Pilot Project Brewing - Wrigleyville
Brewpub · Lakeview ·
Elevated street food, craft beer, cocktails, and speakeasy lounge
Elevated street food, craft beer, cocktails, and speakeasy lounge
"Like its original Logan Square location, Pilot Project in Wrigleyville is an incubator for breweries like Cerveceria Paracaidista and Standard Goods. The food menu is eclectic, with pozole soup dumplings, jalapeno falafel wraps, and smoked gouda pierogies. Pilot Project also has a basement cocktail bar called Devious Lounge, and a large patio for Cubs pregames and watch parties. We haven’t been here yet, but want you to know this spot exists." - John Ringor
"Located at 3473 N. Clark Street across from Wrigley Field, the Wrigleyville location arrives amid a changing Clark Street scene punctuated by turnover among bars and restaurants; ownership is waiting for its liquor license, according to a rep. It serves as an incubator of small brewers, leasing out its space and equipment to jump-start businesses and offering beers from different brands inside its taproom, and this outpost takes that a step further with a new food menu. Earlier, ownership peculiarly described the menu as “neo-American street food” without teasing any specific items; the menu actually includes dishes like Italian wontons, soup dumplings in a bath of pozole, and loaded tater tots with pieces of bulgogi — a version of food made by third-culture kids, combining the food their immigrant parents grew up eating with food commonly found in American homes. Beyond the souped-up menu, the venue also serves glasses of wine and canned cocktails from its own brand, Devious. The roughly 3,000-square-foot space includes patios on the roof and ground floor. It will be the second location of the brand to open in Chicago, following the original brewery in Logan Square, and the brand also has a Milwaukee location." - Ashok Selvam
"Launched in 2019 in Logan Square as an incubator for up-and-coming brewers, this operation helps small brewing teams test unique beers before opening independent breweries; brands that started there include Donna’s Pickle Beer, Funkytown Beer, and Azadi Brewing. To date 21 brands have worked out of the incubator, nine led by women. Co-founders Dan Abel and Jordan Radke expanded capacity in November 2022 by opening a 70,000-square-foot production facility and tasting room in Milwaukee after purchasing the Milwaukee Brewing Co.’s Pabst Brewery District location with support from an $8 million fundraising effort led by InvestBev. The incubator is opening a second Chicago spot in Wrigleyville (planned for late May/early June) at a 3,500-square-foot space that features a rooftop and a basement lounge serving canned Moscow Mules, margaritas, and whiskey sours from Devious, the operation’s own beverage brand, plus a full kitchen with a menu described as “Neo-American street food.” The model removes traditional barriers for brewers by providing facilities, marketing, and distribution in exchange for a small equity stake (typically 5% or less), evolving into co-packing or co-manufacturing agreements as brands scale — an approach the founders compare to the built-in infrastructure musicians have for recording. The expansion comes amid industry headwinds — declining beer popularity and tariff pressures — that have led to other Chicago brewery closures, and aims to give brewers access to a different Wrigleyville customer mix (sports fans during games and young professionals/nightlife patrons at other times)." - Serena Maria Daniels
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