Thoughts on the restaurants on 24th and Oakley? (Chicago, Bridgeport: home, neighborhoods)

[Master Jay]

edsg25, HOW ARE YOU??? I was originally inquiring on the area near 24th and Oakley, and isn't Franco's by the Bridgeport?Armour Square area on 31st? I've walked past there SO MANY times and have not gone yet. I believe you are right that they get some really nice reviews. I think it would be worth trying! - Have a great day! Master Jay in Milwaukee

[Nearwest]

My parents favorite restaurant on Oakley Ave. was Alfo's. It was located on the west side of Oakley, just north of Blue Island Ave. It was a family run operation. The owner was a widow who lived with her elderly father in the apartment above the restaurant. I remember that they were originally from Northern Italy. Alfo's closed roughly 20 yrs. ago. The owner told my parents that she was reaching retirement age, and that her son had a career and didn't want to carry on with the restaurant. This clearly illustrates the upward mobility of hard working immigrants and the assimilation of their children into the American middle class.

[Master Jay]

Nearwest, what a great story to take us down memory lane! I can't recall what is in that part of the block nowadays (if it's still a business, or if it's residential now). I would love to see that part of Chicago, as well as all Chicago, in that era! Thank you for sharing!- Master Jay in Milwaukee

[edsg25]

Originally Posted by Master Jay

edsg25, HOW ARE YOU??? I was originally inquiring on the area near 24th and Oakley, and isn't Franco's by the Bridgeport?Armour Square area on 31st? I've walked past there SO MANY times and have not gone yet. I believe you are right that they get some really nice reviews. I think it would be worth trying! - Have a great day! Master Jay in Milwaukee

Such kind thoughts from a great guy. Doing ok. I think you are right about the restaurant's location. I actually did some goggling after reading this thread. Franco's really come off well....on food and price.

[edsg25]

I've mostly been a north sider (and north "suburbaner") most of my life, but I was born on the South Side. And early in my career I worked in the south burbs.

So I had some experience with the restaurants down there. My impressive was that the most lavish (in the sense of a large spread of food, a more than complete dinner, a real experience) was particularly true on the South Side. The number of classic Italian places along these lines was notable.

The one I remember most was Club El Bianco...I believe on or around 63rd Street. They had something I think may have been called a "fiesta dinner" or something of the like which included so many courses you ended up leaving overstuffed...but very happy.

They opened a branch up north in Skokie, near Old Orchard (Skokie Blvd.) but that place lasted only a short time.

I think the other two I remember were Febo's and D'Fillipo's. I know El Bianco is long gone. I believe the others are closed as well.

[Master Jay]

edsg25, glad to hear you're doing well! Ahhh, thank you for sharing MORE Stories of the vintage era! I can only imagine!!!! On a side trivia note (and I may have learned this from someone at Ignotz's), but apparently the good ol' Italian restaurants always had the bathroom in the basement... And I think about this when I go to Ignotz's on 24th and Oakley, Pizano's on Madison Street downtown, or Maggiano's when I go to Old Orchard Mall in Skokie... Maybe I'll go to Franco's just to use the bathroom to see where it's located! J/K... But Franco's IS on my bucket list....In my Milwaukee area, my favorite is still Mama Mia's in Greenfield, even though those heathens have their bathroom on the main floor Have a great day everyone!- Master Jay in Milwaukee

[hendersj31]

The bathroom at Staropolska is in the basement if you want to try some good Polish food.

[Master Jay]

hendersj31, thank you. Now that I think of it, the bathroom was in the basement at The Chicago Brauhaus, in Lincoln Square, when it was open. I looked up Staropolska on line. It looks pretty big, as was The Brauhaus as well as Maggianos. Maybe having the toilet on a different floor as where you eat was a universally accepted appropriate spot, whenever possible! Now that I think of it, regarding the Italian restaurant toilet theory, Moretti's in Edison Park has theirs in the basement, but the new Moretti's in Morton Grove does not... And I APOLOGIZE for going on this basement toilet tangent! But it made for somewhat an interesting addition to the discussion? Coming from Milwaukee, sometimes I don't want to keep driving south of, say, 35th Street, because that's a lot of car time. But I do need to make it to Ignotz's soon! Who's with me???? Master Jay in Milwaukee

[Nearwest]

Master Jay: Thanks for the 'thumbs up' on my posting. I worked in Pilsen for about a half dozen years, so over the time, I had patronized most of the Italian restaurants and businesses on Oakley Ave.


There was also a family run Italian bakery on Oakley. It was called Nuti's. The specialty of this bakery was a Napoleon cake. I remember the name of the man who owned the bakery: Joe Toschi.


What was different about this area, now called "Heart of Chicago" is that the Italian population originated in Northern Italy, particularly Tuscany. Most of the Italian immigrants to Chicago were from Southern Italy (Naples, Calabria, etc.) or from Sicily.

[Master Jay]

Nearwest, would you (or any reader) be so kind as to rate the restaurants there. There are 5 in the area, I believe. I've been going to the area for several years since I discovered the Festa Pasta Vino. When I first researched the area's restaurants (my bucket list was to visit all the "Italian" areas), I thought I would make my first choice either Ignotz's or Bruna's. I ended up going to Ignotz's, and in all my visits to Oakley, that's the only one I've gone to. They're the only one that makes pizza and I was advised by a man in the neighborhood to NOT even ask for pizza at Bruna's! ... I'm familiar with the different regional Italians settling in different areas of Chicago (Tuscanis near 24th and Oakley, Baresi on Grand Avenue, Sicilians on Taylor Street, etc.). And something I JUST learned about my own city of Milwaukee despite being a lifelong resident, is that our Sicilians settled on Brady Street (the equivalent of your Taylor Street )and the Tuscani settled in Bay View.- Master Jay in Milwaukee