The Barn Steakhouse expanding with second location in Highland Park

Nine years after opening The Barn Steakhouse in Evanston, restaurateur Amy Morton is expanding the brand north to Highland Park, where she was raised.

Work is progressing toward a February opening of what is described as “an intimate refuge in the heart of the North Shore.”

The Barn’s second location will be in the former Little Szechwan restaurant space down a cobblestone downtown alley at 1900 First St.

Planned to accommodate about 80 guests in the main dining room, the new spot will feature exposed brick, weathered barn wood and leather like the original restaurant, but with fresh elements to elicit the nostalgia of old supper clubs.

Family portraits and a “ghost mural” will reference the Morton family’s history spanning four generations of hospitality.

Amy Morton is daughter of celebrated restaurateur Arnie Morton, founder of Morton's The Steakhouse dining powerhouse. Her grandfather ran Morton's restaurant in Chicago and great-grandfather was a bootlegger there in the 1920s, according to a press release on the pending opening.

Past an unmarked door at The Barn Steakhouse Highland Park will be a hidden 25-seat speakeasy-style bar and adjoining private event space known as 1898 that will open in March as a stand-alone concept.

Besides evoking a bygone era, the name alludes to the original address of the space and the year the building was completed.

Amy Morton also operates LeTour in Evanston and has owned and operated several critically acclaimed restaurants in a 30-plus year career.

The Highland Park location is conceived as a “modern meatery” and will feature signature items such as bone-in rib-eye, Za'atar roasted half chicken, and the Grand Central Caviar sandwich, along with seasonal specials and creations under the direction of Culinary Director Russell Kook.

Kook is a Le Cordon Blue graduate and former Iron Chef America Challenger who’s worked at The Florentine, Chicago Cut, Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse and most recently The Bellevue.

Morton in a news release said she's envisioned expanding The Barn Steakhouse for years but only when the timing and space felt right.

“The Barn isn't about copy and paste,” she said. “It's about resonance — a brand that evolves with its neighborhood while always carrying the same heartbeat.”

The Highland Park space has been vacant for some time, city officials say. The new venture received $750,000 for interior and exterior improvements through the Highland Park’s boutique incentive program.

That program was conceptualized in 2023 as a means of attracting “established, highly desirable restaurant groups with a proven track record of success,” according to Amanda Bennett, the city’s communications manager.

Highland Park looks forward to adding a steakhouse to the more than 60 restaurants in town, Bennett added.

More The Barn Steakhouse locations may follow in coming years, according to Morton.