Pratik Handore
‘The Bear‘ is a comedy-drama television series about Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, an award-winning chef who returns to his home in Chicago and takes over his deceased brother’s failing restaurant. While The Original Beef of Chicagoland is the story’s primary focus, the series immerses viewers into the dining culture of Chicago by featuring several real-life restaurants. An entire episode occurs inside the confines of Ever, a restaurant considered the world’s finest. Therefore, viewers must be curious to learn whether the Ever Restuarant in ‘The Bear’ season 2 is a real restaurant. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Ever is an Award-Winning Restaurant
The seventh episode of ‘The Bear’ season 2, titled ‘Forks,’ provides some much-needed growth for Richard “Richie” Jerimovich. The episode sees Carmy sending Richie to work at one of the best restaurants in the world known as Ever, located in Chicago. However, Richie quickly becomes frustrated when he is stuck cleaning forks or the first few days. Later, Richie earns the respect of his new co-workers and is shown the ropes, learning the people from those working in the world’s best restaurant. Given how much the episode hypes up Ever and its iconic status, it is safe to assume it is based on a real restaurant. However, the answer to that is slightly more complicated.
In the episode, the restaurant’s name is visible on the uniforms of several employees as well as on a signboard. The episode was filmed inside the real Ever Restaurant located at 1340 W Fulton Street, Chicago. The restaurant serves as double for the show’s iteration of Ever. It is known for its exquisite eight to ten-course meals and operates from Tuesday to Saturday for dinners only. Michelin-starred Chef Curtis Duffy leads the restaurant’s kitchen staff. Interestingly, Chef Curtis Duffy also prepared almost all of the food featured in the episode. However, unlike its fictional counterpart, the actual Ever Restaurant has only two Michelin stars. In contrast, the show’s version of Ever is stated to have three Michelin stars, justifying its place among the best restaurants in the world.
In one scene, Richie learns the history of the Ever Restaurant. It is stated that the restaurant opened in 2012. However, the real Ever Restaurant did not open until 2020 and is a relatively new addition to Chiacgo’s fine-dining landscape. Furthermore, the show’s version is almost exclusively populated by fictional chefs, including Chef Terry, who guides Richie in the episode and also teaches him the importance of “Every Second Counts.” Moreover, Carmy and Luca (Will Poulter) are also revealed to have worked at the restaurant in the past. Thus, the show features plenty of changes and deviations to Ever Restaurant to consider it a fictional entity. However, the real Ever Restaurant served as the fictional restaurant’s physical location, and viewers eager to get a taste of Chicago’s finest can visit the critically acclaimed spot.
