WRIGLEYVILLE — One of Chicago’s most storied restaurant franchises is opening a location in Wrigleyville.
Billy Goat Tavern is set to open its ninth Chicago-area location later this month at 3726 N. Clark St. in the former Full Shilling Public House.
Although restaurant ownership has not announced an official opening date, Ana Luna, an assistant manager at the Billy Goat Tavern at 60 E. Lake Street, said the Wrigleyville location will be “opening soon.”
“Hopefully within the next week,” Luna said. “We should be getting some more details about that on Wednesday morning.”
Owners didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Billy Goat Tavern and Wrigleyville have some history together.
In 1945, the Chicago Cubs hosted the Detroit Tigers in the World Series. That year, Billy Goat Tavern’s founder William “Billy Goat” Sianis — a big Cubs fan at the time — bought tickets to the game and decided to take his pet goat with him.
The staff at Wrigley Field denied Sianis entry, saying the goat was “too smelly,” as the story goes. That prompted a miffed Sianis to set the infamous Billy Goat curse, which lasted an excruciatingly long 71 years until the Cubs finally won the World Series ring in 2016.
Sianis opened his first tavern in 1934, purchasing the Lincoln Tavern for $205 across the street from the old Chicago Stadium on Madison Street.
Sianis got the nickname “Billy Goat” after a goat fell off of a passing truck and wandered inside the bar. Legend has it Sianis adopted the goat, grew a goatee and changed the name of his bar to the Billy Goat Tavern.
In 1944, Chicago hosted the Republican Convention, and before politicians and delegates came to town, Sianis posted a sign on his bar’s door that read, “No Republicans allowed.” The sign turned out to be a marketing play that worked to perfection. The bar was reportedly packed with Republicans demanding to be served.
The Billy Goat Tavern moved to its current subterranean location on the lower level of Michigan Avenue in 1964. Since then, the bar has achieved local and national popularity.
It was a longtime favorite watering hole for local journalists because it was located within walking distance of both the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times. It was a regular hangout for legendary Chicago columnist Mike Royko and also the spot where he and the equally legendary newspaper editor Bernie Judge got in a fight.
The Billy Goat Tavern was featured in a often-quoted 1978 “Saturday Night Live” skit called “The Olympia Restaurant,” which parodied the tavern’s counter-service operation and eccentric rhythms.
In it, former SNL cast members John Belushi, Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd take turns educating and berating patrons about the three items on the menu: chips, Pepsi and “cheezborgers.”
The Wrigleyville restaurant joins other Billy Goat locations including Navy Pier, O’Hare Airport, Midway Airport, the Merchandise Mart and more.
The Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce said in a statement it “couldn’t be more excited about the potential for this legendary establishment to weave itself into the fabric of our neighborhood.”
“The arrival of the Billy Goat Tavern in Wrigleyville signifies more than just the expansion of a beloved Chicago eatery, it marks the coming together of two iconic Chicago institutions,” the chamber said in the statement.
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