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Jan 9, 2019 · Remembering Chicago’s ‘Lost Restaurants’. Chicago is now a world-renowned restaurant city, but eateries come and go – sometimes, very quickly. The history of Chicago’s restaurant scene and the characters who have populated it help tell the story of the city itself. Greg Borzo’s new book “Lost Restaurants of Chicago” celebrates ...
- Nick Blumberg
- The Berghoff
- The Walnut Room at Marshall Field’s
- Won Kow
- Pump Room
- Superdawg
- Lem’s Bar-B-Q
- Maxim's de Paris
- Everest
- Blackbird
- Cherry Circle Room
Hermann Berghoff opened his original restaurant, seen here in 1911, in order to sell beer in Chicago. Photo: DN-0008950, Chicago Daily News collection, Chicago History Museum One of the oldest restaurants in America came out of an entrepreneurial immigrant’s desire to sell beer. Herman Berghoff came to America from Germany and eventually opened a b...
The Walnut Room's Christmas tree in 1959. Photo: Chicago History Museum, ICHi-017139; Clarence W. Hines, photographerThere’s another wood-paneled dining room downtown with a long history in Chicago, although not quite as long as the Berghoff. The Walnut Room on the seventh floor of what used to the Marshall Field’s on State Street—now a Macy’s—supp...
Won Kow's building has changed little since it opened in 1928, the year pictured here. Photo: DN-0085745, Chicago Sun-Times/Chicago Daily News collection, Chicago History Museum Orange Garden on Irving Park Road, which just sold off its sign, became the oldest continuously operating Chinese restaurant in Chicago after Won Kow in Chinatown closedin ...
One dish at the Pump Room was served by waiters from flaming swords. Photo: HB-07662, Chicago History Museum, Hedrich-Blessing Collection For decades, the Pump Room hosted celebrities alongside food presented with a drama worthy of the Hollywood stars enjoying it. Opened in 1938 in the Gold Coast’s Ambassador East Hotel, the Pump Room shimmered wit...
Twelve-foot tall hot dogs on the roof, carhops serving you at a drive-in: Superdawg is unlike anywhere else left in the city. Photo: Eric Allix Rogers/Flickr You might think eating in your car can’t be memorable unless you spill a sticky beverage all over your upholstery, but this far Northwest Side hot dog stand proves you wrong. The last remainin...
Lem's Bar-B-Q's towering exhaust pipe—and the tantalizing scent of smoke—announce the barbeque institution's presence on 75th Street. Photo: Wikimedia/Amy C. Evans of Southern Foodways Alliance The Chicago Reader called this South Side institution “a civic treasure,” and it continues to draw crowds to 75th Street for its hot links and rib tips made...
Maxim's contained Chicago's first discotheque, seen here in 1972, and also helped introduce haute cuisine and some important French chefs to the city. Photo: ST-13002498-0020, Chicago Sun-Times collection, Chicago History Museum Even though it was inspired by a famous Art Nouveau restaurant in Paris, Chicago’s Maxim’s de Paris was actually designed...
One of the French chefs whose career was launched at Maxim’s de Paris was Jean Joho. In 1986, he went on to open Everest with the Lettuce Entertain You restaurant group. It had one of the most stunning views of any restaurant in the city, given that it was located on the 40th floor of the Chicago Stock Exchange. Not that you would know it was there...
Blackbird's minimalist design won a James Beard Award, while its innovative food won over Chicagoans. Photo: Doug FogelsonWhen Blackbird opened in 1997, it was out of place. One of of the early innovative restaurants to open in what is now the culinary mecca of the West Loop, its minimalist, heavy-on-white aesthetic distinguished it from other ambi...
The Cherry Circle Room in the Chicago Athletic Association building is a reimagined version of a private club's restaurant. Photo: Clayton Hauck Once again, we have a downtown dining room that prominently features fine wood—but this time the restaurant is relatively new, sort of. The Cherry Circle Room is located in the Chicago Athletic Association...
Sep 13, 2012 · History runs deep on the Hill. In the 1890s, half of Chicago Heights Italians lived on Hungry Hill. Possibly Chicago Heights most famous resident, Jerry Colangelo, lived on the Hill. Colangelo ...
Dec 27, 2004 · A local stop on the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad contributed to growth, and by the 1920s Chicago Heights was home to about 20,000 people. The city’s heyday ran from the post-World War I ...
Sep 30, 2014 · After eight decades of serving Italian food cooked from scratch, Savoia T’Go in Chicago Heights is saying “arrivederci.”Three generations later, the Bamonti family’s last day as ...
Apr 12, 2023 · Located in Chicago’s West Loop, Lou Mitchell’s opened in 1923 and was the first place in Chicago to serve breakfast all day long. The diner’s serendipitous location put it directly along the original starting point of historic Route 66, a major throughway built in 1926 for travelers heading out west.
5 days ago · 33 restaurants available nearby. 1. Rose Mary. Exceptional ( 2850) $$$$. • Croatian • West Loop. Booked 142 times today. Located in the historic Fulton Market district of Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood, Rose Mary is Chef/Owner Joe Flamm’s debut restaurant inspired by his Italian heritage and the bold, bright flavors of Croatian cuisine.
