• June 18th, 2012
• 1 Comment

It’s been there for years. Our white powder coated wrought-iron, super heavy, modern wrap-around. Slung from either our basement or our upstairs back patio, every year, nearly adding a third more seating to our restaurant. We get our permission slip from city hall to take a chunk of space from the extra-wide Southport Ave sidewalks, filling it with our shinny metal tables and gleaming chairs. To us, it’s worth it. To sit and eat in great weather after a long winter is a rewarding part of living in the Midwest; basking in the warm glow of the sun, wearing that first pair of shorts and t-shirt. After long haul-winters that seem to never end we’re always grinning as the patio is placed around our storefront.All for those moments in the spring and summer where you can’t help but sit all the way back in the chair, tilt your head and breathe in the warm air.

We plant seasonal flowers to bring a bit of green and color to the patio, between the stacks of pancakes, luscious veggie sandwiches, and seasonal salads – it’s like a never ending picnic on our front doorstep. Sometimes is a refuge from the hustle inside the store, other times it breeds it’s own bustle, but it is always an escape. Because as anyone could tell you, being stuck inside all winter makes you itch for the outdoors. We tend to think that our patio, in some little way, is what helps make Chicago one of the best cities in the summertime.

So we invite you to take a seat, enjoy the weather, and bask in the greatness that is patio season in Chicago – here at Southport Grocery.

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