Chicago’s Southport Corridor in Chicago’s Lakeview Neighborhood. All the latest news of what is happening in and around Lakeview's Southport Corridor neighborhood.
After Boka announced GG’s Chicken Shop this past week, rumors are swirling on the other two concepts to be announced in early 2022
BOKA restaurant group will be taking over the former Southport Lanes building, and the first of three restaurants was announced this past week.
“Boka should debut all three over the summer, but the company is only ready to reveal details about one of its entries. GG’s Chicken Shop, a fast-casual pop-up that debuted during the pandemic as a ghost kitchen operating out of the Boka’s Michelin-starred namesake in Lincoln Park, will serve fried chicken sandwiches, salads, and more.”
One of Chicago’s most successful restaurant groups, Boka, plans on opening three restaurants in Lakeview’s Southport Corridor neighborhood, inside the 118-year-old former bowling alley space that belonged to Southport Lanes before it closed last year in Lakeview.
Boka should debut all three over the summer, but the company is only ready to reveal details about one of its entries. GG’s Chicken Shop, a fast-casual pop-up that debuted during the pandemic as a ghost kitchen operating out of the Boka’s Michelin-starred namesake in Lincoln Park, will serve fried chicken sandwiches, salads, and more. Executive Chef Lee Wolen is a kind of a chicken whisperer known for his roast chicken at Boka. He’ll serve a version of the item at GG’s along with a full slate of sides. Wolen says he imagines adding a rotisserie and cooking veggies like cauliflower on the spit.
The Boka Group has officially leased the former Southport Lanes space, and is planning on bringing in a new restaurant concept to the Southport Corridor.
One of Chicago’s best-known restaurant groups plans to move into a historic, Schlitz-built structure on the city’s North Side that has functioned at various times as a tavern, speakeasy, illegal off-track betting parlor, brothel and bowling alley.
Southport Lanes closed for good last Fall, and for the past year, the site has been listed for lease. Recently, Mid-America Real Estate had the site active for lease, but has recently taken it down.
In the SoPo rumor-ville, the building could be leased (or in the process of being leased) by The Boka Restaurant Group as a new restaurant.
Southport Lanes was built by the Schlitz brewery in 1922 as one of the hundreds of “tied houses” in the Midwest (only Schlitz beer could be served). Once Schlitz sold the bar, the menu offered fornication to help fund the transitional purchase to its new owners in addition to its nobler alcohol distribution efforts. Because prostitution was, and still is, illegal in Chicago, the owner had to subtly advertise the delights to be found upstairs. He did this by having M.K. Siegner paint murals on the walls depicting nymphs frolicking in negligees.
Southport Lanes – 1990’s
Because prostitution was, and still is, illegal in Chicago, the owner had to subtly advertise the delights to be found upstairs. He did this by having M.K. Siegner paint murals on the walls depicting nymphs frolicking in negligees. These murals can still be seen today, both in the front room and above the bowling pins. Additional murals of these nymphs, sans clothing, could be found along the staircase and in the second floor bedrooms but those have since been painted over.
Southport Lanes – July, 2021
In 1991, the bar was purchased and renovated by the same owners that later brought us the Daily Bar & Grill, and such now-defunct dillies as Corner Pocket (now Victory Liquors), Hudson Club, and Lucky Strike (now Seven Ten, which also offers bowling and billiards).
Ownership of Southport Lanes has since transitioned to the Spare Time empire, who also owns Seven Ten, Firehouse, Riverview Tavern, Robey Pizza Company, and Popkin Tavern (Richmond, Virginia). Fortunately, the new owners did not mess with the formula that made the original, “Leo’s Southport Lanes,” an excellent tavern. Leo’s was run by Leo and Ella Beitz dating back to 1960, who took over from Leo’s parents who ran it since 1946.
As you know, Southport Lanes, the 98-year-old Chicago bowling alley, bar and billiards hall in Lake View, will not reopen after closing last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In January, news outlets reported the spring return of Southport Lanes after closing in September, 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We have reached out to Southport Lanes, as well as the commercial real estate sector and we are hearing that it is a slim chance that Southport Lanes will be coming back. The listing from Mid-America Commercial Real Estate has recently been updated as well this past month, which never is a good sign of a comeback.
Southport Corridor News and Events - Chicago, Illinois 