Wicker Park’s Essential Barbecue Restaurant Reopens Friday With Changes

Lillie’s Q comes back in two days — as counter service

Eaters will notice some changes when Lillie’s Q reopens on Friday. Charlie McKenna’s acclaimed nine-year-old barbecue restaurant will be counter service when the doors swing back open at 1856 W. North Avenue following its temporary closure in February. Other changes include Texas-style brisket being on the menu full-time plus new table and bar tops, floors, and other decor updates, the Tribune reports. Lillie’s Q is the second acclaimed local barbecue spot to change from full-service to counter-service recently, following County BBQ in Little Italy.

A Mag Mile happy hour favorite reopens Friday after renovations

Another well known spot reopens on Friday with changes following a winter slumber: Sweetwater Tavern and Grille at 225 N. Michigan Avenue. The decade-old downtown happy hour favorite, which has been closed for three months for renovations, will have a new bar, new seating options, and other decor updates as well as new menu items including a Nashville hot chicken wrap and cauliflower steak.

A notable food small business incubator and shared kitchen will shutter

Shared kitchen space and food incubator Lakeview Kitchen and Market will shutter at the end of March after more than four years, ownership announced on social media. They cited financial difficulties, writing that “at the end of the day, the cost of doing business just became too high.” The 5,000-square-foot space at 3109 N. Broadway Street has been home to 40 local food small businesses.

An Old Town bar was robbed during the day while workers were there

And finally, WGN has footage of thieves brazenly burglarizing LG’s Bar in Old Town during the day on Monday. The burglars even made it past workers to steal booze and a laptop. Police ask anyone with information on the crime to contact them.