Express Grill has been slinging Maxwell Street-style Polish sausages and burgers on South Halsted for decades, and it's not done yet. The restaurant filed a Retail Food Establishment license renewal at 1730 S Halsted St in Ward 25 in March 2026 — a quiet but meaningful signal that one of Chicago's most beloved no-frills institutions is staying put in Pilsen.

Ward 25 also saw Massage Envy open a South Loop location at 1136 S Delano Court West, operating as Spaveda Bodycare LLC — a franchise wellness concept that signals continued residential density in the South Loop. Boost Mobile filed at 2357 W Cermak Rd, and R R Street Co Inc filed a Manufacturing Establishments license at 2353 S Blue Island Ave, reflecting the ward's mix of light industrial and commercial uses.

Ward 25 covers Pilsen, the South Loop, and parts of Bridgeport — a ward that straddles Chicago's gentrification fault lines as dramatically as any in the city. Express Grill's renewal is a small thing, but in a neighborhood where longtime businesses have been squeezed out by rising rents and changing demographics, staying open is its own kind of statement. Source: Chicago Business Licenses.