(Above) Maggiano’s Little Italy from across North Clark Street on September 5, 2015.
August 9, 2020 – Two streets in River North will be closed on weekends to accommodate outdoor diners.
Starting last Friday, three blocks of North Clark Street will be closed from Grand Avenue to Kinzie Street. One block of North Wells Street will be closed from Superior Street to Huron Street.
The street closings, announced by the city earlier this summer, will allow restaurants to serve a larger number of socially-distanced people.
A 12-to-16-foot-wide lane will be kept open for pedestrians and emergency vehicles. East/west streets through the areas will also remain open.
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(Left) Bub City restaurant in 400 block of North Clark Street in 2015. |
Expanded outdoor dining has been offered for the past several weekends in the Gold Coast neighborhood near North Rush Street and East Bellevue Place. According to 42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly, the pilot program has been successful and, effective August 7, the street closure has been extended to seven days a week.
Participating restaurants on Clark Street include Bar Ramone, Bar Sóntano, Beatrix, Bub City, Ema, Enolo Wine Café, Epic Burger, Frontera Grill, Havana Grill & Mojito Bar, Maggiano’s Little Italy, Roka Akor, The Pizza Window (next to The Boss Bar), The Smith, and Topolobampo.
On Wells Street, participating restaurants include Avli River North, GT Prime Steakhouse, Prosecco, and RealGood Stuff Co.
