ROSCOE VILLAGE — Long-standing Roscoe Village bar and music venue Hungry Brain will close its doors permanently Dec. 15, owners Janis White and Luz Cordova announced Sunday.
The owners of the de-facto community center at 2319 W. Belmont Ave. announced the closure in a letter expressing "love and gratitude" to all of its customers over the last 17 years and urging regulars to stop in to say farewell.
The Hungry Brain is known for its 1950s decor and live music nights, including a Sunday jazz and improvisation series co-hosted by Umbrella Music.
Check out StrangeClosets.com's photo gallery of the bar here.
Jen Sabella says it seems all of her favorite neighborhood bars are closing:
All scheduled events will continue through Dec. 15, including the Sunday "Transmission Series," according to the release from White and Cordova, who did not provide an explanation for closing the bar that opened first opened in 1997.
But in a tweet from Hungry Brain's account late Sunday, the team compared Hungry Brain's shutdown to the recent closure of two other long-standing staples: Hot Doug's, which shuttered in October, and Club Foot, which is closing this month.
These are just like the others: Hot Doug's, Club Foot, Hungry Brain. It's been an amazing 17 + 3/4 yrs. We have you to thank. We'll miss you
— Hungry Brain (@HungryBrainChi) November 3, 2014Club Foot owners blamed rising rent prices for driving them to close, and Hot Doug's owner Doug Sohn said he was leaving the hot dog stand to "go on a permanent vacation," adding "it's time to do something else."
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