Showing posts with label 29. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 29. Show all posts

July 03, 2011

Let's Eat, Drink, & shop for it

... And Be Merry 
The places we gathered 
to shop, eat, and chat 
shops on Broadway south of Belmont
1981 photo - Ebay
Cafe & Cafeteria
1005-09 W Diversey Parkway
1885-1994
1891 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map
'Like a breath from Unter den Linden. A German orchestra plays compositions by Strauss, Mozart, and Wagner; imported oil paintings adorn the walls; the dining room is large and colorful, with red predominating; waiters of thick accent careen hither and yon with steins of (near) beer; stout Teutonic papas and their families eat sauerbraten or kartoffel kloesse; and all is lively, crowded, colorful, and Continental. The dining room is located on the ground floor of the Lincoln Turner Hall, an old landmark in the center of the north side German area. It is conducted by August and Fred Marx, cousins, who formerly ran Marx's "Beer Tunnel," a basement sauerkraut and beer establishment in the Loop in the old days. They are widely known among German-Americans of the city and many of their old friends are always present at dinner in the Lincoln Turner Hall dining room. Music is featured only during dinner. The table d'hote dinners are $1.00 and $1.25; luncheons are 50 and 75 cents. All of the standard German dishes are on the menu, as well as the regular American items, and the cooking here is in the hands of expert German chefs.' Chicago Ancestors.org 
postcard - Ebay
photos - Chicago Ancestors
built during the time of the Township of Lake View
"Like a breath from Unter den Linden. A German orchestra plays compositions by Strauss, Mozart, and Wagner; imported oil paintings adorn the walls; the dining room is large and colorful, with red predominating; waiters of thick accent careen hither and yon with steins of (near) beer; stout Teutonic papas and their families eat sauerbraten or kartoffel kloesse; and all is lively, crowded, colorful, and Continental. 
outside cafe postcard - Chuckman Collection
A Meeting Place in 1889
The voters of the City of Lake View finally voted for annexation. There was an attempt for annexation in 1887 but failed. Read more about that in my other posts.
 *Fullerton Avenue was the southern border with Chicago*


below 1964 photo from an unknown source
A Grocey Store
on Sheffield Avenue
the post 1909 address was 2820 N Sheffield Avenue
Maisonette Russe 
Restaurant
In 1885, wealthy banker Rudolf Schloesser 
& his wife Amelia built this grand home.
photo & narrative from Johnny Conlisk, 
Forgotten Chicago-Facebook 
1938 photo - UIC via Explore Chicago Collection
building on the left view south toward Stockton Avenue
a listing from The Chicagoan Magazine
text below - The Chicagoan Magazine 1932
The building in transition 1948
notice the campaign posters
The Evolution of 
Boaster Kitchens
3823 N Broadway
postcard mailer
 
 Feuer's Restaurant
605 W Diversey Parkway
east of Broadway
probably located in the long gone Rienz Hotel
1939 menu cover below - Chuckman Collection
Bryson's Lunch
1648 W Belmont Avenue
The Elks's Restaurant
3935-37 N Sheridan Road
by the Sheridan L Station
Marigold Bakery 
& Coffee Shop
Broadway & Grace
postcard - Chuckman Collection
once across the street to Bismarck Gardens 
and probably inside Chateau Theater building 
* both establishments are mentioned within other posts *
The Famous Open Door
2813 N Broadway
token photos - Ebay
2914 N Southport Avenue
photo - Jerry Jamrich via Vanished Chicago Facebook
part of the conversation on Facebook
translation
"He who joys everything before his End 
He makes the best Testament!"
Translated by Leo Klein, contributor to 
LakeView Historical-Facebook
"Drink as long as you like, drink every day! 
If you can do it in the afterlife, that is the question."
Translated by Birgit Kobayashi, contributor to 
LakeView Historical-Facebook
outside sign verses - 2000 photo R Krueger Collection
The framed image on the sign was a depiction of the owners son 
according to Birgit Kobayashi.
postcard - Ebay
photo - Chicago Bar Project
postcard - part of my collection
images - BidStart
With its Bavarian-style building, homemade strudels 
and souvenir alpine hats 
 ($5.95 included a shot of liquor)
 Nancy Berger Anderson, LakeView Historical-Facebook
a wedding reception gift from the restaurant
Pat Kollman-Thompson, LakeView Historical-Facebook
images - Ebay
now part of my private collection
 photos - Ebay
1979 winter storm photo - Carter O'Brien
Since it's sudden closure in 2002, many felt great sadness and dismayed as this piece of Chicago history was torn down and replaced by a parking lot, which took a fair bit of doing considering that the old Tudor-style building took up the entire corner of Southport and George. The handcrafted bar at restaurant found in "Zum's Lounge" was made of solid oak, matching the wooden doorway arches – the latter of which, along with some of the stained glass cartoons of German lore and sayings found in the bar area can be found today at the upscale Irish restaurant. It's kind of sad. It's like an era comes to an end," For as the neighborhood has changed, "That place always stayed the same, in a sense".
 - a Chicago Tribune article
The final day - Craig Lost Chicago
This plaque is all that remains of this restaurant located in what is now a parking lot; a reminder of its popularity for its German ethnic food and drink.
The Bavarian Room
postcard - Chicago History in Postcards
and then before the 
Joe Weber Restaurant - Halls
photos - Lance Grey via LakeView Historical-Facebook
A former alderman of this area sorta owned the block. 
photo - Forgotten Chicago-Facebook
According to site called Forgotten Chicago, "Chicago has had 50 wards since the 1920’s yet many areas of the city grew in population much later than that, requiring a shifting of ward boundaries and sometimes a complete relocation of a ward. The 45th [ward] was once located here in [southwestern] Lake View, previously a working-class German neighborhood. The alderman for many years was saloon keeper named Charlie Weber. He was also fanatic about keeping 'his' ward clean. Every Christmas he would throw a party for the garbage men in the ward, which he dubbed the 
“Knights of Cleanliness.”
Schwaben Stube Restaurant
3500 N Lincoln Avenue
postcard images -  CardCow
 photo -  Forgotten Chicago on Facebook
1987 photo - Robert Krueger Collection
via Ravenswood-Lake View Community Collection
AND THEN ...
The Wild Onion
1988 photo - Robert Krueger, Chicago Public Library
 slated for redevelopment by 2006-7
Math Igler's 
Casino
1629 W Melrose Avenue
1923 - late 1980's?? 

image - CardCow
a postcard series with different frame view 
postcards - Ebay
1975 ad - Chicago Tribune
postcard - Ebay
1939 photo - Chuckman Collection
According to Rick Burger, a contributor to LakeView Historical-Facebook, “In years gone by the word 'casino' meant any kind of place of public entertainment. Over time the "gambling house" sense of the word crowded out the less specific meaning.”
 1958 photo - Chuckman Collection 
via Growing Up in Chicago 



 1950's menu & place mat
from my collection
 1958 Chuckman Collection
 1958 Chuckman Collection
 photo above - 1958 Chuckman Collection
postcard below - Ebay
a 1958 article

a 1960 advertisement
 Join in!
Chuckman Collection
Ravenswood - Lake View Community Collection 
1961 photo - Chuckman Collection
photo below - Ebay
a 1967 article below
Token and Matchbooks
 

 
waiting for demolition - the corner bank would be rehabbed 
 once called the Citizens State Bank of Chicago
1989 photo - Robert Krueger Collection
Chicago Public Library via Explore Chicago
A Testimonial 
'I remember. It was a Saturday afternoon in January, 1976. The bartending school sent me to apply for a job at Matt Igler's. I sat at the bar with Matt Pimperl Sr., a kind and friendly gentleman who hired me to begin working that night. That first night I heard a marvelous singing voice coming from the dining area - the lead bartender said it was the owner's son. Little did I realize that night that I would produce several recordings with and featuring Matt Jr. in Hollywood with Grammy winner Jimmie Haskell and even book Matt at the Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas. I have since produced a number of famous recording artists including Alan Jackson, Alison Krauss, Ricky Skaggs and Jeannie Kendall (of The Kendalls), but I look back both thankfully and in bittersweet regret that I wasn't able to help make Matt a star. He certainly had the voice and charasma.'
photos - WayOutWardell via Flickr
'Mathias Igler sold the restaurant to Matt & Loretta Pimperl in the 1950's and retired to Florida. It was closed for some time before being demolished in the mid-1990's'- WayOutWardell
The Ivanhoe 
Restaurant
1920 - 1978
3000 N Clark Street/Wellington
and then Theater/Playhouse
1966-2001
part of my collection
zoomed below
Once known 
as the 'Seventh Wonder of Chicago' 
1923 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map
X marks the spot
a 1939 advertisement 
within a Chicago Cubs official program 
A  Mailer
images via Ebay



 
A Set of Postcards
part of my collection
Dishware
photo - Judy Miller/owner when she was a visitor!
This  plate contains the characters of the book - Ivanhoe, Rebecca, The Templar, Wamba, Coeur De Lion, and Lady Rowena
creamer pitcher and saucer plate
from my own collection
this oval dish is part of my collection
when one smoke
photo - Ebay
a Drink Coaster - Ebay
from a restaurant location 
to a playhouse venue
ground level vs basement level
by 1966 Ivanhoe became a playhouse
the original stage was square surrounded by seats
with sound crew off stage
Gloria Swanson, Lake View's own, performed there
by the 1980's the was stage transformed 
Set of Drink Sticks
part of my collection
A Menu 

 
 
1955 photo - Chuckman Collection
1958 Chicago Tribune ad
tokens - Chuckman Collection
46th year for the restaurant
The outside courtyard
was removed for the theater space 
by 1966
from playhouse to liquor Store
by 1989
zoomred below
Binny's Deport 
by 2003
The current exterior
 as of 2021
photos - Garry Albrecht
view southwest on Clark
Cornerstone
an entrance off Clark?
images from Wellington toward Clark
Gate of Horn 
Restaurant on Broadway
part from my personal collection
sheet 1
 sectionals

 sheet 2

 sectionals

sheet 3

 sectionals

Ann Sather Restaurant
*still in business as 2023*
Swedish style 
925 Belmont Avenue
and then
* I worked there for a brief time in the early 1990's*
1960 postcard - Chuckman 
first location at 925 W Belmont Avenue
1962 menu - Chuckman Collection 
matchboxes - Ebay
photo - 'East Lake View' by Matthew Nickerson
‘[It began with] Johannsen`s Swedish Diner or Johannsen`s or the Swedish Diner. And just after World War II, either the Johannsens or the owners of the Swedish Diner wanted out of the restaurant business in order to move back to Sweden. Entered Ann Sather (pronounced SAY-ther not SA-ther as in Sally). Sather was not Swedish but a Norwegian American from South Dakota who had worked for 22 years as an order taker for a Chicago meat company. Single, approaching 40 and determined to take on a new adventure, she scraped together her life savings and purchased the Swedish Diner for $4,000. By 1955, she moved the restaurant a few doors from the original location and changed the name to Ann Sather`s. In the winter of 1980, however, Ann Sather`s cook of 29 years retired. And Sather, now in her seventies, was ready to call it quits, too. The only problem was that she was determined only to sell to someone who would make sure that the motherly spirit of the place would survive'. - Chicago Tribune
1975 ad below- Chicago Tribune
photo below - East Lake View by Mattt Nickerson
 the second location a few doors down
images - Ebay

matchbook - Ebay
this item was bought in 1996
now part of my collection
2005 photo - Wibiti.com
Mike Y. via Yelp 2015
Melissa M. via Yelp 2015
Grace G. via Yelp 2014
Emily F. via Yelp 2014
Cranberry bread
photo - Jose E via Yelp 2013
The first location under Tom Tunney
Bill M. via Yelp
 A.S.V via Yelp
Bill M. via Yelp
Mr., now alderman, Tunney`s first order of business was to buy a bigger place, moving to a building just down the street that formerly housed a funeral home. He expanded the seating to 350, up from 80, and added a whole new floor, with meeting rooms and more seating.  "We were successful from the first day”, he mentioned. “We carried on the tradition of the original restaurant-home-baked goods that included the legendary cinnamon rolls.” As of 1986 at the age of 82, Ann Sather would volunteer to help out in her former restaurant by advising the owner on a thing or two and helping out behind the register. -Chicago Tribune
first floor - A.V.S. via Yelp
and second floor - unknown source & year
2014 menu photo - Peggy S. via Yelp
Once a funeral home ...
former a funeral home called Hursen
photo - Gay Chicago via Chicago Pride
and on Broadway 
3415 N Broadway Avenue
Uptown K via Yelp 2008
Tricia D via Yelp 2009 above
Ed U.via Yelp 2007 below
Birthday Wishes in 1996
She died that next year

2023 photo of its latest location
photos by Marcella Kane 
Gastis (Swedish) Restaurant
3259-61 N Clark Street
postcard - Ebay
 matchbook - Ebay

The building was demolished to make room the new 
Belmont Elevated Station in 2005 way before the 2021 overpass
Liederman's 
Rendezvous Cafe

postcard below - Chuckman Collection
This establishment at many names.
'In 1923, a former manager of the Green Mill opened the Rendezvous. In 1928, the Rendezvous was padlocked by federal agents and shut down for a year. The Rendezvous then reopened as the Alladin, and then in the late 30's it became the Famous Door. It became the Paddock Club in the 40's.' - Forgotten Chicago
Some Drama in 1923
 Paddock Cocktail Lounge
2827 N Broadway
images - Chuckman Collection 
1625 W Irving Park Road
1985 photo - Chicago Public Library
'Lonnie Simmons, 76 and playing strong, rides high above his Yamaha organ at Biasetti's Steak House. It's a Thursday night at the neighborhood restaurant-bar on Irving Park Road near Ashland. The air is thick with the smell of char-grilled steaks, live cigarettes, and powerful perfume.' - Reader 1991
image - Chuckman Collection
image - Ebay
closed in 2006
Testimonies on News that it closed
“I've had a lot of fun and good food over the years at Biasetti's. The staff and the surroundings made you feel welcome and relaxed. (A heavy hand with the pour helped too). Buddy the bartender, Stan (and before Stan, the late Lonnie Simmons), along with the 20 and 30 year serving waitstaff ensured a good time. Alas, in 2001 the longtime owners, the Ko Family. sold the business. By this time, the place had become pretty run down. The new owner made the changes he did, primarily to clean up the place and pass the various codes imposed upon a new owner. This owner hired Larry Tucker (N and N Smokehouse.) as his chef and merely tweaked the menu. Business was good. Then I moved away and didn't come back for a while. When I did return, the latest owner made a number of bad moves that pretty much sealed the fate. Why, for example, would an owner change the decades old recipe for the ribs. Like them or not, the place sold 25 to 30 cases of ribs per week according to the broiler chef (another multi-decade vet). So, I'll miss Biasetti's, the old Biasetti's, and wish the ex-employees well.” 
- from Thick
1986 photo - Chicago Public via Explore Chicago Collection
“Well this would be tragically sad if true...but unfortunately, they really brought it on themselves...new owners totally obliterated everything that gave it it's kitschy charm, and replaced with the typical Bennigan's style decor... plus raised prices enormously.....made my blood boil when I saw what they did....used to be 90 minute waits for tables on Sat. night....now, you can just breeze right in to a half empty restaurant. The one and only reason we still went occasionally is to hang with Stan Zimmerman, the long time bar organ player...what a great character...and of course Bonnie the hostess (and RIP Buddy the Bartender)..
I will mourn it's loss for these very very nice people” 
- from Park La Brea
J.J. Goody's
3330 N Lincoln Avenue
My source: LVHC contributor Maleah Jo Bataoel 
via a Chicago Tribune newspaper
Victorian House Restaurant
800 W Belmont Avenue
matchbook - Ebay
published in 2000
Another Story About It 
June 6, 1976 
Chicago Tribune: Places
by Lynn Van Matre via 
LakeView Historical contributor Susan Riebman Groff
“The wooden gargoyles at the door of the main dining room once graced the Pullman mansion; the mammoth mirror in the womens' washroom came from the Shedd mansion; and the fireplace originally warmed the Admiral Dewey family digs on Astor Street. Almost all the furnishings, in fact, at the recently opened Victorian House Restaurant are Chicago relics, circa 1890-1910.
Nouveau restaurateurs Al Morlock, Alan Quaritsch, and Richard A. Bobbitt have been collecting bits and pieces of Chicago Victoriana for the last 15 years, buying most of their treasures from wrecking crews who razed Chicago's- old homes and mansions. When they decided to make their antiques the pieces de resistance of a restaurant, it took them a year to transform an old building at the corner of Belmont Avenue and Halsted Street (once the site of the Busy Bee Tavern) into a showplace.
Twenty Tiffany-type lamps, which Morlock got for around $125 each a dozen years ago (now the going rate is $1,500 to $2,000 apiece), hang from the ceiling. Stained glass abounds. Victorian clocks ring the walls. They all work, as does a nickelodeon in the main dining area - though inflation has driven the price of hearing such ditties as "Dizzy Fingers" or "Sweet Georgia Brown" up to 25 cents. The red leather-look booths in two of the dining rooms, truth be told, aren't antiques. But Morlock hastens to point out that they were designed by the man who put together a Victorian restaurant for the 1933 Century of Progress. 
None of the three partners had any previous restaurant experience. Morlock and Quaritsch own Victorian House Antiques, next door to the restaurant, and they divide their time between the two ventures. Bobbitt, who had been a stockbroker for 20 years, wrote much of the humorous copy for the food and drink menus. The names of most drinks, sandwiches, soups, and entrees come from either Chicago history or the Victorian era. A Tittany Salad ($4.25), with shrimp or crabmeat, is a meal in itself. The Queen Victoria ($7.95) is a pair of beef filets; and batter-fried mushrooms ($1) are called Bachelor's Buttons. Baked trout ($5.75), veal parmesan ($4.75), and chicken ($5.25) dinners are also available. Couples can pitch woo over a Victorian Love Seat ($3), which includes , bread, and wine for two. A Sunday brunch menu and a garden dining area with plants and wicker furniture are planned.
Specialty drinks, dispensed from a 40-foot oak bar IR by tulip lamps, go for $1.75 each. They run to such whimsies as the Everleigh Sisters, a Double Manhattan with two cherries, named for the proprietors of a prominent bor- dello. A draft beer with a shot of whisky goes by the name Capt'n Streeler, and the Queen Herself (Victoria, that Is) combines Amaretto, peaches, and cream. There's also a supply of fresh pastries. The three owners say they re-learning fast about the restaurant business. "About the only problem we have had so far," says Morlock, "was when a drunk staggered in here one night and fell over a plant. He couldn't figure out what happened to the old Busy Bee."
Cornelia Lounge 
& Restaurant 

3458 N Southport
image - Ebay
Cornelia's 
at Cornelia Avenue
part of my collection
Aquarium Café
514 W Diversey Parkway
photo below - Art Institute of Chicago 
via Explore Chicago Collection
and according to Redfin built in 1911
 image - Ebay
Gambling, Axes
and an uncompliant Cop in 1931
The Owner is Shot in 1932


Beau Monde (Key?) Club
 519 W Diversey Parkway
The name of this restaurant meant 
'the world of high society and fashion'
Desert Inn
514 W Diversey Parkway
 Bel-Ray Restaurant
1201 1/2 W Belmont Avenue
matchbook - Chuckman Collection 
The Belmont Lounge
 1638 W Belmont Avenue
matchbook - Chuckman Collection
 George's Restaurant 
2873 N Broadway
matchbook - Chuckman Collection 
 Yacht Harbor Cocktail Lounge
3169 N Broadway
  matchbook  - Chuckman Collection 
Marty's Restaurant 
& Cocktail Lounge
936 Diversey Parkway
It had three dining rooms & one bar
1944 postcard - CowCard
Chicken Box
1617 W Iriving Park Road
Sheridan Restaurant 
& Cocktail Lounge
A once cent postcard meant a date prior to 1958
The postcard caption reads  'Thirty Years of Service' 
 
images - Ebay
Located on Sheridan Road next to the CTA Redline presently called the Sheridan 'L' Lounge 
photo - Kevin Klima via Esty 2014
The Wellington Inn
1300 W Wellington Avenue
According to Redfin the (residential) building 
was constructed in 1879 when Lake View was a township
1887 Rascher's Atlas Map
the general area
X marks the spot
with a zoomed view below
the building was located west of the long gone 
Chicago, Evanston, & Lake Superior RR that was located in the middle of Herndon/Lakewood
 
and according to this matchbook 
a bar/restaurant for nearly a 100 years ...
2012 photo - Susan F via Yelp
and then
Farm Bar
2021 photo - Paul T via Yelp
below 2020 photos - Katelyn P via Yelp
Still listed as a 'home' by Redfin as of 2022

Hollywood Restaurant & Barbecue
620 Diversey Parkway
Old Hickory Inn
514 W Diversey Parkway
1940's ? menu cover & matchbook - Ebay
and apparently a new location to 
3129 Broadway
Grandma's Receipts
2837 N Clark Street 
1975 text - Chicago Tribune
The host was William Beck with chef Fred Wasser 
postcards - Chicago History in Postcards
Johnny's Restaurant
1700 W Belmont Avenue
1960 postcard - Chuckman Collection
Ricky's Restaurant
3181 N Broadway/Belmont
part 2

Barbara Jean Rogers, a former resident and a contributor to my Facebook page LakeView Historical mentioned that “Ricky's was a deli/restaurant owned by the Melman family and named after their son, Richard (Ricky), who grew up to create Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, beginning with his first restaurant, R.J. Grunt's, in Lincoln Park in 1971.”
 a 1981 article about the place



Isbell's on Diversey Parkway
590 W Diversey Parkway
east of Broadway
must have been inside the demolished Hotel Rienzi
Hotel Rienzi's location ranged from 558-608 W Diversey Parkway
1950 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map
zoomed view below
another matchbook 
with both locations
 
 
all matchbook images- Ebay
In 1934, the two established entrepreneurs and brothers Marion and James Isbell (p.2 only) opened their first Isbell’s restaurant on 590 Diversey Parkway near Cambridge Avenue, emphasizing good service and a variety of quality foods at reasonable prices. Over the next eight years, Marion opened an additional 9 restaurants and cocktail lounges under the same concept, and attracted a great deal of attention in the local press for the numbers of customers that routinely lined the streets to acquire a table. 
 

photos - Ebay
Marion Isbell (owner) would later go on to become a leading personality in restaurant management, including various directorships and President of the National Restaurant Association. He began selling off his interests in his restaurants in 1946 and would later form the Ramada Inn chain.
– Restaurant Ware Collectors Network
                                   from the farm to the plate
image - Chuckman Collection
Here are two reviews:
The 1937 Review from Chicago History Museum:
"a 1937 Thanksgiving menu from Isbell’s at 590 Diversey Parkway. Diners had their choice of appetizers, soups, main course, drinks, sides, and dessert all for $1.35. If a whole turkey was included (for parties of six or more), the price went up to $2.00. Selections included “Half Florida Grapefruit, Maraschino,” “Roast Young Pig with Cinnamon Glaced [sic] Apples,” and “Thanksgiving Ice Cream.”
The 1947 Review from 'Where to Eat and Sleep in Chicagoland' by Marie Pedderson via Forgotten Chicago website: "Isbell's, 940 N Rush St, 950 W Diversey Parkway, and 1435 E Hyde Park Blvd. Take your choice of either of these fine restaurants. You will not be disappointed I am sure. the one on Rush St is, I believe, the best for atmosphere. However, in all of them you will be served with the choicest of quality foods. Everything is neat and clean. They specialize in chicken, ribs, and charcoal broiled steak. Daily, 11:00 AM to 3:00 AM. Lunch 60 cents up. Dinner $1.00 up with ACL [air-conditioned, liquor served]."
De Lux 
Restaurant
3422 N Southport Avenue
Sportsman Tap
3201 N Clark Street
quarter sized token - images Ebay
The Cubby Bear 
still located on Addison & Clark
a 1980ish photo of it along Addison
List of 
Eat's Establishments 
in 1975
via Chicago Tribune
2950 N Halsted Street
L’Escargot actually had the look and the feel of a real French ‘’restaurant de province’’ with the long wooden bar and its beautiful vases of fresh flowers, banquettes with wooden trimmings and coat hooks, comfortable booths, tables covered with white cloths and nice silverware , framed posters and Paris street signs on the walls. The quality of the welcome by the host and dining room staff and of the service was also very French , relaxed but professional. It was the opposite of a stuffy New-York style fancy French restaurant.
- French Vitual Cafe
A New Restaurant in New Town (Lake View East)
 images - Ebay
The Melrose 
Restaurant
1961-2017
a location evolution
 located on the southeast corner of Melrose & Broadway
 2009 photo - Aaron B via Yelp
Evolution of Street Corner
X marks the spot of the corner
F-flats or apts
D-dwellings or houses
S-storefronts
1887
1894
1923
1950
Union Strike at the 'Melrose Flats' in 1903
Don't Cut my Trees!! in  1904
(see 1923 map)
Replacing Melrose Flats in 1937

 the 1937 rendering from previous article - Chicago Tribune
1940's photo - Art Institute of Chicago
Cheap Eats 
at Melrose Restaurant by 1987
and a gay-friendly place after the bars closed
that was established in 1984

Who Knew 
What was Behind the Canopy
2005 photo - A.V.S. via Yelp
The owner of the restaurant needed a new canopy from the 
landlord due to a storm damaged in 2013.
photo above - Mark2400 via Flickr
Neon signs were underneath the canopy that had torn
2014 - Yesper H via Yelp
According to the former students of Nettelhorst School the 
 precursor to Melrose there was a restaurant 
called Open Hearth
and apparently the neon signs belonged to it.
2015 photo - Mark S via Yelp
2015 below photo - Josh P via Yelp

photo - Yelp via Ed U.
2012 photo - Yelp via E.P.

photo - Yelp via Roxanne A.
photo - Yelp via Yanno O.
The Melrose, 3233 Broadway was popular after Boystown bars closed and a community beacon for supporting the neighborhood with fundraisers and other events. Beyond the typical dependable diner fare, it was also a very welcoming spot for local families, 
late-night revelers, and everyone else in between.  Chicago Eater
Their had another location 
in the 1980's
matchbook via David Ehrlicher
 Wheel-A-Round 
Restaurant
currently Stella's
photo via Forgotten Chicago on Facebook
The Belmont Grill
apparently was near the corner of 
Wilton & Belmont Avenue?
Tony's 
on Broadway
located on the northwest corner of Broadway & Cornelia
noted for its hamburgers and tamales 
 photos via Susan Reibman Groff 
Little Bucharest Restaurant
3001 N Ashland Avenue
The Other Views 2011-2021
Google Maps
2011
2015
with a new paint job

October 2015
2017
2018
in Lake View:
Sam Mee
Korean Restaurant
3370 N Clark Street
photo - Library of Congress
photographer Jonas Dovydenas
text - The New Chicago  A Social and Cultural Analysis
Aririgang 
Food Mart
3330 N Clark Street
photo - Library of Congress
photographer Jonas Dovydenas
photos - SunTimes via Chicago History Mueuem
Korea House
3301 N Clark Street



Korean Restaurant
3422 N Sheffield Avenue
photo - Library of Congress
Manna Oriental Foods
3776 N Clark Street
photo - Library of Congress
photographer Jonas Dovydenas
Filipiniana 
Restaurant 
3400 block of N Clark Street
 1989 - Ravenswood-Lake View Community Collection
text - East Lake View by Matthew Nickerson
Moti Mahal
1035 W Belmont Avenue

a 2005 review
3329 N Lincoln Avenue

“No doubt the location has served us very well for almost 100 years,” the 77-year-old Dinkel said. “But if you look at other people in the food business, they have parking lots, they have drive-thru facilities. We’re never going to have that where we are located.” If the building does sell, Dinkel said he’s looking at a number of options to continue to serve baked goods, including remaining in a small part of the building. Dinkel said other considerations include moving to a drive-thru business model, or transforming into an exclusively mail-order operation. - Chicago Sun-Times

Architectural drawing for proposed Dinkel’s Bakery storefront by Harold A. Stahl Architect, ca. 1945
Dinkel family members at the bakery, 1981. Norm Sr. 
and Norm Jr. are standing.
Above 2 photos - Newberry Library
photos - East Lake View by Matt Nickerson
Join the conversation from
 Forgotten Chicago on Facebook 1995 photo
and the conversion from this photo below
2022 menu
photos from Yelp
Closed in 2022
via Twitter

Mesopotamia 
Restaurant
1467 Montrose Avenue
 Robert Krueger, Chicago Public Library via Explore Chicago 

Robert Krueger, Chicago Public Library via Explore Chicago
The Bars 
that flanked the Brown Line tracks:
1822 W Addison Street
*still in business*
photo - Chicago Bar Project
The Cork is adjacent to the Addison Brown Line El stop. Formerly constructed of 1940s-era stone slabs and a tiny front window crowded with neon beer signs, the newly renovated stone façade is a nice improvement. Pass through the plate glass door and you’ll find a long room with stone tile flooring, exposed brick walls and an ATM just inside the entrance. The new wooden bar with its dozen beers on tap and high-backed wooden barstools looks old in a classic way, especially with old fashioned lamps hanging overhead.
On the other side of the tracks was 
The Tiny Lounge
1814 W Addison Street
*no longer in business*
'Colleen Flaherty opened the first Tiny Lounge in a former dive bar called Giannini’s Tap under the Brown Line tracks at Addison Street in 1999. It was described as a grandpa spot where folks would sip cheap beer while watching a Bears game. A year later, Mark Johnson joined Flaherty in a management capacity and ultimately became her business partner. “That original bar, it was from the 1940's and it had this really art deco feel,” Johnson said. Tiny Lounge would be in the former Giannini’s until 2006, when the Addison Brown Line CTA Station expansion led to the building’s demolition.'
 The Cooperative Temperance Café 
Idrott
3206 N Wilton Avenue  

Without exaggeration we may state that the Cooperative Temperance Café Idrott of Chicago is one of the most unique and interesting cooperative business organizations in the country. It has retained several features which are not practiced by most of the other cooperatives here. For example, it is incorporated under the nonprofit corporation act of the State of Illinois not under the regular cooperative law. It has no capital stock. The members of the organization pay a membership or really an entrance fee of $5.00 which carries no interest. No member can pay in more than this $5.00. So far only people of Swedish nationality or descent have been admitted into membership but the bylaws of the organization do not prevent it from admitting others. A rule of admitting only 10 new members each year is provided for in the bylaws. Any person wishing to join the organization has to present an application in writing which the annual meeting may either approve or reject. During the fifteen years of its existence the organization has never paid any patronage rebates. Practically all of the yearly surplus used for educational. - Co-operative League of American 1926

and then
Bottom Lounge
Johnny's Lounge 
on Lincoln Avenue
1969-2009
*building still stands as of 2019*
2008 photo - Ms. Anthro P. via Yelp! 
Johnnie’s is one of those old-school neighborhood taverns, of which so few remain. When you walk up to the bar, Johnnie himself has to buzz you in at the door (if he is awake). One time, I walked up to Johnnie’s and he was perched silently in the window, waiting for patrons. It was a bit creepy, with his face partially illuminated from the neon DAB and Miller Lite sign. Initially, I was a bit nervous regarding potential clientele, but as it turned out, Johnnie’s was filled with younger neighborhood types like me that have taken a shine to Johnnie. When you walk in, you will see a very long bar to your left with upholstered edges, plenty of faux wood paneling, and lots of tables with cafeteria-style chairs. In the back, Johnnie’s has a pool table with light askew and a curiously elevated seating area that serves as a DJ area when the place is occasionally used for private parties. When the DJ isn’t there, a non-cable TV broadcasts shows like “Women of Scandal,” which we saw once late-night. The show satisfied my curiosity of what happened to Amy Fisher, Donna Rice, Tanya Harding, Jessica Hahn, and Jessica Flowers following their scandals. Across from the pool table is a stairwell encased in wood and stained glass that is accessible by Johnny only. An old K-Mart special chandelier illuminates the back with one very bright fluorescent bulb. There are two one-seater bathrooms, of which guys will appreciate the urinal and rather ornate mirror in the men’s room.
photo - JP. P. via Yelp! 2008
a picture of the owner, Johnnie
The closest Johnnie came to updating anything was the juke box, which worked on a completely random schedule. If I were to guess, about every five or six years, Johnnie would find a place that sold 45 records, and he would buy a handful and put them in the jukebox with no rhyme or reason. Johnnie took huge pride in keeping a clean bar. He even kept himself presentable, always wearing shirtsleeves and a Windsor-knotted tie, always held neatly with a silver tie clip. And despite being in his early 70's when I began frequenting the bar, he would open the bar seven nights a week and run it until closing time at 3am.
2016 photo below - Raymond Kunst Fine Art Photography
Cornelia's 
on Cornelia Avenue
750 W Cornelia Avenue
2017 Google Map view
1986 menu
photo - Ebay
prior to 2019
Jim's Diner
the Korean Touch
1429 W Irving Park Road
*the last location*
The original Jim's was three doors north of Irving Park Road 
on Southport Avenue
(my Facebook Album)
Leona's Pizza 
& Italian Restaurant
1950-2013
two separate locations
1967 photo - Vanished Chicago-Facebook
the original location on Belmont
 from my collection
the new location below
images - Ebay 
photo - 44th ward master plan
photo - Yelp via Dee W
photo - Chris A via Yelp
photo - Chris A via Yelp
photo - Kristin D via Yelp
Loreliel C via Yelp
Jess F via Yelp
photo - their website
 Brian M via Yelp
Jenny N via Yelp
Caribou Coffee
 3 locations - Halsted, Clark, & Broadway
*My hang-out in the 1990's*
photo - JB via Yelp
photos - DNAinfo
once located at 3500 N Halsted Street - northwest corner 
In the Boystown Caribou at 3500 N. Halsted St., staff created a "Chalk Thoughts" board, posing the question: "What is your favorite Caribou memory?"
and
3300 N Broadway - northwest corner referred by locals 
as Cari-boy
photo - Kendall Thacker via Time Out
photo - Garry Albrecht
was known for the art of 'boy' watching 
photo - blushingpretty via Pinterest
and lastly on the east-side of
 Clark Street north of Wellington

1976-2014
*I eat here a lot*
photo - DNAinfo
photo - Yelp via Bill M.
 
 photo - Yelp via Gareth D

 
 

menu images - Menu Pages
photo - Restaurant Twitter Acct
Yelp Reviews 
Review #1 "This restaurant is closing for good tonight - February 28, 2014. I hope the owners - Amy Mark & family - read this review before their restaurant disappears from Yelp.
I've been a customer for more than 20 years. I used to live around the corner from you on Buckingham and would stop in weekly on my way home from work.  I watched your boys grow up as each of them took his turn behind the register.
Then I moved a few miles away and became an almost weekly delivery customer. In all that time, over all those years, you never messed up.  You never got a single order wrong, and you never had an off night.  Your food was reliably good, and was always a great value. I admit, I tried a bunch of other Chinese places over the years, especially after I moved.  But, I always came back to Mark's.  You were always my favorite. And here's my regret.  Over all those years, I never took the time to thank you.
Chester's Hamburger King
3435 N Sheffield Ave
'Everyone was welcome at Chester's and made to feel good. It was a place to drink coffee, read the paper, eat inexpensive and tasty grub, and run into people. A classic Chicago cross-over place, you would find cops, workers, healers and dealers, martial artists, radicals, hot rod mechanics, Cubs coaches and Cub fans, gang-bangers and community organizers -- white people, Latinos, Blacks, Japanese, and Native Americans.' - The Rag Blog
"More than 25 years ago, I lived three doors north of Hamburger King. That was when Chester still did the cooking. It was a total dump, with cracked formica tables, and Melmac plates. The food was not great, but it was tasty and cheap, and the joint was always crowded. I ate akatagawa for breakfast there almost every day. 
akatagawa
photo - WBEZ
As I recall, it was $1.85. The dinner specials were $2.25. Believe it or not, back then, south Wrigleyville was still a fairly desolate and dangerous area. There were not a lot of other dining choices (aside from the fortress-like Royal Palace Burger across the street in the triangle between Sheffield and Clark). Because of the cheap prices, a lot of homeless people, students, actors, musicians, artists, families, day laborers and seniors would eat at HK. In fact, if it weren't for Chester's, many of us probably would never have gotten a hot meal. No matter who they were, or what their lot in life, Chester always treated his customers with great respect. He also had a reputation for treating his employees well. He not only gave his waitresses health insurance, but each year he would close the place down and give everybody 2 weeks off with pay. Even then, that was amazing for a place of that size." - a customer
Bel-Port Liquors
A Biz with a Parrot
 once located 1362 W Belmont @ Southport
photo - LoopNet
photo - Raymond Kunst Fine Art Photography
keeping an eye on things
photo below - DNAinfo
Some Hot Dog 
& Hamburger Joints:
 Billy Boy 
3500 N Broadway Avenue
by photographer Patty Carroll 
1987- 88 via Ebay  
Murphy's Red Hots
1211 W Belmont Avenue

The interior view of its first year 1987
the owners probably mid 1990's
“Bill Murphy was a Chicago icon, with 30 years of hot dogging under his substantial belt, and his customer service skills are as sharply honed as his hot dog making” according to a 'Chicago Now' 2014 article and according to 'Serious Eats' “the hot dog alone guarantees Murphy's status as one of the premier stands in the city, which explains why I've never tried anything else. 
 photos - Saul Plambeck
'Since the mid-eighties, north side hot dog aficionados have had the opportunity to visit this nostalgic restaurant. Bill Murphy has created and nurtured a more hands-on sense for his business and the community. With his wife and daughters close by, Bill is able to get his business, family, and neighborhood activities all in one. With jumbo grilled polish sausages, hot dogs and a vast menu, Murphy’s is located just a few blocks from Wrigley Field.  It’s a great place to carry out from this true Chicago eatery when going to the ball game – as many fans continue to do.'  - Vienna Beef
The established closed in August 2018
The Clark Street Dog
3040 N Clark Street
*still in business as of 2022*
1988 photo - Growing up in Chicago/Facebook
photo below - Lake View Patch
 Franksville Restaurant
1110 W Addison Street/Clark
zoomed view of canvas - Ebay 
Full view of canvass  - Ebay unknown artist
a patch - Ebay
 postcard - Ebay
Sectional advertisements 
from Chicago Tribune
 1965

1966
 1966
 1967
Relish 
the Thought
3207 N Halsted Street
photo - Chicago Tribune

 owner Wiro ('Victor') Worrsangusilpa 
who was a immigrant from Thailand
“Stopped by after our walk-by of Wrigley Field and were wanting to try some Chicago hot dogs. We found this place pretty easily and were greeted by the owner/cook right away, he was such a nice and personable man. We ordered the 2 Chicago style dogs with fries special for $5.99 and also got 2 drinks, very decent prices for sure. We sat down with our drinks and then our food was ready pretty fast, too. The dogs were super good and the fries had a little batter on them and were perfectly crunchy. The owner chatted us up and made sure we were happy with our food. The place is a little hole in the wall, but I loved it. I'd be back again if in the area. It also wasn't too busy for a Saturday afternoon, just a few more people got their orders to go after we stopped in.” 
- a 2013 Yelp review via JoAnne L.


The Royal Palace
intersection of Clark/Newport
photo - 1989 Julia Baker, Forgotten Chicago on Facebook
once located on the northwest intersection 
of Newport, Sheffield & Clark 
with a 2019 Google view of the location
Dub L Dog 
3239 N Lincoln Avenue
2000 photo - Mark2400 via Flickriver
Still Going Strong 
in 2023!
a video from the title above
photo above - their website
artwork by Eric Kessler

And The Biggest Hot Dog Joint 
Wrigley Field
photo - Chicago Tribune 1938
View more photos from the Trib with this link!
 
both photos - Mark Reiner  1975-76
Living History of Illinois and Chicago
photo - William DeShazer Chicago Tribune 2013
below photo - SB Nation 2014
El Jardin
still in business as of 2022
 John Ortiz holding sign - late 1960's or early 70's
El Jardin South
1989 photo - Robert Krueger Collection, 
Chicago Public Library 
and
El Jardin Cafe 
3400 N Clark Street/Newport
building was demolished for the Belmont L Overpass by 2018
3159 N Southport Avenue

1995-2016

Since opening in 1995, Harmony Grill has been serving up pre-show meals to concert-goers and hungry patrons at the adjacent Schubas Tavern. On Sunday, January 22, the restaurant will serve its final plate of mac and cheese before closing to make way for a forthcoming renovation and expansion of the venue's dining area.

photos - Harmony Grill website 






Higgins Tavern
3259 N Ashland Avenue
photos - their Facebook page mosty
an vacant lot by 2019
a Google view
its replacement by 2021
A Butcher Shop ...
 Paulina Meat Market
*Still in business as of 2023*
First located at 3352 N Paulina Avenue 
and then 3501 N Lincoln Avenue
We’re always going to try to get the best [product]. If it’s not the best, we don’t keep it. We send it back,” said Bill Begale, the owner of the marketplace. Begale has been at Paulina since 1984, except for a brief stint with a cheese business, and has owned the marketplace since 2006 when he bought it from the sons of the founder, Sigmund Lekan. In 2009 he purchased the property as well. “This used to be a strictly German market because this was a German neighborhood,” he explained. “But I saw a German deli not too far from here go out of business because they wanted to stay strictly German. And they’re gone.” Asked about the key to Paulina’s long-term success and sterling reputation, he cited consistency, “and always try[ing] to evolve with the times.

Owner Sigmund Lekan on April 26, 1976. Lekan opened the butcher shop in 1949, originally at 3352 N Paulina, and as business blossomed it expanded across 3 storefronts. In 1984, Paulina Meat Market moved to it's current location at 3501 N. Lincoln Avenue. Born on Chicago's Northwest Side to Polish immigrants, Lekan acquired a taste for his trade when he worked in a family friend's meat shop while a student at Lane Tech High School. After serving in the Army Air Corps during World War II, he set about founding a business that endures today. 
- Chicago Tribune 
via Mariana Nicasio, Historic Chicago/ Facebook
making the sausage 
photo - Ravenswood Lake View Historical Association-Facebook 
via Paulina Meat Market
the new location at 3501 N Lincoln
1984 photos - Robert Krueger
The Paulina Butcher Process

1990 photos - Robert Krueger, Chicago Public Library
photo below - unknown source
Restaurant Menu's 
in 1986
Chicago Epicure: a Menu Guide to the Chicago 
Area's Finest Restaurants
by Barbara Grunes & Barbara Revsine
book donated by Jackie Arreguin
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
Le Creperie
photo - East Lake View by Matt Nickerson
photo - East Lake View by Matt Nickerson
Nancy's Pizza
photo - East Lake View by Matt Nickerson
published in 2017
photo - East Lake View by Matt Nickelson
published in 2017
I Eat Here A Lot!!
photo - East Lake View by Matt Nickerson
An Artist View
of Three Restaurants
part of my collection
and 
Yoshi's
3257 N Halsted Street
More on this Unique Spot
2021 Google Map views
I contend that the shell of the building an post Civil War design
Rascher's Altas Maps
1891
with a pre 1909 address of 1680 N Halsted listed as a store. The building to the south is probably an add-on to the current to 1680.
1887
probably the same building
the owner, the chef, 
the force
photo above - Chicaog Magazine
photo - Chicago Sun-Times

photo below- DNAinfo
The Sun-Times header - 2015
8 years later -2023
per Chicago Magazine
food photos - Trip Advisor
the food was a hell a lot better than these photos!!
I edited the best I could.
Covid-19: 
Wear a Mask & Shot - Booster
July 2020
Business Closures in 2015
video
there was few
3460 N Broadway
1963-2018
their first store in Chicago
and the first to sell international food products 
 photo - local tourist
the newer facade below - Chicago Tribune

a full page ad in 1963


an article in 1976


 an article in 1983




 Google Views:
2009 photo angles via Google Maps 
view southwest from Broadway above
view northwest from Broadway below
2017 photo angles via Google Maps 
view southwest from Broadway above
view northwest from Broadway below 
A garage/sales office per this 1950 Sanborn Fire Map
 2014 interior view - Yelp
 2014 interior view - Yelp via Loretta P
 2014 interior view - Yelp via Marie F
A 1950 view of the area via Sanborn Fire Insurance Map
This store was retro-fitted from a 100 car capacity garage. The grocery store keep the garage south of it for their own parking; demolish as of 2022 for a hotel
zoomed below - the original garage was sliced in two - parking north to Cornelia was west on Broadway 
Its Replacement
Mi Tierra Cocina
 Mexicana
1039 W Belmont Avenue
1983-2017?
all photos - Yelp
What will be missed on Belmont Avenue
The replacement
photo below - 44th ward office
The Farmer's 
Markets:
photo - Lake View Chamber of Commerce
photos - Lakeview Roscoe Chamber of Commerce
 photo - Moss Design
 photo - Moss Design
 photo - DNAinfo
 photo - DNAinfo
photo below - Windy City Cosmos
photos for 2023
Chicago Nettelhorst's 
photo - Bensidoun USA
 photo - Bensidoun USA
photo - Bensidoun USA
photo - Dana K via Yelp
photo - Dana K via Yelp
photo below - Bradley S via Yelp
city-wide vs Lake View only
Out Door 
Dining
since 2018
July 2020

Post Notes:
Shops that have 
Endured
According to recent statistics, only 50% of small businesses make it past the five-year mark, and only 25% make it past 15 years,
Windy City Sweets
40 years
Windy City Sweets is a chocolate covered community staple. In 1983, Jerry Sherwood opened the doors, and in 2011 John Manchester and his wife Jill took over. Upon walking in the doors, you are transported in a nostalgic candy land that makes you feel… well, like a kid in a candy store! There’s a wall of Jelly Bellies, jars of sours & gummies galore, and counters full of freshly dipped chocolate goods. They sell all the classics, and always have a creative seasonal goodie on deck. Read more ....

Rocks Lake View
18 years
Tim and I opened our first location on October 25th, 2005 in ROCKS Lincoln park. Working every day bartending and managing there together along with an all-star staff, we built the base of a brand we thought was perfect to expand on. And then in 2008 the opportunity was presented to us to bring the ROCKS concept into the Lake View neighborhood into the long-time Samuel’s Deli spot. We opened at the end of July that same year after building the space out from scratch. To read more ...
My Private Collection of 
Historical Eateries:

Turn Verein Lincoln
now the Lincoln Park Athletic Club
This German-American club was a combination of a gym/dining & cafe that was established in the Township of Lake View. 
The southern border of the township/city of Lake View 
was Fullerton Avenue.


Their Anniversary Booklet
1885-1935
currently
Lincoln Park Athletic Club




Rienzi Cafe
This cafe was located at the northeast corner of Broadway/Diversey 
and not Clark as indicated in both postcards. Decades later the same owner would build an apartment hotel 
just east of the cafe. The cafe would be replaced by 
The Curtiss building (see apt hotel section above)
Jaeger's Road House


Gastis (Swedish) Restaurant 


below is a shopping bag from this restaurant 
Johnny's Restaurant 
and Lounge


Marty's Restaurant 
& Cocktail Lounge

 folded postcard
Sheridan Restaurant 
& Lounge


Grandma's Receipts


Schwaben Stube


Math Igler's Casino






 full menu


 a paper mat with a zoomed view below
A Photo Album
Bissetti's
on Irving Park Road
The Cove 

at Hotel Belmont
both sides of menu

each side of menu



Kenessey Gourmet Internationale
at the Hotel Belmont
Gruss Dom Deutschen Erk



Franksville 
at Wrigleyville

 once across street from Wrigley Field 
on the southwest corner
Cornelia's 
on Cornelia Avenue
1986 menu
1987 menu
Martha Washington 
Candy's
Isbell's Restaurant 
and Lounge






 
Gate of Horn 
on Broadway

Homestead Foods 
Place Mat
'The Other Brother'
on Cornelia/Halsted
Hutch 
American Bistro
3301 N Clark Street
the corner's evolution
2013-2023
photos below - Yelp

and 
before that
Socca
and
before that ...
a gay to gay-friendly restaurant/bar
1988 - 2004
by Tracy Baim

2004-04-07

Owners George Brophy and Martin Enright have been pursued by developers for some time. This time, the offer was just too good to refuse. With the closing of yet another longtime gay establishment, Lakeview continues a long slide toward gentrification, as a core of the gay community continues to be priced out and pushed north. This is part of a decades-long trend, as the gay business community was once based in the Gold Coast, then Old Town, and then continued its move north. The Lakeview area, also known as Boys Town, has resisted change longer than previous neighborhoods in part because many of the gay businesses there actually own their properties. But that was also the case for Buddies'—Brophy and Enright owned the building the bar and restaurant operated within. The sudden shuttering of the gay bar left management and staff in shock. Brophy explained that he and Enright were under a gag order not to discuss the plans with anyone until the sale went through.

Pictured below is Mayor Richard Daley who inducted Buddies' into the city's Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame last fall. The bar's owners are pictured: Martin Enright (center) and George Brophy.
Ann Sather 
(Swedish) Diner
*still exists 2023*
first address
925 W Belmont Avenue
second address
the first location menu 
tri-fold size menu
and then moved to ...

full size menu

 some good recipes



Please follow me to my next post called


Important Note:
These posts are exclusively used for educational purposes. I do not wish to gain monetary profit from this blog nor should anyone else without permission for the original source - thanks!