Great Lake in Chicago, undeniably one of the country's destination pizzerias (we've said as much in these posts), will be closing up shop at the end of January. Owners of the Andersonville restaurant, Nick Lessins and Lydia Esparza, have opted not to renew their lease according to Crain's Chicago Business. But before you unleash a string of self directed reprimands of "oh-my-god-why-haven't-I-been-there-yet," or "why-did-I-let-the-lines-keep-me-from-trying-to eat-there-more-often," let's get those heart palpitations in check.
By all initial accounts, it sounds like while operations will cease at the current location, operations will not cease overall. The reason given for the move is that the landlord had not made "necessary repairs and updates to the building." But according to the Chicago Business article, Lessins told the landlord that his plan is to move the restaurant. Phew!
While no further information surrounding the move is known at the moment, we will be looking into the details. I, for one, am staying 100% positive and foresee a better (maybe even slightly bigger) Great Lake in our future. Of course there is a part of me that doesn't think it's crazy to get one meal in at the founding location and buy that ticket to Chicago today. If you are of the same mind, remember that Great Lake is open Wednesdays through Saturdays. I have a feeling Great Lake is about to have some serious lines.
Great Lake
1477 W. Balmoral Avenue, Chicago IL 60640 (map)
773-334-9270
[Via Crain's Chicago Business]
About the author: Meredith Smith is the Slice editor. You can follow her on Twitter: @mertsmith.