I may not like the implementation, but I'm glad they're trying something. It's generally good for existing owners to have skin in this revitalization game.
And of course, that storefront was boarded up for a very long time.
Honestly, my interest is immediately piqued by seeing the words "Italian Beef sandwich" on the menu. If the sandwich is true to it's Chicago roots, I'll be there often. Here's hoping!
My fiancé and I stopped by here a few days ago around 7pm after enjoying a few drinks at the Bunker Club next door (very fun bar, btw!) to give them a try. In a word: unimpressed. What they're serving as an "Italian Beef" sandwich is actually just pot roast and white American cheese, topped with a whole pepperoncini pepper. On it's own, the sandwich actually was fairly tasty - it just wasn't anything close to an Italian Beef. The sandwich came with a side of fries that had a rather fishy flavor to them (probably from the oil they were fried in), but they were definitely freshly cooked when they came out. We also got an appetizer of shrimp spring rolls to share... Those were OK but you could tell the produce quality was not great, and the peanut sauce had a dash of what I assume was either hot sauce or chili oil on top... not bad, but not what I was expecting. Service was all right, for the most part - except we didn't get napkins with our food and none were available at the table. The building also still had that "old building funk" smell inside too - something that none of the other businesses I've been in near the Tower have had.
All of that combined... truthfully I'm not sure I'll be back. The food wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either, there were missteps on service and building condition, and all in all, I don't think we got our money's worth.
On the Italian Beef front... Looks like I'm gonna have to wait for Callaghan's Chicago Dogs to start serving 'em, I guess. :P
I haven't eaten here yet, but I think it's great to have a place like this in the district. Not everything has to be trendy and I think this ads a different option for people who don't want to dine in Sodosopa. I hate it when people say something feels "big city" but having some variety and diversity in food options (ala cheaper asian food) in the area truly adds to the big city vibe of this street.
lol, it’s a joke. Please don’t defend it unless you have the courage to actually go inside and try a “hamburger sandwich” or “fzied rice.” The owners are jealous of the action and cash flowing in uptown and they wanted in, only with zero experience of owning or operating a restaurant. “No frills” or “mom & pop” is great. But places like urban tea house, Scottie’s deli, bunker club, pump bar, are all family owned and operated and they don’t remotely resemble this place.
The owners are deplorable, they won’t lease the space, they won’t sell the buildings, which are crumbling. The uptown assoc. even charitably painted the supermarket building (which is actually saveable as it an old veezeys drugstore under the plywood and corrugated metal) to make it less virulent, it used to be banana yellow and bright green. The icing on the cake is they’ve concocted a parking lot by striping the burned out foundation of long gone Humpty Dumpty grocers, erected signs, lots and lots of signs, and are now charging $5 with drug addled hustlers trying to collect money from people who park in the street and public right of way. Cashing in on unsuspecting people coming to tower shows and patronizing the rise.
I mustered up the gumpshiom and went in about 3 weeks ago. I knew it would bad, but we took a single bite of each of our 3 items and walked right out and straight to Scottie’s. Where a local guy has put in all his saving and amazed a mountain of debt to open a home grown local deli that is clean and really well executed.
I know that’s a scathing review, but these people, of the years I’ve lived in uptown. These are the only people that are moving in the wrong direction. I’d be even more upset if I was certain that Theresa has a screw loose. Pete can back me up on that one. I think he’s felt with them before.
^
I would add that the entire property is frequently littered with trash and it never seems to get cleaned up.
I just want to add that I am a total food snob. But only for the food. I’m a south sider for life and you can catch me in tacoville, georges happy hog, sweets & eats, chows, Coney Island. Hell we’ve all been raving about lip smackers around the office for the last month. And I’m still waiting for someone to open a hole in the wall pizza joint with New York slices deprived from bbq potato chip toppings and hipsters drinking sour beer.
It’s better than boards in the windows? I’m not sure. maybe they will rent the place out after the curiosity customers fade away. Maybe Thai house can move in and they can bulldoze that even more disgusting building.
I would say it is better than boards in the windows, but only just barely. I will be surprised if they last long though. We were the only customers in there on a busy Friday night. They were begging us to tell our friends about the place. Well, I sure am, just not what they were expecting me to say, heh. But yeah, the place is just... bad.
You should see the inside of the old Veezy's drug store, which is owned by the same people.
It's actually pretty full of incredibly random stuff just sitting there on shelves. It's really a bunch of junk but WTH is it doing in there when the place hasn't been open for a very long time?
Teresa showed me around one day I happened to catch her in there and I was just speechless. I have pictures somewhere and you have to see to believe.
That building is huge and is prime space. But yet, there it sits for years and years on that highly visible corner, all boarded up and so hideous that volunteers actually painted it at no charge to make it slightly less horrible.
Here are a couple of photos... Just so bizarre.
Looks like a Wall's store.
This is such a low-effort establishment, though. Shortly after they opened, I was walking down 23rd and noticed that the sum total of their advertising appeared to be scribbling something like "Now Open: Alley Cafe" and taping it to the windows out front. Couldn't even be bothered to type it up in a Word Document and print it out. I think that pretty much sums it up.
IMO, Basil's is a perfect example of what a "bare-bones" restaurant in Uptown should be looking to achieve. That's one of my favorite places to eat in the entire 23rd Street corridor, and I don't think anyone will ever be calling it trendy.
Their insane three hour attempt to convince Pump management the it was their (Pump's) obligation to collect $10/car that parked in the lot across the street ws enough to tell me these folks are completely out of tune with reality and ultimately looking to get a lot for nothing.
I recall that parking situation accutely. They scraped away the skate park, which was built, albeit illegally, by local skaters and used by skaters of all ages. They then allowed people to park there, but enlisted arrow towing to come in fleets to tow the entire lot away. I was towed and successfully sued arrow to get my cash back in addition to some damage done to my car in the process. SHADY!
This was about 2 years ago and before they put up any signs or operated an actual business. As Paseofreak mentioned
The Alley Cafe has finally applied for their sign.
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