Middle Brow Bungalow

-Grubbing in Chicago

New to the 'Scene'

One of the years best openings came along right at the start of 2019. Middle Brow's journey to Logan Square took close to a decade. Bungalow is their first brick and mortar space as they'd used many other breweries to brew their beer along the way. It's the latest hot spot on a part of Armitage one can easily argue is the city's best stretch of dining. It's part brewery, part bakery, and all good. The bakery aspect allows them to be an all day operation. A huge outdoor patio is coming this summer.

 Newly Opened in Logan Square

As delicious as the beer is it's kind of took a backseat with me. That's bc you can make the case that Middle Brow Bungalow is home to the city's best bread baker. That program is helmed by a baking vet who came back to Chicago from San Francisco. The Northern Cali city is considered the baking hub of America. Well thanks for teaching some Chicago folks the ropes. The bread program here is fantastic. One of my best bites of the year thus far came from a simple little dish consisting of house made cream cheese spread on a piece of toasted sprouted rye bread. Drizzled with some oil and sprinkled with chives this was outstanding. I am very happy to have them the neighborhood.

Sprouted Rye with House Cream Cheese at Middle Brow Bungalow

Breads and spreads are available up until 2p and then they switch over to an evening menu at 4p. There's pizza available pretty much all day but more on that in a minute. The bread program doesn't end midday it just switches over to a different menu featuring what they call table bread. It's kind of like a charcuterie board but the bread is the main act. There's a few different options and one of the more interesting ones to me is a whipped mortadella spread served with pistachios and pickles.

Table Bread with Mortadella spread at Middle Brow Bungalow

For most the biggest draw to the Bungalow has been their pizza. Which is saying alot bc this town is saturated with pizza places and many of us already have our spots we like. Well you can make room for Middle Brow Bungalow on your list. Because if you don't you'll be missing out on what's some of the best pizza being made in the city at the moment. It's pretty unique in that I don't have any other spots to compare it to. The dough is made in-house and might be the best part of this artisan pizza. It's soft but also crisp and extra chewy. It's almost like the really high quality toppings get overshadowed. But perhaps the most praiseworthy part of this place is their philanthropy in giving back half of their profits to various organizations around town. Between the brewer, the baker, the chef, and the rest of the staff at Bungalow you'll be hard pressed to find a better restaurant team.

Pizza at Middle Brow Bungalow

Middle Brow Bungalow
2840 W Armitage Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 687-9076
Website