The Old Town School of Folk Music at 4544 N. Lincoln Ave. will soon open a brand new restaurant in Lincoln Square, located at 4530 N. Lincoln Ave.
Executive Director and CEO Jim Newcomb tells Block Club Chicago the new restaurant will open sometime in late Summer 2023. While this timeline greatly depends on how soon the school can close and complete construction, the zoning process is hoped to be completed in the next month and a half. The yet-to-be-named restaurant will move into the former home of The Grafton Irish Pub and Grill, which closed last year after serving the community for nearly two decades.
“The former owner wants to retire the name,” Newcomb tells Block Club Chicago. “So, it won’t be named The Grafton; that name will be going away. We’re not sure what we’ll name it yet.”
While a name is still being decided, the new restaurant will be renovated with an upgraded kitchen. There’s also a possibility the performance stage will be moved from the back of the business to the front. Music school leaders are also working on securing a zoning change to 4534 N. Lincoln Avenue, which they own, to add a rooftop terrace and possibly convert the first floor of this building to a music retail space.
“We’re kind of still fooling around with those boxes,” Newcomb says. “We hope to have a final sense of how it’s going to be later this week. But the idea really is to bring a little more life to Lincoln Avenue there.”
