LINCOLN SQUARE — It’s the end of an era at Giddings Plaza in Lincoln Square.
For decades, the idyllic European-esque square has been anchored by two things: a picturesque fountain and Café Selmarie, 4729 N. Lincoln Ave.
Birgit Kobayashi, who founded Café Selmarie with late co-founder Jeanne Uzdawinis 40 years ago, announced in September that she planned to retire and close the popular restaurant in early 2024 to begin a “new chapter” in her life.
As details emerged about what would happen to the Selmarie space, “early 2024” stretched into early spring. It was eventually announced that Andrew Pillman, owner of Lincoln Square Taproom, 4721 N. Lincoln Ave., was taking over the location and would be opening Willow Café & Bistro.
Finally, last week, Kobayashi confirmed that Saturday would be Selmarie’s last day. The announcement on the Café Selmarie website read:
“The time has come, dear friends – our official last day of business will be Saturday, April 27th.
We want to thank you all for the outpouring of love and support during this transition and throughout our 40 years. There are no words to express our gratitude. We hope to see all of you in these last days to help us celebrate and close out what has been a wonderful, magical era of Selmarie in the Square!”
This week, longtime fans of the restaurant visited the cafe for a final bowl of tomato bisque in the sit-down restaurant and one last kolachki at the pastry and coffee counter.
The shelves that were once overflowing with baked goods began to thin out as customers grabbed their last tastes of Selmarie’s popular desserts. Boxes of sugar cookies in different shapes, a longtime staple, were no longer available.
Danny, a preschool teacher at the nearby Dank Haus, said Café Selmarie had become a regular stop since he moved to Chicago from Germany.
“I loved it. I love their menu. I’m gonna miss it, that’s for sure,” he said. “It was like my little second home for coffee and stuff.”
Some customers stressed their love for those legendary Selmarie baked goods.
“I’m gonna miss Selmarie for various reasons, but for me it’s mostly the bakery,” said Vilma, another cafe customer. “The cakes are very high quality, and I brought many friends here from all over. I’m going to miss that.”
Amanda Reynolds, who was visiting the café with her young daughter Melia, remembers a particular item that turned her on to Selmarie.
“A friend brought their almond cake over for a party once and that was like, life-changing, it was so delicious. I was like, where is this from? And I haven’t stopped coming here since I’ve tried that,” Reynolds said.
Like many neighborhood moms, Reynolds would often buy a small snack for her young kids at the bakery before letting them play in the plaza.
“We would hang out in the Square a lot and let the kids run around,” she said.
Outside the restaurant on Tuesday, Kobayashi supervised the removal of the big blue Café Selmarie sign with her son and a few employees. She joked that the $2,000 she paid for the sign seemed like a lot in 1983, but it lasted for four decades.
Taking down the sign was a “little rough,” Kobayashi said, adding that she felt “numb.”
“This is gonna take us a while, you know, let the dust settle. I need some time to decompress,” she said.
Picturing the plaza without its anchor of Cafe Selmarie is proving to be just as difficult for Lincoln Square neighbors and customers.
“Lincoln Square is one of my favorite areas,” said Selmarie patron Vilma. “We were just talking about how beautiful the environment is [and] Selmarie was my spot. So I don’t know where I’m gonna go.”
Kobayashi previously told Block Club her post-retirement plans include traveling with her grandchildren, who are in their late teens and early 20s.
Café Selmarie will be open 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, but dinner service is reserved for friends and family.
On Saturday, the kitchen will be open 9 a.m.-2 p.m. and the bakery from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Online reservations appear to be sold out, although there is a waitlist. Some swag is still available for purchase at the restaurant and online, including the classic Café Selmarie coffee cups.
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