10 ms·

> “Oh,” my dad said, waving his hand dismissively at the small army, “Everyone knows this coffee shop is owned by loan sharks. It’s probably a money laundering

by saurik 4y ago

> “Oh,” my dad said, waving his hand dismissively at the small army, “Everyone knows this coffee shop is owned by loan sharks. It’s probably a money laundering operation.” A long time ago, I went to a Czech restaurant in San Francisco (I am always interested in finding Czech food, as it is somewhat rare in the US anywhere but where I'm originally from: near Chicago, aka Czech-ago ;P). The food my friend got seemed to be literally microwaved (he said half of it was very cold while the other half of it was very hot), and they were entirely out of at least fruit dumplings I remember for sure but I also think there were a couple other things missing. I definitely remember someone commenting that it felt a bit like a money laundering scheme more so than a restaurant. Years later (still a while ago... maybe a decade?) I was again in San Francisco, and I went to the same restaurant--I mean, at least it is Czech food, right?! ;P--and now it was in a different much fancier dining area (though I also remember being somewhat difficult to find and sort of almost in a basement; it was just furnished almost ridiculously fancy). I was the only person there, however. This time, their menu didn't have a bunch of options they could be out of: they had exactly three dishes. There was, however, multiple wait staff at the restaurant, all just kind of doing nothing. I ordered a goulash I think, and it was OK. I mean, I was coming into this expecting it might just be them microwaving frozen scoops of food, and didn't care as, again, "at least it is Czech food". It was tasty enough that I went back the next day for the svickova. Again, no one was there. They also seemed so confused by how I was there. Now twice in a row. Ordering food off of their menu of only three options ;P. At the end of the dinner, I asked them "do you ever have... fruit dumplings?" and suddenly the guy--who maybe thought I was a cop casing the joint ;P--suddenly had a realization: "are you... Czech?!". I did not return for a third day ;P. I remember checking and a number of the reviews on whatever review site I was using at this point were also people who stumbled into this restaurant and started to think "how is this even a restaurant? are we sure this isn't a money laundering front?!". That said, it also isn't clear to me how money laundering can work if everyone suspects it at your business!

vasco 4y ago
> That said, it also isn't clear to me how money laundering can work if everyone suspects it at your business! Did you report this suspicion to any authority? Your answer should be there.
- notahacker 4y ago
  And proving it in court is hard work, and probably low down the list of attack surfaces your average organized crime syndicate has. Plus criminals are perfectly capable of running moderately-successful businesses and just inflating takings, and genuine restaurant owners are perfectly capable of running places that are only ever full at peak times and with bookings (or are on their way to bankruptcy)
  - b112 4y ago
    Yet this is merely presumed, stated as fact. You may be right, yet... Right or wrong, such reasoning means that you and others wave away reporting. And without any indication anything is wrong, the police may never know, never investigate. Thus, the abridgement of process means failure is guaranteed.
  - erikpukinskis 4y ago
    Proving it in court becomes easier if you have more reports from patrons.
    - notahacker 4y ago
      Good luck trying to convict people of serious crime based on a handful of people testifying they visited a restaurant and it was empty!
    - emaginniss 4y ago
      What report? I went to this restaurant and it wasn't busy? That is not a report, that is just conjecture. If a DA went to a judge with that as the evidence for a warrant, they'd be insulted and embarrassed by the judge.
      - erikpukinskis 4y ago
        It’s just conjecture but if there’s already an ongoing investigation it could help. You can report stuff to the FBI and they will ignore most of it.
pjc50 4y ago
> That said, it also isn't clear to me how money laundering can work if everyone suspects it at your business! The huge wave of "American Candy" stores in the UK are apparently being investigated: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-61777445 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-61777445 In that case, the alleged fraud relates to business rates (effectively property taxes). If it was empty, the landlord would have to pay them. If there's a business there, the business is liable .. unless, of course, it simply runs for a while and then vanishes.
michaelgrafl 4y ago
Austrian here. In my experience, good Bohemien food is hard to come by outside of where it's customary. Even in joints that don't seem to be money laundering. I've had a similar experience with fellow classmates at a small osteria in Vienna we used to frequent when skipping English classes. But the food was actually decent and very cheap. But we never saw any other patrons.
- samastur 4y ago
  True, but if you find yourself in La Paz, Bolivia, visit restaurant Vienna. It's been a few years since I've been, but the food was excellent as was selection of dishes, some of which I haven't had/seen since my childhood (I'm Slovenian).
ElCheapo 4y ago
A couple of months ago I went with a friend of mine to get a kebab in a place we haden't been before. It was a very large restaurant in an important street of town, and yet it was mostly empty and the kebab was very below average. There were also people talking at a large table and constantly getting food without even ordering. First thing I said to my friend was: "Yep, sure as hell they're getting the money from somewhere else"
duxup 4y ago
There’s a bank near me. It is open usual hours but nobody seems to go there other than employees. Nobody goes through the drive through, nobody in visitor parking, ever. When I used to work late at night I would drive by there would sometimes be people inside scurrying about. It has been open for nearly 20 years like this.
- nordsieck 4y ago
  Many people don't know this but a bank's primary business is lending, not borrowing. It's totally possible that it was a bank that did almost exclusively commercial loans and didn't have any retail savings/checking accounts.
  - reggedtorespond 4y ago
    A bank seems like one of the worst businesses to operate as a money laundering front. They are subject to a lot of disclosures and reviews other companies aren't.
    - duxup 4y ago
      That's what I figured too. There's just too much potential disclosure and so on. Rando store would seem to be the best option.
    - tough 4y ago
      I guess unless you're HSBC :)
  - marcosdumay 4y ago
    There are also many banks that specialize in lending and borrowing in really large quantities. One of those can keep an store open with no visible movement but still highly profitable.
- jtbayly 4y ago
  > late at night I would drive by there would sometimes be people inside scurrying about Sounds like the cleaners.
stinkytaco 4y ago
I think this is quite common. Either money laundering or a legitimate front for something else. There was a very good Bosnian restaurant in my town about 15 to 20 years ago, but there was only one waiter, who may also have been the cook, and one half of the restaurant was always slightly darker and always had people who clearly "belonged there" sitting at a table in the corner. Perhaps I'm being unfair and it was just a gathering place for the local community and they decided to make a little money off of it as long as they had it, but it always gave me a weird vibe. In a different town I lived in there was an African restaurant that was never open, but always had two or three people in it drinking coffee. It was there for years and I never once saw it open or empty.
dpio 4y ago
This is one of the funniest things I’ve read on HN in a long time, thank you!
macNchz 4y ago
I encountered something similar to this a long time ago in NYC. My friend who keeps tropical fish invited me to tag along with him shopping for interesting new additions to his tank. We visited a couple in Chinatown that were striking similar to your Czech restaurant: employees kind of surprised to see someone come in the door, one operational fish tank with one or two fish in it amidst a large wall of empty tanks, comically outrageous over the top nobody-would-ever-pay-that-ever-ever prices. Figured it must have been some flavor of money laundering, but it also seemed... too obvious?
jgerrish 4y ago
> That said, it also isn't clear to me how money laundering can work if everyone suspects it at your business! You know, I've never had one of those microwave Velveeta Mac and Cheese cups. But I bet they're pretty good, in terms of guilty pleasures. Not that I don't want authentic meals and experiences of course.
MichaelCollins 4y ago
There used to be a popular teriyaki place in Seattle that I frequented. Nicknamed "scary terri" because the neighborhood was [still is] notorious for street crime and the clientele were weird. It was always crowded though, the food was cheap and good. It wouldn't seem like a money laundering business by the standard of "but nobody eats here". Turns out the owner was a fence, buying and selling stolen goods. The police busted them a few years back.
- aaronbrethorst 4y ago
  This one? https://spdblotter.seattle.gov/2015/04/17/detectives-service-at-downtown-teriyaki-shop-is-downright-criminal/ https://spdblotter.seattle.gov/2015/04/17/detectives-service... "Scary" indeed: look at that health inspector report...
  - MichaelCollins 4y ago
    That's the one. It might not have been very healthy but it tasted pretty good.
tptacek 4y ago
I'm more Slovak than Czech but I'd be interested in knowing what the good Chicagoland Czech places are.
- saurik 4y ago
  So, I actually have somewhat devastating news on this front :(. The issue is that all of these restaurants were owned and operated by old families and their clientele were mostly older people... so this entire community of interest is slowly dying (figuratively for sure; but also quite literately). My family's favorite restaurant growing up was Riverside Family Restaurant. I was back home recently, and intended to have dinner there, but hadn't realized they had closed back in 2019. https://www.rblandmark.com/2019/04/09/riverside-restaurant-owners-announce-theyre-retiring/ https://www.rblandmark.com/2019/04/09/riverside-restaurant-o... > “Most of the recipes were basically personal recipes, and some were fine-tuned, but the basic were always there,” Stanga said. “We still cook, we make the dumplings. So maybe that’s why we were around for so long. I think we tie people to their roots.” Then Little Bohemia closed in early 2020 (before the pandemic, FWIW). https://www.rblandmark.com/2020/01/21/riversides-restaurant-revolving-door/ https://www.rblandmark.com/2020/01/21/riversides-restaurant-... > Riverside Restaurant closed and now Little Bohemia. If you notice, they were both restaurants that served Bohemian/Czech food. Good comfort food. At present I can count more good ethnic Bohemian restaurants that have left the area than still remain. Of course who could forget Czech Lodge in North Riverside? A bit fancier than the usual. You could go up and down Cermak Road to satisfy your cravings. > Luckily Czech Plaza in Berwyn and Klas in Cicero, both on Cermak Road are still open. In Stickney there is Josie’s. In Westchester, I’ve been told, there is a good place to go — or if you want to take a ride, go to Crystal Palace in Westmont. So there are still places to go, but I liked having them here. I’m starting to whine and that’s not good! But they are wrong about Klas: it closed in 2016. https://news.wttw.com/2021/07/29/ask-geoffrey-cicero-s-klas-restaurant https://news.wttw.com/2021/07/29/ask-geoffrey-cicero-s-klas-... > A connecting line – literally – for all these communities was 22nd Street, known today as Cermak Road. > The street is named for Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak, himself a Czech immigrant who served only two years in office in the early 1930s. > Klas ultimately closed its doors in 2016 mostly for financial and operational reasons, although many hope not for the last time – more on that in a minute. ... As for the Klas Restaurant today, it’s currently unoccupied and not in great shape. ... Their goal is to turn the building into a museum of Czech history, as well as a bar and event space. They probably just kept hearing about it as there is that campaign to rejuvenate it? https://www.wbez.org/stories/whats-that-building-the-klas-restaurant/e6f0e5d2-a0c2-4b0e-8fb0-cda79e66e224 https://www.wbez.org/stories/whats-that-building-the-klas-re... > In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Chicago was a powerful magnet attracting Eastern European immigrants. One of the most colorful remnants of that era sits at 5734 W. Cermak Road in Cicero. Currently closed and moldering, an organized effort is trying to save it, and possibly transition it into a memorable place for immigrants from all parts of the world. > Klas Restaurant has been vacant since it closed about five years ago. From the street, an exuberant exterior of half timbers, carved stone, wooden shutters and metal spires is still an eye-catching presence. And then Czech Plaza closed in late 2020, now dealing with the post-COVID restaurant landscape. https://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=45872 https://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=45872 > Czech Plaza has announced it is closing at the end of December 2020. Really a sad situation, they were done in by the pandemic. They were also not able to really get in on the outdoor dining thing in the summer because they lacked space and are located on busy Cermak Road. The owner of the building (not the owner of the restaurant) is trying to sell it. So we have lost both Little Bohemia and the Riverside Restaurant, both in Riverside over the past few years, as well of course as Klas. > What's left? Well Bohemian Crystal in Westmont seems to be open, as well as the Westchester Inn, and the McCook Bohemian Restaurant. If anyone ventures to go to these, I would check first as restaurants seem to close abruptly sometimes, change hours or their menus, or they are only doing carry out business now, although some are defying the Governor's orders and allowing in house dining. There is also Cafe Prague, in the city, but it does not look like they have much Czech food on the menu. If anyone else knows of a Czech restaurant in Chicagoland, please post here. Some may say the Golden Pheasant in Elmhurst, and the Bavarian Lodge in Lisle but I'm not sure these are really on point for Czech Food. I am assuming the aforementioned "Crystal Palace" is the "Bohemian Crystal", which is the other restaurant my family would go to if and only if Riverside was closed. However, it is currently for sale, so I guess get it while the gettin's good? :( https://old.reddit.com/r/chicago/comments/ktw7jp/czech_plaza_one_of_the_last_czech_restaurants_in/ https://old.reddit.com/r/chicago/comments/ktw7jp/czech_plaza... > Back on August of 2020, Bohemian Crystal was listed for sale on Zillow. I just checked the link once again and found this info: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/639-Blackhawk-Dr-Westmont-IL-60559/2084111235_zpid/?fbclid=IwAR2asNHFO8WpqxICgqWUsTlTFsP5joCKY7ZDwRd6yM_Gawe_ZqPkvSLPXqY https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/639-Blackhawk-Dr-Westmont... > Redevelopment opportunity directly across the street from the new FMC Natatorium at Ty Warner Park development. The existing 6,371 square foot free-standing building sits on 1.45 acres located just off the busy Ogden Ave commercial corridor with a traffic count of 32,000 vehicles per day. Currently operated as a successful restaurant with multiple dining rooms, large fully equipped kitchen and bar. The existing building sits on an expansive lot with 84 surface parking spots. Surrounded by high-end car dealerships including McGrath Acura/Lexus of Westmont, Laurel BMW of Westmont, Infiniti of Clarendon Hills, Audi Westmont, Mercedes-Benz of Westmont and Napleton Westmont Porsche. Across the street from Standard Market gourmet grocery store. Convenient access from both Kingery Highway (Rt 83) and the Tri-State Tollway (I-294). Perfect redevelopment opportunity. Land is being sold with existing restaurant and all the equipment and fixtures. DO NOT DISTURB EXISTING BUSINESS. (early edit:) Oh... and it is now listed as "Contingent" (I did all of this research back in April); if it already was then I didn't know what that meant at the time, but if the new owner isn't intending to keep a similar restaurant running--which I presume is unlikely, as it was listed as a "redevelopment opportunity"--then the Bohemian Crystal is about to go on the pile of dead restaurants :(. (later edit:) And now tptacek noted below that they have actually announced that they will be closing soon :(. I am adding a quote of that letter here, for completeness. http://www.bohemiancrystal.net/ http://www.bohemiancrystal.net/ > Dear Customers, > With huge regret we have to inform you that after 41 years in business we are closing our restaurant, Bohemian Crystal. Our last day will be Sunday October, 2nd. > We would like to thank to all our customers for their long term loyalty and friendship. > Please, come to visit us before the front doors of our restaurant will be closed for good. > Your Bohemian Crystal Restaurant Team For my dinner in April, I started having to dig more deeply, trying to find ones I hadn't heard of before, and it just got more depressing. https://old.reddit.com/r/ChicagoSuburbs/comments/bs59oe/favorite_bohemian_restaurant/ https://old.reddit.com/r/ChicagoSuburbs/comments/bs59oe/favo... > I frequently visited Bohemian Crystal in Westmont. Never had a bad meal in the five years I ate there. Westchester Inn is also on the list of my favorites. > Seems like these kind of restaurants are slowly dying in the Chicago area. Muldau's in Brookfield is closed along with Chauteau Rose and Klaus restaurants once located in Cicero. So that leaves only the Westchester Inn, the Bohemian Crystal (for now), and McCook Bohemian Family Restaurant & Lounge. The former two are closed on Monday, and I happened to be in town on a Monday, so I tried to go to McCook... and there was a handwritten special sign on the door saying they were closed for the day :(. I ended up finding a place a very short drive away from there on Yelp which shockingly sold fruit dumplings (and seemed to be a Czech place generally)... but the reason they were confusing was because they were a really a catering outfit which also sold some frozen food, not a restaurant where I could get something to eat. The (Czech) owner there told me to go to McCook, as they should be open; but when I told her they were closed for the day she got this super defeated look on her face as she sighed "of course" and then started going on a sad rant about how all of the Czech restaurants were gone. She listed the couple others I knew, noting they were closed on Monday, and then mentioned the existence a fourth one I didn't know of which was also closed on Monday and Tuesday (but she couldn't remember the name, so I don't know what it was). (final edit:) That fourth restaurant is probably Cafe Prague, which was mentioned earlier in a quote as "in the city, but it does not look like they have much Czech food on the menu". I checked, and they are, in fact, closed on both Monday and Tuesday. FWIW, their "Czech Specialties" menu is complete enough? (They don't have fruit dumplings, though, which I personally find very sad.) My (Polish) friend and I ended up going to... Texas Roadhouse :/. But so, there are still a handful of places that might be open if it isn't Monday. It isn't, though, the vibrant community it once was, back when I would hear people say "Czech-ago" :(.

by saurik 4y ago

vasco 4y ago

> That said, it also isn't clear to me how money laundering can work if everyone suspects it at your business! Did you report this suspicion to any authority? Your answer should be there.

notahacker 4y ago
And proving it in court is hard work, and probably low down the list of attack surfaces your average organized crime syndicate has. Plus criminals are perfectly capable of running moderately-successful businesses and just inflating takings, and genuine restaurant owners are perfectly capable of running places that are only ever full at peak times and with bookings (or are on their way to bankruptcy)
- b112 4y ago
  Yet this is merely presumed, stated as fact. You may be right, yet... Right or wrong, such reasoning means that you and others wave away reporting. And without any indication anything is wrong, the police may never know, never investigate. Thus, the abridgement of process means failure is guaranteed.
- erikpukinskis 4y ago
  Proving it in court becomes easier if you have more reports from patrons.
  - notahacker 4y ago
    Good luck trying to convict people of serious crime based on a handful of people testifying they visited a restaurant and it was empty!
  - emaginniss 4y ago
    What report? I went to this restaurant and it wasn't busy? That is not a report, that is just conjecture. If a DA went to a judge with that as the evidence for a warrant, they'd be insulted and embarrassed by the judge.
    - erikpukinskis 4y ago
      It’s just conjecture but if there’s already an ongoing investigation it could help. You can report stuff to the FBI and they will ignore most of it.

pjc50 4y ago

> That said, it also isn't clear to me how money laundering can work if everyone suspects it at your business! The huge wave of "American Candy" stores in the UK are apparently being investigated: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-61777445 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-61777445 In that case, the alleged fraud relates to business rates (effectively property taxes). If it was empty, the landlord would have to pay them. If there's a business there, the business is liable .. unless, of course, it simply runs for a while and then vanishes.

michaelgrafl 4y ago

Austrian here. In my experience, good Bohemien food is hard to come by outside of where it's customary. Even in joints that don't seem to be money laundering. I've had a similar experience with fellow classmates at a small osteria in Vienna we used to frequent when skipping English classes. But the food was actually decent and very cheap. But we never saw any other patrons.

samastur 4y ago
True, but if you find yourself in La Paz, Bolivia, visit restaurant Vienna. It's been a few years since I've been, but the food was excellent as was selection of dishes, some of which I haven't had/seen since my childhood (I'm Slovenian).

ElCheapo 4y ago

A couple of months ago I went with a friend of mine to get a kebab in a place we haden't been before. It was a very large restaurant in an important street of town, and yet it was mostly empty and the kebab was very below average. There were also people talking at a large table and constantly getting food without even ordering. First thing I said to my friend was: "Yep, sure as hell they're getting the money from somewhere else"

duxup 4y ago

There’s a bank near me. It is open usual hours but nobody seems to go there other than employees. Nobody goes through the drive through, nobody in visitor parking, ever. When I used to work late at night I would drive by there would sometimes be people inside scurrying about. It has been open for nearly 20 years like this.

nordsieck 4y ago
Many people don't know this but a bank's primary business is lending, not borrowing. It's totally possible that it was a bank that did almost exclusively commercial loans and didn't have any retail savings/checking accounts.
- reggedtorespond 4y ago
  A bank seems like one of the worst businesses to operate as a money laundering front. They are subject to a lot of disclosures and reviews other companies aren't.
  - duxup 4y ago
    That's what I figured too. There's just too much potential disclosure and so on. Rando store would seem to be the best option.
  - tough 4y ago
    I guess unless you're HSBC :)
- marcosdumay 4y ago
  There are also many banks that specialize in lending and borrowing in really large quantities. One of those can keep an store open with no visible movement but still highly profitable.
jtbayly 4y ago
> late at night I would drive by there would sometimes be people inside scurrying about Sounds like the cleaners.

stinkytaco 4y ago

I think this is quite common. Either money laundering or a legitimate front for something else. There was a very good Bosnian restaurant in my town about 15 to 20 years ago, but there was only one waiter, who may also have been the cook, and one half of the restaurant was always slightly darker and always had people who clearly "belonged there" sitting at a table in the corner. Perhaps I'm being unfair and it was just a gathering place for the local community and they decided to make a little money off of it as long as they had it, but it always gave me a weird vibe. In a different town I lived in there was an African restaurant that was never open, but always had two or three people in it drinking coffee. It was there for years and I never once saw it open or empty.

dpio 4y ago

This is one of the funniest things I’ve read on HN in a long time, thank you!

macNchz 4y ago

I encountered something similar to this a long time ago in NYC. My friend who keeps tropical fish invited me to tag along with him shopping for interesting new additions to his tank. We visited a couple in Chinatown that were striking similar to your Czech restaurant: employees kind of surprised to see someone come in the door, one operational fish tank with one or two fish in it amidst a large wall of empty tanks, comically outrageous over the top nobody-would-ever-pay-that-ever-ever prices. Figured it must have been some flavor of money laundering, but it also seemed... too obvious?

jgerrish 4y ago

> That said, it also isn't clear to me how money laundering can work if everyone suspects it at your business! You know, I've never had one of those microwave Velveeta Mac and Cheese cups. But I bet they're pretty good, in terms of guilty pleasures. Not that I don't want authentic meals and experiences of course.

MichaelCollins 4y ago

There used to be a popular teriyaki place in Seattle that I frequented. Nicknamed "scary terri" because the neighborhood was [still is] notorious for street crime and the clientele were weird. It was always crowded though, the food was cheap and good. It wouldn't seem like a money laundering business by the standard of "but nobody eats here". Turns out the owner was a fence, buying and selling stolen goods. The police busted them a few years back.

aaronbrethorst 4y ago
This one? https://spdblotter.seattle.gov/2015/04/17/detectives-service-at-downtown-teriyaki-shop-is-downright-criminal/ https://spdblotter.seattle.gov/2015/04/17/detectives-service... "Scary" indeed: look at that health inspector report...
- MichaelCollins 4y ago
  That's the one. It might not have been very healthy but it tasted pretty good.

tptacek 4y ago

I'm more Slovak than Czech but I'd be interested in knowing what the good Chicagoland Czech places are.

saurik 4y ago
So, I actually have somewhat devastating news on this front :(. The issue is that all of these restaurants were owned and operated by old families and their clientele were mostly older people... so this entire community of interest is slowly dying (figuratively for sure; but also quite literately). My family's favorite restaurant growing up was Riverside Family Restaurant. I was back home recently, and intended to have dinner there, but hadn't realized they had closed back in 2019. https://www.rblandmark.com/2019/04/09/riverside-restaurant-owners-announce-theyre-retiring/ https://www.rblandmark.com/2019/04/09/riverside-restaurant-o... > “Most of the recipes were basically personal recipes, and some were fine-tuned, but the basic were always there,” Stanga said. “We still cook, we make the dumplings. So maybe that’s why we were around for so long. I think we tie people to their roots.” Then Little Bohemia closed in early 2020 (before the pandemic, FWIW). https://www.rblandmark.com/2020/01/21/riversides-restaurant-revolving-door/ https://www.rblandmark.com/2020/01/21/riversides-restaurant-... > Riverside Restaurant closed and now Little Bohemia. If you notice, they were both restaurants that served Bohemian/Czech food. Good comfort food. At present I can count more good ethnic Bohemian restaurants that have left the area than still remain. Of course who could forget Czech Lodge in North Riverside? A bit fancier than the usual. You could go up and down Cermak Road to satisfy your cravings. > Luckily Czech Plaza in Berwyn and Klas in Cicero, both on Cermak Road are still open. In Stickney there is Josie’s. In Westchester, I’ve been told, there is a good place to go — or if you want to take a ride, go to Crystal Palace in Westmont. So there are still places to go, but I liked having them here. I’m starting to whine and that’s not good! But they are wrong about Klas: it closed in 2016. https://news.wttw.com/2021/07/29/ask-geoffrey-cicero-s-klas-restaurant https://news.wttw.com/2021/07/29/ask-geoffrey-cicero-s-klas-... > A connecting line – literally – for all these communities was 22nd Street, known today as Cermak Road. > The street is named for Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak, himself a Czech immigrant who served only two years in office in the early 1930s. > Klas ultimately closed its doors in 2016 mostly for financial and operational reasons, although many hope not for the last time – more on that in a minute. ... As for the Klas Restaurant today, it’s currently unoccupied and not in great shape. ... Their goal is to turn the building into a museum of Czech history, as well as a bar and event space. They probably just kept hearing about it as there is that campaign to rejuvenate it? https://www.wbez.org/stories/whats-that-building-the-klas-restaurant/e6f0e5d2-a0c2-4b0e-8fb0-cda79e66e224 https://www.wbez.org/stories/whats-that-building-the-klas-re... > In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Chicago was a powerful magnet attracting Eastern European immigrants. One of the most colorful remnants of that era sits at 5734 W. Cermak Road in Cicero. Currently closed and moldering, an organized effort is trying to save it, and possibly transition it into a memorable place for immigrants from all parts of the world. > Klas Restaurant has been vacant since it closed about five years ago. From the street, an exuberant exterior of half timbers, carved stone, wooden shutters and metal spires is still an eye-catching presence. And then Czech Plaza closed in late 2020, now dealing with the post-COVID restaurant landscape. https://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=45872 https://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=45872 > Czech Plaza has announced it is closing at the end of December 2020. Really a sad situation, they were done in by the pandemic. They were also not able to really get in on the outdoor dining thing in the summer because they lacked space and are located on busy Cermak Road. The owner of the building (not the owner of the restaurant) is trying to sell it. So we have lost both Little Bohemia and the Riverside Restaurant, both in Riverside over the past few years, as well of course as Klas. > What's left? Well Bohemian Crystal in Westmont seems to be open, as well as the Westchester Inn, and the McCook Bohemian Restaurant. If anyone ventures to go to these, I would check first as restaurants seem to close abruptly sometimes, change hours or their menus, or they are only doing carry out business now, although some are defying the Governor's orders and allowing in house dining. There is also Cafe Prague, in the city, but it does not look like they have much Czech food on the menu. If anyone else knows of a Czech restaurant in Chicagoland, please post here. Some may say the Golden Pheasant in Elmhurst, and the Bavarian Lodge in Lisle but I'm not sure these are really on point for Czech Food. I am assuming the aforementioned "Crystal Palace" is the "Bohemian Crystal", which is the other restaurant my family would go to if and only if Riverside was closed. However, it is currently for sale, so I guess get it while the gettin's good? :( https://old.reddit.com/r/chicago/comments/ktw7jp/czech_plaza_one_of_the_last_czech_restaurants_in/ https://old.reddit.com/r/chicago/comments/ktw7jp/czech_plaza... > Back on August of 2020, Bohemian Crystal was listed for sale on Zillow. I just checked the link once again and found this info: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/639-Blackhawk-Dr-Westmont-IL-60559/2084111235_zpid/?fbclid=IwAR2asNHFO8WpqxICgqWUsTlTFsP5joCKY7ZDwRd6yM_Gawe_ZqPkvSLPXqY https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/639-Blackhawk-Dr-Westmont... > Redevelopment opportunity directly across the street from the new FMC Natatorium at Ty Warner Park development. The existing 6,371 square foot free-standing building sits on 1.45 acres located just off the busy Ogden Ave commercial corridor with a traffic count of 32,000 vehicles per day. Currently operated as a successful restaurant with multiple dining rooms, large fully equipped kitchen and bar. The existing building sits on an expansive lot with 84 surface parking spots. Surrounded by high-end car dealerships including McGrath Acura/Lexus of Westmont, Laurel BMW of Westmont, Infiniti of Clarendon Hills, Audi Westmont, Mercedes-Benz of Westmont and Napleton Westmont Porsche. Across the street from Standard Market gourmet grocery store. Convenient access from both Kingery Highway (Rt 83) and the Tri-State Tollway (I-294). Perfect redevelopment opportunity. Land is being sold with existing restaurant and all the equipment and fixtures. DO NOT DISTURB EXISTING BUSINESS. (early edit:) Oh... and it is now listed as "Contingent" (I did all of this research back in April); if it already was then I didn't know what that meant at the time, but if the new owner isn't intending to keep a similar restaurant running--which I presume is unlikely, as it was listed as a "redevelopment opportunity"--then the Bohemian Crystal is about to go on the pile of dead restaurants :(. (later edit:) And now tptacek noted below that they have actually announced that they will be closing soon :(. I am adding a quote of that letter here, for completeness. http://www.bohemiancrystal.net/ http://www.bohemiancrystal.net/ > Dear Customers, > With huge regret we have to inform you that after 41 years in business we are closing our restaurant, Bohemian Crystal. Our last day will be Sunday October, 2nd. > We would like to thank to all our customers for their long term loyalty and friendship. > Please, come to visit us before the front doors of our restaurant will be closed for good. > Your Bohemian Crystal Restaurant Team For my dinner in April, I started having to dig more deeply, trying to find ones I hadn't heard of before, and it just got more depressing. https://old.reddit.com/r/ChicagoSuburbs/comments/bs59oe/favorite_bohemian_restaurant/ https://old.reddit.com/r/ChicagoSuburbs/comments/bs59oe/favo... > I frequently visited Bohemian Crystal in Westmont. Never had a bad meal in the five years I ate there. Westchester Inn is also on the list of my favorites. > Seems like these kind of restaurants are slowly dying in the Chicago area. Muldau's in Brookfield is closed along with Chauteau Rose and Klaus restaurants once located in Cicero. So that leaves only the Westchester Inn, the Bohemian Crystal (for now), and McCook Bohemian Family Restaurant & Lounge. The former two are closed on Monday, and I happened to be in town on a Monday, so I tried to go to McCook... and there was a handwritten special sign on the door saying they were closed for the day :(. I ended up finding a place a very short drive away from there on Yelp which shockingly sold fruit dumplings (and seemed to be a Czech place generally)... but the reason they were confusing was because they were a really a catering outfit which also sold some frozen food, not a restaurant where I could get something to eat. The (Czech) owner there told me to go to McCook, as they should be open; but when I told her they were closed for the day she got this super defeated look on her face as she sighed "of course" and then started going on a sad rant about how all of the Czech restaurants were gone. She listed the couple others I knew, noting they were closed on Monday, and then mentioned the existence a fourth one I didn't know of which was also closed on Monday and Tuesday (but she couldn't remember the name, so I don't know what it was). (final edit:) That fourth restaurant is probably Cafe Prague, which was mentioned earlier in a quote as "in the city, but it does not look like they have much Czech food on the menu". I checked, and they are, in fact, closed on both Monday and Tuesday. FWIW, their "Czech Specialties" menu is complete enough? (They don't have fruit dumplings, though, which I personally find very sad.) My (Polish) friend and I ended up going to... Texas Roadhouse :/. But so, there are still a handful of places that might be open if it isn't Monday. It isn't, though, the vibrant community it once was, back when I would hear people say "Czech-ago" :(.