LAKEVIEW — One of the longest-standing restaurants in Lakeview, Melrose Restaurant, was dark Tuesday with a "closed" sign on its door.
No one answered the phone Tuesday evening, and no one could be seen inside the diner, which had its windows papered over. The diner is normally open daily until 10 p.m.
Other than the covered windows, there were no signs of construction or other changes inside the restaurant at 3233 N. Broadway.
Melrose Restaurant opened in 1961 and is known for its tasty, no-fuss diner fare as much as its 1960s-style yellow sign and green facade that touted its pancake specialties, grill, fountain and broiled food in red neon lettering.
Melrose Restaurant had all the standard iconography of an American diner, from the laminated countertops to the chrome stools and a menu that goes on for pages. For decades, it was open 24 hours and never closed, although that changed following the death of its longtime owner in 2010.
Located across from Nettelhorst Elementary, the diner has outlived countless other eateries as the Lakeview East neighborhood underwent major changes over the decades.
It served breakfast, lunch and dinner, with massive omelettes and "corned beef hash as it is supposed to be done."
Many who ate there over the years recalled fondly their earliest days in Chicago, while tourists visiting Boystown or Wrigley Field found it to be an easy and reliable place to grab a bite or a late-night cup of joe.
