When legends
like Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, and Frank Sinatra were in town in the early 1940s, they ate at Blackie's. Everyone who had
train layovers in Chicago came here to eat, and they came back again and again!
Like the
neighborhood, Blackie's has seen many changes since its doors first opened in 1939. One aspect, however, has remained the
same: The Family.
In the beginning,
Alex DeMilio knew how to run a bar and his partner, nicknamed Blackie, knew how to prepare Italian cuisine. Together, they
established a tavern downstairs and a restaurant upstairs that enjoyed great popularity in the 1940's and 50's.
When Blackie
retired in the late 50's, the dining area on the upper lever was closed. Printers were leaving the community, but DeMilio
maintained the tavern on the corner of Clark and Polk. In the late 70's, he took on a new partner, his grandson, Jeffrey Thomas.
Jeff is responsible for, among other
things, bringing Blackie's to the 90's. When he rehabbed the tavern, he strove to reflect the neighborhood and preserve a
few of Blackie's originals. A photo of his grandfather hangs above the bar and portraits of the King and Queen of Italy hang
near the jukebox. Neighborhood artists did the rest of the paintings, photos, and stained glass.
