Jeni’s Ice Creams Will Serve Cubs Fans Next to Wrigley Field Very Soon

James Beard Award-winning cookbook author Jeni Britton Bauer will open her ice cream shop in front of Wrigley Field on April 5. The new location would give Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams five Chicago locations, but Bauer’s latest — off Clark and Waveland at The Plaza at Wrigley — has a baseball theme complete with bleacher seating. The new shop is also an excuse to unveil a new gourmet flavor: “Popcorn! Peanuts!” is an homage to ballpark vendors.

The 2,100-square-foot-shop stands at the ground floor of the building at 3637 N. Clark Street at the Park at Wrigley plaza next to Wrigley Field. It shares space with a Starbucks, The Lucky Dorr beer bar, and Four Corners Tavern Group’s two-floor Brickhouse Tavern.

Customers will find unique flavors and fresh waffle cones at Jeni’s, where long lines have become a regular summer rite of passage in Chicago. The Ohio-based company has Chicago locations in Lakeview, Wicker Park, Lincoln Park, and Old Town. A West Loop location is also planned. The new flavor debuting at Wrigley will be available at all shops for a limited time. It features heirloom popcorn from Iowa with toffee-coated peanuts and salty-sweet caramel.

Ashok Selvam

Baseball is a family tradition for Bauer. Last summer, she talked to Eater Chicago about her grandfather’s love for the Cubs. There’s no word if fans will be able to take their ice creams into the stadium. Corporate sponsorships could stifle that idea.

Meanwhile, construction crews continue to labor around the stadium, transforming the area that’s buzzing with new development.