Tavern on Rush in Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood to close permanently

CHICAGO - After 25 years at the corner of Rush and Bellevue, Tavern on Rush will close at the end of 2022, the restaurant announced Thursday.

Tavern's owners said the landlord has decided not to renew the restaurant's lease.

"It's a tough one to swallow," said Owner Phil Stefani.

Tavern — as it's simply known — has been a neighborhood fixture and a restaurant so popular, it's hard to imagine Gold Coast dining without it.

"I'm in tears," said longtime patron Maureen Guom at hearing the news.  "The best martini! The best bread! The best butter! The best carpaccio! The best steak!"

"We love this restaurant," echoed her husband, Jerry.  "We love the people. We love Benny (the manager) and the people who take care of this restaurant, and it's been a wonderful place for us to come."

The restaurant posted a simple 'thank you' on Instagram Thursday afternoon and announced it's closing permanently on Jan. 1, 2023.

"My emotions? It's hard," said Stefani.  "Twenty-five years is a long time to have a place."

"Everyone that you see here, they're my customers," said Manager Benny Nadzaku, who helped Stefani open Tavern in 1998.  "They're my friends and family. And I do my best just to make them happy."

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Always packed, it's been one of the anchor restaurants of the Gold Coast since 1998 and a restaurant that drew not just local regulars, but a national and international clientele.

"There's not enough to say about my patrons. Thank you. Thank you," said Stefani.  "A restaurant is bricks and mortar. It's the people who make that restaurant. It's the staff."

Stefani said he made that announcement now to give Chicagoans a few months to make it back to Tavern one last time to celebrate, and say goodbye to the Tavern Family.

Asked whether Tavern could reopen elsewhere, Stefani said, "never say never."