Fire breaks out at building housing Edgewater restaurant Porkchop

A fire broke out Saturday afternoon in the building housing the Porkchop restaurant in Edgewater. Neighbors watched as dark smoke billowed from the restaurant’s shattered windows.

Firefighters were on scene about 4 p.m. at the restaurant, at 6341 North Broadway. It wasn’t clear whether the blaze originated in the restaurant or on the floor above. The CTA diverted several bus lines due to street closures. No injuries were reported.

Loyola University students Ella Leathers, 18, an economics transfer from the College of DuPage, and Marieve Donnell, 18, a first-year psychology student, were among those who rushed to the scene.

They said they first learned of the fire through Fizz, an anonymous social media app for college students. “We saw pictures of it on there. At first people thought it was a Loyola building, but then we realized it wasn’t once we got here,” Leathers said. The building is adjacent to a Loyola University lab. Information about any impact on neighboring buildings wasn’t available.

Just blocks from their dorms, the pair called the scene “surreal.” Donnell noted that “the entire Chicago Fire Department” seemed present. Both worried about the dark smoke and whether anyone might have been inside the building.

Porkchop was closed by the city for safety violations in December 2023, including fire safety concerns. It reopened in January 2024, and was closed by Chicago police in May 2025 after a drive-by shooting killed two, including alleged O Block gang leader Rachaun “Munna Duke” Vance.

Requests for comment from the owner were not returned. The Chicago Fire Department has not yet responded to requests for comment.