WICKER PARK — After abruptly closing last year, cheap pizza staple Santullo’s never reopened as planned and will soon be replaced by the country’s third No Bones Beach Club.
A popular Pacific Northwest-based vegan restaurant and tiki bar with locations in Seattle and Portland, No Bones Beach Club is set to open soon at 1943 W. North Ave., founder and owner MacKenzie DeVito recently told Block Club.
“We’re very excited to be opening in Wicker Park soon,” DeVito said. She declined to comment further.
The restaurant’s menu offers vegan versions of volcano sushi rolls, eggs Benedict, nachos and more, plus tropical drinks like coconut mojitos and Pina coladas. The No Bones Beach Club website explains how delicious dairy and meat-free dishes can be: “Just cuz it’s vegan doesn’t mean it sucks!”
A peek through the window early Wednesday revealed a beachy vibe, with a bar, bamboo stools and a surfboard. If the Wicker Park version of No Bones is just like the other outposts, the surfboard will be used like a chalkboard, to advertise a different animal rescue nonprofit each month that will receive a percentage of sales.
Located just east of the Milwaukee, Damen and North Avenue intersection in the historic Flat Iron arts building, Wicker Park’s No Bones Beach Club will be next to the recently opened Dorian’s, a restaurant, record shop and bar hybrid from the team behind the Saved by the Max pop-up.
USA Today listed No Bones Beach Club as one of the 10 best vegan restaurants in the country and described it as “incredibly popular for its fun atmosphere and bar food selections.”
In other recent media highlights, No Bones’ nachos, made with gluten-free white corn tortillas topped with cashew cheese, were featured on WGN’s “Man of the People” with Pat Tomasulo acting as “Vegan Guy Fieri.”
Eater reports that No Bones aims to open “sometime soon” and provided a photo tour inside the approximate 50-seat vegan oasis.
For updates on the forthcoming opening, visit No Bones Beach Club’s Chicago Facebook page.