The Slow Death of Diversity In Wrigleyville

We went out to dinner last night at a Moroccan restaurant in the neighborhood. The neighborhood is affectionately known as "Wrigleyville", which is in an area called Lakeview on the north side of Chicago. It is called Wrigleyville because it surrounds Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs' home field.

I truly believe that what makes going to a Cubs game more enjoyable is the neighborhood. There are plenty of sports bars, music clubs, and more importantly, eating establishments in the neighborhood. With a more welcoming and friendlier neighborhood towards visitors and tourists when compared to the neighborhood surrounding the White Sox field, baseball fans tend to linger a lot longer in the neighborhood. It is also a major attraction during weekends for people to come in, have dinner, and then hop on over to the various bars and clubs.

When we first moved into the neighborhood in 1993, there was a wealth of diversity of restaurants in the neighborhood. Off the top of my head, there were 4 Thai restaurants, 3 Ethiopian, 1 Caribbean, 3 Japanese, 1 French-Vietnamese, 1 Korean, 2 Indian, 2 noodles restaurants, etc... throughout the years, a few newer restaurants moved in such as a Moroccan, a Vietnamese, another Indian restaurant, etc.

Such diversity in food is what made this neighborhood such an eclectic mix and a major attraction to many visitors. I know that in my case, I thoroughly enjoyed going to these various ethnic restaurants and trying various new types of food. It is what made me want to stay in this area.

Sadly, during the past 5 years or so, many of these diverse restaurants have closed down for one reason or another, and most have nothing to do with the current economic crisis. Buildings are sold and the new owners want more higher-traffic establishments, or rents were raised beyond what these small ma-and-pa restaurants can afford. Whatever the case, there is a slow homogenization of the types of restaurants in Wrigleyville. Exotic ethnic restaurants are being replaced by generic pizza parlor, Americanized chinese restaurants, bars, and sandwich/hamburger joints. What made this neighborhood so unique and attractive in the first place is slowly being killed. The last of our Ethiopian restaurant has closed its doors. We went from having 3 to none in a span of just 3 years. We also lost an African restaurant last year. We have two Thai restaurants left, with one barely surviving at this point, and in an attempt to survive, had made "compromises" with its menu to appeal to the larger population.

I don't know whether there is a reason for such a trend. The eclectic mix seems to have moved out of the neighborhood and gone further north into the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago, where exciting mix of restaurants are sprouting. And whether this is a coincidence or a reason for such a trend remains to be seen, but the gay population that had a major hand in revitalization of Wrigleyville has also been moving north into the Andersonville area, especially after housing and rental prices have skyrocketed to approach that of Lincoln Park.

I'm hoping our Moroccan restaurant makes it. If last night's dinner was any indication, they might just be able to do that. The restaurant was packed to the walls, and there were plenty of people waiting for tables. Of course, it was a Saturday night, and we have been there on weekday nights when they were barely 1/4 full. I really hope they make it, not just because the food is outstanding, but the neighborhood needs them to add color to the palette. It is one of the last few remnants of the vibrant diversity and cultural spectrum in the cuisine that this neighborhood used to have.

Zz.