Ja' Grill Jamaican restaurant in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood to close after 19 years
Ja' Grill Jamaican restaurant in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood announced Wednesday that it is going out of business after 19 years.
Monday, Nov. 2, will be the last day of business for the restaurant, at 1510 E. Harper Ct. in the Harper Court mixed-use development.
Owned by Tony Coates, an investment banker turned restaurateur, Ja' Grill first opened in 2007 at 1008 W. Armitage Ave. in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. In 2014, Coates relocated the restaurant to Hyde Park in a deal with the University of Chicago, which had redeveloped the Harper Court complex.
The restaurant is known for its authentic Jamaican cuisine, including favorites such as jerk chicken, curry goat, oxtails, and whole red snapper. The menu also features Jamaican spirits, including the signature drink Ja'Rum Punch, and customers are also treated to Jamaican and Caribbean beats in the bar area.
Owner Coates grew up in the Washington, D.C., area, and came to Chicago in 1982 to play football for the Northwestern Wildcats, according to the Hyde Park Herald. He worked as an investment banker in Chicago for 14 years before opening Ja' Grill as a second venture, the newspaper reported.
A 2024 Hyde Park Herald article noted the staying power of Ja' Grill, which had kept going while several other restaurants in the redeveloped Harper Court didn't make it.
But now, Ja' Grill has said it is time to say goodbye.
"To our loyal patrons, dedicated staff, trusted vendors, friends, and family — thank you. Thank you for believing in us, supporting us, and being part of our journey," Ja' Grill said in a Facebook post. "Whether you joined us for a meal, celebrated a special occasion, gathered with friends, or simply stopped by for a taste of Jamaica, you helped make Ja' Grill more than just a restaurant."
Ja' Grill will remain open for regular business hours through the week until its last day of service Monday of next week.
The first Harper Court, at 53rd Street and Lake Park Avenue, opened in 1965 and was originally made up largely of arts and music-related businesses. In the 1990s and 2000s, it was known in particular for Dr. Wax Records, the Toys Et Cetera toy store, Calypso Café Restaurant, and Dixie Kitchen & Bait Shop — a favorite of former President Barack Obama when he lived in the area.
The buildings that housed those businesses were cleared away in the early 2010s in favor of a cluster of taller and denser buildings — including a 12-story, 225,000-square-foot mixed-use building housing University of Chicago offices, retail, and parking, and a separate building housing a Hyatt Place hotel.
Harper Court is also home to the 300,000-square-foot Hyde Park Labs research and development lab building.
