interurban boathouse restaurant

i don't see a thread about this hidden (in plain sight) gem, so here's the beginning of it. this building overlooking the river at the cortland bridge used to be joe's fisheries. it now has a spic and span white and blue interior which lots of windows and a mild nautical theme.
several people have posted in 'best thing i've eaten lately' thread about the japanese pancake (okonomyaki) served here. and i'm onboard with that. unlike others i've had, it doesn't have seafood in it, except for the bonito flakes that very creepily dance and flutter across the pancake as it makes it's way to your mouth... i also love the goat cheese and tender leek dip and the cubano. the cubano has large, tender chunks of pork that fall out the sides of the pressed sandwich and i ate it very slowly as i didn't want my pleasure to end.
i also love this place for the serenity and sunshine (on a sunny day, obviously) during the day. it could use some more daytime eaters, it seems to me. they also offer happy hour and a dinner menu which i've yet to try. i've heard great things about their handcut french fries....just sayin'. this place is owned by christine mccabe, who has worked everywhere from charlie trotter's to glazed and infused.

INTERURBAN BOATHOUSE RESTAURANT
1438 W. Cortland Ave., Chicago, IL 60642
(773) 698-7739 info@interurbanchicago.com
http://www.interurbanchicago.com

Have enjoyed the okonomyaki and the baat sandwich (bacon, avo, arugula, roasted tomato jam on ciabatta) a few times @ brunch. Need to get there for dinner.

Quick Dirk's Fish stop at open for Mother's day lobsters then a delightful impromptu brunch at Interurban Boathouse. Much vaunted house-made pop tarts terrific, Ellen enjoyed her pork hash and fish & chips were moist, crunchy and delicate from rice flour.

Special menu for Mother's Day, no okonomiyaki. They barely fit us in without a reservation, well worth a visit okonomiyaki or not.




Interurban Boathouse, count me a Fan!

Stopped by for a late lunch today-
and what a great menu.
Full of wonderful sounding items by a talented Chicago Chef-
we started with a shared Green-Salad,
perfectly dressed (a thing with me....if there's xtra dressing left in the bottom of the serving bowl- it's "overdressed"- a clear- faux-pas.
The texture of the avocados , the the deseeded Hot-House Cucumbers along with the crunch of toasted Pepitas- made a simple salad- so much more.

A-Green-Salad-indeed...... by R. Kramer, on Flickr
Shane- runs the front of the house- expertly- a fan of the food and Chef Sarah as well...it's clear he's a hospitality pro.

Another tasty standout-
filled with rich flavors (char-roasted broccoli and other vegetables) topped with an UNAMI-bomb sauce- similar to a Korean sauce- or a Japanese Worcestershire sauce....but more intense- like a balsamic reduction glaze....
was a Japanese Pancake....served with an egg-on-top!
(who doesn't like a serving of Japanese Pancake WITH a fried egg?
Japanese Vegetable Pancake by R. Kramer, on Flickr

We also shared the Fish and Chips- the lightly breaded- almost tempura like batter was perfectly cooked in a fresh cooking oil...not overtones of fishiness- or "oily-ness" to be had with the 3-pieces of (I think it was Cod?) Fish that came with a tasty tarter sauce...
and a small ramekin of ketchup that we spiked with their not-so-Hot-Hot-Sauce-(Cholula)

The interior decorations are chic-
not too kitch-ey......and play off the Nautical/Boat/Sailing theme
......it's too bad that they cannot offer outdoor seating-
or seating along the River - (logistics + Liability + CO$T's
are the major obstacles as I was led to understand it.)

With limited Seating- I was quite surprised that they weren't more full.....
if this was located
say in a section of Lincoln Park/Depaul-
or along Cortland in Bucktown-
it'd be a line out the door-
but many drive past The Bridge on Cortland Ave.-
apparently- more focused- on getting- somewhere.

Breakfast is served all day- and they do have Happy Hour Specials as well.
Do show them some LOVE!
Highly reccd.

Went for an impromptu Father's Day breakfast. The food was made with care and it lived up to the hype. We deconstructed the pancake (took the blueberries out, everything on the side) for my girl and it was still really good (especially when you put it back together again). We ordered the plain Jane Boater's Breakfast (eggs, bacon, potatoes and toast) which was excellent. The Vegetable Pancake was great; somehow crunchy, savory, light and rich. I was very impressed. Would love to go there for dinner and drinks. If it's as good as breakfast, it'd be a good time!

For those of you who’ve been wanting to try Interurban’s Japanese pancake, or other delicious menu items and baked goods - now’s the time. They’ve cut out dinner hours and have been very empty when I’ve been in for breakfast or lunch lately. The food is so delicious but I think the location/Lincoln Yards construction is creating a lot of obstacles. I’ll be so bummed if that pancake leaves my life.

LaurenL wrote:For those of you who’ve been wanting to try Interurban’s Japanese pancake, or other delicious menu items and baked goods - now’s the time. They’ve cut out dinner hours and have been very empty when I’ve been in for breakfast or lunch lately. The food is so delicious but I think the location/Lincoln Yards construction is creating a lot of obstacles. I’ll be so bummed if that pancake leaves my life.

thanks LaurenL for reminding everyone that this place needs more love. if they can hang on until the lincoln yards project is completed, they should have a huge new customer base.... sorry to hear dinner has been cancelled.

Thanks for the reminder, I'm always torn between really wanting to check this place out and dreading the traffic in that area. I see there's a website now (hopefully the OP sees this and adds to the lead post) which contains their (updated) hours, daily specials and full menu.
http://www.interurbanchicago.com

Sigh. As feared, it appears that Interurban is now closed for breakfast and lunch. Christine just posted on the restaurant's Instagram account saying that the restaurant will be available for private parties and she'll be doing catering, taking Thanksgiving orders, etc. But it seems that I've had my last Interurban Japanese pancake for the foreseeable future The post mentions "another fun projects in the work" that will be announced soon. Fingers crossed pancakes and pop tarts are involved. I'm really sad to lose this spot as a breakfast/lunch option.

LaurenL wrote:Sigh. As feared, it appears that Interurban is now closed for breakfast and lunch.

That seems to be contradicted by their website, which states the opposite: "We are no longer open for dinner. Sorry for any inconvenience but judging from how busy we were we don’t think many people will miss it. We’re open from 9:00am – 3:00pm Thursday – Sunday!"

nsxtasy wrote:

LaurenL wrote:Sigh. As feared, it appears that Interurban is now closed for breakfast and lunch.

That seems to be contradicted by their website, which states the opposite: "We are no longer open for dinner. Sorry for any inconvenience but judging from how busy we were we don’t think many people will miss it. We’re open from 9:00am – 3:00pm Thursday – Sunday!"

I think it's more likely they haven't gotten around to updating their website. They posted on Facebook on 10/25 that Sunday was their last day. There haven't been any FB updates since then that announced otherwise.

Sad to hear, the food was really great here (and I think best fish and chips I’ve had in town).

And yes not surprising. Among other things they had a very serious signage/branding problem...I drive past here nearly every day and it took reading about it on LTH to go in as I assumed it *was* a boathouse/boat club...one of the things they really had going for them location wise was visibility, and they didnt take advantage at all.