Seeking BYOB Pizza or Italian for Out-of-Town Guest

My brother is visiting from California, and likes to go for Italian while he's here (not much aside from the Olive Garden where he lives). I've been searching this site with vigor, but haven't been able to find any recent opinions on any BYOB pizza or Italian places. My candidates so far are:

Pizzeria D.O.C.
Antica

And...that's it, really. Last time we went to Caro Mio, but unfortunately since that time we've been back twice, for two pretty bad meals. Bad enough to scratch it off the list entirely. Sad, because it hits all the marks otherwise: BYOB, comfortable atmosphere, close to us, etc.

Any recent thoughts on the above places? Or other suggestions?

Why is BYOB a requirment?

Plenty of great, reasonably price Italian and Pizza places around.

Cafe Lucia
1825 W North Ave
(between Honore St & Wood St)
Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 292-9700

Marie's Pizza is kind of like BYOB, you just have to buy it there.
4129 West Lawrence Avenue
Chicago, IL 60630-2821
(773) 725-1812

JLenart wrote:Why is BYOB a requirment?

Plenty of great, reasonably price Italian and Pizza places around.

Because my brother is a wine person, and my husband has a stash of good bottles he'd like to share.

Suzy Creamcheese wrote:

JLenart wrote:Why is BYOB a requirment?

Plenty of great, reasonably price Italian and Pizza places around.

Because my brother is a wine person, and my husband has a stash of good bottles he'd like to share.

Well, keep in mind that just because a restaurant isn't "BYOB-only" it doesn't mean that they don't allow "BYOB". Many (most?) places with a bar will allow you to bring your own in for a corkage fee. This fee is likely to be higher than a BYOB-only restaurant. Pick where you want to go and then call and ask the manager.

Best,
Michael

If these are older bottles (10+ years) Vinci will let you byob for free.

I didn't know that about the corkage fee. What a useful piece of info!

All of the bottles are fairly recent vintage, I believe.

Sapore di Napoli on Belmont (near Southport) is a good BYO option....small place and not long on atmosphere, but good pizza and welcoming hosts.

Pizza DOC has a full bar...wasn't aware they were BYO. I think Terragusto's in Roscoe Village is still BYO. Had an acceptable meal there but haven't rushed back.

It would be a shame to settle for less than great pizza just for the sake of being able to drink you own wine. Why not get take out form a great pizza place, then bring it home so you can drink your wine in peace.

I'm with Steve--I'd either forgo the BYO or widen the field of acceptable cuisine--BYO options for Italian/Pizza just aren't that exciting here unfortunately...if it was me, I'd head to Sweets & Savories, Chilam Balam or Spoon

Great Lake Pizza is BYOB. Though my preference is to call in an order and pick it up, rather than wait in the line.

That's disappointing to hear about Caro Mio! It was my suggestion when I saw the thread title. I haven't been in at least 2 years though.

My favorite Italian/Pizza/Hints of Bosnian BYOB (no corkage fee) place is on Rockwell and Leland:


Pizza Art Cafe
4658 N Rockwell St
(Between Leland and Eastwood)
Chicago, IL 60686
(773) 539-0645
www.pizzaartcafe.info

Important to note about this place: Food will not come out all at the same time because they operate between two different ovens at two opposite ends of the restaurant which makes it difficult for timing. They are notoriously slow and laid back. The veggie pizza (I'm a carnivore, mind you) is awesome and my favorite of their pizzas. The cevapcici and bruschetta are both very good. The pasta dishes are big enough to share between 2-3 people, so feel free to order a few and share. That being said, this is by far one of my favorite restaurants in Lincoln Square -- if not Chicago. Very cool atmosphere and place.

boudreaulicious wrote:BYO options for Italian/Pizza just aren't that exciting here unfortunately

Not knowing what qualifies as "exciting", I would have to disagree. I think Cafe Lucia is an excellent Italian restaurant that is fully BYOB. Their only downside is lousy glasses, so bring your own glasses too.

I'm not sure why some folks are trying to redirect the OP on the cuisine issue. There are plenty of good BYOB options for other cuisines, but that's not what they want.

Yes, I know there are lots of great non-Italian BYOBs, but I know what my brother likes and while he would be perfectly polite about anything we choose, the fact is he's just kind of picky and doesn't like anything "weird". Which rules out our most favorite BYOB, unfortunately: Orchid Turkish Cuisine.

We considered getting takeout pizza, but we live in an incredibly small place. It's just difficult to have a civilized conversation at a tiny table while two large dogs wait inches away, staring.

And it's really best if the place isn't exciting. My brother thinks spinach is weird, if that gives you any idea what his tastes are like.

I am with soltro79 on recommending Pizza Art Cafe along with some warnings. Yes, the service is a bit lax ranging from amusingly laid-back to downright irritating. I have only semi-joked that one should bring their own corkscrew. It is best to share as you never know when food will arrive and in what order. All of that being said, I really enjoy the place. I have only had the salads, a number of pizzas and the grilled octopus (need to order that in advance) and all have been great! Plus, the place is incredibly reasonable.

BYOB seems to be throwing a wrench into the works for you.

My reccomendation would be to go to Sabatino's. Straight forward, red sauce Italian. Nothing too "weird". They have some decent wine selections in the $40ish per bottle range.

JLenart wrote:BYOB seems to be throwing a wrench into the works for you.

My reccomendation would be to go to Sabatino's. Straight forward, red sauce Italian. Nothing too "weird". They have some decent wine selections in the $40ish per bottle range.

Not really. There have been some very good suggestions, and we will definitely go with one of them. Also, $40/bottle is way out of our price range. If it wasn't, we wouldn't be seeking a BYOB, yes?

Suzy Creamcheese wrote:

JLenart wrote:BYOB seems to be throwing a wrench into the works for you.

My reccomendation would be to go to Sabatino's. Straight forward, red sauce Italian. Nothing too "weird". They have some decent wine selections in the $40ish per bottle range.

Not really. There have been some very good suggestions, and we will definitely go with one of them. Also, $40/bottle is way out of our price range. If it wasn't, we wouldn't be seeking a BYOB, yes?

Good answer! Why pay a restaurant $40 for a bottle of wine that retails for $12 that the restaurant paid $8 for if you can get good food that meets your requirements and you can drink your own wine. This is why I seek out BYOBs as well. With about 400 bottles in my cellar, I would much rather drink my wine with good food than overspend on restaurant list wine.

John Danza wrote:Good answer! Why pay a restaurant $40 for a bottle of wine that retails for $12 that the restaurant paid $8 for if you can get good food that meets your requirements and you can drink your own wine.

This is, oddly, almost word-for-word what my husband said in the car this morning.

John Danza wrote: Why pay a restaurant $40 for a bottle of wine that retails for $12 that the restaurant paid $8 for

to be fair, due to the way wine distributing laws work with the required middle men, it's presumptuous to assume that if the retail price is $12 that the restaurant gets it any cheaper. (aside of the extortion scandal, i believe this is one of the issues that Sam's Wine was battling over)

dddane wrote:

John Danza wrote: Why pay a restaurant $40 for a bottle of wine that retails for $12 that the restaurant paid $8 for

to be fair, due to the way wine distributing laws work with the required middle men, it's presumptuous to assume that if the retail price is $12 that the restaurant gets it any cheaper. (aside of the extortion scandal, i believe this is one of the issues that Sam's Wine was battling over)

What is the extortion scandal?

dddane wrote:

John Danza wrote: Why pay a restaurant $40 for a bottle of wine that retails for $12 that the restaurant paid $8 for

to be fair, due to the way wine distributing laws work with the required middle men, it's presumptuous to assume that if the retail price is $12 that the restaurant gets it any cheaper.

I've made no assumptions in my comments. That is how the business works in Illinois. Restaurants pay a wholesale rate. It may not be the same wholesale rate that a retailer the size of Binny's pays, but they are definitely not paying retail. Everyone just uses the retail price as an evaluation of the restaurant markup because that's all the puble knows. But there's definitely more margin for the restaurant than the difference between their wine list price and retail.

I've made no assumptions in my comments. That is how the business works in Illinois. Restaurants pay a wholesale rate. It may not be the same wholesale rate that a retailer the size of Binny's pays, but they are definitely not paying retail. Everyone just uses the retail price as an evaluation of the restaurant markup because that's all the puble knows. But there's definitely more margin for the restaurant than the difference between their wine list price and retail.

For a small one-unit bar/restaurant that purchases most of their wine by the case and their spirits by the bottle the cost to the restaurant most of the time is MORE then what is retail at the grocery store or a large liquor store like Binny's. Unfortunately the liquor laws in our fine state make it highly illegal to do anything but purchase through a distributor.

I'm not debating that the standards for marking up wine in a restaurant aren't a little skewed. For example the guideline I've always been taught is: glass price = bottle cost to restaurant, bottle price = 4x the bottle cost (give or take a few dollars). Considering there is no prep involved in selling a bottle of wine, and with distributors willing to make small deliveries once or even twice a week the argument of the cost of "cellaring" or inventory doesn't hold much weight in my opinion. Unfortunately though, almost all restaurants follow these same mark-ups so why wouldn't you mark-up the same if all your competition is doing the same?

I think we have to rule out Cafe Lucia for two reasons: one, my brother is a committed suburbanite who cannot deal with not being able to park right out front; and two, I can't waddle very far these days anyway.

I called Antica to make a reservation, but it appears they don't open until 5 today. Does anyone know how likely it is we would be able to walk in around 7:30 tonight?

Suzy Creamcheese wrote:I think we have to rule out Cafe Lucia for two reasons: one, my brother is a committed suburbanite who cannot deal with not being able to park right out front; and two, I can't waddle very far these days anyway.

I called Antica to make a reservation, but it appears they don't open until 5 today. Does anyone know how likely it is we would be able to walk in around 7:30 tonight?

You should have no problem walking into Antica at 7:30. Wouldn't hurt to call when they open to confirm. Enjoy!

Antica Pizzeria
5663 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60660-4111
(773) 944-1492

Antica was a success (and convenient to In Fine Spirits when more wine was needed, a detail I had forgotten about). Turns out my brother is a big fan of authentic thin-crust Italian pizzas, so we promised him a trip to Great Lake or Spacca Napoli for next time. Thanks for all the input!

You might try i Monelli - it's gotten mixed reviews here at the LTH forum, but I eat there pretty frequently and always enjoy my meals. It is BYOB (small corkage fee) and is closed on Tuesdays.
i Monelli
5019 North Western Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625-2619
(773) 561-8499

I'm telling you... Pizza Art Cafe. Spacca is great (though I prefered my experiences at S'apore D'Napole) but hands down Pizza Art Cafe has the best of all the atmospheres for the $.

Anyone considering Pizza Art Cafe should be aware that the place can be very hot. Air conditioning has been pretty sketchy in the past. I passed by late Thursday afternoon on the way to the evening Lincoln Square farmers' market. Temperature outside was around 90 with very high humidity yet the windows across the front were wide open. This is not an environment for good wine.