We won't fault you for getting misty-eyed over these failed fast-food chain restaurants from the 1980s. Mannys Coffee Shop &Deli Allegretti's / 10 Chicagoland area locations (1946-1996), The Shoe / 3240 Kirchoff Rd. The late Jimmy Rohr, veteran restaurateur and opera devotee, ran this refined, sophisticated restaurant in Avondale. Some get accolades for being game changers, some for grandeur, and even a few for kitsch, but all for memorable dining. (American) The Spinning Bowl salad: A waiter would lay out 21 ingredients and narrate the drama as he gently tossed and spun them. When Marriott acquired the company in 1979 and shut down all the company-owned spots, the franchise ones closed not long after. Inspired by mid-century Hungarian-French photographer Brassa's street photography of Paris in the early decades of the 20th century, Abramson (1948-2011) began photographing nightclubs on Chicago's South Side - clubs like: Peppers Hideout, Perv's House, the High Chaparral, the Patio . Prospect IL. RELATED:8 Legendary Steakhouses That Have Closed. Long live the queen. The level of hospitality provided at this place rivals none, and anyone whos been there can attest! (1963-198?) (1967-19?? It takes three months to catch on and then becomes one of the hottest restaurants in Chicago. (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. 1962-1989 // Lincoln Park Addressing Deforestation Across Supply Chains, 15 Discontinued Sodas You'll Never See Again, Big Shef has been available for limited runs, 17 Failed Chain Restaurants From the 1980s That Will Make You Feel So Nostalgic, 10 Old-Fashioned Sodas You Forgot You Loved, staff members went by the nickname "Towerettes. Carsons Howard johnson's. Although younger generations may know of Howard Johnson's thanks to Mad Men, '70s kids will remember actually visiting the orange-roofed restaurant chain. Serving up fried chicken, fish, and chips, Arthur Treacher's peaked with more than 800 stores in the late '70s. And its still known for getting pretty rowdy now. 302 West. Frontera Grill ", 25 Beloved Restaurants That Are Gone for Good, the restaurant announced in June that it's changing its name. co-owned by Garry Meier, Prince Castle / Multiple Chicagoland area locations (1928-196? Skilled workers and factory workers lost their jobs during the crisis. Roger W/Flickr. box-shadow: none !important; Tragically, chef Terczak died two years later from a rare liver disease. Patrons could order martinis and Jell-o shots at a bar decorated with tinsel, nude murals and Mr. It's loud and crowded and the main dining room is huge, with lots of tables and big leather booths. Owner Joel Findlay was a brilliant chef, particularly when it came to fish, and his wife and partner, Catherine Findlay, created so many outstanding desserts that you'd have at least 15 to choose among every evening. .goog-tooltip, By the end of the century, the company Melman founded, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Inc., owned or licensed 70 . From venues, restaurants, and bars to events, festivals, and music weve got you covered. } Chicago is now a world-renowned restaurant city, but eateries come and go sometimes, very quickly. In its heyday, the chain had more than 1,000 locations, which served fried clams and a whopping 28 ice cream flavors. (1979-1991), Silver Stallion Restaurant / 1275 Lee St. Des Plaines, IL, 6401 W. Addison St. Chicago, IL. Although its the youngest on this list, this Irish pub in Lincoln Park has still had a pretty impressive lifespan, having been around since the late 40s. 1986-present // South Loop 13. Serving up traditional Chinese eats to hungry locals since the 30s, this place has never left its spot in Irving Park. 2020 Chicago magazine / A Chicago Tribune Media Group website. Originally part of the Pillsbury Corp., the restaurant was founded in 1976. Then Uno introduced deep-dish, and it was revolutionary. 16. Featured Image: Coq dOr vintage postcard. As a toast to this magazines 40th anniversary, we name the 40 best Chicago restaurants of all time. The area has been gentrified, which began in the 80s. In 2012, the big news was the closing of Charlie Trotter's after 25 years, but out in the northwest suburbs, Le Titi de Paris called it a career after a remarkable 40-year run, which began in Palatine and ended in Arlington Heights. 1997-present // West Loop Le Titi de Paris chef/owner Pierre Pollin, center, stands with maitre d' Marcel Flori, left, and captain Claude Marcel, in 2002 as the restaurant was entering its 30th year. Established in 1941 by true Italian chefs, this is one of the city's premier steakhouses, and it has been owned by the same family since it opened. And within a decade, there were more than 200 locations across America offering 10 burgers for a buck. Beef 'N' Barrel / Multiple Chicagoland area locations, Granato's Pizzeria / 907 W. Taylor St. Chicago, IL. The Green Mill served Al Capone in the famous booth where he and his henchmen could keep a wary eye on both of the clubs entrances. (Contemporary American) Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand (Tru), Shawn McClain (Spring, Green Zebra), anddrumroll pleaseGrant Achatz (Alinea) all passed through Trio. (pizza) In the beginning, there was Chicago-style thin-crust pizza, and it was good. CHICAGO (WLS) -- Lou Malnati's pizza wants to know, if you're an "innie" or an "outie": We're talking about thin crust pizza. RELATED: This 7-day smoothie diet will help you shed those last few pounds. Owned by the Capitanini family since 1927, the downtown Italian Village is Chicago's oldest Italian restaurant. (Italian-American) In 1948, Fanny Bianucci said no to $75,000 from Kraft Foods for her salad dressing recipe. The domed, dark Crescent Room, home to many a bachelorette and birthday party, featured low tables, pillow seating and multicolored Moroccan lamps hanging from the ceiling. Chicago magazine newsletters have you covered. I narrowed my list to 15 restaurants, which wasn't easy. Jerry and Carolyn Buster, who had worked under legendary chef Louis Szathmary at The Bakery, opened this homey suburban restaurant, which oozed country charm. The intimate lounge wouldnt be slinging the delicious cocktails they are today without becoming the second place in the city to obtain a liquor license after Prohibition. 1965-late 1980s // Lincoln Park If youre looking for a place where youll feel completely transported back in time, this is it. 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. In addition to a variety of hot dogs, Pup 'N' Taco's menu boasted tacos, tostadas, and pastrami sandwiches. .goog-tooltip:hover { With Carolyn running the kitchen and Jerry as affable host, a delightful experience was all but assured. Find out where to go, what to eat, where to live, and more. Owner Dick Portillo changed the stand's name to Portillo's in 1967 and ditched the trailer for a storefront.What's taken its place: While there's still a location in Villa Park, Portillo's has grown into a 50-location Midwest chain that reportedly sold for $1 billion to a private equity firm in July.EarwaxWhat it was: Before Wicker Park became Lincoln Park West, it was an edgy, angry enclave for irate hipsters wearing clunky boots and clunkier glasses. On Diversey Pkwy and Halsted St. there used to be all kinds of small family-owned businesses. The president of the National Restaurant Association reported that the country's half million restaurants enjoyed rising sales throughout the mid-1970s, with 1975's take 16% higher than the year before. When shes not at her desk with headphones in, cranking out articles on Chicagos music, dining, and nightlife scenes, you can usually find her at concerts around the city, watching horror movies, psyching herself into going to the gym, or obsessing over scented candles. Heres a newspaper clipping from the Edinburg Daily Courier, and is dated October 29, 1938. Kaplan's Delicatessen / Water Tower Place Chicago, IL. Tell us what you think matters in your neighborhood and what we should write about next in the comments below! 1941-present // River North I loved the bustling look and feel of the place, the bagged demi baguettes that greeted you at the table; and when I griped in print about the lack of a coatroom, management quickly added one. RELATED: The easy way to make healthier comfort foods. You have to include Barneys! There were bakeries, butcher shops, greasy-spoon diners, liquor stores, old-fashioned barber shops, and tiny drugstores that had only two or three aisles. 1. Some of the restaurants Borzo highlights had some pretty remarkable ways of attracting customers. (He famously banned cellphones from the dining room in 1991.) But Hungarian bakery Vesekys in Berwyn at least makes sweets from that part of the country.The Dog HouseWhat it was: Occupying a 6-by-12-foot trailer that was purchased for $1,100, the Dog House opened in 1963 on North Ave in Villa Park, serving a simple menu of hot dogs, french fries and tamales. (photo courtesy of, 6755 N. Cicero Ave. Lincolnwood, IL. Chicago was thriving and developing in the 1970s. You'll undoubtedly think of many places I've overlooked. Today, only the original Happy Chef location still stands. And if you grew up in the 1970s, you might have had to bid farewell to a number of your favorite chain restaurants. 1969/70. When I started this project I thought I knew the restaurant scene pretty well, but I was surprised to find out about this one, said Borzo, a Chicago-based writer and author of Chicagos Fabulous Fountains, among other books. An absolute staple in the Taylor Street area of Little Italy, its a true veteran of Chicagos oldest restaurants, and the food will have you coming back for more, guaranteed. Shaped like an actual barn, Red Barn restaurant chains weren't hard to spot. 8. Zephyr Cafe / 1777 W. Wilson Ave. Chicago, IL. It started on Franklin Street in 1991,and between the crispy pizzas and the rosemary-perfumed porchetta, there was nothing not to like. (American) The Alexander brothers swanky meat palace was such a star magnet that Nicky Hilton flew buckets of their salad dressing to the Anaheim Hilton when he married Liz Taylor. In the 1970s the restaurant industry and the custom of eating in restaurants grew rapidly. Pizzeria Uno Kow Kow Restaurant /6755 N. Cicero Ave. Lincolnwood, IL. La Strada / 1531 N. Wells St. Chicago, IL. Red Star Inn No different from Chez Paul or Jacques (which made the cut for its lovely garden). (French) Well, maybe faux French, but the flower-bedecked courtyard was incredibly popular with the Ladies Who Lunch long before the phrase was coined. The chain's demise was because of another chain: Taco Bell, which bought all of the Pup 'N' Taco locations in 1984. Chicago has made countless contributions to global food culture, from the obvious (deep dish pizza) to the less-so (chicken a la king). 1978-1995 // Avondale As with many of these chains, though, interest had died down by the 1980s, in part because the chain didn't serve alcohol. Chicago, IL. Rex's Cork And Fork / 1317 E. Main St. St. Charles, IL. 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. Subscribe for free today! Phil's 50: Chicago's top restaurants rated, reviewed, mapped , 25 Chicago restaurants earn Michelin stars in 2017 , Craving: Italian -- a month of Chicago's best pastas, antipasti, pizza, secondi and more . But few know that the popular Greek specialty, flaming saganaki, was created in Chicago. (The restaurant's namesake is the English actor who played the butler in the Shirley Temple films.). } Whats taken its place: Since Pecking Order closed in July, Subidos food has been popping up at farmers markets and other food events. In 1989, as the restaurant was about to close, Szathmary said that although current food writers made fun of it, "they all raved about it once, and I know 50 percent of our sales after 26 years is still beef Wellington." (Chicago Tribune ). Not like Fronteras, we hadnt. These restaurants were doing something novel at the time, or they hold some kind of nostalgia for us. Farewell to a number of your favorite chain restaurants from the 1980s won & # x27 ; oldest! 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