LINCOLN SQUARE — Coming soon to Lincoln Square since 2013, Roots Pizza has announced that its Lawrence Avenue outpost will open in July.
The adjacent bar The Sixth will follow suit in August, according to Facebook announcements made Wednesday by both operations, which are ventures of the Fifty/50 Group.
Roots, which opened its original pizzeria in 2011 at 1924 W. Chicago Ave., serves up Quad City-style pizza, featuring hand-tossed crust flavored with malt. The pies are cut into strips, not triangular slices or squares.
The Sixth represents Benjamin Schiller's second craft cocktail bar for Fifty/50, following on the heels of the Berkshire Room.
"We're counting down the days until August when we'll begin serving Lincoln Square," The Sixth posted online.
The name The Sixth refers not only to the fact that the bar will be Fifty/50's sixth concept but is also a nod to early 19th Century American history, when one in six men was involved in distilling, Schiller explained in a video introducing The Sixth.
The lounge aims to raise the bar in terms of Lincoln Square's cocktail scene.
"We want to give the guests the same quality of experience they would get downtown or in the West Loop or in Logan Square," Schiller said.
A neighborhood guy himself, Schiller said residents should expect whimsy rather than pretentious.
He offered The Silly Rabbit as an example. He likened the cocktail to a deconstructed bowl of Trix, with flavored ice cubes corresponded to flavors from the cereal.
Roots and The Sixth will fill a void at 2200 W. Lawrence Ave., left vacant years ago by Chicago Ale House.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
