WICKER PARK — A pizzeria offering "primarily pizza by the slice" is coming to the 1700 block of North Milwaukee Avenue in Wicker Park "sometime next year," confirmed a spokesman for prolific restaurateur Brendan Sodikoff.
"It's correct [it's happening] but it's not happening for a while," said Matt Brewer, head of operations for Sodikoff's Hogsalt Hospitality group Monday.
Brewer called the plan to bring pizza to the shuttered Cafe Con Leche restaurant at 1732 N. Milwaukee Ave. "in the preliminary stage."
Chicago magazine's Penny Pollack tweeted the news and eater.com reported Sodikoff's latest venture.
On Friday, workers were observed pouring concrete in front of the small sit-down restaurant across from the Bucktown-Wicker Park library and about one block north of the Milwaukee, Damen and North avenues intersection.
Brewer confirmed there will be seating inside for the pizza which he said will serve pizza "primarily by the slice."
At least two other projects are in Sodikoff's pipeline in the near future, such as Green Street Smoked Meats at 112 N. Green St. in the West Loop and Maxim's, a swanky eatery in the basement of Gold Coast's Astor Tower at 1300 N. Astor. St.
In addition to his existing projects, Sodikoff recently opened a deli, Dillmans, in the River North neighborhood, and is the founder of Gilt Bar, Doughnut Vault, and Maude's Liquors, among others.
In April, Sodikoff was named Restaurateur of the Year by the editors of Time Out Chicago, who predicted "if he opened a corner stand selling fried raccoon belly, suddenly fried raccoon belly would be the hippest dish in town."
In August, Ulysses Salamanca, the owner of the former Mexican restaurant, Cafe Con Leche, turned over the lease to Sodikoff.
Before Cafe Con Leche, which opened in 2008, the standalone corner building on the northwest corner of Wabansia and Milwaukee avenues was home to Johnny's Snack Shop.
Though Salamanca's relatives still own a Cafe Con Leche in Logan Square, he said he closed the cafe's Wicker Park outpost to "concentrate on the corner," referring to Flash Taco at 1570 N. Damen Ave., which recently underwent an extensive remodeling near the Milwaukee, Damen and north avenues intersection.
Last month Salamanca also announced he was bringing back Underdogg, a late night eatery, to the basement space beneath Flash Taco too.
