Wicker Park is about to lose one of its longest-running smoky institutions. After 31 years on Division Street, Smoke Daddy BBQ will serve its final brisket on January 4, 2026, Block Club Chicago reports—though the space won’t stay quiet for long.
The closure, confirmed to the outlet by Josh Rutherford of 4 Star Restaurant Group, marks the end of an era for 1804 W. Division Street, where Smoke Daddy first fired up in 1994. Back then, it was “more of a bar that just happened to have some barbecue,” Rutherford said. Over the years, it grew into a neighborhood fixture with a revamped dining room, a steady roster of live music and an unmistakable perfume of ribs that drifted down the block.
Still, three decades is a long time in restaurant years and the post-pandemic landscape hasn’t exactly been kind to legacy spots. With barbecue competition heating up across the city and shifting dining habits in the neighborhood, 4 Star decided it was time for a reboot. A new concept will replace Smoke Daddy in the same location sometime in 2026—details still under wraps—but the team hints it will be a full transformation.
If you’re a Smoke Daddy loyalist, take a breath: the Wrigleyville outpost, which opened in 2018 inside Hotel Zachary, isn’t going anywhere. Your pulled pork fix will survive.
In the meantime, the OG isn’t bowing out quietly. The restaurant is rolling out a months-long farewell tour, complete with all-day happy hours, a 1994 throwback night, a pig roast and a final tailgate on January 4, 2026, before the Chicago Bears take on the Detroit Lions, complete with dollar shots, apps and assorted giveaways. Basically, if you’ve ever raised a rib in this room, you should come back a raise a few more.
Staff won’t be left adrift either. Rutherford told Block Club that employees are being offered roles at other 4 Star spots, including The Perch just down the street. “From an overall standpoint, it was just something that we needed to do,” Rutherford told the outlet. “We feel like we’ve had a great run. You think about 31 years—that’s a long time.”
Long enough to become a neighborhood classic. And while Wicker Park will look a little less smoky come January, the next chapter is already on the horizon.