You'll Never Forget Your Visit To The Most Haunted Restaurant In Illinois
By Linze Rice|Published August 15, 2023
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Linze Rice
Author
Ope! From the rural cornfields of DeKalb County, Linze is an Illinois native and true Midwestern gal who can make a mean bonfire and whip up a perfect marshmallow salad. Since 2014, her bylines and photography have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Magazine, Chicago Sun-Times, and Block Club Chicago/DNAinfo Chicago, Only in Your State, and more. She has interviewed Dolly Parton, written about beloved diners along historic Route 66, visited the last Rainforest Cafe in the Illinois, and reviewed luxurious English manor-inspired hotels. Whether it's writing about a local gem or world-renowned establishment, Linze brings a heartwarming and historical perspective to each story, using facts, wit, and personal experience to impress upon readers the importance of culture, food, travel, and all things local. Her favorite destinations in Illinois include Starved Rock State Park, Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood, the charming small town of Sycamore, and historic Rosehill Cemetery. When she's not writing or photographing, Linze enjoys gardening, spending time with her husband and pets, cooking, baking, and grilling, and relaxing with trashy TV.
With so many great restaurants in Illinois, there is not only an abundance of fantastic foods, but plenty of fascinating backstories that go along with the eatery, itself. Of course, there’s nothing I love more than learning the history behind something, especially if it involves the paranormal. So when I discovered this haunted restaurant in Schiller Park, Illinois, I was beyond intrigued. With a history that involves gangsters, ghosts, and a “Great” family, it’s a place you just may want to experience for yourself.
Let’s take a look at this ghoulishly good legendary restaurant.
Great Escape Restaurant, 9540 W. Irving Park Road, is located in a suburb just outside city limits next to O'Hare International Airport.
The eatery's banquet room and bar are still part of the original 1889 structure that stood on the property. The building's history of former occupants and the years they inhabited the space are also listed on a plaque at the diner's entrance.
And in the 1920s Prohibition Era, infamous Chicago mobster Al Capone supplied the bar with alcohol and used it as a hangout. In fact, the current bar is the original, hand-carved bar that dates back decades.
Employees of the restaurant have described seeing a man wearing a black suit and carrying a clipboard walk into a closet — only to never reappear. Workers have also reported the feeling that someone is right beside them when they are alone and encountering a cold spot in dark hallways.
Guests have also reported seeing orbs and silhouettes in photos taken at the diner.
One of the most chilling stories is that of hearing the sounds of music from the '20s coming from the basement during times when the restaurant wasn't open, as well as an old radio playing on its own. When employees investigated the radio, they found that its parts were burned out and there were no working wires.
The mysterious happenings have prompted paranormal investigators and ghost hunters to descend upon the restaurant. A team of 10 investigators and a psychic medium spend a night in the haunted diner with high-tech equipment to see what it could find.
Employees have said they heard the voice of a little boy laughing and another saying they "should leave," while investigators have encountered the spirit of a man whose hands were cut off from stealing. However, the psychic medium said that there was no reason to worry, allowing diners to rest in peace as they enjoy a hearty, fresh-cooked meal.
So, would you sit down for a meal at this haunted restaurant in Schiller Park, Illinois? Do you know of another haunted restaurant in Illinois? Tell us in the comments! Start planning your trip by checking out the Great Escape website and the Great Escape Facebook page. And for those looking to keep the spookiness going, check out these other nine haunted places in Illinois that will give you the heebie-jeebies. Want to do some ghost hunting yourself? Grab one of these top-rated EMF meters with temperature display from Etsy!
And make sure to check out the video below for a paranormal walkthrough of the Great Escape with owner Brian Great!
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