Jollibee Unwraps First Chicago Location Inside Seafood City on Northwest Side

Chicago just got an early Christmas present as Jollibee—the line-inducing Filipino fast-food chain that opened earlier in Skokie—has opened its first location in the city. Eager fans lined up inside Seafood City on the Northwest Side this morning to order items like sweet spaghetti with hot dog slices and Filipino fried chicken. The restaurant was scheduled to open at 7 a.m., according to a restaurant rep.

Unlike the July opening in Skokie, where fans had the benefit of summer weather to line up outdoors, it’s a bit colder in Chicago in December. Fret not, as Seafood City opened its doors to allow customers to line up inside. The Skokie restaurant, Jollibee’s first restaurant in the Midwest, has exceeded the company’s expectations, making it one of the highest grossing stores in the country, according to a company rep. The rep was in town earlier this month when Jollibee opened its popular Red Ribbon Bake Shop inside Seafood City.

The chain, with thousands of stores across the world, is beloved by Filipinos and Filipino-Americans. They serve fried chicken, burgers and traditional dishes like Halo-Halo (a frozen dessert with shaved ice and evaporated milk, topped with sweet beans and fruits at the bottom) and Palabok Fiesta, the chain’s version of pancit palabok, the popular noodle dish.

The first 300 customers this morning were treated to a free dancing doll. Check out the video of Jollibee in action.

Jollibee, 5033 N. Elston Ave., inside Seafood City, hours not posted yet.