Just past the marble lobby in the Old Post Office’s polished interior is the hustling and bustling From Here On Food Hall & Market. Throughout the morning, the food hall slowly fills with the hum of patrons, restaurateurs and music and reaches peak hours at lunchtime, when patrons congregate to enjoy barbecue, burritos, salads and other food that From Here On’s diverse selection of local restaurants offers. 

After lying dormant for decades, Chicago’s Old Post Office has been renovated to include office spaces, a penthouse and the From Here On Food Hall & Market, which opened in 2022.

 The food hall is just one of many renovation projects in the West Loop location. Completed in 1921, the Old Post Office was once a bustling hub built to accommodate mail-order giants Montgomery Ward and Sears, but it had remained unused since 1997. 

In 2019, the building finally opened to tenants after undergoing a massive $900 million reconstruction. Over time, the space has evolved to include various new features, such as a conference center, a lounge and the From Here On Food Hall & Market.

 The food hall’s construction was a project of 16” On Center, a hospitality collective which has been responsible for concepts such as the entertainment venues Thalia Hall in Pilsen and The Promontory in Hyde Park.

 The food hall is constantly changing as different local businesses are chosen to occupy its spaces. Currently, the food market has 11 restaurants, which range from bars to cafés to delis.

 “There has been some turnover in the last few years,” said Jennifer Bear, who works in PepsiCo’s workspace in the Old Post Office and has visited the food hall since its opening.

 One of the food hall’s latest additions is Laimoon, a Mediterranean restaurant that opened in January.

 Before moving into From Here On, Laimoon had catered and done small pop-ups in bars, breweries and farmers markets, and the Chicago Reader’s “Foodball.” The Foodball, which spotlights one Chicago-based restaurant every Monday night, was how the manager at the time discovered Laimoon.

 “They reached out to us and it kind of just made sense for us,” said Jasmin Spilotro, a co-owner of Laimoon. After touring the space, Spilotro and her business partner decided to give it a chance.

 The food hall has developed a fast-casual culture, one with which businesses have to work hard to keep up. At Laimoon, the relatively consistent environment of a food hall required more diverse options to maintain consumer interest.

 “It’s a completely different concept … especially mid-week, it’s pretty fast-paced, and I think that was an adjustment for us,” Spilotro said. “Just making sure that our team works well together … it’s definitely been an adjustment.” 

Laimoon, she added, has adapted by introducing new options to the menu, such as customized bowls.

 “This is more about creating things that people want to eat for lunch and trying to also keep it fresh and light, healthy so it’s something people want to eat,” Spilotro said.

 Despite the exacting environment, business owners and employees alike say they enjoy the community atmosphere at From Here On.

 “I get to meet so many people, and I get to just hear so many different viewpoints,” said Aaron Graulich, who manages the From Here On café. “When you work at a restaurant … you just go and get your food and leave. Here, I can have genuine interactions with a lot of different people.”

 Jamal Whitten, who works at Indian restaurant Saffron Street, said that he enjoys the cordial environment in the food hall. 

“It’s real cool, relaxed. … Everybody’s kind of social,” Whitten said. “Even though we may work different restaurants, everybody talks, we all socialize with each other.”

 After just a few weeks, Spilotro has also noticed the “community feel.”

“We see a lot of the same repeat customers here already, which is really nice,” Spilotro said. “I’m hoping we can learn customers’ names, things like that.”

 The food hall’s patrons feel similarly about the environment at From Here On. 

 “It’s relaxed, it’s casual, it’s fun …,” said Bear, who brings her clients to dine there. “It’s not super stuffy in here, so it makes for good work meetings that are productive but also casual in nature.”

 The food hall is also a common lunch spot for people who work in the Old Post Office’s workspaces. Though the food hall gets busiest around lunchtime, events like Trivia Night and drink pop-ups help keep the space busy.

“(It’s) hustling and bustling and happy,” Bear said.

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