Bars, restaurants, and cafes that involve on-site games are facing significant hurdles due to the coronavirus, which can spread through the airborne particles as players cheer or engage with one another. The closure comes as yet another blow for residents of the Southport Corridor and surrounding area, who have seen many notable bars shutter permanently during the pandemic, including Guthries Tavern, Fahlstrom’s Fresh Fish Market, and Redmond’s Ale House. “It’s sad, but I hope people come in and enjoy it one last time to celebrate what we had.” “We have been around since 1902 and I’ve owned it since 1991, so I would say we’ve had a really good run,” Soble says.
His favorite memories include getting to realize a long-held dream - buying a round of shots for every customer when the Cubs won the World Series - and a particular evening when he unwittingly served Al Pacino, who showed up to bowl while filming Glengarry Glen Ross. Soble acknowledges that the closure is painful, and wants customers to remember the good times. Ownership writes that it even housed a brothel upstairs at the time, and alleges that Mayor Anton Cermak at one point held a weekly poker game - another illegal activity - in a secret room.
Many Chicago bars became speakeasies after Prohibition was instituted in 1920, including Southport Lanes. The bar was originally a Schlitz Brewery tied house. to employ human pinsetters rather than using a machine. Southport was also one of the last bowling alleys in the U.S.
The bar finally became Southport Lanes in 1922 with the addition of its four eponymous bowling lanes, which many believe are the oldest in Chicago. It was one of several tied houses owned by the brewery in Chicago, along with the building that now houses popular music venue Schuba’s. “Southport Lanes is really about the community getting together, and when you take away these communal spaces and you’re not able to do that safely, it’s really hard to make it work,” he says.īuilt around 1900 by Schlitz Brewery, the bar was originally called the Nook, according to its website. He ultimately found himself running a sidewalk cafe with a limited bar food menu. Soble - who also owns District Brew Yards - reopened the bar in July but couldn’t allow customers to play and eat at the same time. It all comes down to math, owner Steve Soble tells Eater Chicago. Sadly, the last pins have already been set: the games have been shut down due to the pandemic. Chicagoans can bid farewell to the beloved venue over the next week and a half with beer and bar food that’s available for dine in and carryout. Click here to support Block Club with a tax-deductible donation.Southport Lanes, the historic bar, bowling alley, and billiards hall that’s operated under various names for nearly a century, will permanently close on Sunday, September 27, according to a rep. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods. Thanks for subscribing to Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods.Ĭlick here to support Block Club with a tax-deductible donation. Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. “We thank everyone for the support over the years.” “This was our first home,” Merchant said. Some equipment will be moved out by then, but it will give customers a chance to say good-bye. Pressure’s last day of business will be Super Bowl Sunday.
“We’ve showed the side that’s recreational and family fun rather than intimidating,” he said. Adding a cafe to Pressure helped pave the way for the Surge brand, which includes a coffee bar at the Albany Park location and desserts in jars in Logan Square, Merchant said. With Pressure, Merchant said he sought to change the reputation of pool halls as adult-only hangout spots to family-friendly community gathering spaces. In 2020, they opened Surge Billiards in Logan Square. Since then, Merchant and his wife, Kareeshma Ali, opened Surge Coffee Bar and Billiards in Albany Park. Merchant opened Pressure in September 2005, choosing to open in Edgewater after growing up in Rogers Park. My appreciation for the neighborhood is huge.” “We decided to focus on our other ventures,” he said. Pressure closed for more than six months at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, and the business had trouble getting back on its feet, Merchant said. The business’s lease was ending, and Merchant decided to consolidate and focus on his pool halls in Albany Park and Logan Square. It ends a run for the local business that opened in 2005 and helped launch a chain of pool halls on the North Side.Īfter two years of a pandemic that has wrought havoc on local businesses, owner Wahib Merchant said the time had come to close Pressure. EDGEWATER - Pressure Billiards and Cafe will have one last weekend in business after 16 years in the neighborhood.