Roberta’s Comes to Chicago, For Pizza Pop-Up

A taste of Bushwick is coming to Pilsen, but only for a weekend. One of New York City’s finest pizzas is made in the ovens at Roberta’s, and the team behind this Brooklyn gem will be setting up shop at Dusek’s Board & Beer for a two-day pizza pop-up, November 11 and 12. “While Chicago has some of the finest pies in the country, I am really psyched for people to try a bit of Roberta’s magic,” said Bruce Finkelman, Managing Partner at 16″ on Center.

Roberta’s staff will be hand-tossing at dinner on the 11th, from 4 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., then again on the 12th, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for brunch (while dough lasts). In addition to their signature 10″ Neapolitan-style, they’ll collaborate with Dusek’s on a seasonal pie. The menu includes their Margherita, the Famous Original (tomato, mozz, caciocavallo, parm, oregano, chili) and the Bee Sting (honey and soppressata).

I’ve been to Roberta’s twice, having endured the mind-numbing wait for a table, and their pizza truly is remarkable. The long fermentation of the dough and the blazing, wood-burning oven result in a pie with great chew and crunch, not to mention superlative toppings. It will be interesting to see how they manage to replicate that experience in Dusek’s wood-burning hearth. I was going to be out of town that weekend, but I just altered my plans to be able to get back in time for the tail-end of brunch. Yes, their reputation precedes them.

More info and updates on Dusek’s Facebook page.