LAKEVIEW — With a redevelopment of its site looming, a long-standing sushi spot near the Sheridan "L" station is rolling with the punches and relocating to another Lakeview corridor.
Nineface Thai and Sushi, formerly known as Oh Fusion, will close at 3911 N. Sheridan Road on Sunday, according to a sign posted in the window. The restaurant will relocate to 2965 N. Lincoln Ave., replacing Bistro Dre, which closed in October.
The compact restaurant has been a sushi stop since at least 2004, when Katachi opened there. The eatery switched names to Oh Fusion around 2009, years before its most recent rebranding.
The restaurant changed hands in 2013, city records show, but it remained Oh Fusion until last year, when it became Nineface Thai and Sushi.
"Dear valued customer," the sign reads, "Thank you for supporting our restaurant at all time[s], we are sorry to tell you that this restaurant is closing down on this Sunday. And we are moving to [a] new location at 2965 N. Lincoln. We are looking forward to see you guys there. Thank you, Nineface Thai & Sushi."
@arielfab Just saw this sign posted in the sushi place in the Ace Hardware building on Sheridan. 😢 pic.twitter.com/l5sgoGMJJs
— Mindi Capp (@MCapp22) May 9, 2017
Tenants of the small strip along the newly christened Sheridan Station Corridor will all relocate — at least temporarily — to make way for a seven-story apartment building with ground-floor retail and 120 apartments.
The transit-oriented development will replace a former pool hall frequented by prolific Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger in its earliest days.
As he secures financing, developer Joe Lomanto said he expects work to begin in the next six months. He plans to reopen his Ace Hardware store and hopes to secure the other tenants as well, offering them rent prices "closer to what they were" in the current building.
Curry Point, Artemio's Bakery and Burger Hub are housed in the complex.
Nineface Thai is the first to relocate. It will replace Bistro Dre, which opened near Lincoln and Wellington avenues in September 2012 as Flour & Water Urban Bistro, according to Eater Chicago.
Chef Andre Christopher had to change the name almost immediately after San Francisco's Flour + Water issued a legal notice. Bistro Dre closed abruptly in October, when local diners showed up for reservations only to find the restaurant had gone dark.
For 16 years, the Lincoln Avenue storefront was home to Las Tablas, a family-owned Columbian restaurant that moved into a larger space a few blocks to 2942 N Lincoln Ave. in 2007.
After two years as Suzi's Tea & Cafe, the space was briefly home to a coffee and empanada shop called Macondo, a concept from Las Tablas owner Leo Suarez. Bistro Drew opened there after Macondo closed at the end of 2011.
