We are losing more than pot roast cupcakes, bacon fat popcorn and duck carnitas tacos with the closure of three notable restaurants in Chicago. At the exclamatorily named Oooh Wee! It Is!, we’ve lost a joyous soul food destination that brought long lines to the Chatham neighborhood. At the Revolution Brewery Brewpub, we’re losing a family-friendly stop in the Logan Square neighborhood. At Taquería Chingón, we’re losing the creative culinary convergence of Mexican and French culture, at least for now. The owners behind this trio of establishments shared details behind their closures.
— Louisa Kung Liu Chu
Oooh Wee! It Is!
After a three-year run serving soul food with a twist, the dine-in restaurant Oooh Wee! It Is! has permanently closed its Chatham location at 33 E. 8rd St.
Shae Mitchell and Mark Walker opened the restaurant in 2021 after business was booming at their first location in the Burnham neighborhood. That location on 2208 S. State St. remains open, but the future of its ownership is uncertain.
Mitchell told the Tribune on Wednesday that she and Walker are going through a divorce, which also led to the closing of the Chatham spot.
“That was a business that he and I started together during our marriage,” Mitchell said. “I’ve been cooking since I was about 10 years old, and that’s just what I love to do. I love to cook.”
Mitchell said the divorce is almost finalized, but it’s been long and some details are still tied up in court. While she figures out what’s next for the overall business, she’s cooking up her soul food specialties at her daughter’s restaurant, Simply Shae Soul Cafe in Calumet City. The restaurant is named after Mitchell’s old catering company.
“Once the divorce is over, we will really be able to market this brand and let people know that ‘Hey, I’m here,’” Mitchell said. “I’m going to say the food is even better because I’m here and I’m cooking — it’s not only just my recipes, but I’m here every day, like I’m all the way in it.”
The closed Oooh Wee building in Chatham went up for sale in October, said Michael Weaver, the building’s broker.
“They were doing tremendous numbers — at one point I heard they were doing like $4 million in there, which is tremendous for that location,” Weaver noted. “And, unfortunately, based on whatever happened, it fell apart.”
Weaver is looking for a new owner to move into the property, which has an asking price of $1.35 million.
Based on the size of the space, Weaver said it would be ideal for another full-service, sit-down restaurant, but it can also be converted to medical use if a restaurant operator can’t be found.
Over the years, Oooh Wee gained local and national acclaim for its oxtail, fried green tomatoes, shrimp and grits and the pot roast cupcakes made using three cornbread muffins topped with fluffy mashed potatoes, tender pot roast, shredded cheese and gravy. In January, Oooh Wee got a national shoutout from Ayo Edebiri, the star of FX’s “The Bear,” who said following her 2024 Golden Globe win that she had the “best food of her life” at the restaurant.
The location also boasted a quirky cereal bar with 75 varieties.
The Oooh Wee location in the Beverly View neighborhood at 7920 S. Western Ave. is still open and run by Mitchell’s close friend, Andre Henderson. Neither Mitchell nor Walker are involved in the ownership of that franchise location.
Mitchell said she knows the community was shocked and saddened that the beloved Chatham restaurant closed. But she wants people to follow her food at Simply Shae.
“The food is still here and I’ve added a lot to the menu. We always did soul food with a twist and at this new location, we even have a smoker. We do smoked turkey legs, and then we load the turkey legs with different types of favorite soul food dishes. You could get a turkey leg, and you could put gumbo greens on your turkey,” she said. “It’s still my food.”
— Zareen Syed
Revolution Brewery Brewpub
The Revolution Brewing Brewpub in the Logan Square neighborhood, where the first Anti-Hero IPA was made and served in Chicago by what’s become the largest independent craft brewery in Illinois, will close permanently after nearly 15 years.
“The brewpub isn’t closing because it’s a small part of our business,” said Josh Deth, managing partner and founder of Revolution Brewing. “It’s closing for financial reasons. We’re losing a lot of money operating the brewpub, and our business is all connected.”
The brewery business started at the brewpub on Milwaukee Avenue, Deth said, and then the business grew.
There are three components to the business, he said, the original brewpub, which is like a restaurant, the production brewery on Kedzie Avenue, which focuses on wholesale beer production and selling across the Midwest, and its attached taproom.
The production brewery and taproom in the Avondale neighborhood will remain open. The brewpub is scheduled to close on Dec. 14.
“We can’t bear the financial losses that we’re having there,” said Deth, who cited several factors, including the evolution of craft beer, the effects of the pandemic and the changing neighborhood.
“People have more choices on what brewery they’re going to go visit,” he said. “And we’re not trying to blame the pandemic, but it was so significant. We closed down twice for four months during that time, and we did not come out of that experience when we reopened nearly as strong.”
“And neighborhoods in Chicago are always changing,” he added. “Definitely Logan Square is one of the most dynamic neighborhoods in terms of change all the time that I’ve been there. And I’ve been there in Logan Square for a good long time, almost 28 years.”
While Revolution Brewing is best known for its beer, of course, what food does Deth think the brewpub will become best remembered for?
“The bacon fat popcorn is the thing that got written up right away,” he said about the dish with crispy bacon, fried sage, shaved Parmesan. It was the signature dish by original chef Jason Petrie, who also made a Flemish beef stew with beer.
Petrie just left in the past year. Deth pledged that they will make a batch of the stew before closing.
“And we made an ice cream with Citra hops in it,” said Deth about the branded beer ingredient with an aromatic citrus flavor. “It was just infusing the cream with some hops and adding a bunch of sugar to balance the bitterness.”
But the smash cheeseburger with griddled onions and a secret sauce became the bestseller.
“I didn’t set it up to be a burger place, but that’s what it became,” the founder said.
They had a pizza oven in the beginning, but during a pandemic closure, they renovated and decided to pull it out.
“Rasheed Amedu is our chef right now, and he’s great,” Deth said. “He came to us very recently, and it was like a Hail Mary pass bringing him in, trying to turn things around and bring fresh excitement.”
Amedu returned to Chicago after opening Naija Boy Tacos in Sacramento, the only Nigerian taqueria in the country, which closed last year.
The bestselling beer at the brewpub has also evolved.
“For a while, it was Cross of Gold, our golden ale, which was kind of the lightest beer that we made in the early days,” Deth said. “These days the bestselling beer at the brewpub is Cold Time, our premium lager that we came out with about a year ago.”
Lower alcohol-content beers have always sold better at the brewpub, he added, versus at the taproom where people are willing to try higher alcohol content, like the barrel-aged beers.
Revolution Brewing owns both of its buildings in the Logan Square and Avondale neighborhoods. They plan to sell the brewpub building on Milwaukee Avenue.
“It’s the origin story of our company in so many ways, that’s what’s just soul-crushing about it,” Deth said.
They opened on Feb. 3, 2010, and chose the closing date with the future in mind.
“We added a private event space upstairs,” Deth said. “And weddings are the first thing that comes to mind because they’re the biggest and they tend to book way in advance.”
Part of the decision on when they can and should close the brewpub, he said, was trying to accommodate those couples.
“Someone should do a longitudinal study of these couples,” he added. “I think they are held together better than the average.”
Will any of the brewpub employees move over to the brewery or taproom?
“No,” Deth said. “This is the toughest part.”
They’re paying employees severance based on their time of service with the company, he said, giving extended benefits if they’re full-time on benefits.
“We don’t have the jobs to just move people over and just create jobs out of nothing,” Deth said. “There are 20 full-time and 24 part-time people at the pub who are being let go there.”
If employers are looking for good restaurant industry talent, they’ve got it, he said, and they’re trying to find them homes the best they can.
“I’m ready personally, and the business is ready, to not be running food operations,” Deth said. “And just focus on making and pouring beers.”
2323 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-227-2739, revbrew.com
— LKLC
Taquería Chingón
Taquería Chingón in the Logan Square and Bucktown neighborhoods announced it was closing this month on Instagram. The last day of service will be Nov. 26.
“It was kind of a quick-developing thing,” chef and partner Oliver Poilevey, also of Obelix and Le Bouchon, said of the decision to close.
The taqueria, a collaboration between Poilevey and chef and partner Marcos Ascencio, opened in December 2020 on Western Avenue with minimal indoor seating.
The chefs said they grew too big for the tiny space they were in — the kitchen was too small to accommodate both takeout and catering, which could have helped in the slower winter months when outdoor seating has to be winterized. In addition, for years they did not have a liquor license due to conflicts with the city over renovations done by the building’s previous owner.
“If we had a proper dining room, we could seat a couple of people in there,” Ascencio said. “But, unfortunately, we don’t. We’re a seasonal restaurant. If it rains, we get washed out.”
For the last year or so, they had been operating through winter at a loss. This year, anticipating another tough season and calculating the cost of winterizing their patio again, they decided to close up shop.
“Winter has always been kind of a struggle for us,” Poilevey said. “People just don’t seem to want to sit out there when it’s cold outside. Even if the heaters are cranking.”
The takeout model, which worked during the pandemic, was also no longer working — Chingón’s tacos, which feature high-quality meats and freshly made tortillas, are designed to be eaten right away. Margins are narrow and delivery apps eat into it.
“After we have to give them 25-30%, basically there’s nothing left for us,” Poilevey said, referring to the fees that go toward apps like UberEats and DoorDash.
“Or you’re passing on the extra costs to the consumer,” Acensio added.
Customers may have complained about the prices — Poilevey described selling a $25 crispy duck dish at Obelix, which customers wouldn’t flinch at. But the same duck in a taco for $8 at Chingón initially raised some eyes.
“We believe Mexican cuisine is on par with all the European cuisines,” Poilevey said.
They feel they did grow a loyal customer base that was willing to pay for the quality. The restaurant’s signature dish was an al pastor taco and a range of “chef-driven” specials like the Chingón Crunchwrap with seasoned ground beef and three-year cheddar cheese sauce.
“It’s just hard to make it. I don’t feel like Chicago is very pro-business and its definitely not pro-restaurant,” Poilevey said. “It really more and more becomes a labor of love and passion project because there’s not that much money in it.”
But they don’t see Chingón as gone forever. The partners said they plan to sell the building after they close and take a break for about a year. They hope to bring Chingón back, possibly in another area with the right space. But one thing they don’t have plans to change? The menu.
“We’re proud of the menu,” Poilevey said. “We stayed true to it and saw it through to the end.”
Over in the Pilsen neighborhood, Ascencio and Poilevey still work together as co-owners of Mariscos San Pedro (alongside Antonio Incandela) at the Thalia Hall site previously occupied by Dusek’s Tavern. The duo said changes at Chingón will not affect Mariscos San Pedros.
Taquería Chingón, 2234 N. Western Ave., 773-687-9408, taqueriachingon.com
— Ahmed Ali Akbar
Big screen or home stream, takeout or dine-in, Tribune writers are here to steer you toward your next great experience. Sign up for your free weekly Eat. Watch. Do. newsletter here.
