I spent the first 15 years of my life living just outside of Boston, Mass., which, in effect, makes me a Northerner. Every once in a while, people will ask me what I miss the most about living up north.
I’ll think about it for a few minutes, and then with full confidence I will say, “the food.”
Although Southern fried chicken and grits have their merits, nothing truly compares to a hearty northern bagel or an authentic New England Italian cannoli, or — dare I say — a real New York slice of pizza. Praise the food gods for blessing us with such a miracle!
So, as a fairly harsh critic, my expectations were set extra high walking into Chapel Hill’s newest pizza and beer location, Old Chicago Pizza and Taproom.
Upon first entering the restaurant just off of Church Street, you’ll notice how the facility is unexpectedly large. Dining tables and booths take up almost one half of the area, while the other half is occupied by a lengthy bar top and several raised tables with stools.
A particularly interesting feature is its garage door style windows located on the back wall behind the bar. These windows can be raised to create an island bar setup so that people sitting outside can be served at the bar without ever having to walk through a door.
Raising these windows effectively doubles the bar space available, which greatly reduces the number of thirsty people cluttered around, making it easier for customers to get a drink.
Their beer selection is extensive. The full page menu categorizes their entire selection by type and taste, so that customers can try new products that sound appealing and also have an idea of what to expect.
However, I’ve found the menu can be overwhelming and intimidating for those of us who aren’t your everyday beer connoisseurs — I’m still struggling with what it means to have “floral notes” in my drink.
