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Paulie Gee’s chef Tony Dezutter serves up some of the best pizza in Chicago at the Logan Square and Wicker Park outposts of the Brooklyn-based pizzeria, slinging a mix of wood-fired, Detroit-style, and New York-style pies. But you won’t find any slices at his dive bar the Alley Cat, which is expected to open in January 2026 in the old Takito Kitchen address at 2013 W. Division Street.
“I finally get a chance to dive back into things outside of pizza,” Dezutter says. “Not that Paulie’s ever stuck to the original format of pizza, but the ability to not have something finished on a piece of dough is going to be a lot of fun for me.”
Alley Cat is the first project of the newly formed Tung & Cheek Hospitality founded by Dezutter, Paulie Gee’s managing partner William Ravert, and Paulie Gee’s Chicago owner Derrick Tung. While they’ll still be operating Paulie Gee’s, the partners have prepared the rest of their staff to handle things at the pizzeria while they focus on the new opening.
“I’ve always wanted to open a bar,” Ravert says. “To be honest, I’m so excited to get almost out of food. I’m just excited to get back into my lane. No more kids. No more pizza. Let’s go.”
The food menu will be limited to about six items, which Dezutter has been testing at popups at Lemon and Bar Berria. The focus is on snack food including crispy fried potato wedges slathered in chives and black walnut aioli — an allergen-free alternative to Worcestershire sauce — and Girl Dinner, a platter of homemade pickled vegetables served with sliced bread, whole-grain mustard, and a dirty martini. There’s also a pork chop for anyone looking for something more substantial.
“I’ve always just wanted to have that comfortable third space, neighborhood-type of bar.”
Dezutter and Ravert cite the Revel Room, Queen Mary, Spilt Milk and the California Clipper among their inspirations for Alley Cat. The bar will be open from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily, kicking things off with a happy hour.
“I’ve always just wanted to have that comfortable third space, neighborhood-type of bar,” Ravert says. “I feel like everything opening up right now is a super high end, fancy dive bar. I love places like Lemon that do it to the level that they do, but I like the idea of just an everyday bar that you can also go to on a date for dinner.”
The drink side will focus on batch cocktails and beer-and-shot combos. The signature drink is a bottled Negroni served with a glass of ice so customers can pour it themselves, which Ravert says was inspired by a Negroni machine he saw in Italy. They’ll also have a small wine list, canned beers, and THC drinks.
“With the market right now, NAs are in, THCs are in, nonalcoholic cocktails are in,” Ravert says. “A lot of the young generation right now just don’t drink as aggressively as the older ones do, so I think catering to all those things and then having some really good NA wine will be fun.”
The Wicker Park space features a narrow bar area decorated with vintage bookcases that seats 26, plus 23 more at the actual bar. A lounge area that will serve as overflow seating has tables for 12 people beneath a 250-pound chandelier that originally hung at the nearby Chopin Theater. A space in the back, dubbed the Green Room, seats 29 at low-tops and can be closed off for private parties; it gets its name from the vining plants running along the ceiling near the skylights.
“Derrick and I have probably looked at 50 different spots,” Ravert says. “This one, the proximity to our other spots makes our lives a lot easier and it’s just a cool up-and-coming neighborhood, like Restaurant Row again over the last couple of years. There’s a lot of new spots, so we’re excited to go into the base floor of that.”
The Alley Cat is located at 2013 W. Division Street. Opens January 2026.
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Sam Nelson
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