As restaurant lovers, we’re used to seeing eateries close: That’s the nature of the business, and shuttered restaurants simply pave the way for new ones. But lately some restaurants have closed that, by our estimation, shouldn’t have. These places were critically acclaimed. They were helmed by well-known chefs. They got tons of press, put out great food and were often in busy, affluent neighborhoods.Which leads us to only one conclusion: The locations must be cursed.

It sounds a little paranoid, we know. So as proof, we offer this list of spaces that can’t seem to keep a tenant. On it, we lament restaurants that are already gone and name a few that we’re putting on deathwatch. So take heed: Ultimately these curses don’t just affect the restaurant—they affect the people who (used to) go to them.

1952 N Damen Ave
Formerly known as: Scylla; Glory; Gilgamesh
A building this quaint on a street this busy should be the kind of spot restaurateurs fight over—after all, Le Bouchon, the restaurant next door, has remained perpetually busy for years. Yet despite the allure of eating in a two-story A-frame house, Sharon Cohen’s Glory, an East Coast eatery, left these shores after just a few years of operation—a mysterious fate, considering this city’s severe lack of quality lobster rolls. Even more curious is Stephanie Izard’s failure to make Scylla work: Despite rehauling the menu and lowering prices, her inspired seafood menu couldn’t attract the business it needed. Some blame the unusually small kitchen; others suspect the building’s distance from the sidewalk—more set back than surrounding buildings—keeps it from being noticed. Cursed or not, Takashi Yagihashi will give the space a try in 2008.

1540 N Milwaukee Ave
Formerly known as: Baccalà; Thyme Cafe; Sinibar
A good chef, a popular cuisine and a street that gets busier every week. Despite all of this, chef John Bubala still couldn’t make this location work, not as a bistro-cum-nightclub (Sinibar), as the casual sister restaurant to West Town’s Thyme (now named Timo) nor as the Piedmontese, pork-happy Baccalà. Bubala claims that the problem isn’t the location or building—it’s the people living around it, who seem to be cursed with a taste for less interesting food. That’s an interesting theory (and one that would also help explain Scylla’s demise), but we can’t help  feeling that part of the curse might be Bubala’s restlessness. A chef that likes to try new things is always good; however, it seems as that instead of  attracting new customers, his perpetual re-concepting may be scaring people off.

35 W Ontario St
Formerly known as: Graze; Masck
Surrounded by the likes of Red Lobster and Rainforest Cafe, an independent restaurant would seem like a no-brainer on this posh River North corner spot. But Masck was almost never full, its former existence in the suburbs possibly proving more of a bane than a boon for business. Graze’s demise is more curious: Known for its great cocktail list, creative small plates, unique wine program and, most important, affordable prices all around, the restaurant still closed. The shuttering even seemed to confuse the chef, Bob Zrenner, who thought the place was doing just fine. So far the space remains empty, and there’s evidence that the curse may be spreading: The aforementioned, ever-popular Red Lobster recently went bust, too.

1540 W North Ave
Formerly known as: Caramel Ultra Sports Lounge; Roc Bar; Watusi
There’s no debating why the latest tenant, Caramel Ultra Sports Lounge, didn’t make it: The last time we visited we counted only a handful of TVs, and that an “ultra sports lounge” does not make. The bigger question about this space is why it can’t attract anything better. Despite its L.A. je ne sais quoi, all Roc Bar attracted was a weird crowd of motorcycle muscleheads. And prior to that, hotshot chef Suzy Crofton failed to make Watusi a destination. The weird, inaccessible location must have something to do with it: It’s really neither Wicker Park nor Lincoln Park, and thus lacks an identity. “I always thought of it as Bucktown,” Crofton says. See what we mean?

Ones to watch
5101 N Clark St
Currently Il Fiasco; formerly Rioja and Atlantique
Since 2005, this address has been home to three different restaurants, the first two owned by Jack Jones of Jack’s on Halsted. We reviewed all of them, and in our estimation Il Fiasco has been the least impressive. That doesn’t bode well for the new eatery, especially since a better Italian joint (Anteprima) opened up the street.

1840 W North Ave
Currently Chaise Lounge; formerly Iggy’s
Iggy’s clearly doesn’t need a doomed space; now on its third try (800 N Dearborn St), Iggy’s seems to be cursed itself. Our fear for Chaise is that Iggy’s has left bad karma in its wake.

1024 N Ashland Ave
Currently Punta Cana; formerly Rudy’s Taste and Tropical Taste
This Latin American BYOB has changed hands three times in three years and still struggles to pack the dining room. After the Guatemalan-born Rudy Figueroa took over the reins from Tropical Taste’s Dominican owner, business increased slightly. But apparently the blip couldn’t sustain Figueroa, who recently sold the place to Yonny Mora, who has shifted back to a Dominican focus.

901 N Damen Ave
Currently Caesar’s Polish Deli; formerly Just Baked Foods and, um, Caesar’s Polish Deli
The deli that didn’t make it once is back for a second try, following a commendable effort by a combination cookware–take-away shop. Forgive us if we fail to see the logic.

230 W Kinzie St
Currently Aigre Doux; formerly Pili.Pili, Mio Mezzo and Havana
It seems that not even high praise can save a restaurant from this unlucky locale, which, situated so close to the Merchandise Mart, seems like it would come with a built-in clientele. Havana and Pili.Pili, both critical darlings, failed here, and they didn’t even have Bluprint, the new Merch Mart restaurant, with which to compete.