The Greendoor

A towny place to grab a good burger and a drink! This restraunt is just down the street from Rob and Natalie so text us if you stop by!

About the Green Door..

In 1872, immediately following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, James McCole built this two-story balloon frame wooden structure with a detached cottage in the rear. Engineer McCole rented the front of the building to Mr. Lawrence P. Ek who ran it as a grocery store with living quarters in the rear cottage.

Following the fire, Chicago passed a fire code ordinance prohibiting construction of wooden commercial buildings in the Central Business District. 678 North Orleans is one of the few remaining frame structures built prior to this fire ordinance.

The Racking (leaning) of the building occurred shortly after the building settled and has been that way for over 100 years. In 1921, Vito Giacomo opened the restaurant on the 1st floor and many of the bar fixtures installed in the 20’s still exist in the present bar & restaurant.

Over the years, the restaurant was sold and renamed the Green Door Tavern — if the door of a restaurant was painted green during prohibition, it indicated the presence of a speakeasy in that establishment.

Today, the Green Door remains true to its historic Chicago roots.

The Drifter Speakeasy

Located in the basement of the Green Door and the only remaining speakeasy room from the days of prohibition, The Drifter holds many secrets. One step inside is a step back in time.