WRIGLEYVILLE — Adolfo Garcia says his pizza is going to save Wrigleyville.
Well, not save it, exactly. But Garcia hopes his new Heating & Cooling pizzeria will help develop the Clark Street corridor to be more than a place for beer-guzzling sports fans to congregate after Cubs games.
"I think Clark Street, in a sense, deserves a second chance. In Logan Square, people are developing really cool concepts that work with the community, but Clark Street has been left behind for the last three or four years," Garcia said. "There are only a few places I can go and enjoy a craft beer or cocktail and something to eat without 10,000 TVs and neon signs."
Enter Heating & Cooling, which opened last week in the former Flaco's Tacos, 3530 N. Clark St. Flaco's Tacos, which replaced the Wild Hare concert venue in 2013, closed its Wrigleyville location in January to prepare for its new Edgewater location.
Heating & Cooling pizzeria opens in Wrigleyville on Friday, and will offer thin-crust pizza, live music and craft beers. (Provided/Heating & Cooling)
"The first question everybody asks is, 'Why Wrigleyville?' and I hate that, because Wrigley is historical. The Cubs games are important, but they're not all that's relevant. To me, it was the corner building; it's a beautiful property," Garcia told a meeting of Hawthorne Neighbors last week.
Garcia and his business partner Carmen Rossi — who previously worked together at Hubbard Inn — built the new restaurant's design around vintage motorcycles and the work of Chicago photographer Paul Natkin. The name Heating & Cooling is a nod to old-school motorcycle racers, who would stop at local pubs while they waited for their engines to cool down.
Photos by Chicago artist Paul Natkin are on display at the new Wrigleyville pizzeria, Heating & Cooling, which opens Friday. (Provided/Heating & Cooling)
The restaurant will be open for dinner every day and brunch on weekends. Garcia said he hoped to begin a lunch service, but it would depend on the neighborhood's response to the new pizzeria.
"We're going to cater to families, because that's precisely who's leaving the neighborhood. I'm pro-neighborhood, pro-families. East Lakeview is the most diverse, and it's my first neighborhood. It's where my soul and my passion is," Garcia said.
Garcia, who also developed Pearl Tavern downtown, said Heating & Cooling would have thin crust and classic pizza, salads and sandwiches, in addition to locally brewed beer and cocktails.
Specialty pizzas will include the “Sour Pig,” topped with slow-roasted pulled pork, pickled onion and sour cream, and a “House Slice” featuring sausage, capicola and arugula.
“Without labeling it Chicago-, New York- or Brooklyn-style, it’s simply thin crust pizza done exceptionally well,” Rossi previously said in a statement.
Heating & Cooling will offer specialty pizzas like the “Sour Pig” and a “House Slice” featuring sausage, capicola and arugula. (Provided/Heating & Cooling)
Music acts — largely classical rock — will perform at the pizzeria, and Garcia said he planned to offer acoustic brunches with folk music. He hopes to attract neighborhood organizations and events like fundraisers, as well.
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