What’s Happening to Greektown?

Greektown nights were my favorite as a kid. My parents led me through a crowded Halsted Street, which smelled like spinning gyros. We’d feast at the Parthenon — dishes clattered, cheese ignited. Then we’d head to Pan Hellenic Pastry Shop for powdered sugar kourabiedes (almond butter cookies).

Lots of Chicagoans share these fond memories. But over the past decade, Greek-owned businesses on the strip have declined. In 2010, there were at least 13 Greek eateries on the stretch of Halsted between Monroe and Van Buren. Today, there are about nine.

The latest, Ithaki Estiatorio, opened just last week.

A Changing Neighborhood

The heavy Greek presence on the Near West Side dates back to the establishment of Hull House in 1889. The immigrant social settlement became a cornerstone of the Greek Delta, which spread around present-day University of Illinois at Chicago.

However, construction of the Eisenhower and Kennedy expressways throughout the 1950s forced Greektown north. UIC’s eventual growth further eroded the cultural region. (Just like ol’ Maxwell Street.)

Recently, the construction of Fulton Market — from mainly warehouses into high-rise condos — has had a similar effect. Former restaurants Pegasus and Santorini both became luxury apartment buildings.

Costa’s, which burned down in 2010, also turned residential. But one family member has returned with Ithaki, determined to turn Greektown Greek again.

A Modern Era

The Ithaki space, at 314 S. Halsted Street, is large and airy like its Greektown predecessors. But it’s decidedly more modern with its sleek white decor and pared down menu. You won’t find pages of family-style entrees or cheap Retsina here, but flaming saganaki is available. Owner Kosti Demos, whose uncle ran Costa’s, is striking out for a new vibe on Halsted.

To me, that vibe is truly West Loop: It’s Fulton Market-meets-Greektown. I recently attended the opening, which featured a rowdy plate-smashing station as well as delicious beet-infused cocktails.

Heading out that night, the quiet block was a far cry from the one I used to know. But if you’re craving that old-school, oily Opa! spirit, Greek Islands is just around the corner (and as good as ever IMO). Then, for an ouzo nightcap, Spectrum’s still open till 4 a.m.

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