Stussy’s Diner has transformed a former 24-hour corner restaurant into a new pretty pink destination in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood.
“It’s the fusion between retro and modern diner,” said creative director Dahlia Beckett.
She’s also a managing partner with Christina Nance and her brother Rico Nance. He’s perhaps best known for Chemistry steakhouse, LiteHouse Whole Food Grill and Mikkey’s Retro Grill.
At Stussy’s Diner, which opened in the closed Bridgeport Restaurant space on Aug. 6, the vintage vibe rolls up to another level on weekends when the host wears roller skates.
“We encourage the guests to bring skates too,” Rico Nance said. “And we encourage the guests to dress up.”
The partners wanted to create a space where guests can create memories, he added, with four father-daughter days already planned over the year.
The diner, in fact, is named for his daughter, who’s nicknamed Stussy (pronounced STEW-see).
“She was always a super fancy baby,” he said. “She wanted to walk around with high heels as a kid.” She’s now a senior at Kenwood Academy High School.
At her new namesake diner, every other order is the pink strawberry shortcakes, topped with house-made pink whipped cream, served with eggs and bacon or sausage.
Another early fan favorite seems to reflect the tastes of the old restaurant’s Mexican owners, and the area’s newer Asian neighbors.
“The birria ramen,” Nance said. It’s served with vegetables and egg, which can be substituted with chicken or tofu, and available extra spicy. “That’s different to the diner space.”
But no diner would be complete without milkshakes.
“Our shakes, they fly out,” he said. In addition to the classic vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, they offer unusual flavors including lavender, pina colada and sour apple.
The Nutella and cream French toast bites have also become popular, served with chopsticks to better dip in banana syrup, alongside eggs and hash browns or grits.
A sushi rolled omelet option is available with hash browns and four fillings: bacon, egg and cheese; roasted veggie; Southwestern; or Philly cheesesteak.
Old-school favorites feature Stussy’s chicken and waffle with fried chicken strips, hot honey sauce and an option for a pecan waffle.
“The steak and eggs is really, really, really big here too,” Nance said. It’s a skirt steak tossed in rosemary garlic butter, served with two eggs and hash browns.
While the new Black-owned and -operated diner evokes nostalgia for the 1950s and ’60s, the Nance family also remembers an incident on that very corner in the ’80s: They said a group of white people beat late family patriarch Willis Nance with a bat. He was driving with family, stopped at the corner and got out after their car was egged.
“And my father always said, ‘If I would have fallen down, I would have been dead,’” Rico Nance said.
Eventually, others started throwing things at the attackers until they finally left. “So to be able to come to this corner, and now be able to send our daughter to college through this corner, really means a lot to us. It means a lot to the growth of this country. And for our people, I think it’s a testament to what we are able to become, going from being a family being beaten, battered on this corner to being a staple in this community 40 years later.”
And it’s not just Bridgeport, or the South Side community. Mikkey’s also has a location in Texas, and LiteHouse has a location in Indiana. The restaurants have become known for their food and philanthropy. Nance estimates they have given more than 700,000 free meals.
Stussy’s Diner will hold a grand opening event the second week of September, said Beckett, creative director. There will be a ribbon-cutting with their alderman, Nicole Lee, Nance said. They plan to be fully hired, he added, operating at their full hours and with the final menu, which will include soufflé pancakes.
The diner is BYOB and guests can bring their own bottles of alcohol to mix. The nonalcoholic pink lemonade has been a bestseller.
“We have a tea company as well, called What’s Tea,” said Christina Nance. “And we have our own special in-house blends of tea exclusively made for Stussy’s.” Three loose-leaf teas (peach cobbler, white vanilla rose and green) are available hot by the cup or pot, and as iced lattes.
Chefs Rah Muhammad and Wavy Bradley run the savory side, while pastry chef Asia Nance, a niece, makes sweets including a house-made sweet potato pie, served with or without ice cream.
Meanwhile, the diner is open to serve the community.
3500 S. Halsted St., 773-801-1062, stussysdiner.com
More new restaurant openings, in alphabetical order:
Beity
Chef Ryan Fakih has rolled out the welcome mat to his debut Lebanese-inspired restaurant. Beity opened in the West Loop neighborhood on Aug. 6. Pronounced bayti, which translates to “my home” in Arabic, Fakih offers a stunning mouné (seasonal house-made pickles) on the tasting menu and à la carte, a tabouleh cocktail (with tomato parsley juice) and a sweet and salty pita ice cream only at the bar.
813 W. Fulton St., 773-892-5549, beitychicago.com
Casa Humilde Cerveceria
Mexican American brothers Javier and Jose Lopez began brewing beer at their parents’ house in the Hermosa neighborhood, but have moved into their own place with help from some friends. Casa Humilde Cerveceria celebrated its grand opening in Forest Park on Aug. 17. There’s beer, of course, at their new humble house including Maizal (Mexican lager brewed with corn), plus food on a menu created by chefs Itzel Hernandez (Mi Tocaya Antojería) and Jonathan Zaragoza (Birrieria Zaragoza) featuring golden fried tacos dorados and more.
7700 Madison St., Forest Park; casahumildecerveceria.com
Jus Sandwiches
Karen Roberts makes what she calls simple sexy sandwiches at The Woodlawn, an innovative event venue on the South Side, but her creations are far from simple. Jus Sandwiches started serving in Avalon Park on Aug. 1. Her signature Royal Highness sandwich brings Jamaican inspiration with a deep-fried jerk chicken breast on a hoagie roll; the New Gym Shoe kicks it with roast beef, corned beef and spicy hot honey chicken; and a vegan Garbaaage Slider stuffs gluten-free ciabatta bread with fresh vegetables and roasted red pepper hummus.
1200 E. 79th St., 708-325-8778, jussandwiches.com
Mirra
Chefs Rishi Manoj Kumar (previously Topolobampo) and James Beard-nominated Zubair Mohajir (The Coach House) are collaborating on a concept with Indian and Mexican cuisines. Mirra was unveiled in the Bucktown neighborhood on Aug. 21. Look for chaas aguachile, pollo asado with chapati and tres leches cake with mango.
1954 W. Armitage Ave., mirrachicago.com
Void
Industry veterans and business partners Tyler Hudec, Dani Kaplan and Patrick Ray have debuted with their own Italian American-ish bar and restaurant. Void opened up in the Avondale neighborhood on Aug. 14. Order red sauce barbecue ribs with polenta, Caesar slaw and cornbread croutons; tomato gin Gibson cocktails; and the nonalcoholic drink No-Lort, which they describe as having successfully removed Malört’s only redeeming feature.
2937 N. Milwaukee Ave., voidchicago.com
In new location news:
Kie-Gol-Lanee, the Oaxacan restaurant in Uptown, revealed a second location in Logan Square on Aug. 10. 2901 W. Diversey Ave., 773-799-8441, kiegol.com
Konbini and Kanpai, the Japanese convenience store-inspired craft bottle shop in Lakeview, uncorked a restaurant sibling in Wrigleyville on Aug. 9. 3443 N. Sheffield Ave., 312-884-1106, konbiniandkanpai.com
Qiao Lin Hotpot, indeed the hot pot restaurant near Chinatown, fired up another location in Streeterville on Aug. 13. 210 E. Illinois St., qiaolinhotpot.com
In notable new menu news:
Lula Cafe, the beloved James Beard-awarded restaurant in Logan Square, is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a ticketed event series they’re calling 25 for 25, featuring 25 chefs benefiting five charitable organizations over five nights until Aug. 31. 2537 N. Kedzie Blvd., 773-489-9554, lulacafe.com
Next, the changing restaurant founded by chef Grant Achatz in the West Loop, will pay tribute to Charlie Trotter from Sept. 7 to Dec. 31. 953 W. Fulton Market, nextrestaurant.com
Topolobampo, the Michelin-starred Mexican restaurant by chef Rick Bayless in River North, is running a Mexico City Taco Crawl menu until Sept. 7. 445 N. Clark St., 312-661-1434, topolochicago.com
In retirement news:
Podhalanka, the last Polish restaurant in the former Polish Triangle of Wicker Park, will lose its owner Helena Madej to retirement and a move back to Poland, leaving the business with an uncertain future, according to Block Club Chicago. 1549 W. Division St., 773-486-6655
In closing news:
Smoque Steak, the neighborhood steakhouse in Avondale by the partners behind Smoque BBQ, closed permanently after just 15 months on Aug. 25, after it became clear that the restaurant was “better suited for special occasions than for everyday dinners,” so will transform into an event space called Brickton Hall in September. 3310 N. Elston Ave., instagram.com/bricktonhallchicago
The Fifty/50, the first business and namesake sports bar and restaurant in Wicker Park of The Fifty/50 Group, will close permanently after 16 years on Sept. 8, because the owners believe “it has simply run its course,” and they have found a new tenant they “think will help create new memories for people on Division Street.” 2047 W. Division St., 773-489-5050, thefifty50.com
Do you have notable restaurant news in the Chicago area? Email food critic Louisa Kung Liu Chu at lchu@chicagotribune.com.
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