is expected, so plan to arrive before the 1 p.m. start at 666 N. Orleans St.
Is Will Poulter from The Bear cooking at Mr. Beef Chicago?
Yes. Will Poulter, who played pastry chef Luca on The Bear, teams up with chef Santiago Lastra of KOL in London for the Mr. Beef Chicago pop-up on Sunday, October 25, 2026. Mr. Beef owner Chris Zucchero and Courtney Storer, co-executive and culinary producer of The Bear, join them.
Where else can I eat Santiago Lastra’s food in Chicago?
Santiago Lastra cooks a one-night dinner with Carlos Gaytán at Tzuco, 720 N. State St. in River North, on Saturday, October 24, 2026. The four-course dining room menu is $120 per person with a copy of Mexican Soul, and the 16-seat Tales room is $250. Reservations are on SevenRooms.
What are Mr. Beef Chicago’s normal hours?
Mr. Beef Chicago, at 666 N. Orleans St. in River North, normally serves Monday through Saturday until 4 p.m. and is closed on Sundays. The Sunday, October 25, 2026 pop-up with Santiago Lastra and Will Poulter is a one-day exception. The phone number is (312) 337-8500.
Further reading
- Mr. Beef on Instagram (@mr.beefchicago)
- Secret Chicago: Chef Santiago Lastra and The Bear’s Will Poulter team up with Mr. Beef
- Average Socialite: Chef Santiago Lastra x The Bear pop-up, Chicago
- Santiago Lastra on Instagram (@santiagolas)
- KOL, London
- The World’s 50 Best Restaurants: KOL
- MICHELIN Guide: KOL
- Pretty Cool Ice Cream
- Tzuco on SevenRooms: Two Stars, One Table, October 24, 2026
- Tzuco
- Television Academy: Will Poulter
- Eater Chicago: The history of Mr. Beef
- NPR: The Bear puts a spotlight on Chicago’s Italian beef
Published by ChiVibe. See our editorial standards and contact us about corrections or collaboration.
