Boka Will Open a Pizzeria Serving Tavern-Style Pies and More in River North

After the pandemic forced restaurant owners to temporarily close their dining rooms to help curb the spread of COVID in 2020, America saw a boom in new pizzerias. It made sense as pizza spots don’t require a large workforce to execute a menu of comfort foods that travel well for delivery and takeout.

Chicago saw new operations like Pizza Friendly Pizza from 16” on Center. Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises unveiled a short-lived ghost kitchen called Bill’s Original Tavern Pizza, named after RPM partner and Apprentice star Bill Rancic. Meanwhile, national publications like the New York Times and Esquire began telling America that Chicago locals preferred tavern-style pizza over deep dish. The branding and marketing hook has continued to snowball, with Pizza Hut launching its version of Chicago thin crust earlier this year. The boom isn’t finished. Land & Sea Dept., the owners of Parson’s Chicken & Fish, just opened Dicey’s Pizza & Tavern in West Town. Even Chicago’s local restaurant honors, the Jean Banchet Awards, have debuted a new category: Best Pizza. The awards have long championed fine dining restaurants, but the momentum is shifting.

This sets the stage for the news that Boka Restaurant Group will open a pizzeria. Boka — the James Beard-winning group with includes its flagship in Lincoln Park and restaurants like Cira and Swift & Sons in Fulton Market, along with Alla Vita in the West Loop — will open Zarella Pizzeria & Taverna early next year in River North. Zarella replaces GT Fish & Oyster, Boka’s beloved fine dining restaurant that closed in November 2023 at 531 N. Wells Street.

Zarella will serve tavern style and other thin crust with recipes from Boka’s chef dream team of Lee Wolen (Boka, Alla Vita) and Chris Pandel (Swift & Sons, Cira).

“When you grow up in Chicagoland, from the South Side to the North Side, tavern-style pizza is the Friday night staple. It’s what I grew up eating,” says Pandel, who grew up in suburban Riverside.

Boka Restaurant Group

Pandel says Boka has been planning a pizzeria for years. The company is no stranger to pizza, having served them at Pandel’s old restaurant Balena and at Alla Vita. Pandel says the two chefs have, over the years, engaged in pizza debate — which is a great pastime of many Chicagoans. They’ll use a PizzaMaster oven due to its versatility; they can bake different styles of pizza, breads, and desserts. All of Zarella’s pizzas will also be available with gluten-free crusts.

“Everyone we’ve given it to didn’t realize it was gluten-free and couldn’t tell even after we told them,” Pandel says. “We’ll have some vegan options and dairy-free cheeses — we haven’t chosen one yet, we’re still testing. We just want people to be able to come in and enjoy pizza no matter what.”

The rest of the menu feels like an amped-up version of familiar pizzeria favorites including fried calamari, mozzarella sticks, marinated artichokes, baked feta, and salads. A news release also mentions entrees like chicken and eggplant parmesan, cavatelli pomodoro, chicken pizzato, and crab-stuffed shrimp. Boka envisions this as a spot to watch Chicago sports. Not all fans can watch games at home currently.

Eater Chicago

They haven’t decided who will supply the pork sausage, but rest assured that it will be Chicago-style flavored with tons of fennel and black pepper. They’ll use Ezzo pepperoni cups, but there will be more cured meat options like sopprasotta and prosciutto.

Boka has turned its focus in recent years to more neighborhood restaurants and its strategy is highlighted in Lakeview where its building along Southport houses Stephanie Izard’s Little Goat Dinner, Lee Wolen’s GG’s Chicken Shop, and Gene Kato’s Itoko. They’re describing Zarella as a neighborhood pizzeria and bar and that the GT Fish space — which was rumored for other concepts — fit their needs. They want a cozy, warm, and intimate setting. Downtown Chicago is one of the few areas surrounded by chain pizzerias that service tourists and newbies alike. Perhaps Boka can cut into that market share and bring some energy back to Grand and Wells.

Zarella Pizzeria & Taverna, 531 N. Wells Street, planned for an early 2025 opening