Snaggletooth, Lakeview’s Cured Fish Haven, to Close on June 25 With a Bang

Snaggletooth, the tiny and acclaimed cured-fish deli in Lakeview now has a closing date. Co-owners Bill Montagne—who has already started as chef at Nico Osteria in Gold Coast—and Jennifer Kim will close their 17-seat passion project on Sunday, June 25. They’re celebrating the closure in style with a shrimp boil. Tickets are available at this link.

Despite critical success, the duo in April abruptly announced intentions to close. The news saddened industry regulars. Kim and Montagne maintain they are closing on their own terms and that it wasn’t due to fiscal reasons. However, Montagne had his sights on dinner service and that wasn’t feasible in their small space. The Southport corridor is also a tough neighborhood to figure out, as local residents interested in a fine-dining experience—the type of food Montagne has a pedigree for (he cooked as sous chef at Le Bernadin in New York)—often prefer to leave the neighborhood for downtown or West Loop restaurants.

Over at Nico Osteria, Montagne has replaced chef Erling Wu-Bower and has slowly rolled out menu changes including octopus carpaccio. Octopus is a favorite protein for Montagne and it was featured as a special at Snaggletooth. Wu-Bower left Nico to focus open his own restaurant with Publican chef Cosmo Goss.

Snaggletooth opened in February 2016 and earned a spot on Eater Chicago’s biggest openings of the year. Now, fans have two and a half weeks to satisfy their seafood cravings before it closes for good.