At least eight businesses along a two-block stretch of Chicago's Southport Corridor were burglarized overnight from Monday into Tuesday, with thieves smashing their way into cafes, salons, restaurants and a dry cleaner in a matter of hours. One suspect spent just 20 seconds inside Bombastic Café before making off with a cash register, illustrating how quickly the break-ins unfolded along the busy Lakeview strip.
The targeted businesses were clustered on the east side of Southport Avenue between Byron Street and Waveland Avenue, according to CBS News Chicago. Among those hit were Bombastic Café at 3732 N. Southport Ave., Blue Bayou at 3734 N. Southport Ave., Candyality at 3737 N. Southport Ave., Kai Sushi at 3819 N. Southport Ave., Tamed Salon at 3821 N. Southport Ave., Byron Cleaners at 3855 N. Southport Ave., and Toons Bar & Grill at 3857 N. Southport Ave. That same stretch is also home to the Mercury Theater, which has sat dormant for some time, and the Music Box Theatre, both located between Byron and Waveland.
Chicago police confirmed officers were called to the Southport Corridor area, but as of Tuesday morning, the department's news affairs office said it had not yet heard back from responding officers with details on the incidents, per the same CBS News Chicago report.
A Possible Link to Avondale Break-Ins
Roughly two and a quarter miles west of the Southport Corridor, burglars also targeted three businesses in Elston Plaza early Tuesday morning, near Elston Avenue and Addison Street in Avondale. Police have not immediately learned whether the Lakeview and Avondale burglaries are connected, though investigators are looking into whether the same offenders were behind both sprees, the outlet's report notes.
Part of a Long-Running Pattern in the 19th District
Tuesday's burglaries are not an isolated event for the corridor. In February 2026, police investigated a separate overnight spree along Southport that hit multiple businesses, including the popular Little Goat Diner, according to ABC 7 Chicago. Toons Bar & Grill, one of the businesses hit again this week, was also targeted earlier this year when thieves tried to steal an ATM from inside the venue.
The Chicago Police Department's 19th District, which covers Lakeview and the Southport Corridor from its Town Hall station at 850 W. Addison St., issued a string of formal commercial burglary alerts throughout the spring, including warnings in March, April, May and June following recurring overnight break-in sprees, according to the Chicago Police Department. The 19th District also serves Lincoln Square, North Center, Lincoln Park and Uptown, and operates under CPD Area Three, which manages the ongoing investigations.
In March, Area Three detectives warned of a serial burglar who smashed glass doors with a hammer to rob cash registers at five Lake View East businesses in a single night, targeting locations along Halsted, Diversey, Clark, Broadway and Briar, CBS News reported at the time. Chicago's 44th Ward aldermanic office, which covers much of Lakeview, responded to that March wave by urging business owners to register their commercial security cameras with CPD's business burglary task force and adopt more proactive security measures.
A Citywide Problem With Deep Roots
The Southport strip has been a repeat target for high-profile break-ins before. In September 2024, four to five masked men shattered the front glass door of the Lululemon store in the 3500 block of Southport Avenue during an overnight smash-and-grab, fleeing in a silver Audi, according to Southport Corridor News and Events. That break-in occurred about three blocks south of this week's cluster of burglaries.
The problem extends well beyond one neighborhood. Chicago police have recorded nearly 10,000 commercial business burglaries citywide since 2021, averaging more than 30 break-ins every week, per earlier ABC 7 Chicago reporting. Under Illinois law, commercial burglary involving unauthorized entry into a closed business with intent to commit theft is a Class 2 felony, carrying three to seven years in state prison and fines up to $25,000 for anyone caught and convicted.
It remains unclear whether surveillance footage from any of the eight Southport Corridor businesses will help Area Three detectives identify suspects, or whether Tuesday's break-ins will ultimately be tied to the Elston Plaza burglaries in Avondale. Hoodline previously reported on a similar wave of early morning burglaries targeting Lakeview businesses last fall, underscoring how persistent the commercial break-in problem has become along Chicago's North Side corridors.
.jpg){kind=link}