Meet us where the spirits roam
Brian Great tries not to see ghosts. He says he spends a lot of time alone in his restaurant, the Great Escape in Schiller Park, so he asks for peaceful coexistence with the spirits who reportedly haunt this converted saloon from the 1880s.
Nevertheless, he has seen apparitions, felt cold spots in dark hallways, and heard an antique radio turn on even though it had no wires connected to it.
And it’s no wonder these walls are still talking. They have seen Al Capone walk through the once-swinging saloon doors and sit at this very bar to sell booze during prohibition.
Parts of the bar are still original from the 1889 structure that was hand-carved by the Chicago Bar Company!
The building has been a speakeasy, a general store, a post office, and now a restaurant that is still as popular as it was when Al Capone and his men patrolled the place.
The Great Escape Restaurant is as famous for its hauntings as it is for its delicious food. Stop in for Grandpa Great’s Baby Back Ribs, slow-cooked in a special dry-rub and topped with a smokey sauce, these ribs are perfect for pairing with a wind-cooled beer from the restaurant’s wind turbine!
The Great Escape Restaurant’s kitchen is open from 11am until 10pm every day. The bar often stays open past 10.
An entree at the Great Escape is about $15. A half-slab of Grandpa Great’s Baby Back Ribs is about $10. It’s about $18 for the full.
Brain Great will likely be on hand to greet you when you walk through the doors to the Great Escape. The restaurant industry is in his family’s DNA. Al and Marie Great opened their first restaurant on North Avenue in 1958 and quickly grew famous for having the best baby back ribs in Chicago.
Today, Brain serves the same famous family ribs recipe at the Great Escape Restaurant!
The Great Escape is located at 9540 W. Irving Park Road in Schiller Park. The restaurant is about 20 miles from downtown Chicago. Just look for the wind turbine!
