Legendary Chicago Italian restaurant Spiaggia, which has been open for 37 years, announced Friday it is permanently closed. Owners of the Michelin-starred restaurant and its sister concept, Café Spiaggia, were unable to restructure its soon-to-expire Michigan Avenue lease, a move that “was necessary to reflect the realities of operating a restaurant in an office building, post-pandemic,” according to a statement posted on the restaurant’s website and social media.
The restaurants had been closed during the pandemic but had plans to re-open. Spiaggia debuted in 1984, a partnership between Chef Tony Mantuano and multi-concept operator Levy Restaurants. Levy remains the restaurant’s owner; Mantuano exited the operation in late 2019.
