Who Runs Leña Brava Now? Best Thing I Ever Ate Update (Chicago, IL)
Best Thing I Ever Ate, Season 9 Chicago, Illinois
Current status
As of October 2026, news.yahoo.com reports Leña Brava changed ownership; reviewed by our team, not yet independently confirmed.
What the source shows: A Chicago Tribune article distributed via Yahoo News in 2020 reported that chef Rick Bayless stepped away from Lena Brava and co-owner Manny Valdes took full ownership, with Valdes saying he had no plans to close the restaurant; the restaurant's own site, lenabrava.com, remains live under the Lena Brava name and wood-fired Baja menu concept. How we decide a status →
- Episode Season 9, Episode 6
- Address 900 West Randolph Street, Chicago, IL 60607
- Website lenabrava.com
- Show map
© OpenStreetMap contributors © CARTO
What happened after Best Thing I Ever Ate?
The Best Thing I Ever Ate episode 'Mexican Favorites' (S9E6) featured Lena Brava's wood-fired, Baja California-style seafood cooking at the West Loop restaurant on Randolph Street. Lena Brava opened as a collaboration between chef Rick Bayless and restaurateur Manny Valdes, sharing a building with the taqueria-brewery Cruz Blanca at 900 W Randolph St. According to a Chicago Tribune report distributed via Yahoo News in 2020, Bayless stepped away from both restaurants and Valdes took full ownership, with Valdes saying the restaurants had 'no plans to close.' The restaurant's website, lenabrava.com, continued to operate under the Lena Brava name and wood-fired Baja menu concept, distinct from the now-broken rickbayless.com subpage that previously listed the restaurant under Bayless's own site.
The episode
Also in Season 9
Season 9: 57 of 85 still open · 6 renamed, moved or under new owners
- Open
-
Ep 5Delia's Kitchen
Closed -
Ep 6Aqui Es Texcoco
Open -
Ep 6Cantina Leña
Closed -
Ep 6Cosecha Cocina
Closed -
Ep 6Gallo Blanco
Relocated - Closed
-
Ep 6Suerte
Open
Nearest restaurants
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Best Thing I Ever Ate
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Best Thing I Ever Ate
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El Che Bar (El Che Steakhouse & Bar)
Food Paradise
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Best Thing I Ever Ate
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Best Thing I Ever Ate
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Best Thing I Ever Ate · Food Paradise
Relocated
Before you go: Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.
Sources we checked
- news.yahoo.com https://news.yahoo.com/rick-bayless-leaving-acclaimed-chicago-214800871.html
- lenabrava.com https://www.lenabrava.com/
We work hard to keep every status accurate and dated, but restaurants change fast and our sources aren't perfect. If something here is wrong — a status, a name, an address, anything — tell us what you're seeing and where you saw it, and we'll check it.
Record btiea-0659 · checked by Cal Marchetti.