A Cafe and Brunch Spot Opens in East Garfield Park Next to the Expansive Park

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When Richard Weber first visited the Garfield Park Conservatory, he wanted to grab a bite or drink afterwards and so did what any 21st century person does when faced with an unfamiliar neighborhood: he searched Google Maps. “I was like, ‘Oh, there’s nowhere to go.’ And so I left the neighborhood,” he recalls.

Now the neighborhood is his own – he moved to East Garfield Park about a year ago – and he still has to leave for many things, given the historical disinvestment on the West Side that has left vacant lots and a lack of services. With the opening of Semaphore Cafe at 3458 W. Lake St. on January 5, 2026, Weber is adding a coffee shop and brunch place.

But Weber is aiming Semaphore less at visitors searching Google Maps and more at neighbors wanting a regular spot, rooting it in the surrounding area. The refurbished corner store space features green accents, from a forest-colored espresso machine to antique shaded lamps, as a continuation of the green turrets and other details on the striking brick building in which it resides and as a reference to the nearby Conservatory. Botanical wallpaper on one wall of the high-ceilinged space also nods to the Conservatory and its large surrounding park, which is visible through the south-facing windows, whose abundant sunlight – necessary for the plants sitting on salvaged wood furniture – is occasionally interrupted by the passing of a Green Line train over the ‘L’ tracks on Lake Street. Those trains give the cafe its name: according to Weber, the CTA once used semaphore flags as signals for trains.

Weber, who has a degree in urban planning, knows that a venture like Semaphore could be charged with gentrifying the neighborhood. He doesn’t want to “trigger a complete reformation of the neighborhood.” His goal is to provide a gathering space for the neighbors and community who have been so friendly to him since he moved there. 

“I’ve never felt more welcome anywhere in the city,” he says. “I think within a week, I knew everybody on my block.” Given that the area “is such a desert right now when it comes to services,” he says, “I operate from this ‘We deserve nice things too,’ standpoint.”

A similar feeling led him to open the cocktail bar Bokeh in Albany Park, where he previously lived, some seven years ago. He recently sold that to some regulars and decided to shift to a cafe in search of a less punishing late-night schedule. (Semaphore will initially be open from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm seven days a week.) Prior to Chicago, he lived in Portland, Oregon for over a decade – and still retains the Portland hipster look, with two-tone round glasses, two nose rings, and a well-kept short beard.

He’s resurrecting some recipes from a spot he owned in Portland for Semaphore’s menu. There will be sandwiches available both to-go for commuters and for sit-down customers. Bagels from Steingold’s nearby bakehouse will be on offer with lox, alongside biscuits and gravy, chilaquiles, avocado toast, and – unusually for a restaurant – the eggy puffed pancakes known as Dutch babies, in both a savory and sweet version. As much of the food will be made in-house as possible, while pastries will come from Publican Quality Bread. Beverages are from local suppliers Sparrow Coffee and Spirit Tea.

Semaphore also has a small retail section with tea, preserves, cookbooks, and more, and Weber wants to eventually offer the makings for picnics in the expansive Garfield Park across the street. He also wants to organize monthly trash clean-ups in the area.

His neighbors are already eager for Semaphore to open, he says. “There’s just not a lot of community gathering spaces,” he says. He hopes Semaphore can be one.