"A good time."
That was the response Erik Dorf, bar manager of Boiler Room ( 2210 N. California Ave.; BoilerRoomLoganSquare.com ), had when I asked him to describe the place in three words—and, while terse, the description certainly seems to be accurate.
The decor itself is pretty intriguing. The interior consists of salvaged materials repurposed from photo studios, fire hoses, school desks, Swiss Air cargo straps, the Chicago Transit system, an industrial catwalk and more. The restroom itself is a wonder, with CTA items and even a recording of the system that says items like "Doors closing." ( Hopefully, you're not really drunk or too involved in the restroom when you hear this. It could be quite disorienting. )
The backdrop behind the bar is from an actual boiler room, Dorf added. "A lot of people thought that was made for us, but it was not," he said. "[People] had it in their studio space, and it just fit with what we were doing."
One of the tags Boiler Room has gotten is "hipster," especially given the neighborhood, which has certainly changed over the years. "That label would probably apply to the first couple years here, when it was more of a bar," said Dorf. "It was kind of true, although I do hate that term."
The drink specials also drew hipsters to the place, and some specials are still present. For instance, patrons can enjoy Boiler Room's PB&J special: a slice of pizza, 16-ounce PBR and a shot of Jameson for $8.50.
Regarding Jameson, the whiskey company must love Boiler Room. "At one point, we were the top-buying single-stand unit for Jameson in the world," said Dorf. "Now, I think we're number two."
By the way, some places have imaginative names for drinks—and Boiler Room is no exception, with items such as Birthday Sex, Lion's Dick ( which I tried and is very good ) and the oh-so-timely Same Old Trump Haters. ( "It's an ode to some of the comments that people have made," Dorf said. "It's just a joke." )
Dorf said that the place, which opened in 2010 as a bar, is now more of a restaurant "because of the food. When you open, you have to figure things out, but things have turned out well. We've gotten some good write-ups."
Boiler Room doesn't slack on the food, including vegan specials every Tuesday. "We make our dough [for the pizza pies] with agave nectar, so it's all on the up and up," said chef Billy Harner. "We have vegan cheeses and seitan as well." ( There are also many appetizers and salads as well as the pizzas, which come in varieties such as Hawaiian, four-cheese and Thai serrano. )
As for said pizzas, I was thrown off slightly—but in a good way. For example, when I saw the price of the pizza ( $25 ), I was taken aback. However, the pies are about a good 20 inches across—and the slices are huge. By the way, Harner could be almost considered a local treasure for serving items such as the mac & cheese pie—which is just as good as it sounds. "We saw someone order a pizza and mac 'n cheese separately—and put them together," said Dorf. "It seemed like a good idea." ( By the way, we also tried the PBR meatballs and drunken donuts, which come with sublime soft-serve ice cream tinged with—you guessed it—Jameson. )
Mac & cheese pizza—emblematic of the good time you'll have at Boiler Room.
