Reza's Restaurant closes original Andersonville location after 40 years in business
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Reza's Restaurant and Catering announced Monday that it has closed its original Andersonville location after 40 years.
Reza's has been serving Persian cuisine at 5255 N. Clark St. since 1983 – and is known in particular for its famous Sunday buffet. In an announcement on social media, Reza's said it has closed its doors at the Andersonville location "to make way for a new venture."
The other two Reza's locations – at 1557 Sherman Ave. in Evanston and 40 N. Tower Rd. in Oak Brook – will remain open. Reza's noted that delivery and catering will also still be available within the city of Chicago.
Reza Toulabi founded Reza's with his brother, Joseph, and the restaurant has been a popular staple in Andersonville ever since. Even students from the University of Chicago all the way in Hyde Park would rave about Reza's after making the trek to Andersonville.
A Reza's location at 532 W. Ontario St. in River North closed in 2016. Another location, Reza's Grill, once operated at 2423 N. Clark St. in Lincoln Park.
The Evanston location is the newest, having opened in 2020.
Published reports indicated that the Andersonville Reza's location was shut down twice in a period of one week last summer. The Illinois Department of Revenue revoked its business registration over noncompliance with tax law, while the Chicago Department of Buildings at the time also ordered the restaurant "off limits" for a time due to code violations, according to published reports.
Meanwhile, the Oak Brook Reza's location paid a $17,000 fine in September of last year for not complying with a U.S. Department of Labor wage investigation.
