The sidewalk cafe at The Gage, 24 S. Michigan Ave. in Chicago. It's the model for one planned at Farmhouse in downtown Evanston.

Owners of the Farmhouse restaurant in downtown Evanston will seek City Council approval later this month for a permanent sidewalk cafe.

Restaurant General Manager Phil Cocco says the plan is to install a facility much like the one shown in the photo above at The Gage restaurant at 24 S. Michigan Ave. in Chicago.

The new patio seating would be installed in the same space as the existing seasonal sidewalk café at Farmhouse, on the Church Street side of the Orrington Hotel building.

The outdoor space would have seating for about 52 diners.

The city has been experimenting with the concept of year-round sidewalk cafés for the past couple of years.

The proposal is scheduled for review at the Jan. 24 City Council meeting.

Comments about the plans can be sent to Angel Schnur, the city’s interim building and inspectional services division manager, at aschnur@cityofevanston.org.

Bill Smith is the editor and publisher of Evanston Now.

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1 Comment

  1. This is great! Now, I hope the City plans on redoing Fountain Square as that’s a huge eye sore. Waste of space. That spot has so much potential. And get more stores in our downtown area. What happened to Evanston? Not the town I grew up in and it’s extremely depressing.

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