What Happened to May St. Cafe After Best Thing I Ever Ate? (Chicago, IL)
Best Thing I Ever Ate, Season 2 Chicago, Illinois
Current status
As of October 2026, May St. Cafe is listed closed on Yelp, reviewed by our team on September 15, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact with the business.
What the source shows: Our record was misnamed; the actual business is May St. Cafe (Art Smith's white-chocolate-flan pick on Best Thing I Ever Ate), now closed per Yelp, updated September 2026. How we decide a status →
- Episode Season 2, Episode 7
- Address 1146 W Cermak Rd, Chicago, IL 60608
- Website No current website found
- Show map
© OpenStreetMap contributors © CARTO
What happened after Best Thing I Ever Ate?
On the 'Chocolate' episode of The Best Thing I Ever Ate, which aired February 12, 2010, chef Art Smith picked the white chocolate flan at May St. Cafe, a Latin American restaurant at 1146 W. Cermak Road in Chicago run by chef-owner Mario Santiago. The flan is made with cream cheese, mascarpone and white chocolate, according to HipLatina. NPR reported in April 2020 that the restaurant had closed during the coronavirus shutdown and laid off its 30 employees. Yelp now lists May St. Cafe as closed, while Google lists Catering By May St, a catering service, at the same address.
The episode
Also in Season 2
Season 2: 64 of 102 still open · 8 renamed, moved or under new owners
-
Ep 6A.O.C.
Open - Open
-
Ep 7Etats-Unis
Closed -
Ep 7Hominy Grill
Closed -
Ep 7Jean Georges
Open -
Ep 7Kee's Chocolates
Open -
Ep 7Levain Bakery
Open -
Ep 7Loteria Grill
Open
Nearest open restaurants
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Honky Tonk BBQ (The Tonk Chicago)
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Renamed -
Pleasant House Bakery (Pleasant House Pub)
Food Paradise
Relocated -
Carbón Mexican Grill (Carbon Live Fire Mexican Grill)
Food Paradise
Open -
Manny's Cafeteria and Delicatessen
Best Thing I Ever Ate · Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives · Food Paradise · You Gotta Eat Here!
Open -
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Open -
Doña Torta (Doña Torta Chilanga)
Food Paradise
Open
Before you go: Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.
Sources we checked
- hiplatina.com https://hiplatina.com/travel-tuesday-chicago-dessert-lovers/
- timeout.com https://www.timeout.com/chicago/restaurants/may-street-cafe
- npr.org https://www.npr.org/2020/04/21/839541220/during-pandemic-with-his-restaurant-closed-chef-helps-local-families
- Yelp https://www.yelp.com/biz/may-st-cafe-chicago
We work hard to keep every status accurate and dated, but restaurants change fast and our sources aren't perfect. If something here is wrong — a status, a name, an address, anything — tell us what you're seeing and where you saw it, and we'll check it.
Record btiea-0143 · checked by Cal Marchetti.