Southport Restaurant Expands, Touts New 1920s-Themed Menu

Just a more than a year after opening, the Lake View restaurant Southport & Irving is undergoing a major expansion while simultaneously rebranding its menu.

The restaurant at 4002 N. Southport Ave. merged with a former H&R Block at 4000 N. Southport Ave., officially taking over one entire corner at Irving Park Road. The original storefront was once home to Southport’s Deleece before it moved to 3747 N. Southport Ave. next to the Mercury Theater in late 2011.

The former tax-prep business is long gone as construction crews built a classic looking bar to accompany the existing dining room. The new atmosphere is all a part of the owners’ grand vision to transform the space into the cocktail culture reminiscent of the 1920s.

“We’ve been working on it for the past month,” said restaurant representative Sean Fisher. “… It’ll be a midwestern menu with an old-time feel, with a bar from out of the 1920s. We’re just trying to bring some sustenance to the Southport corridor. There are a lot of bars and plenty of fried food, but this will be more about upscale, yet casual dining.”

The small bar in the dining area is now gone to make room for a large, family-sized table. Partner in crime John Leadley joins Fisher as the duo revamps the restaurant, which at some point may even include a name change.

“Right now it’s Southport & Irving, and the bar area is SIP,” Fisher said. “It’s like (a play on words,) Southport & Irving Park—SIP. That might change, though. We might rally for a big group hug and find a new name.”

The new 1920s-inspired menu launched on Friday, with Fisher saying the entire transformation is a work in progress. They hope to be officially completed by Aug. 1.

Southport & Irving’s main dining room is open Monday through Thursday from 5-10 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 5 p.m. to midnight, and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for brunch

SIP—the new bar-side of Southport and Irving—is open Monday through Thursday from 5-10 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 5 p.m. to midnight, and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for brunch, and again from 5-9 p.m. Full dinner and brunch menus are offered at SIP before 9 p.m., with the late-night menu offered from 9 p.m. to midnight.

The new menus can be viewed here on Southport & Irving’s website, including the new cocktail menu featuring throwback drinks like the Bee’s Knees and a Whiskey Smash.