Puerto Rican Star Moving to Broadway, to Evolve into First in the Nation Supper Club

Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, established restaurants were reeling and struggling to stay afloat. In the crazy times of 2020-2021, many entrepreneurs were ready to seize an opportunity. One of those entrepreneurs was Eric Roldan, who hand built a Puerto Rican restaurant out of love, a ghost kitchen, and then a brick and mortar location, the much beloved Uptown restaurant Marina's Bistro and Rum Bar. 

Critical success led to bigger dreams. Eric shared his vision for a new concept in offline discussions over the last year, and on Friday he finally let the world know what he was kind enough to share privately: Marina's is evolving into a Puerto Rican supper club. 

We’re proud to officially share that Marina’s Bistro & Rum Bar is evolving into Marina’s Supper Club — the first Puerto Rican supper club in the nation.

What began as a ghost kitchen by Chef Eric Roldan has grown into a beloved Uptown destination, and now into something even greater — a one-of-a-kind dining and cultural experience rooted in Puerto Rican heritage.

Located at 4804 N Broadway, next to the historic Green Mill, Marina’s Supper Club will bring together elevated Puerto Rican cuisine, live music rooted in Puerto Rican rhythms, and a signature rum-forward cocktail program — all within a refined supper club atmosphere.

This next chapter is about more than expansion.

It’s about culture, community, and creating a space that celebrates where we come from.

Opening late summer 2026.

The new Marina's Supper Club will be located at 4804 N. Broadway, where it will join the multi-time Michelin award winning Birreria Zaragoza. The reimagined Marina's will feature a classic supper club vibe, "refined dining, curated live music rooted in Puerto Rican rhythms, vibrant rum cockails, and a full bar experience."

Longtime residents will be familiar with the new space, which was formerly Crew Bar & Grill. Crew was very successful in its 13 year run on Broadway, persevering through a transfer in ownership before shutting down in 2017 to make way for a planned jazz/blues club sibling to the Green Mill, Club Della Robbia. After a contractor (allegedly) stole money and failed to complete the buildout, Della Robbia never opened, paving the way for Marina's. 

If you haven't been able to sample Marina's cuisine, you have limited time to do so before operations shift and focus on the new location. The food is great! Eric is aiming for opening in late summer 2026. 

Trader Joe's Confirmed for Montrose and Clarendon

Logo Courtesy Trader Joe's Website

After years of discussion, a round of speculation in the fall. and months waiting for confirmation, we are pleased to officially confirm that Chicago's newest Trader Joe's is coming to Uptown.

We noted a building permit was issued this morning confirming the buildout was for Trader Joe's. The newest location will be located at 804 W. Montrose in the 811 Uptown building.

The space was originally designed for a Treasure Island location, but the demise of Treasure Island left the space empty. Suburban produce market Peter Rubi had a short run in the space, and Canadian vegan grocer XMarket had two different concepts in the space before closing in 2025.

We have long touted the location as a perfect fit for Trader Joe's and encouraged readers to share the location with Trader Joe's corporate. Trader Joe's looked at a space in Andersonville but abandoned those plans in 2023.

The proximity to DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Lincoln Park and the lakefront bike path, and the dense Lakeview, Uptown, Andersonville and Edgewater communities makes this a great location for expansion.

Given that the 'bones' of a market are already in place, we would expect an opening by summer.

4652 N. Magnolia To Be Razed

4652 N. Magnolia (Google)

A single family home on the 4600 block of Magnolia is about to meet the wrecking ball.

A demolition permit has been filed for the home at 4652 N. Magnolia. The building sold for $740,000 in December. 

The parcel is zoned RT-4, which would allow for a multi-unit building, but what is planned for the lot is unknown at this time. 

We are sad to see another old home in Sheridan Park get demolished. If we have to lose it, we look forward to the added density. 

Uptown Art Walk Call For Artists Now Open

 For more info visit The Uptown Art Walk website!

Chain Chain Chain

Just a little outside of our service area, some interesting new additions coming to the strip mall at Broadway and Berwyn, just north of Foster. You know we love our malls (note: sarcasm).

Flyer From the CRE Listing  

We previously told you about the Panda Express coming to this mall, but we now know from the marketing flyer that a Qdoba, Mattress Firm, and Midwest Express Clinic are coming as well. 

Renovation has been ongoing at the mall for close to two years now, and the Panda Express news was the first indication we had of new tenants. Leasing has been ongoing, and the four new tenants will join Burlington with three additional spaces left to lease.

With Chipotle directly across the street, it will be easy for our readers to do a one to one comparison with Qdoba while trying out some mattresses at the Mattress Firm. Enjoy!

Did You Remember To Spring Forward?

We returned to Daylight Saving Time at 2am Sunday. Are you on time?

One less hour of sleep, always a lot of fun if you have a kid, pet, or partner who's firmly tied to a 24-hour schedule.

On the flip side, it means that evening light will last longer, with sunset taking place at 6:49pm tonight (and 7:15 by the end of the month). It's lovely if you like staying outside in daylight longer.

(photo from the JJ Sedelmaier Productions Collection, used with permission and much appreciation)

Engage!

Taken at the Uptown Fitness Closure in 2020

With the issuance of an $850,000 building permit yesterday, Planet Fitness took a major step towards opening in the former Uptown Fitness space.

While there is no official opening date, expect renovation work to start very soon. Commenters on prior posts have reported employees of the Lakeview location mentioned an opening in July. 

If you would like to sign up, the new club is in pre-sale mode (with discounts) and the sign-up page is here.  The general gym page, with a list of planned amenities, is here.

Move Over Starbucks, Here Comes Yemeni Coffee

It may be hard to believe for newer residents, but once upon a time there were four Starbucks in Uptown, the two in-store "Starbucks" locations at the former Dominick's and Wilson Yard Target, the "Magic Johnson" Starbucks at Wilson and Magnolia, and the Starbucks located prominently at the intersection of Lawrence and Broadway.

We lost the Wilson Starbucks in 2016 for what was supposed to be the "new" location of Baker & Nosh that never came to be. 

In 2017, the Lawrence Starbucks was the location of a tragic gang- and drug-associated shooting, and by 2022, rumored union-busting by Starbucks Corp. led to the closure of the Lawrence and Broadway location.

Over the last 5 years we have had a couple of near misses as large local chains looked at the space but ultimately didn't follow through with plans. 

Courtesy Queen Yemeni Coffee Website

However, in big news for coffee drinkers, we can now confirm Queen Yemeni Coffee is coming soon to the former Starbuck's space. 

The owners opened their first location in Libertyville and have been popular and successful. This location will be the first expansion, and their chosen location makes sense with a prominent location at the corner of a large intersection and close to the recently reopened Red Line station at Lawrence. 

Yemeni coffee is considered a particularly delicious type of coffee and stores are opening all over the place.

We look forward to having a a cup of coffee soon. No word on hours but a menu is here.

Chi City Craft Club Creates Community

Feeling crafty? Want to learn new skills? Meet like-minded folks nearby?

Chi City Craft Club has been around for about a year, holding pop-up events in coffee shops and people's homes, dedicated to creating community and crafts. Now they're about to open in their own space in the McJunkin Building, in the second floor corner unit directly above Lucy's.

They invite interested folks to follow them on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/chicitycraftclub) and check out their Linktree (https://linktr.ee/chicitycraftclub_) to see what's coming up and what looks like a good fit.

Coming up this week:

• Speed Friending (and origami!) at Felix, February 25th
• Gouache Painting at Mochinut, February 26th

We look forward to having CCCC right here in the heart of Uptown!

What's Up With Weiss? Who Knows, But It Doesn't Look Good.

Weiss Memorial Hospital (from Weiss Webpage)

Reader JL writes in:

Hey UU. Thanks for all you do. I live across the street and have seen more lights on at Weiss and more cars parked at the entrance. Have you heard anything about the hospital? Will it be reopening any time soon?

Unfortunately, we remain in the dark about Weiss and Resilience Healthcare's plans for the hospital. 

As of today, the hospital website shows the campus is only open for outpatient services, while there are no inpatient or emergency services. However, Alderwoman Clay's December 5 newsletter announced outpatient services were closed as well just after Thanksgiving.

Based on public statements, Weiss' owner was working through the process of appealing the Medicare penalty (pdf link) imposed in summer 2025. 

While increased activity on the campus might be a good sign, there is no telling whether Resilience has a plan to come up with the $27 million dollars Weiss owes the State of Illinois, part of a $69 million debt to the State. Resilience's CEO has told reporters that his company took on $81 million in debt when it acquired Weiss and West Suburban Hospital. 

To compound the situation, Resilience is now tied up in additional legal trouble, as it apparently defaulted on a loan taken to pay for the hospitals in December 2024 and has been sued by multiple companies for failure to pay for services and equipment.

We are obviously hopeful that a hospital some of us at UU have called a neighbor for more than 40 years will come back, but things definitely look grim at this point. 

If any of you know more, feel free to reach out via email. 

Plans Revealed For New Cedar Street Development at 4725 N. Clifton

4725 N. Clifton (Hirsch MPG)

The parking lot just north of the historic Uptown Broadway Building and east of The Teller House will finally be filled after being empty since at least the early 1980s. 

We have been aware of the proposal since 2022 when it was first submitted under former Alderman Cappleman. The building has continued to percolate over the last 3 years, and is now being built "by right," likely to avoid going through development-phobic Alderwoman Clay's office or the city. 

Urbanize Chicago broke the news publicly after Cedar Street's plans were presented to the city's Permit Review Committee. Plans call for a 5 story building with retail and 40 units of residential. 

While the remainder of the lot is unfilled at this point, we expect additional buildings to fill the remainder of the lot eventually. Previously, a large garage and a 3 smaller buildings occupied the space running along the tracks on Clifton from Broadway to Lawrence, both of which demoed in the early 1980s for the current parking lot. 

Buildings that filled the lot along Clifton back in the 1930s (CTA)

Another view from the late 1970s (Jonie Snake Flickr)

We hope this trend continues northward and all of the surface lots in the area are filled with housing!

Uptown's Largest Vacant Lakefront Lot to Become...Sarah's Circle

Sarah's on Sunnyside, Clarendon & Sunnyside (Perkins & Will)

From Clarendon Park resident and reader JF, news that Sarah's Circle is planning to acquire at least a portion of the empty lot located between Agatite and Sunnyside on Clarendon, located across from the Clarendon Park fieldhouse. 

This will be the 4th Sarah's Circle building in Uptown, and the first since the organization opened its "Sarah's on Lakeside" a bit over 2 years ago.

According to plans filed with the city, Sarah's Circle is planning "Sarah's on Sunnyside" on the northernmost part of the vacant lot owned by the Missionary Sisters of The Sacred Heart at 4432-58 N. Clarendon. 

The proposed building will have 54 supportive housing units for single women along with office space for Sarah's Circle and community space for residents.  The building will look virtually the same as the recently opened Sarah's on Lakeside building, but will be taller at 7 stories.

Site plan showing Sarah's on Sunnyside and 2 other possible additions to the vacant lot (city of Chicago)

The vacant lot is large and the plans mentions a potential future 11 story development directly to the south. No word on whether this would be an addition to the Sarah's on Sunnyside or completely separate. The southernmost part of the lot also has space for another "potential development" not in the project scope.

Per reader JF's email to us: 

"While I personally hate the empty parking lot and my partner and I support what Sarah's Circle does, I can't believe that they are building such a tiny building here in a prime lakefront spot. Was there no other developer available or interested in the lot? We desperately need density and housing and this is not the best way to use a lot like this. And why is every Sarah's Circle building in Uptown?"

That's a good question. There is no doubt this is a prime piece of real estate and, given there were proposals for this lot in the past that were much taller and a combination of market rate and affordable, we would have loved to see something taller, denser and more architecturally significant. 

This is already on the agenda for the city's plan commission, so it's unclear whether local block clubs or residents have had a say in the matter. Also no information has been provided on how the project is being funded. 

Although this has been percolating since October, so far nothing mentioned on Ald. Clay's website about the proposed development. We're sure people might disagree with this use of the lot, so hopefully there will be a public meeting!

The Lot and Proposed Site

Judgment Free Zone Incoming to 909 W. Montrose

UPDATE 2/23/26:

THE WEBSITE IS BACK! NO ONE PANIC! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! 

Based on a new update, the PF Montrose page is active again and they are offering presales. Hoping for a summer opening.

UPDATE 1/12/26: 

Since we ran this story, the webpage for the Montrose location (which was "coming soon" and had several subpages, including a class schedule page) is no longer active. We are not certain if the original link was posted prematurely or if Planet Fitness has changed its plans. We will update when we can.

Interesting news (first tipped in 2023, now confirmed) that Planet Fitness is opening a location at 909 W. Montrose in the former Uptown Fitness space.

As longtime readers recall, Uptown Fitness replaced World Gym at the location. 

Uptown Fitness' departure in 2020 was blamed on COVID lockdowns and many patrons were left in the lurch by the former owner. The space has been vacant ever since. 

Image Courtesy Planet Fitness Page for 909 W. Montrose

The opening appears imminent, as the location is now live on the Planet Fitness website. 

The news is welcome and credit is due to tipster JD, who first told us a new fitness provider was looking at the space in late 2023, as well as reader JH, who told us a Planet Fitness location was coming in September 2024. 

The huge chain, whose slogan is the misspelled "Judgement Free Zone," offers long hours (often 24 hours on weekdays), plenty of purple colored workout equipment, and a live "Crowd Meter" to tell you how crowded things are before you leave your house. 

This new location will be a welcome addition to the area and will compete for members with LA Fitness on Lawrence.