The scene: “Yeah, they’re fake,” cracked our waitress at Lincoln Park’s Forno Diablo as she glided past our table, arms loaded with orders and a wry smile on her face. Busted! She caught us knocking on the — apparently — faux brick walls next to our table to figure out the answer to that very question.
OK, so it’s not real brick. Big deal. That hasn’t stopped crowds of post-college twentysomethings and neighborhood empty nesters from jamming into this bar-slash-pizza joint for nightly food and drink specials, super-tasty thin-crust pizza, and yes, just enough friendly sass from the well-trained servers.
Faux brick and other mass-market sensibilities aside, the interior is handsome: The art deco bar is a knockout, lit by fire-red fixtures. But now that the weather allows it, the Diversey Parkway patio is the place to be.
Sunday brunch crowds aren’t exactly huge yet, which is fine by us — try getting a seat on a Friday night. But it won’t stay that way once word gets out about the food, which is better than one might expect.
The cuisine: Pizza for brunch? You bet. (Oh, like you haven’t ever had leftover pizza for breakfast.) The pie arrives heavy with scrambled eggs, bacon, mozzarella, tomatoes, onions and a sprinkle of scallions ($8), and it’s the star of the show. While those brick walls may be fake, the wood-fired, brick-lined oven certainly is not. Three chefs man the oven, and from what we tasted, they do a darn good job of it.
You could come for the pizza and a bloody mary and call it a day, but if you want something more traditional, you’ve got plenty of options, including oatmeal ($1.50 for a cup), lox and bagel ($6), omelets ($10 each), and more. We were impressed by the French toast ($8), accented with light Chantilly cream and sweet berry sauce. There also are lunch items, including the house burger ($10), an 8-ouncer with bacon, caramelized onions and brie.
Better than a bloody mary: A bloody mary you make yourself! The fully loaded DIY bloody bar should be up and running this weekend ($7).
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clamorte@tribune.com
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THE JUICE
WHERE TO SQUEEZE IN BRUNCH
FORNO DIABLO
433 W. Diversey Pkwy. 773-525-6400
RATING
3 (out of 4) eggs
Loved it: Retro black-and-white Disney ‘toons on the flat screens
Hated it: Dixieland jazz overhead? Kind of kooky.
Brunch time: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday
Cost: about $18 per person, with a cocktail
Wait: None
