TV Restaurants

Is Tufano's Vernon Park Tap Still Open? Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Update

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Season 27 Chicago, Illinois

Current status

Open

As of October 2026, Tufano's Vernon Park Tap is listed open on Yelp, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

What the source shows: Yelp's official listing for the Vernon Park Place address, updated August 2026, shows 637 reviews and current hours; Chicago Magazine independently profiles it as an operating Italian tavern. How we decide a status →

What happened after Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives? 2 episodes

Part 1 — Season 27, Episode 11 Aired

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives revisited Tufano's Vernon Park Tap in the 'All in the Family' episode (aired 2017-10-27), spotlighting the Chicago Little Italy tavern's lemon chicken. According to flavortownusa.com, Guy Fieri learned the dish uses no marinade or special technique, relying on a simple recipe passed down since Joseph DiBuono and Teresa Tufano opened the bar in 1930. The segment highlighted the restaurant's multi-generation family ownership, matching the 'All in the Family' compilation's theme.

Part 2 — Season 5, Episode 8 Aired

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives featured Tufano's Vernon Park Tap on Chicago's Near West Side for the 'Just Like Yesterday' episode (S5E8), which aired 2009-01-26, spotlighting the tavern's Italian bar fare. Tufano's is an Italian restaurant and bar in the city's Little Italy area near the University of Illinois at Chicago campus, according to Chicago Magazine's February 2022 feature on Chicago's best neighborhood bars. According to Yelp, whose official listing for 1073 West Vernon Park Place was updated in August 2026, the restaurant has posted 637 reviews and 314 photos, and lists current hours and a phone number. Several of those Yelp reviews carry 2026 dates and describe the tavern's red-sauce Italian menu and longtime neighborhood following, according to Yelp. Tripadvisor also maintains an active reviews page for the restaurant at the same West Side address.

The episodes Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

Episode 11
Aired
Title: All in the Family · What was featured: Tufano's unmarinated lemon chicken, a recipe unchanged since 1930
Season 5, Episode 8
Aired
Title: Just Like Yesterday · What was featured: Classic Italian tavern fare on Chicago's Near West Side
How Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives restaurants have fared: 27% closed →

Also in Season 27 Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

Season 27: 41 of 58 still open · 3 renamed, moved or under new owners

All 15 Season 27 episodes →

Nearest restaurants By distance from 1073 West Vernon Park Place

All 220 TV restaurants in Illinois →

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 5 references

  1. flavortownusa.com https://www.flavortownusa.com/locations/157/tufanos-vernon-park-tap
  2. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tufano%27s_Vernon_Park_Tap
  3. Yelp https://www.yelp.com/biz/tufanos-vernon-park-tap-chicago
  4. chicagomag.com https://www.chicagomag.com/chicago-magazine/february-2022/chicagos-best-neighborhood-bars/tufanos-vernon-park-tap/
  5. Tripadvisor https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g35805-d428855-Reviews-Tufano_s_Vernon_Park_Tap-Chicago_Illinois.html
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Record ddd-0187 · checked by Cal Marchetti.