Allen Richards' Blog: Slice of Life: Dancing on Ed Debevic’s Gravy

Still digging at the old Ed Debevic's site. Some of what they've found is just as tasty as the day it was served. pic.twitter.com/6WkjEjy5u7

— Chicago Architecture (@ChicagoArchitec) February 2, 2016

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Yeah, we’ve been kinda harsh toward Chicago icon Ed Debevic’s lately. But what do you want from us? We’ve eaten there! Trust us, you’ll enjoy this little Slice of Life more than their little Slice of Meatloaf.

This is Ed Debevic's now. Not much to look at, but the service is better. pic.twitter.com/0lCj9YYqpU

— Chicago Architecture (@ChicagoArchitec) December 29, 2015

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If you’re not familiar with the now-former eatery at Wells and Ontario in the River North neighborhood, it served typical diner fare with a side of snark, grilled in attitude, and topped with sass. The servers were known for dancing on the counters, a tradition started by the long lines to get into the bathrooms. (We kid!) So, to be honest, this is more of a tribute piece, rather than a mockery of Ed’s demise.

You’re buying that, right?

Anyway, just in case you happen to be the regular who’ll actually miss the cheese fries, there’s talk of finding a new location closer to the Magnificent Mile, so keep gnawing on your worn-out shoes for sustenance until they find new digs.

Speaking of digging, Ed Debevic’s closed in 2015 to make room for a new 23-story, Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture-designed residential tower. Demolition started in the fall, and wrapped up relatively quickly, as all the grease embedded in the old structure made all the pieces and parts slide apart quite easily. In its place will be JDL Development’s 251 upscale apartments atop 12,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space, all topped with green roofs with the intention of achieving LEED Silver certification.

They’re doing foundation work as we speak. Expect move-in-ready abodes in the spring of 2017.