WICKER PARK — The long anticipated Publican Anker is set to open Wednesday in the former Francesca's Forno on the southwest edge of the Milwaukee, Damen and North avenues intersection.
Check out the Anker's dinner, dessert and drink menus, which feature raw and wood-roasted seafood, bar fare like burgers and wings, puddings and baked waffles and beer, wine and cocktails.
Early Tuesday, the day before the debut, contractors were removing the last of the Rosie the Riveter-inspired doughnut mural from previous tenant Glazed & Infused, which until December operated a small walk-up window along one side of the storefront behind Francesca's Forno.
The new 91-seat Wicker Park restaurant and bar from the One Off Hospitality Group is an offshoot of the meat-focused Publican restaurant in the Fulton Market District, which opened in 2008. Another concept, Publican Quality Meats, a butcher shop and cafe, opened about five years ago.
Located at 1576 N. Milwaukee Ave., Publican Anker is helmed by chef de cuisine AJ Walker, formerly of Publican Quality Meats, alongside executive chef and partner Paul Kahan and Publican executive chef Cosmo Goss.
With Wednesday's opening, One Off Hospitality Group will further dominate Wicker Park dining. The restaurant group also operates Big Star, The Violet Hour and Dove's Luncheonette, all in the 1500 block of North Damen Avenue and around the corner from the forthcoming Publican Anker.
Anker is the German word for "anchor."
One Off partner Terry Alexander has owned the storefront restaurant for years. Before Francesca's Forno closed in October 2015, the spot was home to Soul Kitchen and Jimo's.
Alexander, who has lived in the neighborhood for 27 years, identifies with the bustling six-way intersection that Publican Anker now "anchors" on the southwest edge, just a few hundred steps south of The Robey and The Hollander, boutique hotels also opening Wednesday.
"Anker is in the heart of Wicker Park, especially now with boutique hotels and lodging options opening in the area,” Alexander said in a news release, adding, “The neighborhood truly needed a destination for diners looking for a quick snack after work, neighbors sitting down for a full dinner, or groups of friends seeking out a meal and drinks before a concert nearby.”
The restaurant will be open from 3:30 p.m.-midnight seven days a week. Brunch and lunch announcements are expected to follow in early 2017. For more info, follow the venture at @PublicanAnker on Instagram and Twitter, visit the Publican Anker website, its Facebook page, or call 773-904-1121.
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