If you enjoy Lincoln Park neighborhood favorite Replay Lincoln Park (the fun joint where you can chug beers while playing a wide array of classic arcade games), then I would recommend giving Neon Gardens a try. This new highly anticipated destination for New York style pizza has now arrived with not only pizza, but also new cocktail concepts and unique entertainment.
At Neon Gardens, you can escape from Lincoln Avenue into Neon Gardens, where you will be fully immersed into a lush, open-air space that artfully combines an enthusiastic and inviting atmosphere, complete with greenery, murals and street-style art created by local Chicago artists.
Four different concepts are all under the same roof including Neon Gardens for restaurant/patio pop up dining, Neon Gardens after Dark (two full bars), The Slice Hut (a carry out pizza slice walk-up window if you don’t feel like have a sit-down meal) and the Game Room (for all those 90’s nostalgic arcade games room that has Pac Man – one of my favorites, darts and much more).
If you are a fan of New York style pizza – large slices with thick, crispy crusts and a thin, foldable center – then you will most likely enjoy pizza at Neon Gardens. Current pizza options include the NYC cheese, carne sausage, buffalo chicken, Mike’s hot honey with chard pepperoni and Sicilian. Customers also have the option to build-your-own- pizza with various toppings.
Though the pizzas are Neon Gardens are tasty and satisfying to the palate, if you are not a fan of lots of crust I would recommend alternative menu items here. I personally never like too much crust on my pizza, as I feel that I am being cheated out on the pizza experience as a whole. When there is an over-access of dough on the outside border, it is not such a satisfying deal.
Neon Gardens’ bar has a wide array of various drinks to choose from including craft beer, wine, cocktails, mocktails, martinis, ciders and sours. For food choices, besides pizza of course, you can choose from a tasty array of sandwiches, pizza rolls and pinwheels.
If you are more in the mood for small bites, check out their chicken tenders, meatballs, buffalo wings or sweet chili wings, with a variety of various dipping sauces. Want something even lighter? Try a fresh salad such as the classic romaine Caesar salad – romaine, croutons, parmesan cheese, Caesar dressing, or the champagne vinaigrette salad – mixed greens, blue cheese, candied walnuts and dried cranberries.
Dessert is also offered with a wide selection of gelato flavors including vanilla, strawberry, Chicago pothole, Cookie monster, chocolate, pistachio and sea salt caramel and strawberry cheesecake and lemon sorbet.
As a whole, I feel that Neon Garden’s salads and other dishes, besides the pizzas, stand out more in terms of flavor and overall satisfaction. The salads, for instance, along with their stellar crispy and well seasoned fried calamari with marinara sauce are spectacular. But again, it all comes down to personal taste and flavor preferences.
If you are looking for a fun, yummy and new Chicago neighborhood pizza hangout, I’d definitely give Neon Gardens a try the next time you are in the area. It is brand new, but very promising – Let’s just work on the too much crust thing for pizza fans, shall we?
Photos: Jennifer Lunz
For more information on Neon Gardens, or to make a reservation, please call 872-315-2177 or visit the website.
Address: 2576 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60614
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