The best restaurant you have probably never heard of is Frankie J’s, which has been serving great food, presenting interesting theater and struggling mightily to get people in the door of the building at 4437 N. Broadway.
Since buying the building in 2001, Frankie Janisch has, mostly on his own, refashioned it into a theater and restaurant; gathered petitions that would allow him to serve liquor and hired lawyers to help with the process; and tried to attract customers by zealously promoting Uptown as an exciting neighborhood.
It has been a money-draining and spirit-sapping experience. “I’ve never given up at anything,” says Janisch. “You bet this has been tough. I’m kind of down to my last nickle. But this has been my dream and I will not let it die.”
We believe him. A more optimistic and enthusiastic person you are not likely to find this side of Ernie Banks.
He is the youngest of six boys from Rogers Park, where he still lives, and he loves this town and its history. Near the entrance of the restaurant is a wall covered with photos and objects, an homage to Janisch’s father, William, a Chicago firefighter for 39 years.
“I see such great potential in Uptown. Sure, there is a lingering stigma attached to the neighborhood, but this is an increasingly vibrant part of the city,” he says.
Frankie J’s (you will not be able to miss the movie marquee-like sign) occupies a building built in 1892 as a church. It was later a funeral home, later an art gallery. In the 1970s, Janisch will happily tell you, it was the home-studio of a porn filmmaker who was shot and killed there. His ghost is said to haunt the place.
Just before Janisch (that’s him in Osgood’s photo) bought the building it was a methadone clinic, a function that inspired the name of his MethDome Theater, a 50-seat space on the second floor, its antique wooden chairs salvaged from a church that was razed.
There is also a small stage in the restaurant, often used for poetry, comedy and music performances.
“The kitchen is my stage,” Janisch says, and Osgood and I, having eaten at Frankie J’s, proclaim him a star.
