Grabowski’s Pizzeria in the River North Art District and Rocca’s Pizza & Pasta in Lakewood closed within 10 days of each other this year, and Grabowski’s owner Jared Leonard wasn’t looking for a new space to reopen his tavern-style pizza joint right away.
But when Alex Seidel, the well-regarded chef behind Rocca’s, Mercantile, Fruition and Chook, asked him about taking over the building at 13795 W. Jewell Ave., he couldn’t say no.
“It wasn’t the end of our story because Grabowski’s has such a loyal following,” said Leonard, who closed his spot in The Source Hotel + Market Hall in May.
Leonard, who owns several other local restaurants himself, including AJ’s Pit Baar-B-Q and Campfire, a Neopolitan pizza and BBQ spot in Lakewood, is already familiar with the neighborhood.
“Lakewood and the Green Mountain neighborhood, in particular, are rooted with generational families and young families,” he said. “There’s not as much new development, and it’s more of an old-fashioned neighborhood, which kind of reminded me of the Midwest. I can’t wait to host all the little league teams and birthday parties.”
Leonard wants to use a side room in the 4,000-square-foot space to bring back Grabowski’s pinball and arcade machines that were situated upstairs above the restaurant in The Source.
The Chicago native will bring back Grabowski’s signature tavern-style pizzas with rectangular slices and a papery thin, crunchy crust. But he’ll also add some more of his hometown favorites to the menu, like an Italian beef, a meatball sub, plus some shareable Italian dishes, like eggplant or chicken parm. And because the neighborhood layout is much more suitable than RiNo for deliveries, he said he hopes to add some in-house drivers to his staff.
“The Source just wasn’t the right space for Grabowski’s because of the location, size and layout,” Leonard said. “So, I’m just super excited to find a spot that’s so perfect for Grabowski’s. This space is exactly like the pizzerias I grew up going to it, and it’s what I always envisioned for the restaurant, only took four years to get here.”
Seidel closed Rocca’s at the end of April due to staffing issues. he had taken it over from Frontroom Pizza. Leonard hopes to have Grabowski’s open in September.
