Showing posts with label Food & Restaurants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food & Restaurants. Show all posts

Saturday, May 6, 2023

Skokie, Illinois, List of Closed Restaurants.

A SYNOPSIS OF THE NAME SKOKIE
A settlement was incorporated as Niles Centre in 1888. Then, in 1910, the spelling of Centre was Americanized to Niles "Center"; however, the name caused postal confusion in the neighboring village of Niles. A village-renaming campaign began in the 1930s. In a referendum on November 15, 1940, residents chose the Indian name "Skokie" (the Potawatomi word for "Marsh") over the name "Devonshire."
CLOSED RESTAURANTS IN SKOKIE, ILL.
(previous names: Niles Centre, then Niles Center)
Mid-1800s Taverns Offered Accommodations, Served Three Meals a Day, and Served Liquor. Many offered Stable & Farrier services, especially when on a Stagecoach Route.

Abe's on Lincoln, east of Grosse Point Road, Skokie
Acres Restaurant Delicatessen, 4000 Church Street, Skokie
Adam Barg's Tavern, NE corner Lincoln Avenue & Warren Street, Niles Centre (Skokie)
Ah Fong, Church Street and Gross Point Road, Skokie
Al Baileys Cormaine Restaurant, Main Street & McCormick Blvd., Niles Center (Skokie) 
Alamo Mardi Gras, 3317 Dempster Street, Skokie
Alberti's, 8050 Lincoln Avenue, Skokie
Aldino's, 4435 Oakton Street, Skokie
Annie's Pancake House, 4900 Oakton Street, Skokie
Arby's, 9402 Skokie Boulevard Rt 41), Skokie
Arman's Canary Barbecue, 4824 Dempster Street, Skokie
Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips, 3727 Dempster Street, Skokie
Auto Inn, 8024 Lincoln Avenue, Skokie
Babbo Restaurant, 4949 Oakton Street, Skokie
Ba Da Boom, 8014 Lincoln Avenue, Skokie
Bagel Country Restaurant, 9306 Skokie Boulevard Rt 41), Skokie
Baghdad Family Restaurant, 4839 Oakton Street, Skokie
Bam's Log Cabin, 6747 Lincoln Avenue, Skokie
Barbeque Open Pit, 4947 Dempster Street, Skokie
Barney Connelly's Tavern, 8020 Lincoln Avenue, Niles Centre (Skokie)
Barnum and Bagel, 4700 Dempster Street, Skokie
Baskin-Robbins, 4041 Dempster Street, Skokie
Baskin-Robbins, 4558 Oakton Street, Skokie
Bay's Restaurant, Lincoln Avenue, Skokie
Big Mouth Noodles and Rice Skokie, 4031 Dempster Street, Skokie
Bipees, 5237 Golf Road (Rt 58), Skokie
Bird Snack Shop, The, inside the Dempster Street Skokie Swift Station
Bistro Europa, 9925 Gross Point Road, Skokie
Blameuser's Tavern, Lincoln Avenue and Oakton Street, Niles Centre (Skokie)
Blaze Pizza, 4999 Old Orchard Shopping Center, Skokie
B'Nickys Snackeateria, 7515 Cicero Avenue, Skokie
Bonanza, 10027 Skokie Boulevard (Rt 41), Skokie
Bonefish Grill, 9310 Skokie Boulevard Rt 41), Skokie
Boston Blackie's, 9525 Skokie Boulevard Rt 41), Skokie
Boston Market, 3641 Dempster Street, Skokie
Boudin Bakery, 4999 Old Orchard Shopping Center, Skokie
Brazil Bowl, 4047 Oakton Street, Skokie
Bronx Inn, 8800 Bronx Avenue, Niles Center (Skokie)
Bronx Lunch, 4953 Dempster Street, Niles Center (Skokie)
Brown's Chicken, 3949 Oakton Street, Skokie
Bruce's Grill, 4455 Oakton Street, Skokie
Bryan's Fountain and Grill, 8047 Lincoln Avenue, Skokie
Buddy's Restaurant, Church Street, Skokie
Bugsy Schwartz Restaurant, 3353 Dempster Street, Skokie
Bum Steer, The, 4700 Dempster Street, Skokie
Bumpkins, 5237 Golf Road (Rt 58), Skokie
Bungalow Tavern, 10054 North Cicero, Niles Center (Skokie)
Burger King, 8225 Skokie Boulevard (Rt 41), Skokie (1961, 1st Burger King outside Florida).
Burrito Bowl, 4047 Oakton Street, Skokie
Busse's Bungalow, 4952 Dempster Street, Niles Center (Skokie)
Candlewick, 4000 Church Street, Skokie
Canton Restaurant, 8007 Lincoln Avenue, Skokie
Carson's Ribs, 8617 Niles Center Road, Skokie
Cas and Lou Italian Restaurant, 3517 Dempster Street, Skokie
Casbah Armenian Cuisine, 3941 Dempster Street, Skokie
Champps Americana, 4999 Old Orchard Shopping Center, Skokie
Chances 'R', 10027 Skokie Boulevard (Rt 41), Skokie
Chandelier Restaurant, The, 4150 Dempster Street, Skokie
Checkerboard Restaurant and Lounge, 8400 Skokie Boulevard (Rt 41), Skokie
Ches's Lounge, 3401 Dempster, Skokie (Good Food and Liquor)
Chicago Bry's Tavern, 7923 Lincoln Avenue, Niles Centre (Skokie)
Chicken Delight, 4650 Oakton Street, Skokie
Chicken in the Rough, 6649 Lincoln Avenue, Skokie
Chicken Palace, Oakton Street and East Prairie Road, Skokie
Chicken Unlimited, Dempster Street, Skokie
Chik Beef Skokie, 3612 Touhy Avenue, Skokie
Choo-Choo Limited Restaurant (where trains deliver the food) 4923 Oakton Street, Skokie
Chuck Muer's Restaurant, 4999 Old Orchard Shopping Center, Skokie
Chun King Lo, 4417½ Oakton Street, Skokie
Circus, The, 8105 North Cicero Avenue (Rt 91), Niles Centre (Skokie)
Clover Club, The, Dempster Street and McCormick Boulevard, Skokie
Club De-Metra, 5006 Dempster Street, Niles Center (Skokie)
Club El Bianco, 10035 Skokie Boulevard (Rt 41), Skokie
Club Moderne, 3555 Dempster Street, Skokie
Cock Robin, North of Oakton Street on Skokie Boulevard (Rt 41), Skokie
Coffee Pot, The, Brown Street, Skokie
Columbo's, East Prairie Road and Dempster Street, Skokie
Contessa, Main Street and Skokie Boulevard (Rt 41), Skokie
Copper Penny Restaurant, Skokie Boulevard (Rt 41), Skokie
Cork Restaurant, 3555 Dempster Street, Skokie
Cormaine Cocktail Lounge, 3303 Main Street, Niles Center (Skokie)
Corner Hut Hot Dog Stand, Oakton and Keating, Skokie
Costa Arena Mexican Restaurant, 4010 Main Street, Skokie
Country Cousins, 4900 Oakton Street, Skokie,
Crabapple Restaurant, 66 Old Orchard Mall, Owned by Marshall Field's, Skokie (1959-96)
Crave Kabob, 7240 Niles Center Road, Skokie
Crazy Greek, 5051 Oakton Street, Skokie
Cutsler's Lunch Counter, 8118 Lincoln Avenue, Niles Center (Skokie)
Daily Grill, 9599 Skokie Boulevard (Rt 41), Skokie
Dairy Delite, 4847 Dempster Street, Skokie
Dairy Queen, 4041 Dempster Street, Skokie
Da'Nali's, 4032 West Oakton Street, Skokie
Dari-De Lite of Skokie, 3315 Elgin Road, Skokie
De Carlucci's Pizza and Mexican Grill, 4010 Main Street, Skokie
Delve Inn, 4800 Dempster Street, Niles Center (Skokie)
D'elect to Go, 3455 Dempster Street, Skokie
De Mar's East of Edens, 5200 Dempster, Skokie (in All-Star Lanes) Bowling Alley
Desiree Restaurant, 8000 Lincoln Avenue, Skokie
Don's Fish Market (attached to Howard Johnson's Motor Lodge), 9335 Skokie Blvd. Skokie
Duffy's Tavern, 8024 Lincoln Avenue, Skokie
Dukes North, 5237 Golf Road, Skokie
East Of Eden Restaurant, 5200 Dempster Street, Skokie
Eastern Style Pizza, 3560 Dempster Street, Skokie
Eclissi Italian Restaurant, 8020 Lincoln Avenue, Skokie
Edman's Grill, 3324 Main Street, Skokie
Ed's Ubaa, 9956 Crawford, Skokie
Edward's, 3 Old Orchard Shopping Center, Skokie
Edwardo's Pizza, 9300 Skokie Boulevard (Rt 41), Skokie
Eggrolls, 4047 Oakton Street, Skokie
El Fuego Mexican Cuisine, 8018 North Lincoln Avenue, Skokie
El Gaucho, 10027 Skokie Boulevard (Rt 41), Skokie 
El Tipico, 3341 Dempster Street, Skokie 
Ess n Ess (S & S) Restaurant Delicatessen, 5256 Dempster Street, Skokie
Evergreen Gardens, 3401 Dempster Street, Niles Center (Skokie)
Falafel King 4507 Oakton Street, Skokie
Fil Thai Restaurant, 4010 Main Street, Skokie
Florence Vipond Restaurant, Skokie and Main Street, Skokie
Four Seasons Restaurant, 4000 Church Street, Skokie. (1961-2011)
Fred's Restaurant, 8007 Lincoln Avenue, Niles Center (Skokie)
French Baker, The, 62 Professional Building, 4999 Old Orchard Shopping Center, Skokie
Frontera Fresco, 4999 Old Orchard Shopping Center, Skokie
Garden Of Eden, 4047 Oakton Street, Skokie
George's Lunchroom, 8019½ Lincoln Avenue, Niles Center (Skokie)
Gino's East, Dempster Street and Drake Avenue, Skokie
Gladys and Ed's, 3301 Main Street, Skokie
Goldberg's Delicatessen and Snack Bar, 7933 Lincoln Avenue, Skokie
Gold Coin Restaurant, 4700 Dempster Street, Skokie
Gourmet Pita and Pizza, Village Crossing Shopping Center, 5549 Touhy Avenue, Skokie
Great Godfrey Daniels, 10027 Skokie Boulevard (Rt 41), Skokie
Great Steak and Potato Co., 4999 Old Orchard Shopping Center, Skokie
Groovy Island Pizza Co., 5051 Oakton Street, Skokie
Gulliver's Pizza, 3535 Dempster Street, Skokie
Gus Gus Restaurant and Bakery, 4047 Oakton Street, Skokie
Hamburger Hamlet, Dempster Street, Skokie
Hans Goodrich, 6717 Lincoln Avenue, Skokie
Henry's Drive-In, 9555 Skokie Boulevard (Rt 41), Skokie, next to Fun Fair Amusement Park.
Henry Harm's Tavern, Lincoln Avenue and Oakton Street, Niles Centre (Skokie)
Happy Cow, 4999 Old Orchard Shopping Center, Skokie
Herman's Delicatessen, 3720 Dempster Street, Skokie
Herman's Otto Tavern, 1139 Milwaukee Avenue, Niles Center (Skokie)
Hershey’s Restaurant, Dempster Street and Ridgeway Avenue, Skokie
Hillcrest, The, 5151 Dempster Street, Skokie
Holland's Coffee Pot, 8047 Lincoln Avenue, Skokie
Holloway House Restaurant and Cocktail Lounge, 10035 Skokie Highway, Skokie
Hoos Isbell's Nautical Inn, 3445 Dempster Street, Skokie
Horwitz and Shanahan's Restaurant and Bar, 9300 Skokie Boulevard (Rt 41), Skokie
Hot Dog Hut, Oakton Street east of Skokie Boulevard (Rt 41), Skokie
Hot Dog Island, 4925 Dempster Street, Skokie
Houlihan’s, 4999 Old Orchard Shopping Center, Skokie
Howard Johnson Motor Lodge Restaurant, 9333 Skokie Boulevard (Rt 41), Skokie
Hub, 4700 Oakton Street, Skokie
Hut, The, NE corner of Christiana Avenue and Main Street, Skokie
Hy Life Bistro, 4120 Dempster Street, Skokie
IIG Air Park, 6200 Touhy Avenue, Niles Center (Skokie)
Isbell's Nautical Inn, 3445 Dempster Street, Skokie
Irving’s for Red Hot Lovers, 4925 Dempster Street, Skokie
Jack in the Box, Dempster Street, East of East Prairie Road, Skokie
Jack's Restaurant, 5201 West Touhy Avenue, Skokie
Jake the Master Ribber, 4120 Dempster Street, Skokie
Jake's Snack Shop, 5201 West Touhy Avenue, Skokie
Johnny Rockets, 4999 Old Orchard Shopping Center, Skokie
Johnny's Grill, 5313 Lincoln Avenue, Skokie
Jordy’s Hot Dogs, Skokie Boulevard (Rt 41), and Golf Road (Rt 58), Skokie
Kabul House Restaurant, 4949 Oakton Street, Skokie
Karl Bock Restaurant, 5336 Lincoln Avenue, Skokie
Kelly's Drive-In, Main Street and McCormick Boulevard, Skokie
Kerns, Jack, 7951 Lincoln Avenue, Niles Center (Skokie)
Klehm's Tavern, Lincoln Avenue and Oakton Street, Niles Centre (Skokie)
Kloman, Fred, 8212 Lincoln Avenue, Niles Center (Skokie)
Knotty Pine Inn, 5320 West Touhy Avenue, Skokie
Krier's Restaurant, 8014 Lincoln Avenue, Niles Centre (Skokie)
Krispy Krunchy Chicken, 5128 Dempster Street, Skokie
Kwanset Kitchen, 3324 Main Street, Skokie
Kwiki Dog House, Lincoln and Cicero Avenues, Skokie
L & S Snack Shop, 3421 Church Street, Skokie
La Hacienda del Sol, 3341 Dempster, Skokie
La Maisonette, 3445 Dempster Street, Skokie
La Michoacana Restaurant, 3612 Touhy Avenue, Skokie
La Rosa Restaurant, 3724 Dempster Street, Skokie
La Salade, 3938 Dempster Street, Skokie
La Via Pizza, 5129 Dempster Street, Skokie
Lafite's Steak and Lobster, 3445 Dempster Street, Skokie
Landl's Restaurant, 5301 Foster Street, Skokie
Landl's Restaurant, Golf Road & Edens Highway, Skokie
Lawry's Restaurant & Delicatessen, 4435 Oakton, Skokie
Leo's Tavern, 4249 Main Street, Niles Center (Skokie)
Leon Isbell's Nautical Inn, 3445 Dempster, Skokie
Leona's Restaurant, 3517 Dempster Street, Skokie
Lily and Nats Breakfast Cafe, 4047 Oakton Street, Skokie
Lim's Chinese Takeout, 4149 Main Street, Skokie
Lindy's Ground Floor North Shore Hilton, 9599 Skokie Boulevard (Rt 41), Skokie
Little Oasis Club, The, 4400 Simpson (Golf Road), Skokie
Luigi Pizzeria, 4010 Main Street, Skokie
Lunch Box, 4801 Main Street, Skokie
M Burger, 3654 West Touhy Avenue, Skokie
Madhus Pizza, 7565 Lincoln Avenue, Skokie
Mages Waldy's Place (Mages Hot Dogs), 4925 Dempster Street, Skokie
Magic Pan Creperie, 4999 Old Orchard Shopping Center, Skokie
Main Pizza and Ice Cream Parlor, 4209 Main Street, Skokie
Malibu Pizza and Pasta, 3353 Dempster Street, Skokie
Mama Marino's Pizza, 3560 Dempster Street, Skokie
Manny's Pizza Skokie, 5051 Oakton Street, Skokie
Marcopolo Asian Restaurant, 8014 Lincoln Avenue, Skokie
Mark III, Dempster Street and McCormick Boulevard, Skokie
Mexican Fiesta Restaurant, 4010 Main Street, Skokie
Michale Schmitz Restaurant, 8024 Lincoln Avenue, Niles Center (Skokie)
Mod Pizza, 5530 West Touhy Avenue, Skokie
Moe's Southwest Grill, 3620 Touhy Avenue, Skokie
Moroccan Delight, 4047 Oakton Street, Skokie
Morry's Snack Shop, 3358 Main Street, Skokie
Mr. Hummus Mediterranean Grill, 3457 Dempster Street, Skokie
Mr. Sub, Dempster Street, Skokie
Nankin, 4124-26 Dempster Street, Skokie
Nelson, Gust, 7420 North Kostner Avenue, Niles Center (Skokie)
New Baghdad Kabobi, 4839 Oakton Street, Skokie
New China Restaurant (Cantonese), 3710 Dempster, Skokie
Niles Center Lunch Room, 8019½ Lincoln Avenue, Niles Center (Skokie)
Nineveh Restaurant, 4047 Oakton Street, Skokie
Niu Armenial Grill, 4839 Oakton Street, Skokie
Niu Kabob House, 4839 Oakton Street, Skokie
Noodles and Company, 3304 West Touhy Avenue, Skokie
Noshery, The, 4000 Block of Main Street, Skokie
Oakton Lincoln Grill, 8014 Line, Niles Center (Skokie)
Oakton Mediterranean Grill, 4047 Oakton Street, Skokie
Oakton Restaurant, 4900 Oakton Street, Skokie
Old Orchard Delicatessen (arcade level), 4999 Old Orchard Shopping Center, Skokie
Outlaw Burger, 4999 Old Orchard Shopping Center, Skokie
Pagliacci Pizzeria, Dempster Street and Bronx Avenue, Skokie
Pan Dee’s Inn, Oakton Street, Skokie
Pan Inn, Oakton Street, Skokie
Papa Romeo's Pizza, 3939 Dempster Street (moved 5126 Dempster), Skokie
Papillon, 5111 Brown Street, Skokie
Pat's Place, 8020 Lincoln Avenue, Niles Center (Skokie)
Pat's Place, 5025 Oakton Street, Skokie
Patty's Diner, 3358 Main Street, Skokie
Pete and Charlie's, 4999 Old Orchard Shopping Center, Skokie
Piazza's Italian-American Restaurant, 8335 Skokie Boulevard (Rt 41), Skokie
Piccolo Mondo, 3517 Dempster Street, Skokie
Picnic Tree, The, 4150 Dempster Street, Skokie
Pie House, The, 6649 Lincoln Avenue, Skokie
Pinocchio Pizzeria, 4209 Main Street, Skokie
Pizza Go-Go, 3832 Dempster Street, Skokie
Pizzaahhhh, 4999 Old Orchard Shopping Center, Skokie
Pressed Sandwich Shop and Cafe, 4845 Oakton Street, Skokie
Prime Rib, The, 8617 Niles Center Road, Skokie
Pyrenees, The, 10035 Skokie Boulevard (Rt 41), Skokie
Ralph's (Burgers), 3317 Dempster Street, Skokie
Ramble Inn, 8446 Church Street, Niles Center (Skokie)
Ranch Burger Co., 5051 Oakton Street, Skokie
Red Coach Dining Room, 8617 Niles Center Road, Skokie
Ridge Tavern, 9600 Niles Center Road, Skokie
Ridley's Buffet Luncheon, 7914 Lincoln Avenue, Niles Center (Skokie)
Robinson's Lounge, 3517 Dempster Street, Skokie
Romi's, 5237 Golf Road (Rt 58), Skokie
Roti Modern Mediterranean Skokie, 4999 Old Orchard Shopping Center, Skokie
Roundy's Snack Shop, 7738 Lavergne Avenue, Skokie
Ruby Tuesday, 5203 Old Orchard Road, Skokie
Sally's On The Skokie, 10035 Skokie Highway, Skokie
Sam and Hy's, 3438 Dempster Street, Skokie
Scheibe, Henry, 8266 Lincoln Avenue, Niles Center (Skokie)
Schmidt, Mike, 8349 Trumbull, Niles Center (Skokie)
Schmitz's Tavern, 8024 Lincoln Avenue, Niles Center (Skokie)
Scotty and Pete Krier's Restaurant, 8014 Lincoln Avenue, Skokie
Seul's Tavern, 8000 Lincoln Avenue, Niles Centre (Skokie)
Shahnaz Auntie Kitchen, 5128 Dempster Street, Skokie
Sharp Corner Inn, Niles Center Road, Niles Center (Skokie)
Siunik Armenian Grill, 4839 Oakton Street, Skokie
Skokie Club (Original), 8820 Skokie Boulevard (Rt 41), Skokie
Skokie Club (Moved and reopened at) 4741 Main Street, Skokie
Skokie Pita and Pizza, 5309 Oakton Street, Skokie
Skokie Pita and Pizza, 7565 Lincoln Avenue, Skokie
Skokinn, 4741 Main Street, Skokie
Sky Rocket Cabaret Restaurant, Skokie Boulevard (Rt 41), Skokie
Slice of Life, 4120 Dempster Street, Skokie
Sloppy Joe Nation, 9525 Skokie Boulevard (Rt 41), Skokie
Smoothie King, 3612 Touhy Avenue, Skokie
Sorensen's Lunch Room, 3311 Howard Street, Niles Center (Skokie)
Soup Hot Pot, 4047 Oakton Street, Skokie
Spicer's Ribs, Dempster Street and Hamlin Avenue, Skokie
Steak House, 4047 Oakton Street, Skokie
Stouffer's Restaurant, 4999 Old Orchard Shopping Center, Skokie
Subway, 4933 Dempster Street (moved to 4925 W. Dempster), Skokie 
Sugo Italian Street Food, 4949 Oakton Street, Skokie
Swedish Castle, 8212 Lincoln Avenue, Niles Center (Skokie)
Szechwan Pavilion, 4999 Old Orchard Shopping Center #70, Skokie
Thai Pavilion Restaurant, 4654 Church Street, Skokie
Thai Pasta, Main Street and Crawford Avenue, Skokie
The Hawthorn Room, inside Marshall Field's Old Orchard Store, Skokie
The Tea Room, inside Marshall Field's Old Orchard Store, Skokie
Tilted Kilt Skokie BBQ Restaurant, 7070 Carpenter Road, Skokie
Timber Ridge Restaurant, 4000 Church Street, Skokie
Toddle House, Dempster Street, Skokie
Tom Brown's Skokie Restaurant, 8617 Niles Center, Skokie
Top Hat, 3406 Dempster Street, Skokie
Topper's Drive-In, 3406 Dempster, Skokie
Toscano's, Oakton Street, Skokie
Touhy House, 5600 West Touhy Avenue, Skokie
Tous Les Jours, 4999 Old Orchard Shopping Center, Skokie
Tower Garden Restaurant, 9925 Gross Point Road, Skokie
Tower Restaurant and Cafe, 9925 Ridge Road, Skokie
Traut's Restaurant, 8007 Lincoln Avenue, Skokie
Tuk Tuk Thai, 4031 Dempster Street, Skokie
Uncle Ben's Pizza, 5549 Touhy Avenue, Skokie
Villa La Main, Main Street and North McCormick Boulevard, Skokie
Village Tavern, 8617 Niles Cemter Road, Niles Center (Skokie)
Wag's (Walgreens) Restaurant, 4999 Old Orchard Shopping Center, Skokie
Waggoner, Frances, 3800 Dempster Street, Niles Center (Skokie)
Wesley's Restaurant, 3956 Dempster Street, Skokie
West of Edens, 7240 Niles Center Road, Skokie
Westgard's Restaurant, 3406 Dempster Street, Skokie
White Elephant, The, 3401 Dempster Street, Skokie
White Front Tavern, 3441 Dempster Street, Niles Center (Skokie)
Wiggand's Restaurant, 8007 Lincoln Avenue, Skokie
Wild Burger, 4999 Old Orchard Shopping Center, Skokie
Wilde and Greene Restaurant, 4999 Old Orchard Shopping Center #C18, Skokie
Wilkin's, 4300 Dempster Street, Niles Center (Skokie)
Will's Place, 7927 Lincoln Avenue, Skokie
Window To The World, Rotating Restaurant, North Shore Hilton, 9599 Skokie Blvd. Skokie
Wing Zone, 3612 Touhy Avenue, Skokie
Yolo Mexican Eatery, 5111 Brown Street, Skokie
Yummy Kabob Restaurant, 4047 Oakton Street, Skokie
Zelda's Kosher Gourmet Restaurant, 3552 Dempster Street, Skokie
Zito's Beef and Pizza, 5264 Lincoln Avenue, Skokie
Zweig's Restaurant, 4000 Church Street, Skokie





Please leave a comment if you can provide any missing restaurants and/or address info.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.
Copyright © 2023, Neil Gale, All rights Reserved.


Niles Centre Illinois, Niles Center Illinois, Skokie Illinois, Skokie Cook County, Closed Restaurants, List of Closed Restaurants, Defunct Skokie Restaurants:

Acres Restaurant Delicatessen, Adam Barg's Tavern, Ah Fong, Al Baileys Cormaine Restaurant, Alamo Mardi Gras, Albert's Coffee Pot, Albert's, Aldino's, Alexander’s Breakfast and Lunch,  Annie's Pancake House, Arby's, Arman's Canary Barbecue, Aunt Jemima's Kitchen Restaurant, Auto Inn, Babbo Restaurant, Ba Da Boom, The Bagel, Bagel Country Restaurant, Baghdad Family Restaurant, Bam's Log Cabin, Barney Connelly's Tavern, Barnum and Bagel, Baskin-Robbins, Bay's Restaurant, Big Herms Red Hots, Big Mouth Noodles and Rice Skokie, Bipees, The Bird Snack Shop, Bistro Europa, Blameuser's Tavern, Blaze Pizza, B'Nickys Snackeateria, Bonanza, Bonefish Grill, Boston Blackie's, Boston Market, Boudin Bakery, Brazil Bowl, Brown's Chicken, Bryan's Fountain and Grill, Buddy's Restaurant, Bugsy Schwartz Restaurant, The Bum Steer, Bumpkins, Burger King, Burrito Bowl, Candlewick, Canton Restaurant, Carson's Ribs, Cas and Lou Italian Restaurant, Casbah Armenian Cuisine, Champps Americana, Chances 'R' Restaurant, The Chandelier Restaurant, Checkerboard Restaurant and Lounge, Ches' Tap, Chicago Bry's Tavern, Chicken in the Rough, Chicken Palace, Chicken Unlimited, Chik Beef Skokie, Choo-Choo Limited Restaurant, Chuck Muer's Restaurant, Chun King Lo, The Circus, The Clover Club, Club El Bianco, Club Moderne, Cock Robin, The Coffee Pot, Columbo's, Contessa, Copper Penny Restaurant, The Cork Restaurant, Cormaine Cocktail Lounge, Corner Hut Hot Dog Stand, Costa Arena Mexican Restaurant, Country Cousins, Crave Kabob, Crazy Greek, Cutsler's Lunch Counter, Daily Grill, Dairy Delite, Dairy Queen, Da'Nali's, De Carlucci's Pizza and Mexican Grill, D'elect to Go, Desiree Restaurant, Don's Fish Market, Dukes North, East Of Eden Restaurant, Eastern Style Pizza, Eclissi Italian Restaurant, Edman's Grill, Ed's Ubaa, Edward's, Edwardo's Pizza, Eggrolls, El Fuego Mexican Cuisine, El Gaucho, El Tipico, Elliott's Pine Log Restaurant & Lounge, Ess n Ess Restaurant Delicatessen, Falafel King, Fil Thai Restaurant, Florence Vipond Restaurant, Fred's Restaurant, The French Baker, Frontera Fresco, Garden Of Eden, Gino's East, Gladys and Ed's, Goldberg's Delicatessen and Snack Bar, Gold Coin Restaurant, Gourmet Pita and Pizza, Village Crossing Shopping Center, Great Godfrey Daniels, Great Steak and Potato Company, Groovy Island Pizza Company, Gulliver's Pizza, Gus Gus Restaurant and Bakery, Hamburger Hamlet, Hans Goodrich, Henry's Drive-In, Henry Harm's Tavern, Happy Cow, Herman's Otto Tavern, Hershey’s Restaurant, Dempster Street and Ridgeway Avenue, The Hillcrest, Holloway House Restaurant and Cocktail Lounge, Hoos Isbell's Nautical Inn, Horwitz and Shanahan's Restaurant and Bar, Hot Dog Hut, Hot Dog Island, Houlihan’s, Howard Johnson Motor Lodge Restaurant, The Hub, The Hut, Hy Life Bistro, IIG Air Park, Isbell's Nautical Inn, Irving’s for Red Hot Lovers, Jack in the Box, Jack's Restaurant, Jake the Master Ribber, Jake's Snack Shop, Johnny Rockets, Johnny's Grill, Jordy’s Hot Dogs, Kabul House Restaurant, Karl Bock Restaurant, Kelly's Drive-In, Klehm's Tavern, Knotty Pine Inn, Krier's Restaurant, Krispy Krunchy Chicken, Kwanset Kitchen, Kwiki Dog House, La Hacienda del Sol, La Maisonette, La Michoacana Restaurant, La Rosa Restaurant, La Salade, Lafite's Steak and Lobster, Landl's Restaurant, Leon Isbell's Nautical Inn, Leona's Restaurant, Lily and Nats Breakfast Cafe, Lim's Chinese Takeout, Lindy's Ground Floor North Shore Hilton, The Little Oasis Club, Luigi Pizzeria, Lunch Box, M Burger, Madhus Pizza, Mages Waldy's Place, Mages Hot Dogs, Magic Pan Creperie, Main Pizza and Ice Cream Parlor, Malibu Pizza and Pasta, Mama Marino's Pizza, Manny's Pizza Skokie, Marcopolo Asian Restaurant, Mark III, Mexican Fiesta Restaurant, Michale Schmitz Restaurant, Mister Ricky's, Mod Pizza, Moe's Southwest Grill, Moroccan Delight, Morry's Snack Shop, Mr. Sub, Nankin, New Baghdad Kabobi, New China Restaurant, Nineveh Restaurant, Niu Armenial Grill, Niu Kabob House, Noodles and Company, The Noshery, Oakton Mediterranean Grill, Oakton Restaurant, Old Orchard Delicatessen, Outlaw Burger, Pagliacci Pizzeria, Pan Dee’s Inn, Pan Inn, Papa Romeo's Pizza, Papillon, Pats Place, Patty's Diner, Pete and Charlie's, Piazza's Italian-American Restaurant, Piccolo Mondo, The Picnic Tree, Pinocchio Pizzeria, Pizzaahhhh, Pressed Sandwich Shop and Cafe, The Prime Rib, Pyrenees, Ralph's Burgers, Ranch Burger Company, Red Coach Dining Room, Ridge Tavern, Robinson's Lounge, Romi's, Roti Modern Mediterranean Skokie, Roundy's Snack Shop, Ruby Tuesday, Sally's On The Skokie, Sam and Hy's, Schmitz's Tavern, Scotty and Pete Krier's Restaurant, Seul's Tavern, Shahnaz Auntie Kitchen, Sharp Corner Inn, Siunik Armenian Grill, Skokie Club, Skokie Pita and Pizza, Skokinn, Sky Rocket Cabaret Restaurant, Slice of Life, Sloppy Joe Nation, Smoothie King, Soup Hot Pot, Sparky's Snack Shop, Spicer's Ribs, Steak House, Stouffer's Restaurant, Subway, Sugo Italian Street Food, The Swedish Castle, Szechwan Pavilion, Thai Pavilion Restaurant, Thai Pasta, Tilted Kilt Skokie BBQ Restaurant, Toddle House, Tom Brown's Skokie Restaurant, Top Hat, Topper's Drive-In, Toscano's, Touhy House, Tous Les Jours, Tower Garden Restaurant, Tower Restaurant and Cafe, Traut's Restaurant, Tub Tim Thai Restaurant, Tuk Tuk Thai, Uncle Ben's Pizza, Villa La Main, Wag's Restaurant, Walgreen's Restaurant, Wesley's Restaurant, West of Edens, Westgard's Restaurant, The White Elephant Restaurant, Wiggand's Restaurant, Wild Burger, Wilde and Greene Restaurant, Wilkin Restaurant, Will's Place, Window To The World, Wing Zone, Yolo Mexican Eatery, Yummy Kabob Restaurant, Zelda's Kosher Gourmet Restaurant, Zito's Beef and Pizza, Zweig's Restaurant 
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Saturday, April 22, 2023

Wilson & Company at the 1933/34 Chicago's Century of Progress World's Fair.

The Wilson & Company Certified Bacon Slicing Exhibit continuously sliced and packed 8,000 pounds of Bacon daily from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm in this beautiful modern exhibit at the 1933/34 Chicago Century of Progress World's Fair.
The 1933-34 Chicago Worlds Fair Wilson Exhibit Building.

























Wilson & Co. extends a cordial invitation to all its customers and friends to see the Wilson  & Co. Exhibit Building on Northerly Island, in the heart of the Midway at A Century of Progress.
The Wilson & Co. Certified Bacon Slicing Exhibit is slicing and packing continuously from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm in this beautiful modern exhibit at the 1933/34 Chicago World's Fair, A Century of Progress.





Unique in the history of the Meat Packing Industry, a complete Bacon Slicing Room is in continuous operation in this beautifully designed building. Lovely girls in trim uniforms slice and pack 8,000 pounds of Certified Bacon daily under the same sanitary conditions found in all Wilson & Co. plants. During the 329 days the fair was open in 1933/34, 2,632,000 pounds of Bacon was sliced.

The picture above represents the Wilson deluxe Certified Sliced Bacon room in full operation on the first floor of our Exhibit Building. The giant slicer cuts 400 slices each and every minute. Girls are packing these slices of Certified Bacon with chrome tongs. No human hand touches Certified Bacon until it reaches the homes of consumers.

This room is glass enclosed and kept at a uniform temperature of 55° F. The same degree of efficiency and cleanliness is maintained in this Certified Bacon Slicing Room as is in effect in every one of Wilson & Co. plants in the United States. Wilson's Certified Sliced Bacon is Wilson Selected, Government Inspected, and Quality Controlled. It is the finest Bacon that science can produce. Millions of housewives take great pride in serving Wilson's Certified Bacon at their tables, and dealers everywhere are as proud to handle a product of exceptional quality and goodness.

Arranged around the Certified Bacon Slicing Room corridors are the interesting and instructive exhibits of all Wilson & Co. by-products, from soap to sporting goods and hair insulation.

The Wilson Terrace Restaurant and Roof Garden Restaurant are found on the second and third floors, where wholesome, satisfying plate lunches or steaks can be had at moderate prices.
The Wilson Terrace and Roof Garden Restaurants, Partial Menu.
$1.25 in 1933 Equals $29.00 in 2023.



Wilson & Co. had 10 Food Stands and the Wilson & Co. Stables at the World's Fair.
True lovers of horses will delight in the beauty of this prize-winning six-horse Clydesdale team. They participate in the "Wings of a Century" Pageant daily and are also on exhibition in their own Wilson & Co. stables on the fairgrounds.



 
History of Wilson & Company, 4100 South Ashland Avenue, Chicago, Illinois.
Wilson & Co. evolved over the years to adapt to a changing market and changing leadership. The business began in 1916 when founder Thomas Edward Wilson took control of the Chicago meat packinghouse Sulzberger & Sons Co. and rebranded it as Wilson & Company. 

By 1917, the Company ranked as one of the 50 largest industrial corporations in the United States and continued to employ thousands of workers at its plant in Chicago until the 1950s.


From its inception, Wilson & Co. has been noted for its progressive policies and efficient methods of operation. It has built an enviable reputation for efficiency of service, integrity, and high business ideals, and the same cardinal company characteristics have been instilled into all of its thousands of employees. 

Wilson & Co. held several subsidiaries that utilized animal by-products to manufacture sporting goods, pharmaceuticals, and industrial chemicals. Ashland Manufacturing ─ a subsidiary of Sulzberger & Sons Co. established in 1913 ─ manufactured athletic gear under the Thomas E. Wilson brand and became Wilson Sporting Goods in 1931.

The Company's headquarters are in Chicago, with other plants and branch houses throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. In 1916, Mr. Wilson founded the Company, heading it until 1934, when his son, Edward F. Wilson, succeeded him. The elder, Mr. Wilson, was then elected chairman of the Board.
Wilson & Co. full-page advertisement for "Wilson's Certified Brand Catsup and Chili Sauce," 1918.




Wilson's meat-packing plants are located in Chicago, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Oklahoma City, New York City, Albert Lea, Minnesota, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Nebraska City, Nebraska. Wilson & Co.'s Butter and Cheese factories are located at Abilene, Lubbock and Amarillo, Texas; Wichita, Kansas, Altus, Oklahoma City, Blackwell and McAlester, Oklahoma; Ottumwa, Cedar Rapids, Eagle Grove and Reinbeck, Iowa; Dixon and Lanark, Illinois.

The Company has upwards of 90 branch houses in the United States, in addition to the plants as mentioned above, and has branches, subsidiaries and agents in the United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, as well as at other points in Continental Europe, Mediterranean Countries, South America, Central America, the West Indies, Mexico, Canada and Newfoundland, China, the Canary Islands, Singapore, Bangkok, Siam, Manila, and Batavia. There are approximately 25,000 persons employed by the Company, of which upwards of 1,000 are salesmen.

Mr. Thomas E. Wilson is a notably outstanding figure in the meat packing industry. In addition to making many valuable and constructive contributions to the industry, he was the founder of the Institute of American Meat Packers and its first president.

Timeline of Wilson & Company
March 22, 1916 - Thomas Edward Wilson is named President of the Chicago meatpacking firm Sulzberger & Sons Co. after banks force a change of management. Sulzberger & Sons had been accused of German sympathies when a shipment of meat was intercepted by a British blockade.

July 21, 1916 - Sulzberger & Sons Co. is renamed Wilson & Co.

Ashland Manufacturing – a subsidiary manufacturing athletic gear – is renamed Thomas E. Wilson & Co.

1917 - Wilson & Co. ranked as one of the 50 largest industrial corporations in the United States.

1927 - Thomas E. Wilson’s son, Edward Foss Wilson, enters the family business, starting in the stockyards.

1931 - Edward Foss Wilson named Vice President of Wilson & Co.

Subsidiary Thomas E. Wilson & Co. is renamed Wilson Sporting Goods.

1933/34 Wilson & Co. shows at the Chicago Century of Progress World's Fair. 

February 27, 1934 - Edward Foss Wilson is named President of Wilson & Co., and Thomas E. Wilson becomes Chairman of the Board.

1953 - Edward Foss Wilson becomes Chairman of the Board of Wilson & Co.

January 5, 1967 - Wilson & Co. is acquired by Ling-Temco-Vought, Inc., and its headquarters are transferred from Chicago, Illinois, to Dallas, Texas.

Ling-Temco-Vought reorganizes the company into three publicly-traded divisions: Wilson & Co. Inc. (meat), Wilson Sporting Goods Co., and Wilson Pharmaceutical & Chemical Corp.

1969 - Wilson Pharmaceutical & Chemical sold to American Can.

1970 - Wilson Sporting Goods is acquired by PepsiCo.

1976 - Wilson & Co. is renamed Wilson Foods Corporation.

1981 - LTV Corporation (Ling-Temco-Vought) divests itself of Wilson Foods.

1988 - Wilson Foods is acquired by Doskocil Companies, Inc.

1989 - Amer Group of Finland (later Amer Sports Oyi) acquires Wilson Sporting Goods.

1990 - Doskocil files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and sells off Wilson Brands division.

1995 - Doskocil changes its name to Foodbrands America, Inc.

1997 - IBP, Inc. acquires Foodbrands America, Inc. (including Wilson Foods).

2001 - Tyson Foods acquires IBP, Inc. (along with remaining Wilson meat brands).

2018 - A Chinese investor group led by Anta Sports Products acquires a majority stake in Amer Sports Oyj.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D. 
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Tuesday, April 11, 2023

Chicago's Founding Hot Dog Co's.: David Berg & Co. (1860); Oscar F. Mayer & Bro. (1883); Vienna Beef (1893).

David Berg & Company — 1860
David Berg & Company had developed a following of customers fond of their signature, "Kosher Style" hot dogs, beginning in 1860. David Berg hot dogs were sold at the 3-day 1860 Republican National Convention held at the Wigwam in Chicago.

Abraham Lincoln was nominated as the Republican Presidential Candidate, although Lincoln, following tradition, did not attend the Convention, staying in Springfield when he got the news he won. 
 
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Abraham Lincoln ate mechanically, never having a thought about what he was eating. At the Lincoln's table discusses his excessively low caloric intake, how he ate anything set before him, and made no complaints or comments of any kind about the food or meal. Mary never got accustomed to that.
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The presumption was that ketchup/catsup would be hard to find in the 1860 National Convention, the origin of Chicagoland's ritual of, "No Ketchup on a Chicago Hot Dogs."

Chicago-Style Hot Dogs include ALL of these ingrediants: mustard, sweet relish, diced onion, tomato thin-wedges/slices, a pickle spear or two, sport peppers (no other pepper substitutions) and a sprinkle of celery salt on a poppy seed bun.
 
This medley creates a less sweet version of ketchup flavors: sweet, tangy, savory and a kiss of heat, making ketchup redundant. It's been claimed that substituting any other type of pepper, and nobody's judging you, clouds one's taste buds from the true flavor experience of a Chicago dog.

David Berg was the pioneer who introduced Hot Dogs at baseball stadiums. Hot Dogs were served at the 1901 home of the Chicago White Sox at the "American Grant Park Baseball Stadium."






In 1978, David Berg made a six-foot, 681-pound premium beef hot dog in a 100-pound poppy seed bun covered with two gallons of mustard.

David Berg filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in November 1992.

Oscar F. Mayer and Bro. — 1883
Oscar F. Mayer and Brother (Gottfreid), the second highly successful Chicago sausage company, was established in 1883. They were sponsors of the German building at Chicago's 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.


Oscar Mayer moved to Chicago in 1876 when he was 17 to work for Kohlhammer's Market. He then worked six years for the Philip Armour & Company meatpackers at the Chicago Union Stock Yards, and Mayer had saved enough money to lease a failing Kolling Meat Market business.
In 1906, they became one of the first companies to volunteer to participate in a new Federal Meat Inspection program to certify the purity and quality of products. Cleanliness was scored so issues could be addressed in person and improvements could be measured for the next inspection. 

Vienna Beef — 1893
A late-comer to the Hot Dog game in Chicago. When Vienna Beef set up shop at the 1893 World's Fair, they quickly became the Chicago hot dog king. 
Courtesy of Foŭ TosHopṕe, Sycuan Reservation, California, USA


In 1992, almost a hundred years later, David Berg joined the Vienna Beef Products family. Vienna produced the David Berg line of products for some time, using the original recipes.

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While it's impossible to be exact, a very high percentage of Chicagoland hot dog places likely use Vienna Beef. A safe 2023 estimate would be somewhere around 80-90%, but even that could be conservative.

Chicago's Biggest Hot Dog Makers Start a Wiener War.
This is a dog fight Chicago will relish.

Vienna Beef, one of the world's most famous hot dog makers, is suing the owner of a rival hot dog company, accusing him of either stealing Vienna's 118-year-old recipe or lying to customers by claiming that he's using it.

The rival is none other than a grandson of one of the two men who founded the company after their hot dogs became a hit at the 1893 World's Fair.

In this wiener war, one of the only things the owners of Vienna Beef and Red Hot Chicago (1986-2012), are likely to agree on is that you don't put ketchup on a Chicago-style hot dog.

They also might agree that Chicago's dog — with its mustard, bright green relish, tomato slices, pickle spear, chopped onion and more — is far superior to New York's grilled or boiled dog, which by Chicago standards is practically naked with only sauerkraut and mustard.

The lawsuit accuses Red Hot Chicago of false advertising, unfair competition and trademark infringement. But it also offers a reminder that hot dogs are no joking matter in Chicago, where the "meal on a bun" is part of local history and where loyalty to one of the region's 2,000 hot dog stands is passed down from generation to generation.

"This is Chicago, and we take hot dogs seriously," said Tanya Russell, a mail carrier who stopped at Fast Track, a downtown stand, to deliver some letters and grab a Vienna hot dog before finishing her route.

The fight could be a long one, in large part because of the legacy at stake.

Scott Ladany's grandfather arrived as an immigrant from Austria-Hungary and set up a hot-dog consession at the World's Fair. At the time, he "started with little more than hopes, dreams and his sausage-making skills," attorney Jami Gekas wrote.

The grandfather, Samuel Ladany, eventually helped found the business that is now Vienna Beef. Fast forward to the early 1980s, when Scott Ladany was leaving the company. He sold his 10 percent stake and agreed not to "use or divulge" any of Vienna's recipes and, according to the lawsuit, promised not to compete with Vienna for at least 2½ years.

In 1986, after that condition expired, he founded Red Hot Chicago.

Ladany has declined to comment, but in court documents he insists he did not steal anything and that Red Hot's recipe is its own. At the same time, he always made it clear that his family history — complete with the World's Fair photographs and pictures of his grandfather that Vienna had showcased — were going to take center stage at Red Hot Chicago, too.

So, not only did he settle on "A Family Tradition Since 1893" as his company motto, but he also included Vienna Beef's name right in his advertising literature.

And the reason, Gekas, told the judge, is simple: It's all true.

Vienna Beef CEO Jim Bodman says he worries that the messages will confuse customers.

"He was dancing right up to the line by saying it's a family tradition," Bodman said.

"They want to ride Vienna's coattails ... and sell their product using Vienna's brand recognition," Vienna's attorney, Phillip Reed, said recently at a court hearing.

Even the judge handling the case wondered if all the talk about history might mislead customers.

"Isn't there an implication ... that this is one big hot dog family?" asked U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman.

It isn't.

Bodman said he's been aggravated for years by Red Hot's advertising. Then, a few months ago, Red Hot began advertising that it was using a "time-honored family recipe" that's more than a century old — a claim that appeared in print in a food industry magazine.

"That goes over the line," he said, explaining the lawsuit filed this month.

The way hot dog makers see it, recipes are the key to success, just like the formula for Coca-Cola and the secret spices that go into KFC chicken.

Alex Lazarevski of Express Grill in Chicago said that while he has someone else make his sausages, he hires that person to do so with the seasonings that the hot dog stand owner gives him, already mixed.

"I don't want anybody else to get a hold of it," said Lazarevski, who says the recipe is patented.

Vienna's 118-year-old recipes are so important to the company that for years they were kept in a vault. And even today, outside vendors who mix the spices and oils "only handle a portion of the blending process."

That way, "neither vendor knows the entire process, blend and formulation of the Vienna Recipes," according to the lawsuit.

At a recent hearing, Gekas acknowledged that it was a "mistake" for Red Hot to suggest at one point that it had a recipe dating back to the 1800s. But she said the mistake was made by a "marketing person" and it was made only once.

Vienna's Reed has acknowledged a mistake of his own.

In a court document filed Friday, he backed away from one of the complaint's most explosive allegations: That Ladany or his representatives either lied to hot dog vendors, saying that their hot dogs used Vienna's recipe, or asked them to buy the cheaper dogs and pass them off as Vienna products to their customers.

Gekas, who disputed that contention in court, would not comment on Vienna's latest document. But at the hearing, she kept returning to the same point: Ladany is not trying to trick anybody when it comes to his background or his company's history.

"What he is doing is sending a different message: 'I know what I'm doing. I grew up in the business,'" she said. Ladany, she wrote in one document, "represents true Chicago hot dog tradition." 

(AP) June 22, 2011 

Lawsuit Dismissal Order —  Signed by the Honorable Sharon Johnson Coleman on 2/16/2012. Civil case terminated.

October 17, 2017 — I did get into an expensive lawsuit with Vienna. As part of resolving the legal dispute, I agreed to merge Red Hot Chicago with Vienna Beef in 2012 and accept an executive position with my old family business, says Scott Ladany.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.
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Saturday, April 8, 2023

At The Lincoln's Table.

Perhaps the greatest American of the Civil War period was Abraham Lincoln, but how did he appear to the people who ate with him and cooked for him? Well, it was easy to prepare meals for Lincoln because he never complained about the fare. But, on the other hand, he never praised a dish either.

Mrs. Thomas Lincoln, Abraham's stepmother, declared that "Abe was a moderate eater ... he sat down and ate what was set before him, making no complaint; he seemed careless about this." Isaac N. Arnold, a close friend in Illinois, later learned from Lincoln that he had eaten very plain food in childhood. On the frontier, he was fed cakes made from coarse corn meal and are called "corn dodgers." Wild game supplied the necessary protein in his diet. 

In 1831 Lincoln moved to New Salem, a small community on the Sangamon River. During part of his stay at this village, he boarded at the Rutledge Tavern, where the beautiful Ann Rutledge worked as a waitress. The meals were plain, and Lincoln was served the usual fare: cornbread, bacon and eggs. At times the Railsplitter took his meals with other families in the neighborhood. Mrs. Jack Armstrong said that he ate mush, cornbread and milk in her home, and if Lincoln had a delicacy that he enjoyed then, it was honey. N.W. Brandon of Petersburg recalled that he "was very fond" of sweet honey. Lincoln's favorite dessert was Mary's Gingerbread with Apple and Brown Sugar topping.

As soon as Lincoln was admitted to the bar, he went to Springfield, where he became the partner of John Todd Stuart. But much of his law practice was on the Eighth Judicial Circuit. For many weeks each year, he rode hundreds of miles and lived where the food was poor, and the accommodations were primitive. A fellow lawyer on these trips, Leonard Swett, observed that Lincoln was very temperate in his eating habits. "He ate," said Swett, "simply because it was necessary and not for enjoyment. Indeed, it might almost be doubted whether eating furnished him enjoyment or that he knew the difference between what was good and what was not. ... I never, in the ten years of circuit life I knew him, heard him complain of a hard bed or a bad meal of victuals. We would go out, for instance, at Mrs. Scott's, at Danville, and be sumptuously entertained, and nobody would enjoy it more than he. but I never heard him say the food we got was any better than that which was furnished at the tavern." 

William H. Herndon, Lincoln's last law partner, remembered that what he ate made no difference to Lincoln. At mealtime, he took his place at the table involuntarily, said nothing, neither abused the food nor praised it, and asked no questions. No complaints ever passed his lips while on the circuit. Herndon also stated that Lincoln "had a good appetite and good digestion, ate mechanically, never asking why such a thing was not on the table nor why it was on it, if so; he filled up, and that is all."

If he had a favorite light meal, it was "apples & fruits generally," but sometimes he would come down to the Lincoln & Herndon law office in the morning and have breakfast of cheese, bologna sausage and crackers.

C.C. Brown, a young law student in Springfield, was examined for admission to the bar by Lincoln and Herndon. After a silly and routine question, Brown "passed the bar" and took his examiners to Charles Chatterton's Restaurant on the west side of the public square for a treat. It is not known who picked the menu, but Lincoln partook of it: fried oysters and pickled pig's feet! Evidently, it was a happy occasion for Lincoln because Brown recalled that he ate very heartily and told stories, some of which "would scarcely do for a Sunday paper." 

On November 4, 1842, Lincoln married the lovely and talented Mary Todd of Lexington, Kentucky. She had been raised in the beautiful Blue Grass region, where gracious living and savory cooking were famous. It is said that Mary was a good cook; her parties were known for their variety of fine foods. Isaac N. Arnold wrote that "her table was famed for the excellence of its rare Kentucky dishes, and in season was loaded with venison, wild turkeys, prairie chicken, quails, and other game, which in those early days was abundant." However, Billy Herndon disagreed with Arnold. He stoutly declared, after reading Arnold's book, that Mrs. Lincoln "kept or set a poor table" for the daily meals and only splurged when guests were present. If this statement is true, Mary was either saving money for other household expenses or had learned the folly of spending long hours in the kitchen when her husband never praised her Kentucky recipes.
It must have been exasperating to cook for Lincoln. His sister-in-law, Mrs. Ninian Wirt Edwards, recounted that he "ate mechanically. I have seen him sit down at the table, and never unless recalled to his senses would he think of food." But at times, Lincoln did express a preference: he loved a "good hot cup of black coffee." And he liked meat as well as vegetables. Although the tall Sangamon lawyer was absent-minded while eating, he certainly kept his thoughts on food when he himself visited the market. His neighbors often saw him buying beefsteak downtown. For 10¢, Lincoln could purchase enough steak for a meal, and he carried the brown-paper package home himself instead of having it delivered. These episodes prove that Lincoln enjoyed the usual choice of a Midwestern man—beefsteak.

At times, perhaps, Lincoln did pay attention to fancy dishes, but he rarely commented upon them. Once, when speaking at Springfield, Illinois, on July 17, 1858, he hinted that he had once tasted some excellent French cuisine. While making fun of Douglas's pet theory of Popular Sovereignty, Lincoln declared that "it is to be dished up in as many varieties as a French cook can produce soups from potatoes." Perhaps the former Railsplitter recalled a meal that he had eaten in his favorite Chicago hotel, the Tremont Hotel III. 
Tremont House at the S.E. corner of Lake and Dearborn Streets, Chicago. c.1865



When Lincoln was elected President of the United States, he journeyed to Washington, D. C. to assume the most difficult task of his life. With weighty problems of state on his mind, the tired President neglected his meals even more than he had in Springfield. Dr. Henry Whitney Bellows of the Sanitary Commission remarked to Lincoln one day: "Mr. President, I am here at almost every hour of the day or night, and I never saw you at the table; do you ever eat?" "I try to," replied Lincoln. "I manage to browse about pretty much as I can get it." One day, while F. B. Carpenter was living with the Lincolns at the White House and painting "The First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation before the Cabinet," the clock struck 12 noon. Lincoln listened to the chiming and exclaimed, "I believe, by the by, that I have not yet had my breakfast ─ this business has been so absorbing that it has crowded everything else out of my mind." 

Noah Brooks, an old friend from Illinois and a Sacramento (California) Daily Union correspondent, testified that Lincoln was "never very attentive to the demands or the attractions of the table." "When Mrs. Lincoln, whom he always addressed by the old-fashioned title of 'Mother,' was absent from the home," Brooks revealed, "the President would appear to forget that food and drink were needful for his existence, unless he were persistently followed up by some of the servants, or were finally reminded of his needs by the actual pangs of hunger. On one such occasion, I remember, he asked me to come in and take breakfast with him, as he had some questions to ask. He was evidently eating without noting what he ate, and when I remarked that he was different from most Western men in his preference for milk at breakfast, he said, eyeing his glass of milk with surprise, as if he had not before noticed what he was drinking, 'Well, I do prefer black coffee in the morning, but they don't seem to have sent me any.'"

Yes, early in the morning, Lincoln wanted a cup of coffee. After this steaming aromatic beverage, the President might not find time for breakfast until 9 or 10 a.m. One of Lincoln's private secretaries, John Hay, often ate with the President. He remarked that Lincoln ate a frugal breakfast, "an egg, a piece of toast, coffee, etc." Sometimes the two men consumed a single egg apiece and plodded off to work. At noon Lincoln "took a little lunch—a biscuit, a glass of milk in winter, some fruit or grapes in summer." He "ate less than anyone I know," declared Hay. Carpenter, too, often witnessed Lincoln eating a "solitary lunch" when his family was gone. "It was often a matter of surprise to me," wrote Carpenter, "how the President sustained life; for it seemed, some weeks, as though he neither ate nor slept." When the hour for lunch arrived, a servant generally carried "a simple meal upon a tray" to Lincoln's second-floor office. Sometimes the Chief Executive would not examine the contents of the tray for several hours. Then, he would sample them in a "most unceremonious manner."

If the Commander-in-Chief ever had time for a full and pleasant meal, it was generally in the evening when dinner was served at the White House. At this hour, guests were often present, and Lincoln made a formal appearance to welcome them. On such occasions, Mrs. Lincoln had the food prepared in the White House kitchen or served it by a caterer. If Lincoln were hungry, he certainly could eat his fill of excellent food at this time.

There has been much debate about whether or not Lincoln ever drank liquor. Billy Herndon admitted that he "drank when he thought it would do him good." Leonard Swett remembered that Lincoln did drink wine upon occasion and that in the White House, "he used to drink a glass of champagne with his dinner, but I believe that was prescribed for him." Perhaps his physicians decided that the hard-working President sometimes needed a sleep aid. William Howard Russell of the London (England) Times ate with the Lincolns on March 28, 1861, and noted in his diary that wine was served at the dinner. But certainly, it was a rare occasion when Lincoln tasted alcohol. He had once joined a temperance society, although his account at the Corneau & Diller Drug Store in Springfield shows a few purchases of brandy by the bottle. Yet there is no positive proof that it was Lincoln who consumed this brandy. It is safe to say that Lincoln was temperate in his drinking. And the word temperance means "moderation or self-restraint in action, statement, etc."

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.
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