1927 | 71 West Monroe Street Treat yourself to not one - but three restaurants in a single, historic location. These restaurants were doing something novel at the time, or they hold some kind of nostalgia for us. 1989-present // River North The chain eventually lost steam in the '80s, with the last spot closing in 1996. (773) 478-9129. #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left;width:100%;font-weight:normal;}, Beyond Chicago from the Air with Geoffrey Baer, The Great Chicago Fire: A Chicago Stories Special, Read the introduction to the book Lost Restaurants of Chicago, Participation in Dry January Continues to Increase as Individuals Look to Evaluate Their Relationship with Alcohol, All Is Still Merry and Bright: Holiday Events Going Strong Through New Years, Winter Storm Preparation and Holiday Shopping Collide at Chicago Grocery Stores: Crazier Than Expected, Ease Up on Food Worries During the Holidays, Nutritionists Say, From Carnitas to Barbecue, TikTok Creator Chris Dolo Harnesses Power of Social Media to Showcase Chicago Food Scene, Gifts that Give Back at Chicago Fair Trade Holiday Pop-Up Shop, More Chicago Families Turning to Private, Charter Schools as CPS Enrollment Declines, 58 Years After Martin Luther King Jr.s Campaign to End Slums, a Look at Affordable Housing in Chicago, Applications Open for Illinois Tax Credit Scholarship, In New Book, Last Surviving Witness to Emmett Till Lynching Seeks to Correct Narrative, Welcome to Chicago: Exploring What It Means to Be a Sanctuary City. Helpful hints for your holiday party per Joan Crawford: The best parties are a wild mixture of people. 1944-1968 // Loop Today, it hasn't lost any of its vintage charm you can even sit in Capone's favorite booth. (Mexican) Did Rick Bayless think we had never eaten tacos or enchiladas before? (Contemporary American) Paul Kahan put American food through a modern lens and unleashed a sleeping giant. (Franco-Asian) Jimmy Rohr greeted guests at the door, kept the lights low, and played strictly opera music, which made for the most civilized dinner in town. Still operated by the original Glascott family four generations later, this bar boasts having hooked up thousands of singles over the years, only to see their inevitable move to the suburbs.. Images of the storybook, featuring a little boy of color, served as decorations in the store. Zephyr Cafe / 1777 W. Wilson Ave. Chicago, IL. We already have this email. What it was: Trio, owned by Henry Adaniya (who now operates a gourmet hot dog restaurant in Honolulu), was a much-lauded fine-dining restaurant in Evanston. 1997-present // West Loop (1963-198?) Bridal gowns in the 1960s mostly featured high-waisted empire silhouettes and up-styles were definitely in. (French) This bastion of haute owes its successfour stars for 19 straight yearsto Jean Joho, the anti-trend chef who shows no signs of letting up. There were 91 freestanding locations when the chain sold to the Marriott Corporation in 1988. 25. Cizma loved cooking game blackberry-stuffed venison loin, grilled boar tenderloin, rabbit with prunes and port-wine sauce and I loved eating there. The food was spicy, the music loud (vinyl only, played on a console stereo), the tablecloths reptilian. There are still two Gino's Burgers and Chicken locations in Maryland today. An upstairs salon displayed chef portraits of Jean Joho, Jean Banchet, Paul Bocuse, Roland Licccioni, and other friends and mentors. Hackneys on Harms (Progressive American) Still wet behind the ears, Alinea, the culinary juggernaut of the brilliant and visionary Grant Achatz, turned Chicago into an international foodie destination and a launching pad for the next generation of groundbreaking chefs. Lockwood Castle / 5400 W. Devon Ave.Chicago IL. Wh 30 Vintage Postcards Show Chicagos Restaurants in the 1950s and 60s, The Tragic Story of the Berberovs, a Soviet Family Who Raised Lions as Their Pets at Home in the 1970s, 35 Fabulous Photos Show What Brides Looked Like in the 1960s, 30 Cool Pics That Capture Naughty Ladies of the 1950s, Mihailo Tolotos, the Greek Orthodox Monk Who Lived 82 Years Without Ever Seeing a Woman, Candid Snaps of a Group of Women Spent Time Together in a Pub in Bermondsey, on a Day Trip to Margate, ca. Feel free to disagreeall my friends didand register your complaints in the comments below. } But the main draw is the live music, with nightly jazz performances from big-name artists and local acts through the early morning hours. It was such a hit, in fact, that Gilbert opened another location in Lincoln Park in 2009. (19??-2009). 1946-1987 // Evanston So if you're "hungry for a Henry's," that's where you should go. Never doubt Henry's eye for talent. (American) The Spinning Bowl salad: A waiter would lay out 21 ingredients and narrate the drama as he gently tossed and spun them. Lottie was a total BA, turning her neighborhood grocery store into a liquor store with a basement speakeasyor rathskellerthat was ruled by Chicagos gangsters and corrupt politicians. Fritzels Michigan and Washington, Chicago, 1970. /a > Name Good. Built shortly after the Fire, one of the citys most well-known, long-standing establishments was one of the only wooden buildings left after a law was passed to prohibit them. 32. Pizzeria Uno 1868-1962 // Loop The rest of us have finally caught up. Along with a map beautifully illustrated by Steve Shanabruchshowing the locations of the 75 top picks, I've created a. 302 West was one of the finest restaurants the western suburbs ever produced. La Strada / 1531 N. Wells St. Chicago, IL. Cause ladies like a cold one, too (thanks, sister). Gordon Henry's existed successfully throughout the early-'70s, until Bresler's went through corporate changes and Henry's Hamburgers slowly became a casualty of the company's refusal to update with. It was called Flos, right on Randolph near State, and it had a young gal on a trapeze swinging back and forth outside in front of the restaurant to attract people in., Unfortunately, it went downhill from there. But before that Grace, there was chef/owner Ted Cizma's restaurant, named for his younger daughter and located, oddly enough, a block east of the current Grace. The stronghold of McDonald's, Pizza Hut , Burger King, and other giants of the '80s made the competition stiff. Greg Borzos new book Lost Restaurants of Chicago celebrates departed eateries, from those lingering in recent memory to the nearly forgotten class, from high-end to bizarre, and spots serving everything from standard American fare to ethnic cuisine. But few know that the popular Greek specialty, flaming saganaki, was created in Chicago. But like many burger joints, Henry's couldn't keep up with the competition, and locations started closing rapidly in the late '70s. Although it dates back to the 20s, step inside this vibrantly decorated space and itll instantly feel timeless. Although younger generations may know of Howard Johnson's thanks to Mad Men, '70s kids will remember actually visiting the orange-roofed restaurant chain. Gene & Georgettis 34. Frontera Grill Heres a newspaper clipping from the Edinburg Daily Courier, and is dated October 29, 1938. Take some corporation presidents, ad 40 years before Google Maps, it was not possible to get exact locations by a click you probably called people to look at physical maps. Although it was never as big as McDonald's or Burger King, Red Barn is estimated to have 400 restaurants in 22 states at its peak. .prisna-gwt-align-left { The Iconic Chicago Restaurants Map exists in a couple different formats. And its still known for getting pretty rowdy now. For dessert, there was a shimmering tempered-chocolate cube that cracked open to reveal fluffy espresso mousse. .goog-text-highlight { 1947-1972 // Loop Same location or home to something new..?? Trio was the brainchild of proprietor and sommelier Henry Adaniya, who recruited the redoubtable chef team of Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand, and the combination of skill, creativity and utter professionalism was marvelous to behold. Having been frequented by a variety of personalities and iconic names throughout its history, visiting here will make you feel apart of something larger than life. 36. Merci, Jean Banchet. Jimmys Place Max's Italian Beef / 5754 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL. In its heyday, the . Those photographsnow 40 years oldare being shared in a new book, " Uptown: Portrait of a Chicago Neighborhood in the Mid-1970s ." Rehak shares his experiences documenting a diverse Chicago neighborhood with us. The opening chef in 1978 was the late Yoshi Katsumura (who would go on to open Yoshi's Cafe in Wrigleyville), followed by Kevin Shikami (a Food & Wine best new chef in 1991). A small collection of 10 color photographs captured street scenes of Chicago from between the 1960s and 1970s: Wabash St, Chicago 1962. Cereality / 100 S. Wacker Dr. Chicago, IL. (French) Just when elegance seemed out of favor, this testament to sumptuous dining swept into our lives. Bread service has become optional at many restaurants these days, but back in the late '90s, bread was a statement at this New York import, which closed in 2002. After the first location opened in 1956, there were 102 locations by the early '80s. 2020 Chicago magazine / A Chicago Tribune Media Group website. 1946-circa 2003 // Bronzeville text-align: left !important; The company's top-seller, a 1940s menu from a Chicago seafood restaurant, is also one of the most . 1987-present // Lincoln Park 1. The fast-food chain that wanted to popularize fish and chips in the United States was founded in 1969. ("86" is restaurant shorthand for a dish no longer available that night.) Alpine Inn Restaurant / 609 Milwaukee Ave. Glenview, IL. Fannys (Spanish) I think tapas-style dining is going to be the next big food experience in the country. Richard Melman, president of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, January 1986. Henricis The menu itself was straight-up American; the go-to entree was prime rib, and the signature side was "Oprah's potatoes," which were mashed and jazzed up with horseradish. But for refined Mediterranean, the best place to go these days is Taxim. Tackle the off-menu "Dick Burger"topped with bacon, egg and hash brownsat Diner Grill, the tiny counter spot in Lakeview.Caf 28What it was: This family-owned spot served well-executed Cuban- and Mexican-inspired fare just off the Irving Park Brown Line stop in Ravenswood for 17 years before closing in 2013. Oprah Winfrey, left, was known to stop by tables at The Eccentric, the restaurant she opened with Rich Melman. Though originally opened under a different name, the restaurant, purchased by George "Harvey" Schaller just on the heels of the Prohibition Era, is a short walk from U.S. Cellular Field. Now its sold online, along with her famous spaghetti sauce. 5. What follows is a list of 40 restaurants that epitomize Chicagos impact on the culinary universe. But if you grew up in California, you will know it well. I included some big names, but also quite a few lesser-known restaurants that appealed to me personally. (Italian-American) In 1948, Fanny Bianucci said no to $75,000 from Kraft Foods for her salad dressing recipe. On Diversey Pkwy and Halsted St. there used to be all kinds of small family-owned businesses. (steaks) This indie steak house nodded to its Jewish deli rootschopped liver, herringattracted celebs like Johnny Carson, and spawned a cheesecake empire. Don Roths Blackhawk Located in the Old Town Triangle, this place was once a real-deal speakeasy, back when alcohol was a no-no. 16. Discreetly located underneath the Canterbury Courts apartments, this is the place to go when you want to sing the night away. In the 1960s, the population of Chicago shrank dramatically. 18. If you got to try these 1970s restaurants before they closed, consider yourself lucky. P: 630.864.5270,