TV Restaurants

Who Runs Leña Brava Now? Best Thing I Ever Ate Update (Chicago, IL)

New owners reported

As of September 2026, news.yahoo.com reports Leña Brava changed ownership; reviewed by our team, not yet independently confirmed.

Primary source
news.yahoo.com ·
Secondary source
lenabrava.com

Last verified

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.

Interactive map — loads when you ask for it.

Everything on this map is also in the list below.

© 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.

Featured on Best Thing I Ever Ate

Season / episode
Season 9, Episode 6
Original air date
Not confirmed
Episode title
Mexican Favorites
What was featured
Wood-fired Baja Mexican seafood dishes at Lena Brava
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Leña Brava

Frequently asked questions

Is Leña Brava still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, news.yahoo.com reports Leña Brava changed ownership; reviewed by our team, not yet independently confirmed.

What happened to Leña Brava 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. As of September 2026, news.yahoo.com reports Leña Brava changed ownership; reviewed by our team, not yet independently confirmed.

What is Leña Brava called now?

As of September 2026, news.yahoo.com reports Leña Brava changed ownership; reviewed by our team, not yet independently confirmed.

Where is Leña Brava located?

900 West Randolph Street, Chicago, IL 60607. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Best Thing I Ever Ate featured Leña Brava?

Season 9, Episode 6 of Best Thing I Ever Ate. The episode is titled “Mexican Favorites”.

Who owns Leña Brava now?

As of September 2026, news.yahoo.com reports Leña Brava changed ownership; reviewed by our team, not yet independently confirmed. We name individual owners only where a source we cite names them.

Is Leña Brava still using the Best Thing I Ever Ate menu or branding?

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. Anything newer than our last check on September 7, 2026 may not be reflected here.

Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.

More from Best Thing I Ever Ate

Every Best Thing I Ever Ate restaurant we track

Other TV restaurants in Illinois

All Illinois locations

Nearest tracked restaurants

Visit info

Address
900 West Randolph Street, Chicago, IL 60607
Venue type
restaurant
Official website
lenabrava.com

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

See something wrong?

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.

See something wrong? Tell us →

Share this page

Record btiea-0659 · last verified .