The hits keep on coming for the area near Armitage and Clark in Lincoln Park where a third high-profile restaurant shutter is set to happen on Sunday. Bricks Pizza, the thin-crust specialist that’s been open for 21 years inside its dark subterranean space at 1909 N. Lincoln Avenue, has posted signs announcing it will close. A sibling location, Big Bricks in North Center, seems unaffected.
“We just weren’t doing the numbers, which is really weird to me,” owner Bill Brandt said.
Business was going well until last year. Brandt blames Chicago’s competitive restaurant for the restaurant’s demise, as well as Lincoln Park’s unique demographics. Unlike most neighborhoods, Lincoln Parkers are constantly moving in and out, and Brandt felt he had to constantly reintroduce Bricks to customers. They made the choice to close on Tuesday and Brandt hopes to sell the space to another restaurateur.
“We just couldn’t face July and August,” he said.
Bricks’ pending shutter follows the ends for Stanley’s Kitchen & Tap (25 years) and highly acclaimed French restaurant the Blanchard (three years). Both were within a two-minute walk from Bricks. One of the paper signs on the entrance read: “Bricks pizza’s last day is Sunday July 1st! Join us for one last pizza and beer this weekend!”
Bricks is a no-nonsense spot that saved the neighborhood from having to eat chain pizzas. Friends gathered for cheap beers and families brought in their kids for early meals. Unique selections like the “Painful” (spicy pepperoni, purple onion, jalapeño, garlic, tomato sauce, mozzarella) help made the pizzeria stick out.
The newer restaurant, Big Bricks, opened in 2012. When they opened, Brandt said they planned to move the Lincoln Park operations to North Center. But continued success in Lincoln Park altered those plans. They’ll likely shorten the North Center restaurant to “Bricks” in the near future, Brandt said. Brandt credited Bricks’ appearance on Chicago’s Best with giving them a two-year bump that helped save the restaurant.
The original Bricks debuted in 1997, and now Chicagoans have four days to grab a beer and a pie. Bricks closes on Sunday. Brandt spends most of his time in California, and hopes to visit Chicago to for one more beer.