the WAREHOUSE Bar & Pizzeria- “it’s where you wanna be!”

[rating=4] How many times have you driven from the Kennedy east to Lincoln Park along Fullerton? I know that this is my route for Victory Gardens and The Greenhouse Theatres on a fairly regular basis. Lately, I noticed that one of the old Italian dining spots had been replaced by a new “sports Bar/Pizzeria” called “The Warehouse”. The name is not fitting as I am not sure the building even housed a warehouse- ever!. It is hard to truly describe the dining atmosphere as well as the menu itself, except to say, that the experience was pure delight!

Twas the night before Thanksgiving, and Jane and I all prepared for the long awaited day off where we could eat to our heart’s content took the trip down into the city. We stopped to pick up Jane’s friend from St. Louis, Ellanie, who is in town visiting her kids. As we drove east on Fullerton from Ashland, we looked for the signage, but surprisingly, The Warehouse is not one of those “joints” that jumps out at you. It is a smallish, cozy little storefront (they do have another party room that can hold 50) with tables facing the street a large comfy booth that allows the sports fan to gaze at the large screen TV over the bar (there are a few of these), and then some more tables and chairs along the wall and in the room itself.

Our waitress, Corey, a cute young girl with roots in Downers Grove has been working here for a while and so we used her smarts to look over the expansive menu to find just the right items to whet our appetites for the big feats on Thursday. For Appetizer, we selected Popcorn Kale (it seems that they can do a lot with this veggie). Seared Ahi Tuna on an Asian Slaw with Ginger soy sauce (amazingly tangy), a pound of “Wings” (they have several choices of sauces: Ranch, Bleu Cheese,Buffalo, Ginger and Honey BBQ/ our choice. Our last choice from this menu, sliders- (4) they were all delicious and had great flavor; Grilled Chicken, Italian Beef, Pork Belly and the Meatball (my fav). this is only part of what they offer. If you cannot find one (or two) to pick, you just ain’t looking!

The girls felt that we should at least partake of one of their choice salads, so we opted for the Chopped Chicken Salad. They loved it! Not being a salad lover (except when our friend Casey prepares one) I enjoyed their Grilled Cheese sandwich, but not just a Grilled Cheese (yes, they do have the basic) but the Brie and Apple, allowing me to savor the flavor of Brie Cheese and crisp apple slices and apple butter on whole wheat bread. A toasty, tasty treat. They also feature a Prosciutto & Jam GC, that I will order next visit (and there will be many more visits). They also have a nice selection of other sandwiches.

Their name says Pizzeria, so we did sample one of those as well. By the way, they have a full page of them; Red Pizzas, Vegan Pies, White Pizzas- which is where we lit. We enjoyed the Truffle Mac- white cheddar Mac, button & Portobello mushrooms, meatballs & truffle oil- wow!!!! You can also build your own pizza or calzone and for those of you on a gluten free diet, they do offer a 12″ pizza dough for you as well. The prices are quite reasonable. In fact, almost suburban-like in the big city. Of course, being just a hop, skip and leap from DePaul, and wanting to attract the students, this makes sense.

Great food, pleasant atmosphere, super staff of employees, a bar that features all your favorite brands. The topper. there was not a problem finding parking on the street. I am sure being the night before Thanksgiving entered into this, but it still looked easy as pie. Speaking of pie, let me tell you about our desert. It was a kind of toasted sandwich called the “Fluffer Nuffer- toasted marshmallow and Nutella on bread, that is dipped  into chocolate sauce-eat your heart out Jenny Craig- this is something that cannot be resisted!

The Warehouse Bar & Pizzeria is located at 1419 West Fullerton Street, in Chicago. Their hours are: Sunday-Wednesday  11 a.m.-11 p.m.

Thursdays-Saturday 11 a.m.-Midnight

Brunch is offered on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.   These are the kitchen hours. The bar may be open later. Check the website www.TheWarehouseChicago.com or call 773-661-6454

Having a party? Host Augie will ensure a perfect evening  and great memories.