Chicago Eats || Bombobar

Bombobar Old Town

As far as chic Chicago neighborhoods go, Old Town isn’t exactly at the top of anyone’s list.

I’ve lived in Old Town for almost 10 years, trust me… I KNOW.

While we are home to the Second City theatre and some of the loveliest architecture you’ll find in all of Chicago, Old Town is also home to an endless sea of uninspired restaurants and dime-a-dozen “bro” bars.

Despite it’s reputation as a safe, family-friendly neighborhood, our restaurant selections historically have been rather lackluster.

And short-lived.

But in the past year that’s been changing rapidly. In less than 12 months we’ve been inundated with delicious spots all over as restaurants suddenly realize what an untapped potential Old Town really is.

And when Bombobar opened its doors on Wells last month all I could do was say “FINALLY!!”.

Finally, we’re getting some GOOD food in Old Town.

Bombobar adapted their popular West Loop window-concept to better mesh with Old Town’s needs: a great, fast spot for breakfast, lunch, dinner, AND dessert. All with a focus on chef-driven ingredients (you can peak at the menu here).

And there’s a wine tap bar…

Maybe I should have started with that.

Because there’s a WINE. TAP. BAR.

Well played, Bombobar, well played.

(Talk about knowing your local market… right?)

Regardless of how you look at it, Bombobar’s newest location fills a much-needed gap in Old Town’s restaurant scene, offering a little bit of everything for everyone… just like our neighborhood itself!

Bombobar Old Town

Bombobar’s second and largest location is a cute and quirky space, with plenty of signature stringed lights along the ceiling.

Bombobar Old Town

And plenty of drink options….

Bombobar Old Town

including the on-tap wine bar!

Bombobar Old Town

All filled with the obsession-worthy smell of fresh, wafting pizzas being made behind the line.

Bombobar Old Town

And — since Bombobar has always had a playful approach to food — there are plenty of playful accents around the restaurant too.

Bombobar Old Town

I fully expect to spend MANY hours here this summer with friends.

Bombobar Old Town

And once you see the food, you’ll immediately understand why.

Bombobar Old Town

First up, there’s the coffee.

Bombobar serves a whole menu of coffee drinks but the exciting part is they can put ANY photo on the top of your latte… how cute is that?

Bombobar Old Town

Or any saying!

Bombobar Old Town

Bombobar Old Town

“My latte just went viral!”

Bombobar Old Town

Needless to say, I expect to be here a lot of mornings because life is… truly… better buzzed. And a good coffee is hard to come by!

Bombobar Old Town

But I promise you the food is even BETTER.

Bombobar Old Town

Since I came early in the morning, I ordered one of Bombobar’s newest creations: the Egg White Avocado Toast.

Part breakfast and part lunch. A quick, easy take on the traditional avocado toast.

Bombobar Old Town

And perfect when paired with Bombobar’s BOMB fries (dubbed ‘bomb’ by me, not them).

I don’t know exactly how they achieve it but somehow these fries are ridiculously crispy and zingy without feeling overly “battered”, if that makes sense. They have a great crunch to them and the perfect blend of herbs and spices.

Pair them with the truffle aioli to make them really SING.

Bombobar Old Town

Here I am about to try my first fry.

Bombobar Old Town

And here I am a few moments later, ignoring the camera and rapidly stuffing 12 more fries in my face…

They were THAT good.

Bombobar Old Town

SHOP THE LOOK:

Dress – Mara Hoffman || Clutch – Olympia Le-Tan || Sandals – Crocs

Let me say a huge thank you to Morgan for helping me get these shots when I discovered my new 16-35mm lens was too heavy for my smaller tripod! Glad I figured that out before my trip to Italy next month… Phew!!

Bombobar Old Town

As if their delicious savory food wasn’t enough, Bombobar also has a killer selection of desserts… many of them the most instagrammable in all of Chicago.

BomboBar Chicago

(Here’s one of my favorite shots from last summer of Anna at the West Loop Bombobar… see what I mean by Instagrammable desserts?)

Bombobar Old Town

My favorites are the fresh-made stuffed bomboloni…

Bombobar Old Town

Bombobar Old Town

And the larger-than-life gelato selection!

Bombobar Old Town

Which I just HAD to try.

You know, for research purposes…

Bombobar Old Town

And model with.

You know, for blogging purposes…

Bombobar Old Town

And I may have been guilty of trying to color-coordinate my sundae to my dress because, again, their desserts are so utterly Instagrammable.

How could I NOT?

Bombobar Old Town

And, on my way out, I couldn’t resist stopping at this Bombobar mural for a little shoot:

Bombobar Old Town

How perfect was this Olympia Le-Tan book clutch for this shot?

Now if only she’d make a ‘Donuts for Dummies’ clutch, no?

Bombobar Old Town

Welcome to Old Town, Bombobar. We’ve been waiting for a spot like you for the better part of a decade!

Now all that’s left is to come back and test out that on-tap wine bar…

Disclosure: I received a complimentary visit to Bombobar to facilitate this post but I was not monetarily compensated, and all opinions expressed are my own. Official Sed Bona Signature
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