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Read the press release here.

Nashville Hot Chicken Won't Be Coming To Devon Brew Pub, But Maybe Pizza?

By  Linze Rice and Mina Bloom | June 8, 2016 12:24pm 

 The restaurant, brew pub and apartments at the corner of Devon and Magnolia Avenues are underway, but the restaurant's final concept remains to be seen.
The restaurant, brew pub and apartments at the corner of Devon and Magnolia Avenues are underway, but the restaurant's final concept remains to be seen.
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DNAinfo/Linze Rice

EDGEWATER — Nashville-style hot chicken has been a hot menu item in Chicago lately — but it's no longer coming to Devon Avenue's new brew pub.

But the pub will still feature food by Jared Leonard, who is behind three Budlong Chicken restaurants that opened or plan to open in Lakeview, Lincoln Square and Lincoln Park that feature the spicy chicken.

Leonard is also the restaurateur behind Rub's Backcountry Smokehouse barbeque joint in West Ridge and has teamed with Phil Tadros to fill the Devon Avenue spot.

Tadros, who will bring Aquanaut Brewing Company to the location, said a "pizza concept" was in the works for the brew pub.

"It makes sense for us to not do Nashville hot," Tadros told DNAinfo Wednesday. "We want to make sure we're pairing the beers properly. Chefs will figure out what concept makes sense."

By turning to pizza over hot chicken, Tadros said the potential food and drink pairings were multiplied.

"That allows us to mess with toppings," he said. "We can make a Budlong pizza if we wanted to. There's much more room to do pairings if we do something like pizza."

The two storefronts at 1221 and 1227 W. Devon Ave. have been slated to become a brew pub and restaurant for the last few years, with momentum on the project fluctuating, mostly in the last year.

The first storefront will become a second location for Bowmanville-based Aquanaut Brewery, which will  be connected to the adjacent restaurant.

In May, Tadros and Leonard announced their partnership at the Devon Avenue site. Though they will work much in tandem, the businesses will operate separately and have individual licenses, Leonard said in May.

The future of the site has been uncertain ever since husband-and-wife team Alex Drayer and Brittany Groot's idea for D & G Brewing at the 1221 W. Devon Ave. spot fell through late last year.

Last summer, Ald. Harry Osterman (48th), Ald. Joe Moore (49th) and Ald. Patrick O'Connor (40th) united to hold community meetings before supporting the project and ultimately helping to get a 20-year-liquor moratorium on the street temporarily lifted.

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