Burbank’s Beloved Taste Chicago Space Lands In the Hands of Prime Pizza
Burbank’s Beloved Taste Chicago Space Lands In the Hands of Prime Pizza
It looks like the former Taste Chicago standalone restaurant space in Burbank won’t be down for long after all. Word comes today that none other than local favorites Prime Pizza have taken over at the address on Hollywood Way, with plans to open in late summer or early fall.
Taste Chicago was for years a staple restaurant for the greater San Fernando Valley. As the name suggests, the mellow spot served all manner of Chicago-styled delicacies from deep-dish pizza to Italian beef sandwiches and hot dogs. The place was also known as a home for watching Chicago sports, and was packed to the gills with former Illinois natives during the Cubs’ historic World Series run a couple of years back.
Perhaps even more famously, Taste Chicago was run by longtime character actor Joe Mantegna and his wife Arlene. The pair left a heartfelt goodbye notice back in March when announcing the restaurant’s closure after 15 years.
Now it’s time for Prime Pizza to give the place a go. The local company, run by co-owners Zak Fishman and James Starr and culinary lead Noah Galuten, already has its first location along Fairfax and a follow-up in Little Tokyo, but this new Burbank outlet offers a variety of perks unique to the space. For starers there’s more room to dine in over beer and wine, and a large parking lot outside. The restaurant is also uniquely located near a particularly family-heavy area as well as several big studios, meaning the possibilities for catering and delivery are seemingly endless.
What’s more, the Taste Chicago address already comes with plenty of built-in history and goodwill. Fishman has been in contact with former owner Mantegna, and says they will honor the Taste Chicago legacy somewhere inside the restaurant with a few mementos from the place’s previous days. Expect Prime Pizza to open either in late fall or early summer, keeping daily hours from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. or thereabouts.
Prime Pizza. 603 Hollywood Way, Burbank, CA.
Source: Eater LA