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A few weeks back Chicagoist Prime made her first ever pilgrimage to the Ballpark Formerly Known as Comiskey and had to admit to having some fun at the game, particularly when the fireworks exploded whenever a White Sox player hit a home run. From there she intimated that both the Cell and Wrigley Field are fun in their own ways. She then went with her entourage to Rock Bottom Brewery after the game, unaware that within blocks of TBFKAC there was a bar that makes the best bloody mary in the city. Two blocks north of that bar is a taqueria that’s open late and serves amazing Mexican food; another two blocks from there is a pizza place that symbolizes everything that’s great about Chicago pizza and another Mexican restaurant that, besides its corny name, makes an amazing margarita.
Now we grew up Cubs fans in a family of White Sox fans, and our mother doesn’t let a phone call go by without rubbing the fact that we now live within blocks of TBFKAC into us like salt in a wound. We got past that and eventually discovered that Bridgeport had more to offer north side baseball fans and our friends besides a quick train ride back home or quick access to the expressways. Today and tomorrow Chicagoist is going to give those readers who are coming down for this weekend’s cross town series a guide to good eats and drinks in Bridgeport. It’s not in as concentrated an area as Wrigleyville, but that’s not the point. Chicago is a still supposedly a city of neighborhoods, made for walking and exploring. Given the public relations savvy and business acumen of the CTA that may become a necessity for many of us sooner than we think.
In a way Chicagoist has given its readers a jump on this already with recent posts on Gio’s Café and Deli, Polo Café and Catering, and Lindy’s Chili/Gertie’s Ice Cream. So today we’ll offer some restaurants, pizza joints, and grills to enjoy before or after the game. Tomorrow we’ll offer our bar and tavern suggestions. Hopefully we can help you begin to answer the question, “Where do you all go after the ballgame?” when it’s posited out south. With all the options you have, however, you should save some of your appetite for the Cell itself. TBFKAC has some of the best concessions in the major leagues.
Bridgeport is full of cheap eats, so if you’re planning on just coming down right before the game you can pick up a quick hot dog at Ferro’s (200 W. 31st) or bite into a genuine Maxwell Street Polish or pork chop sandwich at Maxwell Street Depot (411 W. 31st). Southside Shrimp House (335 W. 31st) offers some of the best popcorn shrimp and whitefish in the neighborhood.
Pizza isn’t ubiquitous in Bridgeport- it’s a way of life on some blocks., And we, like everyone else, have our favorites. Connie’s Pizza has its central location at 2373 S. Archer. Another option is Punky’s Pizza (2600 S. Wallace) operates under the slogan “if your last pizza was funky, call Punky.” Both places have designated al fresco dining. The cheese on the slices at Freddie’s (701 W. 31st) never fails to scorch the roof of our mouth. For the bold, try Freddie’s breaded steak sandwich- as thick as the average forearm its 4,000 calories of “you can’t possibly eat that in one sitting” goodness.
If Mexican food is your forte, simply head across the street to Pancho Pistolas (700 W. 31st). Get past the cheesy name for the place and you’ll find some of the best Mexican food outside of Pilsen. With the recent addition of a second floor dining room and outdoor seating during baseball season Pancho Pistolas has more than enough seating room to accommodate the largest parties. On South Halsted you’ll find neighborhood standbys San Jose Taqueria (3253 S. Halsted) and Taco Erendira, which just moved into a spacious new location one block north of San Jose, a major step up from its old location on 35th Street. Finally, for Chinese food without navigating Chinatown head to Happiness Chinese Restaurant (3313 S. Halsted) and Ed's Potsticker House (3139 S. Halsted) for some of the most delectable entrees not found on South Wentworth.
Tomorrow: the bars.
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What is interesting and would make a great Chicagoist peice is that Bridgeport and the area very near Comisky once had many bars and food joints until Reins"dorf" had them torn down for "parking" but really so people would buy food inside. I still refuse to eat at Comisky b/c of this!
I honestly never knew that Connies had actual restaurants. I always thought they just provided the pizza at sporting events. Including myself, I had never met one person who actually liked their pizza. I recently visited a suburban location. I was really hoping that the pizza at an actual restuarant would be better that the heat-lamp pizza at the games. But the pizza was just as rubbery, microwave-ish, and tasteless as I had remembered.
What is the big draw to their pizza? Is it just that they have some big contracts at events?
I have to agree with Dwight about Connie's... my first experiences were in sporting events and in my high school's cafeteria, and I was surprised when eating at an actual restaurant that it was just as mediocre.
I don't know if this is still the case, but Reinsdorf wouldn't allow people with upper deck tickets on the lower level, so if you were feeling cheap on the ticket end you still weren't allowed to get the good food downstairs, totally defeating the purpose of knocking down the old neighborhood.
Nice work, Chuck. And just in time for all those confused Cubs fans heading south this weekend.
"rachelle" is dead. I will only respond to "chicagoist prime" now!
also, just to clarify, our drinking destination after the game was river north, not rock bottom specifically. but it would have been cool to stay in the stadium's immediate area. next time!
Connie's can be a hit-or-miss proposition; compared to Ricobene's on 26th Street (which I left off because the if you don't like Connie's pizza, Ricobene's is even worse). I haven't had a bad experience at the Archer location, plus it's interesting to see how far businesses will go to have al fresco dining. This location is located in the middle of all the expressways, with developers squeezing condos into thumb-sized plots, and the Orange Line passing by constantly.
And how can you not want to go to a place that has a delivery truck on a pole? That's usually reserved for a strip malls in Berwyn.
You know, I've read Chicagoist since you were founded, and I've always accepted that you were a northside-skewed organization. Honestly, I had no problem with it because you guys were all fun and witty and I enjoyed getting in fights with people in the comments sections, the comments for the kid and the electric pole show that, but I am simply befuddled that someone never knew Connie's wasn't actually a restaurant. That's blasphemy in my house. I mean, Connie's is one of the Big 3 of pizzas for my family, Home Run Inn and Falco's being the other two. I don't quite know what to say.
Jake, it wasn't Chicagoist who said that ...! Chicagoist is really trying to branch out! We are!
Is the Chicagoist crew going to my friend's grill out at noon on friday three blocks north of Comisky?
Address please, Backer!
When I was growing up, we went to Connie's constantly. If we went to a Sox game, we went to Connie's. There was no question. If we stayed home, we ordered Aurelio's.
I think Chicagoist is 24 percent South Side now.
scott - aurelio's .. is that the place you guys pointed out to me?
Yep. They're a chain and they're not going to put Uno's or Gino's out of business anytime soon but they are as much a part of my childhood as the Great Space Coaster.
You guys eat wherever you want after the game, Scott and I will be goin' to the other side, where only rainbows hide.
Backer... you give me the address and I might be able to pull myself away from the neighborhood saloon long enough to say hello.
And the neighborhood saloon sure as hell ain't Punchinello's. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Tomorrow.
Rachelle... you wear the "Chicagoist Prime" well. Nice to have a little individuality amongst all the royal we's, eh?
Connie's (the resturant) is great. I've been going there for years, and yeah, so is Aurelio's (who has yet to venture to the northside, although I think they have a place in the south loop).
I worked at Aurelio's in high school for a summer. Grease-packed pizza ...
I'm pretty sure they have some north suburb locations. Like in Palatine or something?
If you really like Connie's, then save yourself some money and pick up a $4.99 pizza from dominicks on friday's. They are about the same pizza.
I don't mean to be blasphemous. I think I'll just grab a polish from Maxwell Street Depot when I'm down there instead. Then have Barry's Spot when I get back home.
"Chicagoist Prime" sounds an awful lot like "Optimist Prime." More than meets the eye...
Healthy Food Authentic Lithuanian Restaurant!
3256 S. Halsted.
http://www.cityinsights.com/healthyfood.htm
Authentic 50s style wood paneling!!!
The Ricobene's on 26th isn't THAT bad, plus, if you ask, they give you free refills on soda!
If you are REALLY cheap, the last time I checked steamed buns at one of the Chinatown bakeries were only 65 cents! You can't eat more than 3 of them, unless you are that little Japanese guy who eats all the hot dogs.
I didn't forget Healthy Food. I'm saving it for a different post.
And Ricobene's is that bad. The free soda refills are intended to distract you from that fact.
Bertucci's is THE best Italian outside Taylor and Pilsen ....
Franco's at 300 W 31st for great neighborhood italian food?
Donnie's (since renamed) across the street from Armour Square Park for pizza? Much better than Freddie's.
Nice catches on San Jose and Ed's, though.
Honestly, I'm still scared of Bridgeport. I had it drilled into me in the 70's to never set foot in Bridgeport except to go to a Sox game and then get out immediately after the game. My kind wasn't exactly welcome there.
I still have that residual fear.
Vesuvio at Ricobenes! It's pretty good!
Southside Shrimp House Rocks.... 31st Shields. (312)567-0000
[b]dragonslyaer[/b]: your fear is NOT unfounded. i could not move fast enough out of BP (2 blocks away from Zhou Bros studio) after a 1 year stay. from the italian slumlord to the hispanic teen gangs to the caucasian old timers who blatantly discriminated... this neighborhood should be bulldozed. Bridgeport Village be damned... and "Community of the Future"? i scoff at such misnomer. I suppose this neighborhood explains why the Daleys are such criminals..
I loved The Great Space Coaster. What is your favorite episode with Frannie, the very pretty 16 year old brunette singer/guitar player/female lead of the show and Puppet Goriddle Gorilla? Please sign the bring back the great space coaster online petition @ www. petitiononline.com/TGSC because it now has 2,011 signatures. Does anyone remember The Scarecrow Episode with Frannie, Goriddle Gorilla, and Edison Elephant? The Great Space Coaster Homepage @ www. great space coaster.com has recently been updated for 2006 with new pictures and video clips of the cast.Does anyone remember the -anti gravity day episode where everything in Coasterville including Frannie's guitar went flying up in the air! Does anyone remember all the practical jokes that Frannie used to play on Puppet Goriddle Gorilla? Does anyone remember when Goriddle Gorilla met the beautiful blonde Actress Sally Struthers as a guest star on the show? There's is also a Great Space Coaster Messageboard @ imdb.com where you can leave your comments about the show. This was my favorite t.v. show growing up as a kid in the mid 1980's. Does anyone remember when Frannie used to tickle Goriddle Gorilla and you'd see a gold ring on her ring finger while she was tickling him? This show was a true 1980's live action/puppet children's t.v classic!
I loved The Great Space Coaster. What is your favorite episode with Frannie, the very pretty 16 year old brunette singer/guitar player/female lead of the show and Puppet Goriddle Gorilla? Please sign the bring back the great space coaster online petition @ www. petitiononline.com/TGSC because it now has 2,011 signatures. Does anyone remember The Scarecrow Episode with Frannie, Goriddle Gorilla, and Edison Elephant? The Great Space Coaster Homepage @ www. great space coaster.com has recently been updated for 2006 with new pictures and video clips of the cast.Does anyone remember the -anti gravity day episode where everything in Coasterville including Frannie's guitar went flying up in the air! Does anyone remember all the practical jokes that Frannie used to play on Puppet Goriddle Gorilla? Does anyone remember when Goriddle Gorilla met the beautiful blonde Actress Sally Struthers as a guest star on the show? There's is also a Great Space Coaster Messageboard @ imdb.com where you can leave your comments about the show. This was my favorite t.v. show growing up as a kid in the mid 1980's. Does anyone remember when Frannie used to tickle Goriddle Gorilla and you'd see a gold ring on her ring finger while she was tickling him? This show was a true 1980's live action/puppet children's t.v classic!