Business & Tech

Flaco's Tacos Moves Into Former Home of Wild Hare

Owners of the new restaurant taking over what was once Wild Hare reggae talk about their timeline and what they plan to do differently on Clark Street.

Landing just one block south of Wrigley Field in the former Wild Hare reggae club—it's now located in Lincoln Park—construction at Flaco’s Tacos’ third location is moving full steam ahead on Clark Street.

This will be owners Jim and Ed Hebson’s third Flaco’s Tacos, with locations already sitting at 46 E. Chicago Ave. and 725 S. Dearbourn St. And with plans to open the new Wrigleyville location before the Chicago Cubs play ball, the duo says they have their work cut out for them.

“Our hope is to be open around the Cubs opener, so sometime in April or May,” Jim said. “… We first looked at this space last November—November of 2011, really, and it was far too expensive. Then last April we got a call that they lowered the price.”

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The business partners, who also happen to be brothers, acquired the building at 3530 N. Clark St. in August and plan to spend more than $1 million transforming the space into a bar and restaurant, Chicago Real Estate Daily reports. While the deal’s broker refused to comment on the sale price, he did say the 9,730-square-foot building was sold for less than Crain’s $4 million estimate.

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"We want to be a part of turning Clark Street into a destination for people who live here, not just for the out-of-towners here for a game.”

The Hebsons recently applied for a 50-seat sidewalk café license that will extend down West Eddy Street from Clark Street. That’s combined with construction teams gutting the former club’s interior, adding a bar and restaurant, and replacing the brick storefront with a wall of windows.

“We’re expanding the windows on all the sides of the building to move away from the dark club feel Wild Hare had,” Ed said. “…Our other two stores are something like 1,500-saure feet, and just the first floor of this space will be about three times that, so this is much larger.”

The duo says the style of the restaurant is “fast-casual,” like a Noodles & Co. where diners order and pay first, then eat. And while their other restaurants may serve alcohol, this is the first time the Hebsons' plan to include a bar in the mix.

However, not only do the brothers assure locals the bar won’t turn into a nightclub, they say they’re interested in being a neighborhood restaurant. Sitting on one of Lake View’s most rowdy entertainment corridors, the Hebsons say they’ve came up with a vision for the Wrigleyville Flaco’s Tacos.

“We love the Cubs' business, and doing business around here, you really have to, but we really want this to speak to the neighborhood,” Ed said. “We’re going to be a restaurant first, and a bar second. I think it’s important for Lake View residents to know about that. We want to be a part of turning Clark Street into a destination for people who live here, not just for the out-of-towners here for a game.”

The space is currently under construction after being vacated in 2011. The restaurant will reportedly serve the same menu as its other two locations, and plans to be open year round. And unlike Wild Hare, Flaco’s Tacos will not have a late night license.

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