After seven years along Randolph Restaurant Row, Proxi is reinventing itself with a focus on coastal Asian cuisine. That means more of an emphasis on seafood while incorporating flavors from Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, and Korea. A refreshed menu officially launches on Wednesday, April 16.

Proxi chef Andrew Zimmerman and chef de cuisine Jennifer Kim have been phasing changes in over the last few months while retaining dishes, like wagyu beef cheeks with Panang curry, that already fit in the restaurant’s new direction: “We’re not closing, we’re not tearing the room apart,” Zimmerman says.

When Proxi opened in the summer of 2017, Zimmerman and owner Emmanuel Nony unveiled their new restaurant with a menu inspired by their international travels and served inside a boisterous dining room. Ann underrated cocktail program serving sophisticated beverages without pretension, complemented the food. Zimmerman says he wanted to distinguish Proxi from Sepia, which opened in 2007. Sepia and other Michelin Star winners often key on plating by deploying sauce dots and tweezers. Proxi differed: “When we opened, I wanted Proxi to be big flavors, wood fire, small plates, and casual,” Zimmerman says. “I was almost anti-presentation to a degree.”

The formula proved successful for three years until the pandemic rocked the restaurant world with lockdowns and changing consumer habits. Sepia could rely on private events and tasting menus, but Proxi woke up trying to adapt to a new environment. Late-night dining had evaporated, and so had happy hour business, once vibrant due to commuters on their ways to nearby Ogilvie Transportation Center. This was on top of increased restaurant competition in the West Loop and Fulton Market.

Steaks will play a bigger part of Proxi’s menu. Proxi

Proxi’s kitchen still produced stunningly unique and tasty food like a roasted lobster biryani, drawing on South Asian flavors. But Proxi wasn’t an Indian restaurant with a menu with dishes like tempura elotes dotted with Taijin. The restaurant suffered from an identity crisis, leaving discerning would-be diners confused. Over the last few months, Proxi has found a new beat, much of it thanks to Kim’s increased influence.

“If we’re saying that we’re always pushing toward learning and growing and, you know — evolving all together,” Kim says. “Sometimes we have to leave some of that stuff behind and grow.”

Growing up in a Korean household, Kim ate hwe, and those childhood experiences led them to becoming a wizard with raw and cured fish, a prowess showcased at Snaggletooth, their short-lived and critically acclaimed fish deli in Lakeview. They’ll get a chance to show off that expertise at Proxi with a raw section featuring items like tuna crudo with blood orange ponzu. There’s also a celebratory Vietnamese selection full of raw seafood. Another highlight is an A5 wagyu striploin with black truffle ponzu seared on a 700-degree hot rock. Zimmerman says diners should look for a larger variety of steaks: “We have a charcoal-fired oven, and they make delicious steaks.”

Proxi’s bar program is also getting a revamp, thanks to bartender Sebastian Guerrero. He uses ingredients like Thai banana-infused bourbon and beeswax-washed Goro sweet potato shochu in a new drink lineup. Proxi has also expanded its soju offerings.

Kim joined the team in 2023 after closing their beloved Korean-Italian restaurant, Paserrotto, in 2020. They had taken a sojourn from restaurants, unhappy with the industry as a whole. A return to the kitchen would only happen under ideal conditions, including a more supportive work environment and mentorship. Kim lauds Zimmerman for the compassionate way he manages staff, something that isn’t the norm in the restaurant industry. Chefs can hold workers accountable for mistakes without screaming at them.

“Just seeing other people walking away, actually feeling good about those [uncomfortable] conversations, gives me a lot of motivation,” Kim says.

By amplifying Proxi’s focus, Kim hopes the restaurant can better engage with customers, showcasing ingredients and the food’s historical importance. Away from restaurants, Kim has spent time setting up workshops through mutual-aid organizations, trying to find alternatives to traditional restaurant models. They were part of a workshop, held in conjunction with worker advocacy group CHAAD, earlier in the month at Jason Hammel’s LOULOU in Logan Square.

The changes on coastal Asia won’t limit Proxi. For example, the new menu also sports flavors from China, thanks to a beef porterhouse served with Sichuan peppercorns. The restaurant’s spirit of cooking delicious food remains intact: “We’ve always had a philosophy of trying to make our food better than a ‘kick in the pants,’” Zimmerman says with a laugh.

Sign up for the newsletter Eater Chicago Sign up for our newsletter. Proxi