01/01/2026
For over a decade, Saucy Porka has been serving the hungry Chicago downtown lunch crowd of office workers, bike messengers, construction workers, train conductors and everyone in between. On December 15, 2025 we served our last lunch from 335 S. Franklin St. The week leading up to our closure, you all showed up in droves (apologies for the long lines and wait time) to express your appreciation and share your memories with us. While our Chicago Hyde Park location (1164 E. 55th St.) will continue delivering & catering to the downtown loop, we’ll miss seeing so many familiar faces who dined with us regularly.
Sitting down and writing this post was an emotional journey for me. It is hard to put into words what it felt to paint the walls, install the ceiling tiles, fix frozen pipes during subzero winters, and then to take it all apart and pack it away after 13 years. Each restaurant we’ve launched, is an extension of who we are. Saucy Porka loop, with all its beautiful imperfections, was the launch pad for it all. Our Chicago Hyde Park, St. Louis Midtown & Energizer Park stadium locations don’t exist without that first seed planted.
The 2020 Pandemic brought new challenges and like many other small businesses, we found a way to pivot and preserver. Restaurant owners are scrappy & we know how to put our heads down and grind away. But just as we began to come up for air, 2025 brought waves of new challenges & unexpected external events that lead to our decision to close our Chicago loop location (follow link in our bio).
This was a deeply personal decision that weighed on us heavily. As a business owner, my actions don’t just affect me. We have staff, vendors, and customers that are all impacted. But at the end of the day, we’re human and that means allowing ourselves time to catch our breath & focus on our physical and mental health. This is not the end of the story. There are still many more chapters left to write. The last 13 years downtown was one heck of an adventure, filled with so many amazing memories with our staff and customers. Thank you for letting our family feed you for so many years.
Cheers to 2026!
Amy, John, Phil, Chef M & the Saucy Team
