AVONDALE — The owners of metal-themed pizza joint Dante’s have closed their Avondale and Humboldt Park locations to make it through the coronavirus pandemic.
But the New York-style pizza Dante’s is known for will still be available for pickup and delivery in the area.
After shutting down the Avondale location, the owners opened an “extended pop-up” at High Dive, 1938 W. Chicago Ave., a popular West Town bar owned by Georg Simos, who is also co-owner of Dante’s.
The original Logan Square location at 3028 W. Armitage Ave. also remains open for carryout and delivery — and it’s picking up the Avondale location’s delivery zone, one of the owners said on Instagram.
The owners weren’t immediately available for an interview, but they announced the closure of the Avondale location at 2825 N. Milwaukee Ave. Wednesday on social media, marking the end of a six-year run.
“Unfortunately we have had to close Dante’s Pizzeria on Milwaukee Ave … we loved our time in Avondale, and we’ll miss you all. But don’t fear! If you’ve ever gotten delivery from us before you can still get your Dante’s fix … our delivery footprint is getting larger, not smaller. Call us for delivery or stop in for a slice! Hail Safety!!”
Wednesday’s announcement came just a few weeks after the owners announced the Humboldt Park tavern at 2759 W. Augusta Blvd. would close after two years at the corner.
Japanese street food restaurant Cat-Su Sando, founded by a pair of fine dining chefs, has replaced the pizza joint for the foreseeable future.
“Hey folks, we want to apologize for not being as forthcoming as we would’ve liked to last week,” the owners wrote on Facebook earlier this month.
“Here’s the truth: so we can continue serving you pizza in the future, we’ve decided to move into a temporary extended pop-up location at 1938 W. Chicago. Like so many other great businesses, the pandemic was unfortunately the end of The Tavern. We want to wholeheartedly thank everyone that made this corner such a great, fun, welcoming, and maybe just a little bit sleazy home.”
Many independent eateries and other businesses on the Northwest Side have closed due to the pandemic, some located next door to the now-closed Dante’s locations.
Café Marie-Jeanne, the popular European-style restaurant across the street from the Humboldt Park Dante’s, closed in November. Crown Liquors, which is also owned by Simos and is situated next to the Avondale Dante’s, closed in April, but now the landlord is planning to reopen the bar and liquor store.
Simos told Eater he plans to reopen High Dive in the spring. The bar has been closed since the state’s stay at home order came down in March.
For updates on Dante’s, follow the restaurant on Facebook and Instagram.
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