Popular Pizza Joint Great Lake is Closing at the End of the Month

Great Lake pizza via Food Republic.

Whoa.

Here's some news we didn't see coming.

Former Eater Chicago editor Ari Bendersky reports for Crain's that Andersonville pizza sensation Great Lake is closing at the end of January:

"The restaurant is set to close at the end of the month, according to Danny Yuen, who owns the building in Andersonvile that houses Great Lake.

"Mr. Yuen, who has owned the property for about 20 years, said Great Lake owners Nick Lessins and Lydia Esparza declined to renew their lease after about five years of business and told him they plan to move. Mr. Yuen in turn posted a 'For Rent' sign in the window of the intimate 14-seat spot.

"According to a source, Mr. Lessins and Ms. Esparza apparently have been unhappy with their situation and have wanted Mr. Yuen to make necessary repairs and updates to the building. Mr. Yuen declined to comment about that, but did say he is looking for a new tenant."

Wow.

The rest of the story can be found right here, and details include national props for Great Lakes, from GQ to Beyonce and Jay-Z.

This landlord/tenant situation could be a blessing in disguise. Their dilemma is similar to Jam's when it was in its original location on Damen Avenue in Ukrainian Village.

The tiny breakfast/lunch nook always had customers waiting outside up to an hour for seats inside its dining room, but once it moved to the larger location in Logan Square, that issue was resolved. Plus, they added dinner . . . and drinks. Great Lake is even smaller, with wait times often up to two hours. A larger space would certainly remedy that annoyance . . .