TV Restaurants

What Happened to Fat Rice After Best Thing I Ever Ate? (Chicago, IL)

Best Thing I Ever Ate, Season 9 Chicago, Illinois Closed 2020

Current status

Closed

As of October 2026, Fat Rice has closed — confirmed via blockclubchicago.org, June 9, 2020.

What the source shows: Block Club Chicago reported on 2020-06-09 that Fat Rice's owners shut the restaurant down indefinitely amid staff allegations against a co-owner, and a Yelp listing updated 2026-09 still marks the Diversey Avenue address permanently closed. How we decide a status →

What happened after Best Thing I Ever Ate?

Fat Rice was a Cantonese-Macanese fusion restaurant in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood, at 2957 W Diversey Avenue, according to Wikipedia. Best Thing I Ever Ate featured Fat Rice's fusion menu, including its signature arroz gordo, in the episode "I'll Have What They're Having" (Season 9, Episode 16). According to Time Out Chicago, the owners announced in April 2020 that the restaurant would close and be replaced by a meal-kit market called Super Fat Rice Mart. According to Block Club Chicago, reporting 2020-06-09, the owners then shut that business down indefinitely after former employees accused co-owner Abe Conlon of racially insensitive remarks and verbally abusive behavior. A Yelp listing, updated 2026-09, marks the Diversey Avenue address permanently closed. No reopening or new-ownership reports were found in this check.

The episode Best Thing I Ever Ate, Season 9

Episode 16
Air date not confirmed
Title: I'll Have What They're Having · What was featured: Cantonese-Macanese fusion arroz gordo and other dishes at Fat Rice

Also in Season 9 Best Thing I Ever Ate

Season 9: 57 of 85 still open · 6 renamed, moved or under new owners

All 13 Season 9 episodes →

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Sources we checked 3 references

  1. blockclubchicago.org https://blockclubchicago.org/2020/06/09/fat-rice-owners-shut-down-business-indefinitely-after-employees-allege-racism-verbal-abuse/
  2. Yelp https://www.yelp.com/biz/fat-rice-chicago
  3. timeout.com https://www.timeout.com/chicago/news/fat-rice-closes-its-restaurant-to-transform-into-a-marketplace-042820
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Record btiea-0720 · checked by Cal Marchetti.