Shangri-La, Chicago, IL (restaurant)

Name:Shangri-La
Type:restaurant
Street:222 N. State St.
City:Chicago
State:IL
Zip:
country:USA
Phone:
Status:defunct

Description:
Interior shot of Shangri-La. Long gone. The head chef left and opened Chef Shangri-La in or about 1976.

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2009-06-01 08:53 ]

Trav,

I have this great drink menu from Shangri La.

The matchbook

DC

Love the menu!! Thanks for posting DC.

This is another far out postcard from Shangri-La.

And an ad from an old Chicago guide book.

DC

best I can do:

Here's an old matchbook from this location:

It is quite old and I think dates this restaurant pretty far back. What was the year they changed the phone numbers out in Chicago? Anyone know?

Seems like a cool place.
TabooDan

Whenever I looked at this card, I always wondered what the hell was I looking at in the background:

After I posted the matchbook above, I looked at the pictures again and realized that the first picture posted above seems to be looking down at the area we see here in this card posted by DC:

It looks like those are the same bright palm trees in the back ground of the first picture. Thought it was kind of interesting. Not too much info. on this place out there. What a crazy Alice in Wonderland sort of decor that was.

TabooDan

Here are some interesting pics from an e-bay auction that were labeled from 1955:

Just found out that a long time Maitre D' at the Mai-Kai, who came down with the original crew from Chicago was actually hired away from the Shangri-La. He continued at the Mai-Kai for 37 years...

More details in the future at my history seminars, etc.

WOW! I REALLY dig the Nouvou/art deco sort of style to this place. Absolutely stunning! Someday when I have my own personal little tiki bar that is exactly the sort of style I want to make it. :)

Here’s some information on the history of the Shangri-La contributed by Bryan Krefft to the Cinema Treasures web site (http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/18139)...

The Rhumba Casino, which opened in 1941, was built on the site of the Three Deuces nightclub (which was in business since the mid-1920s until it was destroyed in a fire in 1940. It got its name from its address at 222 N. State Street). In 1944, the space became the Polynesian/Far Eastern-themed Shangri-La restaurant.

After the restaurant was closed in 1968, it was remodeled into the Shangri-La Theater in 1969-70. It was operated by Kohlberg Theaters, which was also the last chain to run the nearby Oriental Theatre as well as a number of other theaters and drive-ins around the Midwest. Opened in June 1970 with “The Strawberry Statement”, the Shangri-La began to show pornographic films within a year.

Operating into the mid-70s, the building which housed the Shangri-La was demolished in 1981 along with the entire block it sat on including an office building and retail stores, a fire station and a parking garage, and replaced by a hotel, now the Renaissance Chicago.

-Tom

Found a slightly different version of the matchbook in some newly acquired stuff:

Interior

Tigertail,

Nice matchbook! I have not seen that one before.

I just picked up a one of the great Shangri La hula girl swizzles in green.

DC

Wow Dusty, very cool! I don't own any swizzles but that one is sure tops in my book.

Sorry for waiting a year, but I want those bar stools, please!

I picked up and oversized postcard from the Shangri La that gives us a few more photos of the wild interior scenes.

Some close-ups.

Love that crazy staircase.

The sunken bar and dinning room areas.

The back of the card.

It has a date of 1961 penciled on the back.

Another old photo of the bar.

And I clipped this image of a late night dinner menu.

DC

My Mother used to take me to the Shangri-La when I was a very young lad in the 50's. One of the things that she always reminds me of, is the time that we were there, Military guards actually brought in a number of war prisoners that were shackled. It was quiet a site and my Mom says that I was spell bound. I also remember the flaming deserts that they served there, another eye popping remembrance.

After the Shangri-La became the Shangri-La porn theater.

From the Cinema Treasures website:

The Rhumba Casino, which opened in 1941, was built on the site of the Three Deuces nightclub (which was in business since the mid-1920’s until it was destroyed in a fire in 1940. It gets its name from its address at 222 N. State Street). In 1944, the space became the Polynesian/Far Eastern-themed Shangri-La restaurant.

After the restaurant was closed in 1968, it was remodeled into the Shangri-La Theater in 1969-70. It was operated by Kohlberg Theaters, which was also the last chain to run the nearby Oriental Theatre as well as a number of other theaters and drive-ins around the Midwest. Opened June 26, 1970 with “The Strawberry Statement”, the Shangri-La Theatre began to show pornographic films within a year.

Operating into the mid-1970’s, the building which housed the Shangri-La Theatre was demolished in 1981. Its site was used for a while as a parking lot. Eventually the remainder of the buildings on the entire block, an office building and retail stores, a fire station and a parking garage, were demolished and replaced by a hotel, now the Renaissance Chicago.

Great research, great photos - as always, Lori!