Chicago restaurant entrepreneur John Grbac has another hit in the making with the new Buena Beach Bar & Grill

John Grbac, a longtime Chicago restaurant entrepreneur who was the first to pioneer Wicker Park when it was yet to be cool, has now set his sights on Chicago’s Buena Park neighborhood, opening Buena Beach Bar & Grill at Imperial Towers (4250 N. Marine Drive; 773-880-9115), across from Montrose Beach at Lake Michigan.

John Grbac opens Buena Beach Bar & Grill at 4250 N. Marine Dr. Photo Credit: Cindy Kurman

Buena Beach is an eclectic American gastropub serving made-from-scratch comfort food at extremely reasonable prices. The restaurant, housed on the main floor of a high-rise condominium building, has already gained a following among building residents and increasingly, the neighborhood.

“Our goal is to become a regular neighborhood favorite. This area is lacking in good basic food and we are confident that folks from the Buena Park neighborhood will think of Buena Beach as quite a find: A  fun, casual gastropub that serves really delicious food at very reasonable prices,” Grbac said. “We’re serving a wide range of styles so that our guests will have a varied selection from which to choose. Daily specials are really daily specials.”

Grbac said Buena Beach also plans to schedule regular “pop up” fine dining with visiting chefs and wine pairings. They also serve weekend brunch from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m, Saturday and Sunday.

The restaurant is a comfortable and stylish hangout featuring a sparkling marble floor and red, black and white color scheme. Buena Beach exudes an air of pleasant sophistication that befits its attractive neighborhood, but without any pretentiousness. It’s a very down-home place for guests to enjoy lingering over a beverage. Also, there are several large HDTVs and a generous bar area, making Buena Beach an excellent after work, dinner or late night place to relax and enjoy good company.

Dining Room Photo Credit: Cindy Kurman

The food selection is geared toward everyday favorites, and the prices are very reasonable given the high quality meal that guests may opt to enjoy rather than cook at home. Brick-oven pizza, burgers, pasta dishes, sandwiches, wraps and numerous appetizers are all offered, not to mention, homemade desserts too. The bar features a good selection of craft beers, wines and creative cocktails.

“We’re here to serve everyone,” said partner Craig McWilliams. “Guests can dine in or take out, and we’re happy to cater for groups. As you would expect, we’re getting plenty of pizza and burger orders which we are happy to deliver. But we’re also noticing that there are many people who enjoy our dinner entrees and will take them to-go if they’re in the mood to eat at home. To aid people in ordering for delivery or take-out, we’ve created a smartphone app. Simply text BUENA to 33733 to get our app!”

The menu begins with freshly made classic appetizers and sides that can serve as a beginning or a snack. Onion rings are crispy and the hand-cut potato fries are tasty and perfectly prepared. Other tasty choices include hummus with pita, chunky guacamole with chips, chicken tenders, fried or grilled calamari, buffalo wings and quesadillas – nearly all of which are under $9.

Greek Dakos Salad Photo Credit: Cindy Kurman

Salads are freshly made with top ingredients. The house salad is a good accompaniment to any meal and features a spring mix of greens with tomatoes and cucumbers. There is also a delicious classic Caesar salad, a fresh caprese salad and a Greek Dakos salad.

Guests, who want a lighter sandwich, can choose from three wraps: the Indian-spiced chicken tikka, the chicken Caesar wrap or the grilled vegetable wrap.

Heartier sandwiches are served with hand-cut potato fries and include baked options such as the roast beef and cheddar au jus, turkey and swiss, and ham and swiss. Hot sandwich choices include Italian beef, blackened chicken, Italian sausage and pulled chicken. A classic club sandwich is available as well.

Burger lovers can feast on several special recipes or build their own. All burgers start with ½ lb. of ground beef and are served with the hand-cut potato fries. The basic burger is the classic. There is also a turkey burger, the kicker with jalapeno peppers, the A1 with mushrooms and steak sauce and a vegetarian garden burger. Guests can add their choice of cheese, bacon and additional toppings for a slight up-charge.

Cheeseburger & Fries Photo Credit: Cindy Kurman

Buena Beach’s pizza menu starts with crispy thin-crust, brick oven, Sicilian-style 10-inch and 16-inch crusts, and is designed with the build-your-own pizza lover in mind. The pizza options are cheese and one topping, but guests can add extra toppings – variety of meats and vegetables – for an additional cost.

Seafood Pasta Photo Credit: Cindy Kurman

Entrées feature Italian and American preparations to please any palate. Italian pastas are also house specialties. Choices include penne arrabiata, penne pasta, four cheese ravioli in vodka sauce, linguini primavera, linguini carbonara, rigatoni bolognese and seafood pasta.

Italian entrées include chicken saltimbucco, chicken vesuvio, chicken parmesan, pan seared salmon florentine, pan seared whitefish florentine, chicken limon and chicken marsala. American entrees include baked whitefish, skirt steak and pork chop.

As for dessert, they’re all made in-house and include options such as tiramisu, chocolate layer cake and a selection of their signature homemade ice creams.

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