Remembering Chicago’s ‘Lost Restaurants’


Chicago is now a world-renowned restaurant city, but eateries come and go – sometimes, very quickly.

The history of Chicago’s restaurant scene and the characters who have populated it help tell the story of the city itself.

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Greg Borzo’s 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.

Some of the restaurants Borzo highlights had some pretty remarkable ways of attracting customers.

“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 “Chicago’s Fabulous Fountains,” among other books. “It was called Flo’s, 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. Borzo says the food was “mediocre.”

Read the introduction to the book “Lost Restaurants of Chicago.”


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