Lincoln Park’s Venerable Beaumont Heads Toward a New Direction After Four Decades

Last year, Beaumont Bar & Grill ended a 44-year run in Lincoln Park perhaps fortifying that changes have arrived in the area surrounding Halsted and Armitage. Beaumont held a 4 a.m. liquor license, and though that space looked innocent enough when the sun was out with sports on screens and passable bar food, the moon produced a rowdier crowd with bouncers charging covers and the kind of dance floor, full of recent college grads. With patrons waiting in line along Halsted, this scene was one Chicagoans could expect near Rush and Division.

As Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises opened two more restaurants in recent months, now there are whispers that a Small Cheval will soon find a new home near the intersection. Bar owners already faced a boom in families in the neighborhood in the early ‘00s with new community members pushing for earlier last calls and more of a suburban vibe. The neighborhood survived those overtures and evolved, and it’s happening again with new restaurants like John’s Food & Wine opening down the street.

Which brings Lincoln Park to the presence and the demise of Beaumont. It’s been purchased by a familiar name and they hope to unveil a new restaurant early next year at 2020 N. Halsted Street. Paul Abu-Taleb’s team is behind Pilsen Yards, a low-key bar that serves food along 18th Street in Pilsen. They also operate a bar inside the bar — a fancy cocktails lounge called the Alderman.

Abu-Taleb spoke about the cavernous space’s history in Lincoln Park: “The last time this building changed hands was 60 years ago,” he says.

The two-story structure was built in 1890. Structurally, it’s in fine shape, he says, but to revamp and gut the interiors. The team doesn’t have many details to share. They’re not even sure of the name — Abu-Taleb says they’re leaning toward keeping Beaumont. But other than the name, the new project will be different. There will also be private event space and no late-night liquor license.

“This is a casual, full-restaurant concept,” Abu-Taleb says. “For us, it’s a very long-term investment; we’ve always looked for neighborhood locations to do neighborhood concepts in.”

An outdoor patio in the back is also being planned, perhaps with some of the elements, like heated floors, seen at Pilsen Yards. Maybe it’s more of a beer garden. Abu-Taleb wants to inject some fun into his venues and bring a different spirit compared to his family’s pizzerias. Yes, Pizza Capri at Halsted and Willow — next to Boka and Alinea — is from the Abu-Talebs. They also have a Hyde Park location (Paul’s father, Anan Abu-Taleb, was the mayor of suburban Oak Park from 2013 to 2021).

Plenty of details are still being worked out in the coming months, so stay tuned for details.

Beaumont project, 2020 N Halsted Street, scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2025.