Ja’ Grill, the Jamaican restaurant and bar that has anchored Harper Court since 2014, closed last week after 19 years in business.
The restaurant, located at 1510 E. Harper Court, announced the closure in an Instagram post Oct. 28 and stayed open during regular hours through its final week. When the Herald visited on closing night, the restaurant was jam-packed.
“From our beginnings in Lincoln Park to our home in Hyde Park, these past 19 years have been filled with unforgettable memories, meaningful connections and an overwhelming amount of love and support,” owner Tony Coates wrote in the post.
“Over the years we’ve had the privilege of serving generations of families, building lasting friendships and sharing Jamaican culture with the city of Chicago,” he continued. “For that, we will always be grateful.”
Coates opened the first Ja’ Grill at 1008 W. Armitage Ave. in Lincoln Park in 2007. He moved the restaurant to Hyde Park in 2014 as one of the first tenants in the redeveloped Harper Court. The menu featured classic Jamaican dishes such as jerk chicken, goat curry, stewed oxtail and whole red snapper.
A second location in North Lawndale opened in April 2022 but closed seven months later. The Hyde Park restaurant also shut down for three months early in the pandemic but was able to reopen.
Coates told the Herald in 2024, on the Ja’ Grill’s 10th anniversary in Hyde Park, that the restaurant was “weathering the storm” of rising labor and food costs.
“I opened back up and here again (is) community,” Coates said then. “We’re very busy. We were able to maintain the rent, have meals and be back here.”
Coates declined to comment on the ultimate reason for the closure or his future plans for the business.
The closure follows other departures from the Harper Court development. Bob’s Pizza, a Pilsen-based chain, closed its location at 1518 E. Harper Court in March after three years in the space. Jade Court, a Chinese restaurant a few doors down, closed in 2024 after four years. Its then-owner cited a lack of foot traffic during construction of Hyde Park Labs, which is now complete.
“When people look down Harper Court … it doesn’t look open,” Jade Court owner Carol Cheung said then. “That’s the feedback I’ve gotten from a lot of customers.”
New business has arrived as well. Mi Mi Dao, an Asian fusion restaurant and cocktail lounge, opened last month in the former Jade Court space. Owner Vince Tian told the Herald he hopes the restaurant will draw more visitors to the complex.
“We want to make it as community as possible,” he said.
The University of Chicago, which serves as landlord for Harper Court’s retail tenants, did not respond to the Herald’s request for comment as of press time.
Dining and Cooking