So don't get your hopes up yet, but the popular near north (aka Lincoln Park and Lakeview) diner "Clarke's" was mentioned within an article on chicagobusiness.com saying they are looking at options to expand and the South Loop is a neighorhood they're considering. The main focus of the article was about the diner leasing space in River North. However:Mr. Moon (who is helping with the leasing) says he is actively looking for additional spots for Clarke’s in the Loop, South Loop and western suburbs.Although it's not a definite, it would be nice to have another diner option in the Sloop. We would love to see them within the old Sam's store at the Northeast corner of Wabash and Roosevelt.
For those of you who aren't familiar with the restaurant their website is unfortunately under construction (link here), but here is a menupages write-up on the restaurant on Belmont.
