Byron Kouris was among the many Greek-Americans who entered the restaurant business. In the 1960’s he started a chain called the Lunch Pail. He started Byron’s Hot Dogs with locations in Ravenswood (1701 W Lawrence Avenue), Wrigleyville (1017 W Irving Park Road), the Near West Side (680 N Halsted Street) and Lincoln Park (850 W North Avenue).
 |
| Zephyr Cafe & Ice Cream Parlor, Chicago, Illinois. (1985) |
In 1976 he started Zephyr, a Restaurant & Ice Cream Parlor at 1777 W Wilson Avenue on the Southeast corner of Wilson and Ravenswood Avenues, in an area considered off the beaten path, in the old Pickard Building. Customers somehow found Zephyr and came in droves. So much so that often lines formed down the block on spring, summer, and fall evenings.
The old-fashioned diner had an art deco theme with colored mirrors on the walls with neon lights. They served generous portions of food which were named after entertainment stars of the 1920s and ’30s; such as the Greta Garbo Salad and the Duke Ellington Club.
Zephyr was most famous for its fantastic ice cream creations. There was the War of the Worlds, a gargantuan 10-scoop sundae; the Marathon, a 64-ounce shake.
 |
| Zephyr Café & Ice Cream Parlor's "Son of Frankenstein" is a 6-scoop banana split. |
The Frankenstein’s Monster was a large-sized banana split, and the Son of Frankenstein was an even bigger 6-scoop banana split.
After 30 years in business, Zephyr closed permanently in 2006 because of a lease dispute with the landlord.
 |
| The Zephyr location is now O'Shaughnessy's Public House. |
Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.
They had the best malts,and Banana splits, I took my nephew Carl, there, every Tuesday, after doing my laundry.sad they closed, and never relocated 😢.
ReplyDeleteI believe a murder took place there at some point
ReplyDeleteThey sure killed my diet...
DeleteNot actually a murder. A manager was shot in the back by robbers in 1986. He was left paralyzed.
DeleteNo murder. A hold up and a shooting. A manager was paralyzed as a result.
Deletethey didn’t have to shot him!
DeleteThe peanut butter shakes were the best.
ReplyDeleteFond memory of my teen years. It was a cool place we could go and feel "grown up" because it was really hip.
ReplyDeleteI used to go there all the time, we lived on Leavitt between Montrose and irving park rd. and went there all summer long... and yes we shared the war of the world's.... Northsider all the way..
ReplyDeleteLived at Berteau and Paulina from '86 to '88, and went there a lot, but also used to shlep down there for ice cream, all the way from Evanston and Rogers Park, during the decade before that. Their food was pretty good, too.
DeleteWe lived on Irving Park and Ashland , across from the High School . We took our kids there and fell in love with that place . Great service and great creative foods . The designs were 1920s and so exotic in lights and mirrors . We moved to the west in 1983 . When we visited Chicago later , Zephyrs was gone . So was Sally's Stage .
DeleteTheir french onion soup and buffalo wings were great also.
ReplyDeleteI loved this place
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! We used to go here after performances as a celebration. The big tall Botha felt so glamorous to my jr high self.
ReplyDeleteAh, the Zephyr. I stopped going because I was too old to spend a night on the town Now I'm just too old.
ReplyDeleteThe zephyr, I remember a dessert of epic proportions with 10 scoops of ice cream and a mountain of whipped cream, called the ‘war of the worlds’.
ReplyDeleteI remember going there at 19yo. with my best friends. We loved the shakes/ice creams, burgers, fries, etc....it was a fun hang out spot! I am very saddened it's no longer there. 🥺😭
ReplyDeleteWe used to go there all the time till I ordered the “son of Frankestain” and wouldn’t sell it to me cuz it was too big for little old me!
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I was sitting here reminiscing about this restaurants( Zephyrus) I remember going there one year to celebrate our Wedding Anniversary couldn't go far...We'd just had our son, we so enjoyed the beef short ribs dinner...with a delicious ice cream dessert... I miss this place I was looking to visit it soon but it is now gone what a wonderful restaurant the atmosphere was inviting💞
ReplyDeleteI went to nursing school in that area in the early 80's. Whenever we had a big nursing exam, my classmates and I would go to Zephyr to indulge in ice cream after we took the test.
ReplyDeleteThose ice cream dishes washed away all of our stress and anxiety. I will forever have strong fond memories of this place and all the calm it brought to me all those years to go. I have even told my kids stories about this place and it's just too bad that it's gone. I would have brought them there the experience the treats.
Now my niece lives right down the street from that location and every time I pass the Irish bar ,turn left to park on her street, my heart skips a little. A moment in time that once meant so much to me is just another Chicago memory from my younger years.