Boka To Open Restaurant Across From Wrigley Field on Thursday

Cubs fans have only gotten a taste of what the Hotel Zachary, which opened last month across the street from Wrigley Field, can do. But come Thursday, customers can finally experience the fully armed and operational building when the final piece of the puzzle opens on the northwest corner of Addison and Clark. Boka Restaurant Group, one of the country’s most respected restaurant companies, debuts its only planned opening of 2018, Dutch & Doc’s this week.

Reservations are already up on OpenTable. The restaurant sits next to the hotel at 3600 N. Clark Street. It’s got a separate entrance; customers can’t enter through the hotel. The cold and rainy spring hasn’t been ideal for baseball fans, but it’s been a boon for the restaurants inside the hotel. Instead of being chilly or soaked inside the stadium, fans have stayed dry while noshing on tacos at Big Star, sipping whiskies at Mordecai, enjoying cake pops at West Town Bakery & Tap, and chewing on barbecued ribs at Smoke Daddy. The hotel’s own restaurant and bar has actually seen the largest crowds in the middle of the building on the second floor.

Now it’s time for Boka’s Kevin Boehm and Rob Katz — two huge Cubs fans — to enter the fray. Customers can enjoy their meals sitting next to a window overlooking Clark Street and Wrigley’s red and white marquee. There’s also a private dining room that offers similar views.

Chris Pandel is the chef in charge. Pandel’s worked at Swift & Sons, Boka’s Fulton Market steakhouse and Balena, where his unique pastas were featured in Lincoln Park before the restaurant burned down last year. Boka and B. Hospitality co-ran Balena, and there’s no update on its return quite yet. Over in Wrigleyville, Pandel will serve lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch inside a two-level, 200-seat restaurant. Customers can order small snacks like crispy giardiniera or chicken wings. There’s also salads like a watermelon & tomato, and sandwiches like a pan-fried perch. A news release called out the macaroni and cheese with Jarlsburg, grana, white cheddar, and cavatappi. Burgers and prime steaks are also on the menu.

Desserts are handled by Swift & Sons’ pastry chef Lauren Terrill. Her menu includes soft-serve ice cream with salted caramel, flourless chocolate cake, and tres leches cake.

Perhaps baseball, among all sports, has the best collection of player nicknames. That’s the inspiration behind the restaurant’s name. Scouring the 148-year-old history of the Cubs, Boka found that 14 players had been nicknamed “Dutch” and nine were nicknamed “Doc.”

The Tribune first reported the opening date. Come back later in the week for more details on the menu and a look inside Wrigleyville’s latest.