Grace Wong

Lakeview first in the city to test street closures for outdoor dining program

June 12, 2020 at 4:59 p.m.

As outdoor dining in Chicago continues into its second weekend, the Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce is taking it a step further through Mayor Lori Lightfoot's pilot program, with plans...

A sign saying "Hate has no home in West Town" is pictured outside Nini's Deli in Chicago on June 7, 2020.

How Fat Rice, Honey Butter Fried Chicken and other Chicago restaurants are reckoning with accusations of racism, worker mistreatment on social media

June 11, 2020 at 3:02 p.m.

As protests throughout the nation seek justice in response to the killing of George Floyd, some Chicago restaurants are being blasted on social media with accusations of racism and abuse....

Yvette Wright, left, orders a birthday cake from Sarah Ortiz at Brown Sugar Bakery along the 300 block of East 75th Street on June 10, 2020. Bakery owner Stephanie Hart and other nearby food business owners are working with the city to close streets to provide seating for outdoor dining.

What you need to know about closing Chicago city streets to make room for more outdoor dining space

June 11, 2020 at 3:19 p.m.

It's been nearly two weeks since Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a pilot program to close residential streets and commercial corridors in six Chicago neighborhoods so that restaurants can seat guests...

Hand sanitizer dispensers are available near Cloud Gate on June 15, 2020, as Millennium Park reopens.

Peeking out from behind plywood, nervous Chicago stores and restaurants weigh getting back into business

June 4, 2020 at 1:11 p.m.

When the City of Chicago announced last week its intention to reopen the city Wednesday, its leaders did not anticipate servers emerging with cold drinks and hot plates of food...

Kyle Kowalski replanes the wood planks of tables so they can be refinished in the rooftop space of West Town Bakery in Chicago on June 2, 2020. The business will reopen for outdoor dining Wednesday.

As some Chicago restaurants gear up to open outdoor dining Wednesday, others take a more reserved approach

June 3, 2020 at 10:38 p.m.

After waiting more than a week since Gov. J. B. Pritzker announced the reopening of outdoor dining in Illinois, restaurants in the city of Chicago finally have the green light...

A demonstrator burns an American flag during a march in the Loop on May 29, 2020, to bring attention to the May 25 murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.

Chicago starts opening Wednesday, despite unrest and coronavirus concerns as Lightfoot stays course

June 3, 2020 at 2:49 a.m.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot is pushing ahead with plans to allow businesses to start gradually reopening Wednesday, though how much of Chicago actually opens back up will vary by neighborhood. Many...

CPS student Dre'an Chandler, right, and brother Andre Chandler, Jr., leave Milton Brunson Math and Science Elementary School with meals and class supplies on March 17.

Chicago schools to resume meal handouts after suspension prompted by unrest; CPS offers ‘toolkit’ to help families talk about George Floyd death fallout

June 1, 2020 at 11:18 p.m.

Chicago Public Schools will resume its "grab and go" free meal pickups on Tuesday following a one-day suspension attributed to unrest prompted by the alleged murder of George Floyd by...

Allegory restaurant chef-owner Chris Mason makes picnic tables on May 27, 2020, behind his Naperville restaurant. He's building five tables to accommodate outdoor diners starting Friday.

60 suburban Chicago restaurants reopening for outdoor dining

June 1, 2020 at 8:55 p.m.

Though Chicago restaurants won't be able to open for outdoor dining until June 3 or later, dozens of suburban restaurants began reopening their patios and rooftops May 29, the first...

Erick Granada Ocampo a server at Egg Harbor Cafe, left, waits on Robin and Mike Weseen on the patio on May 29, 2020, in Barrington. The Weseens were the first customers served when they opened Friday morning. Robin Weseen said, "We usually come here three times a week. They are like our family and we love them."

Dining, shopping, personal training back on the menu as suburban Chicago reopens during coronavirus pandemic

May 30, 2020 at 12:40 a.m.

After 68 days under a broad government order to stay home, many Illinoisans took their first tentative steps back into restaurants, shopping malls and fitness centers Friday despite a viral...

At the restaurant Virtue in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood, Danielle Swan brings a take away order to a customer waiting curbside on Wednesday, March 25, 2020. The restaurant started a takeout service after the city's sit-down restaurants were ordered closed due to the COVID-19 virus pandemic. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

More than 1,400 Chicago-area restaurants open for delivery, takeout or curbside pickup. View the map or search by name, city, ZIP code or kind of food.

May 29, 2020 at 4:42 p.m.

Hundreds of Chicago restaurants have pivoted their operations to delivery, takeout or curbside pickup after Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced that all bars and restaurants in Illinois are closed for dining-in...

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