ROSCOE VILLAGE — A local Cuban restaurant chain has shut down its Roscoe Village location, while its Logan Square outpost is currently closed at least temporarily and facing an eviction lawsuit.
90 Miles Cuban Cafe has for many years operated locations at 3101 N. Clybourn Ave. and 2540 W. Armitage Ave. The Roscoe Village location offered counter service, while its Logan Square restaurant is known for its large patio for outdoor dining.
But as of Friday, both locations were closed — and the Roscoe Village location will not be reopening, Kosti Demos, who recently took over managing the restaurants, told Block Club.
“Clybourn just lost its lease, so that one had to go,” Demos said.
According to a notice posted on the door at that location, 90 Miles owner Alberto Gonzalez owes $28,000 in “accrued and past due” rent to landlord Marten Properties.
The notice is dated Dec. 20, and gave 90 Miles a five-day window to make the payment or face termination of its tenancy.
90 Miles Cuban Café’s Roscoe Village location at 3101 N. Clybourn Ave., where an eviction notice citing $28,000 in unpaid rent was taped to the front door on Dec. 20, 2024. Credit: Patrick Filbin/Block Club Chicago
At the Logan Square location, a sign on the restaurant’s front door said the business “will be closed till Monday, Dec. 30 due to electrical issues.” The restaurant was still closed on Friday, however.
Reached by Block Club Thursday, Demos said he took over managing the restaurants late last year. A fire at the Logan Square location forced the restaurant to close temporarily, he said.
“We had a small fire at Armitage so we are closed until we can get the repairs made,” Demos said.
Depending on the damage and the timeline for repairs, Demos said the Armitage location could reopen within seven to 10 days.
Meanwhile, property owner Northbrook Partners is seeking to take possession of the Armitage property and almost $62,000 in rental charges as well as other fees, according to a lawsuit filed in November. The suit names Gonzalez as well as Demos and Jerry Mangune as defendants, who the filing alleges are involved in the restaurant’s operations.
Demos was brought on by Gonzalez to help revive the business after it had been struggling, he said.
“We took over in a management agreement to try to right the ship,” Demos said. “It took us about a month and a half to realize that we probably weren’t the right fit to get this thing turned around.”
He referred other questions about the Logan Square location to Gonzalez.
But when Block Club reached Gonzalez Friday afternoon, the restaurant owner said he has not been involved with running either 90 Miles location since he signed the management agreement with Demos in October.
Gonzalez said he was aware of the ongoing eviction lawsuit but declined to comment specifically on the case.
“I’m not aware of what’s going on at Clybourn. And I am not aware of what’s going on at Armitage,” Gonzalez said. “The only thing that I know about Armitage is that there was an electrical fire, and they had to shut down. It was something that happened with the kitchen electrical.”
“I have no control of operations. I have no control of bank accounts or anything,” he added.
Demos said the “open ended” business agreement between him and Gonzalez is expected to end soon.
“We’ve already started the process of turning operations back to Alberto,” Demos said. “He’s supposed to take it over again in early February. Our goal was to save it and hopefully keep this brand around, because it’s a beloved brand in the city. It doesn’t always work out in terms of fits so hopefully they can find someone else.”
Attorney Jim Wigoda, who is representing Northbrook Partners in the eviction case, declined to comment Thursday.
A sign on the front door of 90 Miles Cuban Cafe on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. Credit: Quinn Myers/Block Club Chicago
The 90 Miles location on Armitage is also facing another major issue: it’s operating without an active retail food establishment license, according to a city spokesperson.
On Dec. 1, the city’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection issued a “Notice to Correct” to the restaurant for operating without a license, department spokesperson Elisa Sledzinska said in an email.
When asked about the food license, Demos said that it was paid “a while ago.”
“That can’t be true,” he said. “I’m not sure why that’s coming up. The Clybourn one was probably relinquished, but we paid Armitage’s license fee a while ago.”
Despite the closures, 90 Miles was still posting content on its Instagram page Thursday, and reservations for the Logan Square location were available to book on OpenTable from Friday night onward.
The 90 Miles restaurants were founded by the Gonzalez family after they came from Cuba in 1980. After a stormy 15-hour journey on a shrimp boat, they finally reached Key West, “90 miles from their beloved Cuba,” owners wrote on their website, and the Cuban restaurants are the result of their “American dream.”
The Roscoe Village restaurant opened first, in September 2008. The Logan Square restaurant opened in June 2009.
Dining and Cooking