Bricktown Says Goodbye and Good Luck: Thattu's Acclaimed South Indian Kitchen Plans Its Final Service — and a Next Chapter
By Socialhood News · Avondale ·
One of Avondale's most celebrated restaurant arrivals of the past three years is preparing to take its final bow. Thattu, the Southwest Indian restaurant that brought the bold, spiced flavors of Kerala cuisine to a corner in Bricktown, announced on November 9 that it will close its doors before the new year — a genuinely difficult piece of news for a neighborhood that has watched the restaurant earn accolades, make restaurant lists, and get highlighted by the city since it opened.
The announcement came from Block Club Chicago's Ariel Parrella-Aureli, who has covered Avondale's food scene closely for years. Thattu, a popular destination for flavorful South Indian cuisine, will be closing its restaurant doors just before the new year — but it's not the final chapter for the acclaimed chefs. That last detail matters. The owners plan to do pop-ups and didn't rule out opening another restaurant.
In the short time that Thattu has livened up the Avondale corner, the restaurant has received awards and numerous nods on restaurant lists, even getting highlighted by the city. The restaurant's range — spicy, playful, and rooted in a regional South Indian cuisine that Chicago's dining scene had little of before Thattu arrived — won over diners who didn't know Kerala food and kept regulars coming back. "It's really incredible the amount of support we got — it's such a regional cuisine, so just the fact that people are embracing something new and trying things out… the Chicago community has been so amazing," Kalathil said.
So why close? While the restaurant was busy when it opened, business has struggled recently. The Avondale corner has seen new businesses — with a new brewery coming soon to Rockwell on the River — but is also a bit tucked away, and the owners changed their hours to four days a week because business was slow. It's a candid accounting of the economics that even well-loved neighborhood restaurants can't always outrun — foot traffic patterns, the particular challenge of a corner address that isn't quite on the main Milwaukee Avenue corridor, and the cumulative weight of running a kitchen at reduced hours. None of that diminishes what Thattu built here.
While the restaurant will leave Avondale at the end of the year, the couple said they plan to keep options open for the future. For Bricktown regulars who have been regulars at Thattu's table, that means the best thing to do right now is go. The restaurant has weeks of service left, and a farewell meal at a place this good — before it transitions into whatever comes next — is worth making a reservation for.
Thattu's departure also lands alongside another pending change for Avondale's independent retail scene. Bucket O' Blood Books and Records is closing its Avondale spot after 11 years in the neighborhood. Bucket O' Blood has been at 3182 N. Elston Ave. in Avondale since August 2015. When the lease for the shop ends Nov. 30, the McKees don't plan to renew it. The reason is not a lack of love for the neighborhood — it's a building problem. The decision is due to issues like a leaking ceiling, water damage and subsequent mold and deterioration, which have been ongoing for years. Critically, owners Grant and Jennifer McKee have been clear that this is not a goodbye to Avondale permanently. "We're exploring a lot of different options but really focusing on staying close to our customers and neighbors in Avondale," the McKees wrote.
Taken together, these two departures — one a restaurant, one a beloved bookshop — are a reminder that Avondale's character is not self-sustaining. It is built, repeatedly, by the specific people and businesses that choose to be here, and it requires the neighborhood to show up for them while they're still open. Thattu's final weeks of service are a window that will close. Bucket O' Blood's remaining days at 3182 N. Elston are a chance to browse the shelves one more time and tell the McKees what 11 years at that address has meant.
For Thattu, follow the restaurant's own channels for final service dates and any pop-up announcements after the close — Kalathil and the team have made clear this is a transition, not an ending. For Bucket O' Blood, the lease runs through November 30; stop by 3182 N. Elston Ave. before then to stock up, say thank you, and wish Grant and Jennifer McKee well on whatever address comes next. Bricktown doesn't forget the people who built it.
Sources:
1. https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/11/09/thattu-popular-southwest-indian-restaurant-closing-in-avondale-after-3-years/
2. https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/07/17/bucket-o-blood-closing-avondale-shop-in-november-but-not-for-good/