A Lot Of Chicago Restaurants Have Closed In The Past Month

By Anthony Todd in Food on Jan 4, 2017 7:28PM

Chicken at The Southern, closing soon. Photo via Facebook.

2016 was a huge year for new restaurants, but it was also a big year for closures. In addition to the sad, high-profile closures (The Parthenon, The Cape Cod Room) there were also a ton of restaurants that shut their doors right at the end of 2016 or in this first week of 2017.

Just yesterday, the Tribune reported that Maple & Ash had taken over the space currently occupied by The Southern. The restaurant will shut on Jan. 15.

We reported that Bar Toma had shuttered, but now comes news that Terzo Piano, another restaurant owned by Tony Mantuano located in the modern wing of the Art Institute, is going down for an extensive renovation. They'll be re-opening at the end of January, so fortunately this one isn't permanent.

Mercat a la Planxa, one of our favorite Spanish spots in the South Loop, closed on Monday for a big refresh. They're doing a lot of interior work on the restaurant, and the restaurant is supposed to re-open in the Spring. A release in early December said that Chef Aaron McCay would remain with the restaurant, but he announced on Facebook that his last day was New Years Eve. We'll see if Mercat comes back, and what it looks like when it does.

Eater Chicago reports that Coco Pazzo Cafe on St. Claire closed on New Years Eve. It'll be consolidating with Tre Soldi and re-opning later this year.

Sushi Naniwa in Old Town closed on New Year's Eve after 19 years in business.

Other late 2016 closures included Bull & Bear, Red Door, Ale Syndicate and Mash Craft Kitchen.