Stephen Sandoval’s acclaimed popup finally lands permanent location in West Town

Stephen Sandoval’s cooking finally has an official home.

As you may remember, Sueños started as a pop-up in Soho House last year, where it was only supposed to operate for six months. But the project did so well, and received such high praise, that it kept extending its stay. A month ago, we found out that it would continue until May, meaning it will soon mark its one-year anniversary.

But Sandoval always knew he wanted to find a permanent location, and now he has one at 1235 W. Grand Ave. in West Town. He hopes the new restaurant will open in the fall.

Actually, there will be two concepts in the same building, Entre Sueños and Diego. The former will delve further into Sandoval’s take on the seafood-focused Mexican cuisine from Baja California. “It will be a bit more elevated than what we had at the pop-up,” Sandoval said. “It will be more in line with our Entre Sueños dinners that we held.” Despite the fact that it will feature an a la carte menu, he’s also hoping to offer a tasting menu option.

If you’re worried about missing the more casual dishes from Sueños, that’s where Diego comes in. “Diego will be where you’ll find the fish tacos and the Diego burrito from the pop-up,” Sandoval said. “You’ll also find things like a chilaquiles torta.” Sandoval compared Diego to Nonna, the small sandwich and pizza shop attached to Formento’s in the West Loop. “You have to utilize the space as much as possible,” Sandoval said. “Plus, we love those traditional flavors.”

Though Sandoval is still working on the layout, the first floor could have up to 75 seats, with an additional 50 on the patio. The second floor will hold a private event space. Sandoval is bringing in Danielle Lewis to design the cocktail menu, and he’s close to securing a pastry chef, but he’s keeping the name a secret for now.

While you’ll have to wait until the fall to see it in person, Sandoval is still operating the Sueños pop-up at Soho House until May. Even though he could coast to the finish line, he’s using the time to test out new menu items. “I’m doing a big menu change soon,” Sandoval said. “We are going to try some new ideas to test what our opening menu is going to look like.”

Entre Sueños and Diego plan to open in the fall at 1235 W. Grand Ave.

nkindelsperger@chicagotribune.com