Bricktown's Beloved Bodega-Style Deli Is Expanding — And Its Avondale Home Is Coming Back
By Socialhood News · Avondale ·
One of Avondale's most-loved lunch spots is on the move in all the right directions. Chicago Pickle Eatery, the bodega-style deli that put down its first roots on Milwaukee Avenue in Bricktown, opened a third Chicago location in Wicker Park this spring — and its owner says the original Avondale location, which has been closed since a fire last fall, is on track to reopen before the end of 2026.
The brand was founded in 2023 by Mohamad Atieh with a mission to bring New York City bodega-style sandwiches and breakfast and lunch staples to Chicago. Atieh opened the first location at 3055 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Avondale, followed by a second outpost in Uptown. The newest location, which opened in late April, took over the former Angry Crab restaurant at 1308 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Wicker Park — the company's third Chicago restaurant overall.
The Wicker Park location carries the full Chicago Pickle menu, including breakfast sandwiches, chicken tenders and wings, salads, subs, and burgers, along with coffee from Magnifico Coffee Roaster — the same Avondale neighbor whose beans have been part of the brand's identity from the start. The namesake Chicago Pickle sandwich features pastrami, corned beef, Swiss cheese, coleslaw, and Russian dressing, plus pickles. The Wicker Park outpost also adds a dessert bar with gelato, pastries, and other sweet options not found at the original locations.
For Avondale regulars who have been missing the original Milwaukee Avenue location since it closed temporarily after a fire — which started when a contractor was working on the space — Atieh told Block Club Chicago in late April that he hopes to have the Avondale location back open by year's end. The original spot at 3022 N. Milwaukee Ave. remains a neighborhood anchor in spirit even while dark, and its return is something Bricktown has been quietly waiting for.
The Chicago Pickle story is, at its core, an Avondale story. The brand was born on Milwaukee Avenue in Bricktown, built its following among neighborhood regulars, and is now growing across the city — while keeping its roots planted on the northwest side. That arc mirrors the broader trajectory of Avondale itself: a neighborhood that has been generating homegrown talent and ideas, then watching them ripple outward across Chicago.
For neighbors eager to get their Chicago Pickle fix while the Avondale location finishes its recovery, the new Wicker Park outpost at 1308 N. Milwaukee Ave. is open now. And if you want to stay current on the original location's reopening timeline, follow Chicago Pickle Eatery on social media — Atieh and his team have been sharing updates as work on the space continues. Bricktown's bodega is coming home.
Sources:
1. https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/04/30/chicago-pickle-eatery-opens-in-wicker-park-as-owner-works-to-reopen-in-avondale-after-fire/