“The space was his mother’s restaurant, Tacos Palacio, and his late father’s neighborhood pool hall.”

Pilsen (Chicago), Illinois
1,050 sf / Renovation & Conversion
Completed 2025

Tucked behind an unassuming Halsted Street storefront, Cerdito Muerto is anything but ordinary. Guests step off the sidewalk, follow a narrow hall past the open kitchen, and slip through a dark velvet curtain into a buzzing, intimate cocktail bar. The vibe is fresh and unexpected—yet steeped in the kind of family-run hospitality that defines Pilsen.

That’s no accident. This building has been in the same family for decades, evolving and adapting—but never disappearing, never “selling out.” Our client, a veteran of Chicago’s hospitality scene, grew up here. His mother ran Tacos Palacio in the space for years, and before that, his late father operated a neighborhood pool hall. Today, “Mama Coco” still sends down her signature dishes for special occasions, made right in her upstairs apartment kitchen. Retired pool cues from departed regulars flank the kitchen pass-through, while family mementos from Mexico and Chicago are scattered throughout the dining room. Deep green walls and ceilings nod to the old pool hall, anchored by low-slung leather banquettes and bar stools.

The building itself is a rare survivor — records date it to the early 1850s, making it one of the few wood-frame structures that pre-date the Great Chicago Fire. That history made itself known from day one. Instead of conventional bearing walls and perpendicular 2x12 joists, we uncovered an unusual post-and-beam frame running in the opposite direction. The exterior was wrapped in hand-hewn 1x12 boards, buried under layer after layer of siding, all perched on a random rubble foundation.

Via Chicago’s role extended far beyond design. We guided the client through the tangle of building code and permitting challenges that come with converting a pre-Fire, single-exit, landlocked building into a safe, functional neighborhood bar. We also navigated the additional requirements tied to financing from the Small Business Improvement Fund—an invaluable resource for stabilizing Chicago’s aging commercial corridors.

The result is a space that’s both completely new and deeply rooted: a modern speakeasy with the heart of a decades-old gathering place. It’s proof that with care, vision, and collaboration, a little neighborhood landmark can continue to welcome its community for generations to come.

Client: Cerdito Muerto
Architect & Interiors: Via Chicago
Interior Design: AGN Design
Structural Engineer: Woods Residential Engineering & Inspection
MEP Engineer: GeoSolar Energy Farm
General Contractor: Ramirez Construction
Photography: Konrad Wazny

Featured in Chicago Tribune, August 2025
Featured in Crain’s Chicago Business, July 2025