Red Star Tavern

Red Star in Algonquin is toast. Should be interesting to see if any or all of the other locations fold as well. Tough times, although I don't know too many people who will shed a tear over this. Personally I enjoyed the layout/atmosphere of these places and always had a good time cocktailing there, but the food took a dive in the last couple years and apparently everyone else noticed too.

Tony_Spilotro wrote:Red Star in Algonquin is toast. Should be interesting to see if any or all of the other locations fold as well. Tough times, although I don't know too many people who will shed a tear over this. Personally I enjoyed the layout/atmosphere of these places and always had a good time cocktailing there, but the food took a dive in the last couple years and apparently everyone else noticed too.

Red Star at Geneva Commons is gone as well.

I remember watching the construction of that Geneva Commons complex and seeing Red Star go in - at the time, I couldn't figure out for the life of me why someone would create a chain restaurant based on Soviet era nostalgia.

at the time, I couldn't figure out for the life of me why someone would create a chain restaurant based on Soviet era nostalgia.

Or Macy's. Euuugh!

the wimperoo wrote:

Tony_Spilotro wrote:Red Star in Algonquin is toast. Should be interesting to see if any or all of the other locations fold as well. Tough times, although I don't know too many people who will shed a tear over this. Personally I enjoyed the layout/atmosphere of these places and always had a good time cocktailing there, but the food took a dive in the last couple years and apparently everyone else noticed too.

Red Star at Geneva Commons is gone as well.

The Red Star in Geneva has been gone for a number of months now. We ate there the week before they closed and vowed to never go back due to very poor service. The staff must have known because they acted like they could care less. Way back when they were new, they had excellant attentive service and some decent food. We ate at Bennigan's 3 days before they closed too, hmmmm? What does that say?

LikestoEatout wrote:

the wimperoo wrote:

Tony_Spilotro wrote:Red Star in Algonquin is toast. Should be interesting to see if any or all of the other locations fold as well. Tough times, although I don't know too many people who will shed a tear over this. Personally I enjoyed the layout/atmosphere of these places and always had a good time cocktailing there, but the food took a dive in the last couple years and apparently everyone else noticed too.

Red Star at Geneva Commons is gone as well.

The Red Star in Geneva has been gone for a number of months now. We ate there the week before they closed and vowed to never go back due to very poor service. The staff must have known because they acted like they could care less. Way back when they were new, they had excellant attentive service and some decent food. We ate at Bennigan's 3 days before they closed too, hmmmm? What does that say?

It means I think you do us all a favor and check out Zealous.

The Red Star Taverns are (were) part of the Restaurants America group, which includes Bar Louie. Given this group's history of shuttering restaurants (remember Nick and Tony's) closings and problems are not unexpected.

The Red Star Inn, an old German restaurant, was a cause celebre when it was demolished as part of an expansion of Carl Sandburg Village. I suspected that the name choice was an attempt to pick up some cachet from that departed restaurant although few people under 50 know anything about it. The name was revived for a restaurant at the point where Keeler and Avondale meet at Irving Park Road. That restaurant was hard to distinguish from any newer suburban restaurant in its price bracket with a few German touches and did not last long. More recently the building was occupied by an answering service and now bears a big for sale sign touting its potential for redevelopment.