The former Vines on Clark sports bar at 3550 N. Clark St. is officially gone, torn down under a pair of city demolition permits that clear the way for a new two-story restaurant building just a block from Wrigley Field. Demolition fencing and a sidewalk canopy had gone up around the property by July 29, and work was well underway by the time of an August 1 site visit. In its place, records point to a relocated Old Crow Smokehouse, the barbecue joint currently operating one block south at 3506 N. Clark St.
The redevelopment was first detailed by Chicago YIMBY, which reported that the city issued two demolition permits covering the structures at 3550 and 3554 N. Clark St., with M-5 Hauling LLC listed as the demolition contractor. The reported cost of the teardown was $79,000. Vines on Clark had operated as a sports bar with an expansive beer garden before its closure, and the site had been a fixture of the block for years.
According to the same report, a new construction permit was recorded in the Chicago Data Portal on August 13 for 3548 N. Clark St., calling for a two-story Type IIIA masonry building with a basement, built as a new general restaurant space. That permit has reportedly been pending since February. The developer listed on the permit is 3546 Hospitality Inc, while EMC Inc, located at 155 W. Kinzie St., is named as the general contractor.
Old Crow's Planned Move, One Block North
Per a Twitter reply cited by Chicago YIMBY, Old Crow Smokehouse is expected to relocate to the Vines on Clark site once the new building opens. The barbecue restaurant is another Third Coast Hospitality concept, and it currently sits one block south of the demolition site at 3506 N. Clark St. Old Crow was first established in Wrigleyville in 2013, serving Southern-style barbecue recipes developed by MasterChef season 2 finalist Tony Scruggs, according to EventUp.
The 155 W. Kinzie St. address tied to EMC Inc is also home to Moe's Cantina, another Third Coast Hospitality establishment, while 149 W. Kinzie St. was formerly occupied by an Old Crow Smokehouse location before Tree House Chicago, also a Third Coast Hospitality property, moved in. That River North address is now assigned to 3546 Hospitality Inc, the same entity listed as developer on the new Wrigleyville construction permit.
A Family Business Building Out Its Wrigleyville Footprint
Third Coast Hospitality is led by founder Sam Sanchez, who in March 2021 became the first Mexican-American elected Chairman of the Board of the Illinois Restaurant Association, according to the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. EMC Inc, the general contractor on the new build, is also owned by Sanchez and operates as an in-house construction arm handling renovations and ground-up builds across the hospitality group's properties, per the Comité de 100 and reporting from Negocios Now.
Daily operations at the company transitioned in 2021 to Sanchez's daughters, with Korina Sanchez serving as CEO and general counsel alongside her sister Samantha Sanchez, according to Third Coast Hospitality. Third Coast already runs Moe's Cantina at 3518 N. Clark St., a location featuring a rooftop dining area and a Mexican menu just steps from Wrigley Field. The group has used this kind of venue conversion before: in 2016 it turned a former John Barleycorn space in River North into an Old Crow Smokehouse, according to Restaurant Development & Design.
Part Of A Bigger Shift Along Clark Street
The demolition adds to a wave of change on the 3500 block of North Clark Street. Just across the street at 3519 N. Clark St., Portillo's announced plans for a walk-up window restaurant in July, a separate project that reflects the same push to modernize commercial space near Wrigley Field for dense game-day foot traffic. Before it closed, Vines on Clark had also taken part in the neighborhood's annual Wrigleyville Wonderland promotion in late 2025, temporarily transforming into a Tropical Christmas pop-up for holiday visitors.
Under Chicago building code, the Type IIIA construction specified in the new permit requires noncombustible exterior masonry walls while allowing fire-retardant structural interior framing, a standard classification for modern two-story commercial restaurant buildings. What remains unclear is the exact opening timeline for the new Old Crow Smokehouse building, along with Third Coast's plans for the existing 3506 N. Clark St. location once the relocation takes place.
