East Pilsen to Express Grill: No Polish, No Onions

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Aug 15, 2008 6:00PM

The dirty side of gentrification finally raises its head in East Pilsen. Residents and business owners in the neighborhood (aka "The Podmajersky area") are incensed that the owners of longtime polish sausage stand mainstay Express Grill are building a second location at 18th and Halsted. Business owners are touting the double parking and other traffic congestion, noise, overflowing dumpsters, drunkenness of its customers in the wee small hours and alleged illicit and criminal behavior going on around the stands. But their main points of contention against having Express Grill set up shop seem to be the smell of grilled onions and the eyesore that is a polish sausage stand.

In defense of Express Grill, UIC police told the Sun-Times that they don't respond to as many calls for disturbances there (and the neighboring Jim's Original) than one would assume. Aside from minor infractions, Express Grill passed its most recent health inspection. Still, the East Pilsen residents are bringing in some heavy hitters. 25th Ward Alderman Danny Solis has ordered his staff to investigate ways to block the opening of Express Grill. "This is a threat, not an opportunity for our neighborhood," Carlos Chavarria, owner of Kristoffer's Café and Bakery, told the S-T.

Pilsen residents can weigh in on the matter 6:30 p.m. Monday night at Providence of God Church (717 W. 18th St.). The church is located across the street from a bar, by the way, which never has drunken people leaving at 2 a.m., waking up residents with their noise and traffic congestion, or dump trash on the street, or get into fights and commit crimes. [Sun-Times]