Billy Lawless, owner of The Gage We’ve come to expect Irish pub owners wearing rolled-up shirt sleeves, comfy jeans and t-shirts. Not Billy Lawless. At his restaurant/pub The Gage in the Loop (he also owns French-American restaurant Henri next door), expect to see the Galway native dapper in fashionable ties, custom-fit suits with matching vests and crisply starched shirts. Not every Chicagoan could pull his look off, but Lawless’ clothing patterns—often pinstripe suits and brightly-colored check shirts—are as winning as his toothy, shiny-eyed smile. The Irish dishes here, especially executive chef Dirk Flanigan’s Guinness fish and chips, house-made local sausages and breakfast rashers are as freshly presented as Lawless.
