Bucktown Is Getting a Women-Owned Wine Bar — and These Two Neighbors Are Making It Happen
By Socialhood News · Il/Chicago/Bucktown ·
Bucktown's Milwaukee Avenue corridor is about to get a whole lot more convivial. Friends & Neighbors, a new women-owned wine bar, is officially in the works — and the story behind it is as warm as the concept itself.
Joy Johns and Arin Butzon — a lawyer and a financial services professional who happen to live just a few blocks from their future spot — are transforming the former Red & White space at 1861 N. Milwaukee Ave. into an approachable neighborhood wine destination. The two first bonded over their shared love of champagne and the bar culture that makes this stretch of the North Side so special. When Red & White shuttered last fall, what started as a lighthearted joke between friends quickly turned into a real business plan. Renovations are currently underway, with a target opening around Labor Day. The duo plans to offer wine, cocktails, charcuterie, and snacks, plus a small retail area for taking bottles home — and they're envisioning a space that can host private parties just as easily as a solo glass-and-a-book kind of evening. Crucially, their vision isn't locked into any single wine style: Friends & Neighbors aims to welcome casual sippers and serious aficionados alike, making it one of the most inclusive concepts the neighborhood has seen in a while.
The new bar will sit at the corner of N. Milwaukee and N. Oakley avenues, right across from Bucktown staples Irazu and Silom 12 — making it a natural addition to one of the neighborhood's most beloved dining corridors. Keep an eye on Friends & Neighbors on social media for opening updates, and start thinking about who you'd like to bring for that first glass.
Sources:
1. https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/04/21/friends-neighbors-a-women-owned-wine-bar-eyes-late-summer-opening-in-bucktown/
2. https://whatnow.com/chicago/restaurants/new-friends-and-neighbors-women-owned-wine-bar-to-debut-in-bucktown/