3 days Ago By Joe Ward
EDGEWATER — Famed drag diner Hamburger Mary’s is returning to Chicago, with plans to open later this year in Edgewater. Hamburger Mary’s announced on Sunday plans to open a location in Edgewater “later this summer,” the business wrote on Facebook. The business did not announce an exact location in Edgewater.
“We are thrilled to announce that our gal Mary will soon be back flippin’ burgers and puttin’ on shows in the Windy City...
at a new location in Edgewater!” the post read. “We’re in the process of sprucing up the place, and we hope to be open later this summer.”Hamburger Mary’s reopening returns the popular LGBTQ+-friendly restaurant chain to Chicago after its lone local outpost in Andersonville closed in 2020.
It was in business on Clark Street for 14 years. The Andersonville location was replaced by a Sweetgreen restaurant. Hamburger Mary’s is now offering drag queen drive-thru service.
Credit: Courtesy Hamburger Mary'sThe closure was due to the pandemic and increasing costs in Andersonville, its owners said at the time. Hamburger Mary’s tried to withstand the pandemic: it offered drive-thru drag shows during the indoor dining ban and participated in expanded outdoor dining on Balmoral Avenue in Andersonville. The new location will be the only Hamburger Mary’s in the Chicago area, as its Oak Park outpost also closed in 2020.
The closest existing Hamburger Mary’s location is in Toledo, Ohio. Hamburger Mary’s is known for its diner-esque menu and dining experience that features drag performances. The restaurants host events like drag brunch and charity bingo events.
Its first location opened in 1972 in San Francisco. Support Local News!Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods.
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