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The 23 Biggest Restaurant Closures in Chicago in 2016

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Say farewell to Itto Sushi and more of Chicago’s most-beloved restaurants

Cantina 1910
Cantina 1910 was among the high-profile closures in 2016.
Marc Much
Ashok Selvam is the editor of Eater Chicago and a native Chicagoan armed with more than two decades of award-winning journalism. Now covering the world of restaurants and food, his nut graphs are super nutty.

After 34 years serving Japanese food in Lincoln Park, Juco and Keiko Hattori closed Itto Sushi in June. It was one of the oldest sushi restaurants in Chicago. The couple has since moved to Boise, Idaho to be near their daughter. Juco Hattori said he doesn’t miss running a restaurant, though he does miss a few of his loyal customers.

“We had many,” Hattori said.

Boise is one of the rare places colder than Chicago, but other than that, Hattori has settled into retirement. He still doesn’t have all his belongings from Chicago, though they’ve sold the Itto building. Condos will replace the restaurant.

Hattori noted how much more popular sushi is now than when Itto opened more than three decades ago. That popularity has shown in the diversity of ownership, as more and more non-native Japanese are serving sushi. That includes Thai, Korean and Chinese owners who also serve sushi alongside their native cuisines.

But if you’re looking for Hattori’s recommendation for a sushi restaurant, look elsewhere. Hattori remains confident that there’s no substitute for Itto. “Everyone asks me that,” he said. “I’ve been to other restaurants, but there’s just a difference between them and my restaurant.”

Itto is among the biggest shutters of the year. Check out the rest of Eater Chicago’s picks for biggest 2016 restaurant closures below.

Packed Dumplings Photos Gallery Hyde Park Restaurant
Packed
Marc Much
Analogue
Marc Much
The Parthenon
Ashok Selvam
Rosario’s Italian Foods
RoadsideArchitecture.com

Analogue

19 West 8th Street, Manhattan, NY 10011 (212) 432-0200 Visit Website

Maxim's Restaurant

20 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60602 (312) 236-7717

Rose Angelis

1314 W Wrightwood Ave, Chicago, IL 60614 (773) 296-0081 Visit Website

Embeya

564 W Randolph Street, Chicago, IL 60661

Perennial

1800 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, IL 60614 Visit Website

Justin's

3358 N Southport Ave, Chicago, IL 60657 (773) 929-4844 Visit Website

The Parthenon

314 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60661 (312) 726-2407 Visit Website

Naples Bakery

3705 W 95th St, Evergreen Park, IL 60805 (708) 424-1810

Cape Cod Room

140 E Walton Pl, Chicago, IL 60611 (312) 787-2200 Visit Website

Packed

1321 E 57th St, Chicago, IL 60637 (312) 219-6544 Visit Website

Bull & Bear

431 N Wells St, Chicago, IL 60654 (312) 527-5973 Visit Website

Bunny The Micro Bakery

2928 N Broadway St, Chicago, IL 60657 (617) 936-3464 Visit Website

Itto Sushi

2616 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60614 (773) 871-1800 Visit Website

Salpicón

1252 N Wells St, Chicago, IL 60610 (312) 988-7811 Visit Website

Belly Shack

1912 N Western Avenue, Chicago, IL 60647 773 252 1414