PORTAGE PARK — Cicero Avenue may be a long way from the Champs-Elysees, but a new bistro is hoping to bring some Parisian flavor to Six Corners.
Six Corners Bistro, which will feature a revolving menu based on seasonal ingredients, plans to expand to breakfast and lunch in the coming weeks, said owner Reis Mehmedi, who followed his father into the restaurant business.
"It is a lot of pressure," Mehmedi said. "But the community has been fantastic."
The restaurant's crepes have already become a favorite, along with its French Onion soup, Mehmedi said.
Six Corners Bistro, 3930 N. Cicero Ave., is the fifth restaurant to open its doors near Irving Park Road and Milwaukee and Cicero avenues in 2014, the culmination of a years-long effort to breathe new life into what was once the city's premier shopping destination outside the Loop.
Ald. John Arena (45th) has been working to turn the Six Corners Shopping District into an arts and culture mecca that would draw people from all over the city with the promise of a show and dinner.
"I remember when this area was hopping in the 1970s," Mehmedi said. "We took a chance. It has got great potential."
Mehmedi used a Small Business Improvement Fund grant from the area's Tax Increment Financing district to renovate the storefront, which is finished in polished wood and smooth cement.
"We wanted to keep it old and vintage," Mehmedi said.
Plans to install televisions in the restaurant are on the backburner — at least until the Chicago Blackhawks make another run at the Stanley Cup, Mehmedi said.
"There was jazz playing, everyone was eating and having a conversation," Mehmedi said. "It gave it a nice ambiance. There are enough sports bars in the area."
The restaurant opened Oct. 10, but closed Oct. 21 for four days after the restaurant's original chef left without notice, Mehmedi said.
"It is better off happening now than later," Mehmedi said.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
