Fans don’t have much time to say goodbye to the Bah. Marc Much/Eater Chicago
Oyster Bah is closing after seven years in Lincoln Park, along with Crab Cellar
Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises is shutting down its Lincoln Park restaurant known for its all-you-can-eat crab leg and burger special, along with the sibling restaurant and bar within the same building.
Quality Crab and Oyster Bah will close on Saturday, December 3 after seven years at 1962 N. Halsted Street in Lincoln Park. The Gin Commission, the downstairs bar, will cease operations on Saturday, November 19, followed by the closure of Crab Cellar on Sunday, November 20.
The group will bring a new business to the location and more information should be announced shortly, a rep tells Eater, though they declined to detail the reasons behind the closures. The space has evolved through the years, and even debuted LEYE’s first virtual restaurant, Seaside’s, in 2017 and served fried chicken and ribs.
Opening in 2015, Quality Crab and Oyster Bah struck a more casual tone than that of upscale LEYE-owned Shaw’s Crab House, lining the walls with wood paneling and installing a glass-enclosed raw bar that gave patrons a close-up view of their un-shucked bivalves. As its regionally inflected name implies, the crab house sought to channel the salty seafood shacks of New England, bolstering the effect with decorative buoys and fishing nets affixed around the dining room. The restaurant quickly garnered a following in the neighborhood and carved out a niche as a solid date destination.
The business grew so busy that three years later the group expanded on that nautical theme with Crab Cellar, an even more low-key spot for cocktails, crab legs, jumbo shrimp, and more. Gin Commission a (surprise) gin-focused bar that opened in June. Fans of any and all of the trio of businesses now have less than a month to say goodbye.
As Chicago’s largest restaurant group, LEYE’s influence is far-reaching and its business decisions have the potential to impact the character of neighborhood dining in the city. LEYE has always maintained a large presence in Lincoln Park, home to its first restaurant, R.J. Grunts.