Chicago grocery and convenience stores would have to stop selling booze at 10 p.m. under a permanent curfew included in a sweeping pandemic relief package unveiled by Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Wednesday.
The ordinance would ban sales of packaged liquor products between the hours of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. every day except Sunday, when they’d start at 8 a.m. The proposal would effectively bring an end to the days of liquor stores remaining open into the early morning hours, though sales would begin several hours earlier on Sundays.
Some Chicagoans slammed the changes.
Having been born and raised in Chicago, and familiar with the town’s drinking habits (a story for another day), I can only imagine. The air is probably as deeply blue as the Chicago River is muddy green. You know what I mean.
Iyasare’s Osechi Sushi will be available on New Year’s Eve. Photo: Iyasare
We’re more than ready to say goodbye to 2020, and although the new year might not bring immediate relief from the intense, insane and frustrating effects of the pandemic (the recent stimulus package will help small businesses with loans, but it does not offer grants for restaurants), we’re still hoping for better times in the future.
Below, we’ve compiled a list of East Bay restaurants, catering groups and pop-ups that are offering special New Year’s Eve (and in some cases, New Year’s Day) menus to ring in 2021. Use this opportunity to support your local eatery and toast to our health and safety, and the return of a vibrant and diverse local food and drink industry in the future.