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It’s Christmas morning, an hour before sunrise, the snow is gusting, the wind is whistling, and you find yourself walking the deserted streets of Chicago craving something caloric and greasy. How you got here is nobody’s business. The only question is where to eat. If only you had a guide to Chicago’s 24/7/365 restaurants.
Enter domu! Today, your favorite apartment-finding resource is pleased to offer the renters of our beloved city a list of Chicago restaurants that never close. Whether it be Thanksgiving, Christmas, or International Skeptics Day, we have found at least 34 local eateries that are open and ready to serve hot food any time of the day, any day of the week, every week of the year. These always-open restaurants are scattered across 26 Chicago neighborhoods, from Ghareeb Nawaz in West Ridge to Captain Hook’s Fish & Chicken in Chatham to the Americana Submarine Shop across the street from the notorious Metropolitan Correctional Center.
Now don’t get us wrong. We get munchies like the next guy, but we don’t promise a bacteria-free experience. Nor do we rate or endorse restaurants (although the burrito con huevos y chorizo at El Presidente is oustanding). Last but not least: We don’t guarantee hours of operation. Of course we fact-checked this list repeatedly, extracting assurances that table service would be available any minute of the year, but these are largely mom-and-pop restaurants with hours of operation always subject to whim.
Speaking of table service, we should point out that all of the restaurants featured on our list offer table service. Restaurants open 24/7/365 solely by virtue of late-night drive-thru’s have been omitted because drive-thru’s don’t count. Nor do hot dogs and reheated pizza at 7-11.
The Golden Nugget Pancake House, with six locations, rules the late night diner kingdom, while Subway, with three locations that never close, is the only fast-food franchise on the list. Meanwhile, the White Palace Grill and the Diner Grill rate special mention for being more than a half-century old, making them members of domu’s vintage restaurant club too.
With the notion that “close” counts in horseshoes, hand-grenades, and late-night eats, we would be remiss not to mention that Chicago also boasts at least 41 dining establishments that describe themselves as “open 24 hours,” but which are actually closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, or, in the case of Jeri’s Grill in Ravenswood, one random February Day for deep cleaning. So rather than 86’ing these usually reliable options, we’ve included them on a list of “honorable mentions,” otherwise known as “24/7/363.” But 363 is as low as we go. Restaurants closed more than two days a year fail to rate. (Yes, we’re talking to you too, Sunshine Restaurant in Avondale, which now closes on Tuesdays.)
Late-night eateries come and go faster than midnight gyros, so please let us know if we’ve omitted anything from our survey. We want our apartment-dwelling customers to know as much as possible about their neighborhoods! And next time you see us walking the streets early on Christmas morning, flag us down for some greasy-spoon victuals. Our treat!
Restaurants That Never Close
| Americana Submarine | 400 S. Clark Street | Loop |
| Arturo's Tacos | 2001 N. Western Avenue | Bucktown |
| Au Bon Pain | 251 E. Huron Street | Streeterville |
| Café del Mundo | 3152 W. Irving Park Road | Irving Park |
| Captain Hook's Fish & Chicken | 8550 S. Cottage Grove Avenue | Chatham |
| Diner Grill | 1635 W. Irving Park Road | Lakeview |
| El Presidente Restaurant | 2558 N. Ashland Avenue | Lincoln Park |
| Express Grill | 1260 S. Union Avenue | South Loop |
| Flaming Wok 'n' Grill | 903 N. Halsted Street | Goose Island |
| Ghareeb Nawaz | 2032 W. Devon Avenue | West Ridge |
| Golden Apple Restaurant | 2971 N. Lincoln Avenue | Lakeview |
| Golden Nugget Pancake House | 2406 W. Diversey Parkway | Avondale |
| Golden Nugget Pancake House | 3001 N. Central Avenue | Belmont Cragin |
| Golden Nugget Pancake House | 3234 W. Irving Park Road | Irving Park |
| Golden Nugget Pancake House | 3959 W. Diversey Parkway | Logan Square |
| Golden Nugget Pancake House | 4229 W. Irving Park Road | Old Irving Park |
| Golden Nugget Pancake Souse | 1765 W. Lawrence Avenue | Ravenswood |
| Hollywood Grill | 1601 W. North Avenue | Wicker Park |
| International House of Pancakes | 4210 N. Cicero Avenue | Portage Park |
| Jim's Original Hot Dog | 1250 S. Union Avenue | South Loop |
| Kevin's Hamburger Heaven | 544 W. Pershing Road | Bridgeport |
| Lazo's Tacos | 2009 N. Western Avenue | Bucktown |
| Maxwell Street Depot | 411 W. 31st Street | Bridgeport |
| Melrose Restaurant | 3233 N. Broadway Street | Lakeview |
| Steak 'n' Egger | 1174 W. Cermak Road | Pilsen |
| Subway | 753 W. 31st Street | Bridgeport |
| Subway | 511 N. McClurg Court | Streeterville |
| Subway | 1958 W. Chicago Avenue | Ukrainian village |
| Tabaq | 1245 N. Clybourn Street | Near north side |
| Taco Burrito King | 5509 N. Harlem Avenue | Norwood park |
| Taco Burrito King | 114 W. Chicago Avenue | River North |
| Tempo Café | 6 E. Chestnut | Gold Coast |
| The Edge | 2720 N. Clark Street | Lincoln Park |
| White Palace Grill | 1159 S. Canal Street | South Loop |
Restaurants Open 24/7/363 (Honorable Mentions)
| Belmont Snack Shop | 3407 W. Belmont Avenue | Avondale |
| Clarke's Diner | 2441 N. Lincoln Avenue | Lincoln Park |
| Don's Humburgers Grill | 1837 S. Western Avenue | Pilsen |
| El Charro | 2410 N. Milwaukee Avenue | Logan Square |
| El Gallo Bravo | 3714 w. Lawrence Avenue | Albany Park |
| El Gallo de Oro | 2952 W. 63rd Street | Chicago Lawn |
| Elly's Pancake House | 101 W. North Avenue | Near North Side |
| Hamburger Heaven Express | 3001 S. Archer Avenue | Bridgeport |
| Huck Finn Restaurant | 3414 S. Archer Avenue | McKinley Park |
| Huck Finn Restaurant | 6650 S. Pulaski Road | West Lawn |
| Huddle House | 4748 N. Kimball Avenue | Albany Park |
| International House of Pancakes | 2818 W. Diversey Parkway | Avondale |
| International House of Pancakes | 3760 N. Halsted Street | Lakeview |
| Jeri's Grill | 4357 N. Western Avenue | Ravenswood |
| Lawrence's Fisheries | 2120 S. Canal Street | Chinatown |
| Lindo Guadalajara | 4761 N. Clark Street | Sheridan Park |
| McDonald's | 1951 N. Western Avenue | Bucktown |
| McDonald's | 4158 S. Ashland Avenue | Back of the Yards |
| Mr Greek Gyros | 234 S. Halsted | West Loop |
| Mr Gyros & Mrs. Pizza | 109 W. Division Street | Gold Coast |
| New Modern Grill | 3171 N. Halsted Street | Lakeview |
| Subway | 5324 N. Broadway Street | Edgewater |
| Susie's Drive-In | 4126 W. Montrose Avenue | Mayfair |
| Taco & Burrito Express | 2540 N. Halsted Street | Lincoln Park |
| White Castle | 11050 S. Halsted | Morgan Park |
| White Castle | 1400 W. 79th Street | aAburn Gresham |
| White Castle | 1550 E. 79th Street | Auburn Gresham |
| White Castle | 2140 S. Wabash Avenue | South Loop |
| White Castle | 3132 N. Harlem Avenue | Dunning |
| White Castle | 3205 S. Ashland | McKinley Park |
| White Castle | 3212 W. Addison | Irving Park |
| White Castle | 3457 S. King Drive | Bronzeville |
| White Castle | 4750 W. 63rd Street | Clearing |
| White Castle | 5618 W. North Avenue | Austin |
| White Castle | 7550 N. Harlem Avenue | Edison Park |
| White Castle | 6901 S. Western Avenue | Chicago Lawn |
guest says
Hi,
You should add I-Cafe/Sukur's place. It's open 24 hours and has delicious food. He just opened Pide ve Lahmacun next door also.
http://www.sukursplace.com
http://www.yelp.com/biz/i-cafe-sukurs-place-chicago
http://www.yelp.com/biz/i-cafe-chicago
http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2013/02/01/a-first-look-at...
Kind regards,
Alper
Andrew says
It was on our initial list, but was deleted during fact-checking when we were informed that they are NOT open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
guest says
What about Clarke's on 53rd in Hyde Park?
Andrew says
We extensively fact-checked this list, and only a single Clarke's location survived. Either the location on 53rd Street is no longer open 24 hours a day, or it is closed more than two days out of the year. (It would not be impossible for us to have been provided erroneous information by the restaurant itself, however.)
guest says
You missed Archview (http://www.yelp.com/biz/archview-restaurant-chicago) which is right down the street from Huck Finn.
Andrew says
Archview Restaurant is open 24 hours a day, but closed four days a year: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day, and Easter. Alas, it does not make even the "Honorable Mention" list. But it gets really close!
guest says
Clarke's in Hyde Park is definitely open 24 hours/day (as evidenced by their website http://www.clarkesdiner.com/locations.html and the fact that I have been to that location at all hours of night).
arup says
I'm fairly certain the McDonald's in Hyde park on the 24/7/363 list only has the drive-thru open past a certain hour. I've tried biking there a few times late at night and have always been disappointed. They won't take orders in the drive-thru if you're on a bike either!
Andrew says
You are correct! We were provided erroneous information the first time around. Our blog post has been amended accordingly.
guest says
There are multiple El Gallo Bravo's that are all open 24/7. For example, El Gallo Bravo #2 at Milwaukee and Belmont is open 24/7.
Andrew says
We checked with all the El Gallo Bravos we could find. The location at Belmont and Milwaukee is open 23 hours a day. (They close for one hour for cleaning.) The location on Montrose Avenue is open late, but not late enough to be 24 hours.