New Restaurant Open On Devon Avenue; Old Restaurant Closed In St. Charles
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A new restaurant opened recently in a long-vacant space that once housed the popular Gandhi India on Devon Avenue.
But in far west suburban St. Charles, Al Capone's Hideaway and Steakhouse has gone dark after 38 years.
On the bustling Indian-American business strip in the West Rogers Park neighborhood, Urban India opened late last month at 2601 W. Devon Ave.
IDine.com says the new restaurant was opened by the owners of the vegetarian Indian restaurant Uru Swati, down the street at 2629 W. Devon Ave., and Raj Darbar, at 2660 N. Halsted St. in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, which reevied attention from the Michelin Guide last year.
Urban India features "state-of-the-art tandoor clay ovens and modern décor," according to IDine, which encouraged visitors to "unwind into the sleek setting and order up any number of favorite dishes, including succulent lamb and chicken, and of course, friendly baked naan."
Urban India, which opened Jan. 20, has also set up a Facebook fan page.
The restaurant opened on the longtime site of Gandhi India, which opened back in 1983 when the boom on Devon Avenue was just beginning.
In a 1995 Reader article on vegetarian dining, political activist Don Rose called Gandhi India his favorite Indian restaurant, with its "16 vegetarian specialties plus some appetizers and pilafs." As late as 2002, the Chicago Reader was still praising the staff at Gandhi India for the classic northern Indian cuisine and "gracious staff" at the "simple, long-standing corner eatery."
But in 2009, Gandhi India quietly closed its doors, and the space remained shuttered for nearly three years until Urban India took its place.
Meanwhile in St. Charles, WBBM Newsradio's Pat Cassidy reports the long-popular Al Capone's has closed its doors after 38 years offering steaks, wines, microbrews and premium cigars.
LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio's Pat Cassidy reports
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The restaurant's three-story building, at 35-W-337 Riverside Dr. in the unincorporated Valley View subdivision, was the home of Al Capone's was built in the early 1920s. At one time, a restaurant there was known for serving bathtub gin during Prohibition, with ties with the real Al Capone, the Daily Herald reported.
The newspaper reported the answering machine for Capone's said, "We are closed and it's time to take a break and refresh."
No further information has been revealed about why the restaurant closed.
