John Daley moved from Ireland to Chicago and found a job working on the construction of the elevated train lines being developed for the Columbian Exposition, among other things.  The young iron worker decided that the Woodlawn neighborhood needed some sort of dining establishment to feed his fellow workers, so in 1892 he opened Daley's Restaurant at this location.  In 1918, he sold the business to two young Greek immigrants, Tom Kyros and Paul Emmanuel (which explains why the sign outside the restaurant says "since 1918").  Tom worked as a waiter and Paul served as the cook, and together they operated the restaurant until 1932 when they demolished the building, intending to construct a bigger, better Daley's Restaurant.  Unfortunately, their bank failed in the middle of the construction, leaving nothing but a big hole in the ground.  By 1937, Tom and Paul had accumulated enough money from other jobs to complete the long-stalled project, and the eatery returned as the "New Daley's Restaurant."  The business remained in the family even after Tom and Paul retired, and the restaurant went through a series of expansions in the 1960's that returned it to its original size.  Today, it's the oldest restaurant in Chicago.

trivia buffs will be happy to know that muhammad ali frequently ate here between training sessions at any one of many local gyms.