Israel Idonije’s favorite part of the creative process is planting the seeds. Since his retirement from football in 2014, the former Bears defensive end turned entrepreneur has sown dozens: He has launched nonprofits, scored acting roles on shows like Empire and Chicago Fire, and even published comic books.

In the past two years, though, his attention has been on starting bars and restaurants in the South Loop, where he lives. “It’s the city’s best neighborhood,” he says. “It feels like a little suburb where you can go to Indiana Avenue and you’re in this cove of trees and brownstones or jump on Lake Shore Drive and get to a Cubs game in 15 minutes. And every Sunday, 70,000 people descend, and this whole area gets activated.” Idonije is providing experiences beyond Bears games and Beyoncé concerts; his spots are filling voids and reviving historic spaces.

The first venture in his Pangea Restaurant Group was Signature, a high-end sports bar at 1312 South Wabash Avenue that he opened in 2024 with chef Stephen Gillanders (S.K.Y., Valhalla, and Apolonia). After a year, he rebranded it Signature Steak and tapped chef Fabio Viviani (Siena Tavern). Idonije and Gillanders moved on to a new joint venture: the Staley, a casual sports bar in the former Kroll’s South Loop space at 1736 South Michigan Avenue. It was the kitchen at the original S.K.Y. location in Pilsen (the restaurant has since moved to Lincoln Park) that sold Idonije on going into business with Gillanders. “I was blown away by how they served everybody from such a tiny space,” he says. “It was a nod to the processes, efficiency, and talent.”

Idonije’s latest concept is Buttercup, a bar that he opened in September in the former 16th Street Bar space at 75 East 16th Street. Once again, he collaborated with a noted local chef: in this case, Alex Carnovale. The bar is near Oliver’s, where Idonije fell in love with Carnovale’s roast chicken. “I gave him carte blanche to create his vision around the food,” Idonije says. “When we talked Italian cocktail bar, he already was like, ‘We could do this, we could do this.’ ”

Interior designer Nathan Michael suggested the focus on amaro for the bright and airy spot, which serves Sparrow coffee and pastries by day. Carnovale’s menu includes truffle pizzettas and pistachio cake, while beverage director Luke DeYoung put together an extensive amaro program that features such cocktails as the tropical Amargarita (an amaro margarita with coconut tequila) and a bittersweet hot buttered amaro.

Idonije has more South Loop ventures in the works. His plans include Egg Bunni, a breakfast sandwich shop that he and Gillanders aim to open early in 2026, as well as a martini bar with live music, an ice cream shop, and his biggest project yet: a 154-room hotel with Hilton’s Curio Collection near McCormick Place.

Idonije is looking for spaces not only with good bones but in proximity to his other ventures. “We’re trying to build that synergy,” he says. “I have opportunities in other neighborhoods in the city, and it’s a pass just because we’re really trying to focus on this one.”