PILSEN — After closing their Bridgeport mainstay, Pleasant House has reopened its doors with an expanded menu — and coffee and beer — in Pilsen.
Chef owners Art and Chelsea Jackson opened Pleasant House Pub, their second Chicago restaurant, in the former Nightwood space at 2119 S. Halsted St. last week.
The Pilsen menu includes Pleasant House's famous royal pies ($8.25), house-made pastries, pub snacks, sandwiches and a Friday fish fry. The new pub also serves up Four Letter Word coffee ($2.50-4), roasted by Ria Neri, tea and British-inspired brews ($6-8).
The new pub was created "in the spirit of a public house," Art Jackson said this week.
"We're open in the morning until night. You can have a nice lunch, a cup of coffee or tea... you can work here all day and have a pint of beer after work," he said.
Owner Art Jackson pours a beer out of a beer engine at the new Pleasant House Pub. [DNAinfo/Stephanie Lulay]
Jackson, a 20-year Pilsen resident, said Pleasant House's move to Pilsen was a "perfect recipe" for growth. The couple had considered opening the first Pleasant House in the neighborhood before landing in Bridgeport.
"We had always been looking to grow," Jackson said. "This current location, it becoming available, and where we were at five years [in business] all just presented a perfect recipe for [this] move."
Moving about a mile away means Bridgeport regulars have an easy trek to the new spot, too, Jackson said.
"This just seemed right. We could keep the same local clientele," Jackson said. "We really like it down here on the South Side."
The new Pleasant House features 12 British and British-inspired beers on tap and two beer engines. Pleasant House Pub also plans to brew their own beer with Whiner, according to the Chicago Tribune.
"We're focusing on beers that have been good for hundreds of years and may come directly from England — like in the case of our cask ales — or are made in that same spirit by some really great American breweries in the States," Jackson said.
Pleasant House Pub serves fresh house-made pastries from Pleasant House Bread. [DNAinfo/Stephanie Lulay]
A spread at Pleasant House Pub. [DNAinfo/Stephanie Lulay]
With seating for about 100, Wi-Fi and outlets with USB ports, Pleasant House Pub is open 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, 10 a.m.-Midnight Thursday-Saturday and 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday. The pub is closed Mondays.
Known for its meat pies and breads, the Bridgeport restaurant, open since 2011, closed its doors in June. The Jacksons announced they would open the new Pilsen restaurant this spring with help from Chicago bar and restaurant designer Kevin Heisner, who owns the Halsted street space.
The Jacksons also operate Pleasant House Bread, helmed by head baker Wes Ervin, out of The Plant in Back of the Yards and previously operated a Pleasant House location in Three Oaks, Mich. for three years.
Nightwood closed in July 2015 after six years in business at 21st and Halsted streets.
The enclosed patio area at the new Pleasant House Pub. DNAainfo/Stephanie Lulay]
Pleasant House Pub is located at 2119 S. Halsted St. in Pilsen. [DNAinfo/Stephanie Lulay]
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