Café 28 Ends 17-Year Run in Northcenter

Sunday, a Northcenter staple shut its doors after 17 years in the neighborhood.

Café 28, at 1800 W. Irving Park Rd., served up Mexican and Cuban fare with weekend brunch specials.

“With much regret... we will be closing our doors this weekend after Brunch on Sunday, February 25. We sincerely thank you for all your love and support, and for being part of the Café 28 family,” the owners wrote on Café 28’s Facebook page Feb. 22.

Berta Novarro started the family-owned restaurant and passed it down to her son, Rick Miranda.

With street construction on Irving Park, the business suffered, falling behind on payments. In December, the restaurant forfeited its liquor license, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Miranda tried to combat that with a Mix-Your-Own-Cocktail program where customers could bring in alcohol and Café 28 would supply the fixings.

While the program was popular with boozers, the revenue wasn’t enough to save the business.

But hope remains for the family. The Facebook post included "stay tuned" preview for the future.

"Hope is still there that maybe we'll be able to finance and continue on Irving, or relocate," Miranda told the Tribune. 

Join Patch for more neighborhood news and follow us on Facebook!