Rosebud on Taylor Closes After 50 Years, Will Become a Private Event Space | Eater Chicago

"Closing to the public on December 31, the Little Italy flagship has been converted into a private event space and speakeasy-style bar operating under the working name Rosebud: The Speakeasy and available for special-event bookings that can accommodate groups from about 10 up to 250. Despite nearly 50 years in business, founder Alex Dana says trade “was no longer booming,” pointing to the loss of nearby daytime workers, a shrinking Little Italy population and new restaurants serving UIC-area patrons; as a result, the original Rosebud on Taylor is now focused on private events. Originally founded in 1976 as Bocciola della Rose (“bud of the rose”), the restaurant built a reputation on an old-school, cozy dark-wood interior and plentiful plates like chicken Vesuvio and veal piccata, attracted famous patrons from Frank Sinatra and Robert De Niro to Oprah and Gene Hackman, and even carried an association with Chicago’s gangster lore—counting both onscreen mobster James Gandolfini and real-life mob figure Joey “The Clown” Lombardo among its customers." - Naomi Waxman