Chicago’s North Side is set for a fresh wave of restaurant activity led by Zaza’s Pizzeria, which will open a Lincoln Park shop at 1521 N. Fremont St. The East Coast–style slice specialist, launched in Lakeview in 2021 by brothers Chadd and Brett Nemec, is renovating the former Pizzeria Bebu space and will replicate its long-fermented, rosemary-garlic brushed crust alongside several location-specific pies. The expansion gives the company four outlets, including two in the suburbs under the Nemec Brothers Pizzeria banner. Honey Butter Fried Chicken co-founders Christine Cikowski and Josh Kulp are introducing Honey Butter Beach Club inside Social Pickleball Fun, a 40,000-square-foot indoor pickleball complex at 2121 N. Clybourn Ave. Scheduled to open in September, the counter-service spot will add seafood-leaning dishes such as a fried shrimp basket and lemon-pepper crab cakes to the chain’s signature honey-butter chicken. The flurry of openings extends beyond those headline acts. Dimmi Dimmi Corner Italian has begun service in the former Tarantino’s space on West Armitage, Ox Bar & Hearth is preparing a hearth-focused Midwestern menu for later this summer on North Clybourn, and Moon Star Kitchen & Bar has debuted across from Second City in Old Town. The projects signal sustained investment in neighborhood dining despite wider sector cost pressures.