Yacht 57 Wings Restaurant In Humboldt Park Celebrates 2 Years With Super Bowl Birthday Party (2024)

HUMBOLDT PARK – A small casual restaurant near The 606 has a bigger list of offerings than what can fit in its unassuming storefront.

Yacht 57 Fish, Wings, & Burgers restaurant at 1750 N. California Ave., on the border of Logan Square and Humboldt Park, is gearing up for a second year in business with a goal to have more parties, performances and comedy shows alongside its Southern kitchen menu items, owners said.

This month marks the business’ second anniversary, and owners are hosting a Super Bowl watch party that will also double as a birthday party of sorts.

The restaurant opened in February 2022 and took over the Donut Delight shop, which opened in 2016 but closed due to the pandemic, co-owner Lentonio Peoples said. Inspired by his family’s love for chicken, fish and sailing, the owners pivoted to a new concept that could offer more food to the neighborhood in a busy area.

The joint sits across the street from Moos Elementary School and a few steps from The 606, and offers fried shrimp and fish, wings, turkey burgers and vegetarian sides like spinach and mac ‘n’ cheese made from Peoples’ family recipes, he said.

Having previously lived in the community for 20 years, he said he saw a need for casual Southern meals and said that despite the popularity of the donut shop, neighbors kept asking the shop to have more food options.

“Neighbors kept saying they needed this and that they had to go to Wicker Park, or Downtown … so we wanted to have this food with the delicious taste and seasoning that we have here,” Peoples said.

The owners and customers say Yacht 57’s seasoning and dry rub sets the menu apart and could give Harold’s Chicken a run for its money, Peoples said. The establishment should not be seen as a fast-food joint, but rather a restaurant with homemade items that are made fresh and ready to order, he said.

“We want people to know that you can come here and get fresh food,” he said. “We don’t do box food; all our burgers are fresh ground burgers. And we’re really known for our seasoning and batter; it’s all made from scratch. It’s a recipe that my grandma used to make.”

The restaurant isn’t just one storefront with five tables. Yacht 57 overflows into the neighboring building that used to be a car wash run by Peoples that’s now called So Exclusive 57. After the car wash shut down in 2021, the owners rehabbed the interior to add carpeted floors, insulated walls, a bar, free arcade games, more seating and a stage for performances, comedy and fashion shows.

It’s like a big living room where people can get cozy and play games, Peoples said. The room has a cornhole bag game, an old Mario Bros. arcade game, an air hockey table and multiple TVs.

Opening the business during a pandemic was tough, but as its success grows, the owners are trying to bring in more customers with events, artwork and a full bar. Owners are applying for a liquor license and hope to begin serving alcohol next month, and are installing high top tables near the garage door for the warmer months.

Muralist A’keem Muhammad, who goes by AiseLife, recently completed a Mario Bros.-inspired mural inside the shop, an idea from the owners to liven up the space and showcase the menu items, Peoples said. Muhammad plans to add more art inside the party room, too.

“It’s a playful mural that draws your eyes from the inside and outside of the location,” said Muhammad.

Yacht 57 is hosting a Black History Month fashion show 5 p.m. Feb. 18, and performances with local musicians and comics are going to be added to the calendar soon. Events will be posted to the restaurant’s Instagram page, the owners said.

Although the restaurant has been around for two years, the owners still get customers who don’t know about Yacht 57, so they hope folks will give them a try and support the independent business.

“I just want the community to have their own spot for comedy, game nights … people are just now starting to come out again,” Peoples said. “Hopefully, this year will be a way better year.”

Yacht 57 is open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday at 1750 N. California Ave.

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