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Read the press release here.

Inside Rick Bayless' Cruz Blanca, Opening Thursday On Randolph

 Chef Rick Bayless' new West Loop brewery and taquería Cruz Blanca Cervecería will open on Cinco de Mayo.
Chef Rick Bayless' new West Loop brewery and taquería Cruz Blanca Cervecería will open on Cinco de Mayo.
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Galdones Photography

WEST LOOP — It's almost taco time. 

Chef Rick Bayless' two neighboring Randolph Street concepts — craft brewery and taquería Cruz Blanca Cervecería, and Baja-inspired seafood restaurant Leña Brava — will open on Thursday, just in time for Cinco de Mayo. 

Cruz Blanca, at 904 W. Randolph St., will not take reservations, as the taco and beer counters are both walk-up, but Leña Brava is now taking reservations online.

Inspired by Emil Dercher, the brewer who left France and made his way to Mexico City, where he sold beers under the Cruz Blanca label, the new Cruz Blanca will feature European craft beers with a Mexican touch.  

The brewery's walk-up taquería — featuring "DIY" tacos — is modeled after taquerías in Oaxaca’s taco corridor, where meats are grilled over a wood-fire and served with handmade tortillas and fresh salsas.

Peek inside the new spots below. 

Chef Rick Bayless' new West Loop brewery and taquería Cruz Blanca Cervecería will open on Cinco de Mayo. [Galdones Photography]

Upstairs at Cruz Blanca, 900 W. Randolph St. [Galdones Photography]

Cruz Blanca's sister seafood restaurant, Leña Brava. [Galdones Photography]  

Tacos at Chef Rick Bayless' new West Loop taquería and brewery, Cruz Blanca. [Galdones Photography]

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