We’ve been living in Bridgeport, Chicago, for almost nine years, not a long time according to Bridgeport standards. This neighborhood in Chicago has a ton of history, and for me, as a Lithuanian-American, is an important place for my own personal, ethnic, and family history, which are some of the reasons I decided to move here. Since we’ve been living here, and long before that, the Ramova Theater, and its adjacent Grill, have been empty, vacant, and an eyesore on Halsted Street. When word started to get around that the Theater would be gutted and refurbished, and the Grill would be reborn under the supervision of Chef Kevin Hickey of The Duck Inn, along with a tap room, back in 2020, we were giddy with excitement. Then came the pandemic, and things were delayed and delayed, but about a year ago, more activity could be seen around the theater, and they finally opened their doors in December of 2023.

A few of my Lithuanian friends from Bridgeport and I decided to get together to catch up, and check out the new Grill and Taproom, and we met a few weeks ago to evaluate the situation. Other Half Brewing from New York are the brewers who now call the Ramova Grill their second home, and while I was disappointed that it wasn’t a local Chicago brewery, it was nice to hear that New Yorkers wanted to find their place in the “second city.” They have a long list of rotating taps available to taste, and there seems to be a different beer for everyone, although the list is heavy on IPA’s. I was excited to check out the cocktails on offer, and started with the “Krupnikas Punch,” a sweet, yet aromatic take on the Lithuanian Honey Liqueur called Krupnikas. The cocktail definitely embodied he spirit of krupnikas, and didn’t disappoint.

Unfortunately, this was the only thing on the menu that resembled anything Lithuanian. Considering the history of the place, and it’s Lithuanian name, (Ramova means “peaceful place”), we were hoping for more of a nod to the food culture. That said, there is a large menu full of all sorts of snacks, sandwiches, daily specials, and of course, chili.

There is no real service here – you need to order what you want at the bar, and they do keep a running tab for you electronically, so you don’t have to risk forgetting your card at the end of the evening. The drinks are served to you at the bar, and the food is delivered to your table. The atmosphere here is very clean and bright, though a bit bland. There is a side area that looks like an old timey diner, complete with lots of chrome and fire-engine-red leather stools, but the main bar area has clean lines, and a modern, almost sterile feel. They could really use some artwork to make the place feel more cozy, and I hope additional design touches will be coming in the future. Finally, pretty much all the tables are high top tables, with giant, heavy stools that are difficult to maneuver. If you read this blog with any regularity, you’ll know how much I hate high top tables, and it’s almost as though they don’t want you sitting here for a while catching up with your friends, since the stools are hard and uncomfortable. The only good thing was that there was a bar along the bottom of the table (and at the bar) to put your feet on, so your legs aren’t egregiously bent beyond a 90 degree angle the whole time.

For the food, there is nothing really fancy about the food here, but that’s the point. The Ramova Grill before it closed was always more of a diner, and the food they currently serve is hearty, filling, and delicious. There are quite a few starters and snacks to try, and I started with the artichoke and collards dip, which was a solid amount of cheesy and flavorful dip with large chunks of artichoke, served with grilled pita bread bites. There was enough pita to go with the amount of dip, and I enjoyed this appetizer. Hey Chef Hickey: maybe instead of having a basket of fries as a snack on your menu, switch it up to “kepta duona,” directly translating to fried bread, an amazing Lithuanian appetizer made with fried rye bread topped with garlic and cheese. This stuff goes great with beer, and would make the menu much more interesting.

My friends ordered the chili with a duck fat corn dog, and were pretty disappointed with the chili. They thought it was too acidic and the ratio of tomatoes to meat was too high. It might really require an order of sour cream, cheese, and chives, which is an extra you can add to the chili, to cut through that acid.

I ordered the fish and chips, which was a massive amount of food. There had to be at least 16+ ounces of fish, and a ton of fries as well. I loved the fries, and the fish was very good, although perhaps not the best I’ve ever had. It was slightly overdone, so a bit more on the mushy rather than flaky side, but I loved the batter, which was crisp, greasy, and delicious. For the price ($24), you get a ton of food that could easily be split with two people, or take home to eat the next day. Fish and chips are only available on Fridays.

Another friend ordered the “Morty” sandwich, which is a fried mortadella sandwich, which was my second choice. The sandwich was, again, big enough for two, with a ton of mortadella, and looked amazing. This was also served with fries.

We skipped dessert this time, since we were super full from all of the rest of the food. By happenstance, one of our other Lithuanian friends happened to be at the Grill at the same time, so it was fun to run into her. This place feels like a homecoming, and is a great place to meet up for drinks and some food. It felt like “our place,” and it’s cool to have a new, delicious restaurant close to home to call our own. They are starting to serve brunch now as well (and I spotted “kugelis” on the menu!), so I’m excited to check it out. I’m sure the bar will be super packed before shows, and, with a few tweaks, this restaurant could really be great. I can’t wait to check out the super huge beer garden in the summer!