JEFFERSON PARK — About a year ago, Jefferson Park’s Joe’s Pizza moved and became Joe’s on Higgins. Now, the Italian eatery is adding a patio.
Joe’s Pizza, which has called Higgins Avenue home for over five decades, relocated last May from 5747 W. Higgins Ave. to a larger location at 5862 W. Higgins Ave. The move was part of a larger rebrand, owner Frank Demonte said.
The previous location could seat about 40 customers, but about 90 percent of the business was takeout, Demonte said. The new building is more dine-in friendly, can seat over 100 people and features a reservable party room, a full-service bar, an expanded menu and, now, an outdoor patio.
The restaurant has also adopted a more modern aesthetic. The corner building was painted black with accents of red and sleek white lettering while the interior features simple, dark furniture and walls of Chicago common brick.
“It needed a refresh,” Demonte said.
Business has been booming in the new location, Demonte said. Joe’s has grown from a staff of around 10 to about 30, and the party room has bookings as far out at December.
Adding a patio was always part of the plan, but getting the proper city permits took a bit longer, Demonte said. The patio was built this spring and was debuted during a bout of good weather two weekends ago.
The outdoor space can fit around 40 people and will likely be open this weekend, weather permitting, Demonte said.
A Family Affair
Demonte’s family has been serving Chicagoan’s pizza for more than 70 years.
His maternal grandfather, Joe Pollini, immigrated to Chicago from Bari, Italy. He’d served in World War II, working as a cook on a ship, Demonte said.
“When he came here, all he knew how to do was cook,” Demonte said.
Pollini opened the first Joe’s Pizza on the South Side in 1952. In the mid ’60s, Pollini moved his business up north to 5914 W. Higgins Ave, half a block away from where Joe’s on Higgins is now.
The restaurant moved to 5747 W Higgins Ave in the early ’80s.
Demonte’s mother was raised in the pizzeria. When she met Demonte’s father, also an Italian immigrant from Bari, a new generation of Joe’s was born.
Demonte said he was “born into the business.”
Starting around age 7 or 8, Demonte would help out around the restaurant, setting tables and filling salt shakers. By high school, Demonte graduated to working in the kitchen and running deliveries.
Demonte and his wife, Gina, took the reigns last year when Joe’s moved and rebranded.
The new building had most recently been a flower shop, and Demonte said it also previously housed a print shop and a candy store.
Renovations took about seven months. The entire interior was pretty much gutted, new walls, flooring and windows were added and the former greenhouse was turned into the party room, Demonte said.
Joe’s still offers classics like margarita pizza and spaghetti marinara, but Demonte said the menu is much “deeper” now. Highlights include grilled calamari, steamed mussels, eggplant rollatini, baked ziti, seafood pasta and chicken Calabrese.
The new location also has a full-service bar with craft beers, wines and specialty cocktails.
“The neighborhood doesn’t have too many sit-down places like this,” Demonte said. “There was definitely a need for it.”
The highly visible corner location and the patio have helped attract a new base of customers. Demonte said people from nearby neighborhoods and suburbs like Park Ridge and Niles have come into Joe’s after spotting it while driving through Jefferson Park.
But there’s still plenty of old regulars who show up at the old location, Demonte said.
Joe’s on Higgins is open 3:30-9 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Joe’s is open 3:30-10 p.m. Fridays, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sundays. The restaurant is closed Tuesdays.
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