A staple Chicago eatery suffered a significant blow as a fire ravaged the Palace Grill, a mainstay on the Near West Side since 1938. According to the NBC Chicago, the blaze erupted Thursday night around 10 p.m., leaving the famed establishment with "extensive" damage.
The Chicago Fire Department was quick to the scene, with firefighters carving into the restaurant's roof to douse the kitchen's grease fire which officials suggest as the preliminary cause of the inferno; no one got hurt but the damage was clear as daylight with shattered windows charred ruins where once plates of food were heartily consumed, the restaurant must now shutter its doors on Friday in wake of this tragedy. "I just assumed I thought it would be something small, but it kept blowing up and blowing up," George Lemperis, the owner of Palace Grill, recounted his initial underestimation of the situation in a statement obtained by NBC Chicago.
The site of the unfortunate event, located just a stone's throw from the United Center and across from Chicago's 911 center, was encapsulated in a post by CFD Media on Twitter, highlighting the "interior damage extensive but no injuries" reported.
Fire strikes the Palace Grill 1408 west Madison across from Chicago 911 center. Interior damage extensive but no injuries. Cause under investigation. Business established in 1938 pic.twitter.com/M4758Yzw65
— Chicago Fire Media (@CFDMedia) February 9, 2024
The Palace Grill, besides hosting throngs of hockey enthusiasts and serving the local police and fire departments, has also had its brush with fame, offering its renowned breakfasts to notable figures such as then-Vice President Al Gore and Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin; it gained television fame also when The Oprah Winfrey Show featured. While the cause of the fire awaits determination, a community holds its breath, anticipating the next chapter for an icon of Chicago's culinary tapestry.
