Bunker opens in West Loop, a bar with Antique Taco burritos and more

Throughout the pandemic, social distancing and get the job done from dwelling manufactured daily life really feel like folks were hunkering down in bunkers. Now that the earth has learned to much better tackle COVID, the house owners of Heritage Bicycles is inquiring locals to arrive join him in their very own shelter, a single created comfortable by the presence of beer, classic cocktail arcade movie video game tables, and special burritos from the chef at Antique Taco.

Bunker is the name of a new bar from Heritage’s Mike Salvatore, with foodstuff from shut pal, chef Rick Ortiz. Whilst Randolph Road and Fulton Market place, with their escalating real estate charges and non-prevent improvement, might overshadow substantially of the West Loop, Salvatore is identified to give the space the neighborhood sporting activities bar and hangout it warrants, the place the bartenders know their customers’ names and exactly where patrons can have true conversations without having staying drowned out by bass: “We’ve received some terrific cocktails and wonderful foods from Rick,” Salvatore claims.

Bunker is established to officially open on Friday, April 29 at 1515 W. Monroe Avenue. Salvatore opened Heritage in 2012, a hybrid espresso and bike shop he founded with spouse Melissa. They’ve absent on to launch extra tasks together with Larry’s, the cocktail lounge in Uptown.

Salvatore desires to fill Bunker with what it would take to make his best hangout. There is coolers loaded with canned beer (they are also obtainable to go). Most will be area, but Salvatore also needs to stock Pilsen, a Peruvian lager. There is also 12 drafts on tap. Two arcade cocktail tables are loaded with hundreds of vintage game titles. The food items would have to match that vibe, and so he enlisted his pal. Ortiz achieved Salvatore about 10 yrs ago even though he was a buyer at their Wicker Park restaurant. The two men are about the identical age and come from a Latin track record (Ortiz’s loved ones is Mexican, Salvatore’s is Peruvian). They’re the two South Siders and their households travel together. And they both of those work at spouse and children-operate companies Ashley Ortiz co-established Antique Taco with her spouse in 2012 and they’ve considering that included a Bridgeport location.

Ortiz scheme up a few special burritos manufactured with 12-inch flour tortillas. These are not “burritos as significant as your head.” It is form of a compromise as Salvatore was enthusiastic about having sandwiches. The poblano pombazo is a mushroom melt in disguise, with chihuahua cheese, roasted poblanos, and crimini and shiitake mushrooms. The burrito receives a little dip for the purple shade and flavor.

“It’s excellent components, procedure, it is not something as huge as [Antique Taco’s] fried hen burrito,” Ortiz says. “The aim is to check out a handful of, let us say buy two burritos and a facet.”

All burritos profit from crisping immediately after a kiss on the flattop. Another of Ortiz’s creations, cerveza hen, is marinated in beer for 24 hrs. It is also served with aji amarillo aioli, as way to carry in Salvatore’s roots from Peru.

The bar is about a number of blocks from the United Heart, and Salvatore hopes prolonged playoff runs by the Chicago Bulls and the Blackhawks would assistance small business. That won’t materialize this summer time, with equally teams faltering. But in no way concern, there is the Pitchfork Songs Festival in close by Union Park. Bunker also has a 74-seat and pet-friendly patio. Sooner or later, they’ll increase what Salvatore phone calls a “fresh-air menu.” That is a way to distinguish the patio’s foods from the additional sturdy nutrition that a burrito supplies. Ortiz is still experimenting, but the imagined is light fare like oysters, ceviche, and salads. They’ll also serve the correct patio pounders for drinks. Sure, West Loopers, frosé is coming from bar supervisor Eric Jobes. So is a Spanish-type gin and tonic employing infused spirits.

The interiors will also element some obscure music from a Chicago report label. Numero Group specializes in reissues and compilations of formerly unreleased tracks. The space is a previous Salvation Military, which lends alone a bit to a bunker. Salvatore and his workforce concluded the construct out in June 2020, but the project stalled as they waited for right metropolis approvals Town Hall enterprise slowed in the course of the pandemic.

But that is all at the rear of the group. They are completely ready to exhibit off their house. Bunker opens on Friday. Examine out the menus under.

Bunker, 1515 W. Monroe Avenue, (773) 823-5818, open 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday and Sunday 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.