Tag: local

The owners of Replay Lincoln Park are continuing to serve up ‘90s pop-culture nostalgia with the arrival of a New York-style pizza shop inside the former Broken English Taco Pub in Lincoln Park.

Seemingly a call out to the space’s former life 14 years ago as Hoagie Hut, hospitality veteran Mark Kwiatkowski has opened the Slice Hut at Neon Gardens inside the sprawling unique corner space at Lincoln and Sheffield. The Hut, which opened in early June at 2580 N. Lincoln Avenue, represents the first phase of a two-part opening featuring gelato, Sicilian slices, and whole pies.

The space went through extensive remodeling in 2015 — melding a few neighboring buildings into a single complex. Kwiatkowski says he’s long wished for a New York-style specialist in the neighborhood. He also understands the power of a nostalgic reference — he’s deployed a team of artists while producing a lengthy list of unofficial pop-up events, tapping into a potent cast of characters synonymous with pizza parties. “We started thinking about pizza — what’s the pop-culture reference?” he says. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles partnered with Pizza Hut in the ‘90s for a promotional deal, and the Slice Hut lends itself perfectly to a retro Pizza Hut-inspired design.”

The 16-seat space evokes a time capsule of the chain in its heyday, from its exposed brick walls and Coca-Cola clock to Pizza Hut’s signature red-and-white checkerboard tablecloths. Pizza options include chicken bacon ranch (Italian pico), Buffalo chicken with blue cheese sauce, and macaroni and cheese, alongside pizza pinwheels that resemble cinnamon buns, salads, sandwiches, and gelato from Vero Coffee & Gelato in suburban Elmwood Park. There’s a loading zone outside for takeout customers and a walk-up window for those who want to grab a quick slice from the sidewalk.

Not content to open just one new business, the team is preparing to launch adjoining spot Neon Gardens, a full-service restaurant and bar that takes the chaotic aesthetic of four famous, ninjutsu-trained reptiles to new heights. It will open Friday, July 19 with a 50-seat bar area bears a gallery wall of works from Renaissance painters (say, Michelangelo) that the squad altered with spray paint and illustrations, and a sunny atrium (which also seats 50) designed to resemble an overgrown Roman statuary garden laden with graffiti, as if “some street artist came in and had all this great canvas to play with,” Kwiatkowski says.

It also houses a game room, which embraces the neon-lit, underground energy of the Turtles’ sewer lair complete with slimy green substances oozing down the walls and more than a dozen games including darts, shuffleboard, and arcade games. Patrons can also expect an array of TVs hooked up to multi-game consoles with hits like Super Smash Bros. that will rotate based on popularity. The venue is topped off with a patio where the team can host pop-ups, kicking off later this summer with a Portofino-themed event with Aperol spritzes, salumi, and TikTok-friendly visuals like a Vespa and classic Italian films on a projection screen.

During the day, Neon Gardens is a family-friendly affair, but after 9 p.m., staff will dim the lights, turn up the music, and transform the space into a 21-and-up venue. Kwiatkowski hopes it will attract a lively crowd and help boost the neighborhood’s energy overall. “Lincoln Park is coming back — it sleepy for so many years,” he says. “but now, with some of the young people who are maybe a little tired of River North or West Loop, it’s got some energy and excitement again.”

Behold the Slice Hut and Neon Gardens in the photographs below.

The Slice Hut at Neon Gardens, 2580 N. Lincoln Avenue.