Roxie's by the Slice: Hogsalt's Pizza Parlor in Wicker Park

The interior was textbook Hogsalt: dim lighting and an intimate, almost conspiratorial vibe under a tin ceiling as the staff sang along to the latest Run the Jewels album behind the counter. I saw maybe ten or a dozen promising craft beers on draft, each with a pretty descriptive label above the wall-mounted tap handles - red IPA, pale ale, IPA, etc., but I'd been walking the dog, so I placed an order for two slices with pepperoni and arugula to go. I watched one of the guys by the oven dressing the arugula for my slices, which was a nice touch, and the slices were slid into topping-destroying paper bags a few minutes later. I ate them in a nearby park, so they were still hot and fresh.

The pizza was pretty blandcore, with perfunctory sauce and cheese; the pepperoni, sliced thick and curling into those cups familiar from skating rinks and county fairs, was meaty and had some nice fennel sweetness, but there was no crackling spice or heat about it. It reminded me of pizzas I've eaten in Dublin. The crust was alright - maybe a little thick for a NY slice, though it breaks on the first fold, the front half dragging off all the toppings from the half you're still holding, and you'll wish you'd picked up a knife and fork.

In the end, I paid $14.50 for two mediocre slices of NY-style pizza. Paraphrasing El-P, I must have been outta my goddamn mind.

Roxie's By the Slice
1732 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 987-6543

I ate in so I can't comment on take-out issues. I was surprised though at the slim crowds on what was only their 2nd week in business. One note for those visiting: no silverware . . . shtick.

I thought the pizza was good, though not remarkable. Slices are monstrous though - I was barely able to finish 2 and my dining companion only got through 1 1/2. Crust is meant to be foldable though the edges (and even part of the inner crust) was a bit crisp, making this just a little difficult (but not impossible). Sauce was good, not too sweet at all. Toppings were good quality - I loved the peppery arugula - though the pepperoni was a little lean for my taste. The crust, or at least the edges, seemed to have an added seasoning to it, which I personally found to be a bit much. Just give me a crust where the rise develops enough flavor without added seasoning.

Overall, a decent slice that I'd eat if I were in the area. But I still prefer Jimmy's, which also happens to be much closer to home.

I was really excited for Roxie's because I love every other Hogsalt place I've been too and I live so close to the restaurant. Sadly, my girlfriend and I thought the place was a huge letdown. The sauce was pleasantly bright and the cheese perfectly acceptable, but the crust is just no bueno. It felt overworked and chewy in a bad way. The topping choices are nice if you want a higher-end pizza, but I don't agree at all with adding them after the oven, and they don't justify the cost. Overall, we found the pizza to be overpriced and underwhelming. Leaving hungry after one slice, I made sure to end my night on a better note with a dog from Redhot Ranch.

syncretism wrote:It reminded me of pizzas I've eaten in Dublin.

I may or may not have quietly gasped at the elegant cruelty of this line

paddleboard wrote:

syncretism wrote:It reminded me of pizzas I've eaten in Dublin.

I may or may not have quietly gasped at the elegant cruelty of this line

Hehe I liked "blandcore" too.

Roxie's By the Slice
1732 North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 987-6543

No use piling on but wanted to mention that nearly 4 months since the last post in this thread and the pizza hasnt gotten appreciably better. I will say that the service was excellent and despite the so-so pizza, the beer list was great and the outdoor patio is really nice. Great place to bring a kid as well - in fact, I think on Friday at 6:30 you'd feel left out if you didnt bring a kid.

Roxie's is similar to green street smoked meats; smug employees and an upcharge-centric business model. You pay $4.50 for a semi-medium sized slice of cheese pizza, plus $1 per topping for a slice. The slices are too chewy for my taste, but they do have damn tasty free giardiniera to make it palatable.

But honestly... If you ordered a whole pie it would be $36 for just cheese. Under their model, a whole pie with prosciutto and arugula would be $52. You can get a far superior large pizza at Piece for $25.

Any scoop on the closure and re-conception? Seems like even if it wasn't doing the business Sodikoff expected, they pulled the plug a bit prematurely given the arrival of warm weather and their nice patio plus the opening of The 606. Why close a casual spot a block off The 606 a week before it opens? Odd timing...

blipsman wrote:Why close a casual spot a block off The 606 a week before it opens?

Why stick to an open time of 4pm when the weather broke, instead of encouraging a lunch crowd on that big patio?

Why stick to a closing time of 2am when there wasn't a late night crowd?

Why have no telephone when you're in a semi-dense, affluent neighborhood and could take carry-out orders?

Why have no telephone when you're in a semi-dense....ibid...and have delivery service?

Very little about Roxie's made any sense.

blipsman wrote:Any scoop on the closure and re-conception? Seems like even if it wasn't doing the business Sodikoff expected, they pulled the plug a bit prematurely given the arrival of warm weather and their nice patio plus the opening of The 606. Why close a casual spot a block off The 606 a week before it opens? Odd timing...

Per eater, Roxie's will be serving hamburgers this summer:

http://chicago.eater.com/2015/6/1/87010 ... sed-summer

Yeah, I'm not sure Roxie's was the hit it was supposed to be. I thought the joint was cool, the pizza was okay - nothing to absolutely write home about though. It was a fun *place* but the food was just meh. And they were missing garlic knots...

It'll be interesting to see how long the burger shop lasts. If they're doing actual construction my guess is that they probably won't be turning it back to Roxie's in the fall...right?

I guess it's hard to match the explosive popularity of Cheval, Green Street, and Maude's.

Royal Lichter wrote:Yeah, I'm not sure Roxie's was the hit it was supposed to be. I thought the joint was cool, the pizza was okay - nothing to absolutely write home about though. It was a fun *place* but the food was just meh. And they were missing garlic knots...

It'll be interesting to see how long the burger shop lasts. If they're doing actual construction my guess is that they probably won't be turning it back to Roxie's in the fall...right?

I guess it's hard to match the explosive popularity of Cheval, Green Street, and Maude's.

Roxie's is not even listed on Hogsalt's website anymore.

I think the greater problem is that even though Bucktown is an affluent area, they were trying to charge River North/Randolph Street prices for one of the most modest of foods. Yes, the slices were large, but charging $4.50 for a slice of cheese pizza which was not better than one at Gigio's on Broadway. I heard they shifted their prices after the fact, but the damage had been done. I still don't know how Steve Dolinski could have given Roxie's such a glowing review...

Weren't they charging like 35 bucks for a whole pizza? Take it easy.

lodasi wrote:

Royal Lichter wrote:Yeah, I'm not sure Roxie's was the hit it was supposed to be. I thought the joint was cool, the pizza was okay - nothing to absolutely write home about though. It was a fun *place* but the food was just meh. And they were missing garlic knots...

It'll be interesting to see how long the burger shop lasts. If they're doing actual construction my guess is that they probably won't be turning it back to Roxie's in the fall...right?

I guess it's hard to match the explosive popularity of Cheval, Green Street, and Maude's.

Roxie's is not even listed on Hogsalt's website anymore.

I think the greater problem is that even though Bucktown is an affluent area, they were trying to charge River North/Randolph Street prices for one of the most modest of foods. Yes, the slices were large, but charging $4.50 for a slice of cheese pizza which was not better than one at Gigio's on Broadway. I heard they shifted their prices after the fact, but the damage had been done. I still don't know how Steve Dolinski could have given Roxie's such a glowing review...

Yeah, by the time you added on two or three toppings the price was $7-8. You can get a whole personal pizza for that price in some places.

I do like though, that they cut it off quicker as opposed to later. Sodikoff knows what he's doing; even when a place doesn't succeed. The fact that Dillman's was so quickly reconnected into Cocello... I have to give them some credit for doing it quickly.

It's an awkward location, though, even with the opening of the Bloomingdale Trail. There's not a lot of foot traffic right around there. Maybe with the trail and the new condos (whenever they get built) it will pick up.