Rendang Republic

Restaurant · Chicago, IL, United States

About Rendang Republic

John Avila spent years cooking in some of Chicago's most demanding kitchens, including stints at Alinea, the Four Seasons, and Gibsons Italia, before turning his attention back to a cuisine he had been cooking on and off for over a decade under the name Minahasa, first as an occasional pop-up and later as a stall inside Revival Food Hall in the Loop. In 2025 he partnered with Syatrizal Hamdallah, an Indonesia native, Northwestern University graduate, and co-founder of Alinea Bali Villas, to open a permanent restaurant of their own. The result, Rendang Republic, opened its doors on April 5, 2025 at 3355 North Clark Street in Wrigleyville, and quickly earned recognition as one of the few dedicated Indonesian restaurants in the city.

The menu centers on rendang, the slow-braised coconut and spice dish that gives the restaurant its name, served in a build-your-own format that lets diners choose a base, a protein, and toppings rather than working from a fixed set of combinations. Coverage from the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Magazine has highlighted the restaurant's approach of blending Indonesian technique with Chicago sensibilities, including a rendang sandwich that adapts the braise into a handheld format. Block Club Chicago and WTTW both covered the opening, framing it as the return of Indonesian food to a city that had gone without a dedicated restaurant for the cuisine for some time.

Rendang Republic holds Zabiha Halal certification, and the restaurant was named a 2026 Jean Banchet Award nominee, an annual honor recognizing Chicago-area chefs and hospitality professionals, a notable distinction for a restaurant not yet two years old. The space operates as a fast-casual counter rather than a full-service dining room, reflecting Avila's background running Minahasa as a food hall stall before scaling up to a standalone location.

The restaurant is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM and closed Monday and Tuesday. It can be reached by phone at (312) 773-8383, and further details, including the current menu, are available on its own website, rendangrepublic.com. Rendang Republic fills a real gap in the directory, since Chicago had no Indonesian restaurant listing prior to this entry despite being one of the largest cities in the United States.

Address

3355 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60657, Chicago, IL, United States

Opening hours

Monday Tuesday
Closed
Wednesday Sunday
11:00 AM - 9:00 PM

Contact

Category

Indonesian Restaurant in United States

More Indonesian Restaurant in United States