Just a few weeks after we published a piece about the 23 local businesses that Chicagoans wish they could bring back from the dead, Boka Restaurant Group reached out to reveal its intentions of running a Balena pop-up—one of the very eateries mentioned in the story—from January 19, 2025 through January 26, 2025 at the Wellsley (504 N. Wells Street). Forgive us for thinking that we might have had something to do with the welcome development (we did not). 

The Italian concept was a fan favorite in Lincoln Park before a 2017 fire that caused extensive damage to the space forced Boka shut down the location.“We’re honored to bring Balena back for this limited-time event,” says Kevin Boehm, co-CEO of Boka Restaurant Group, in an official statement.