Centerstage - Chicago's Original City Guide

Articles Sections >> Arts + Words Bars + Clubs Dating Festivals Fitness Food Lifestyle Music Theater Travel + Tourism Who's Who > View All Ask Centerstage Cheap Thrills Green Thumb Weekend Warrior

Free pizza bubbles up at Fizz on weeknights.

Monday Dec 22, 2008.     By Erin Brereton

Lifestyle Feed

I met my friend Matt Wednesday at Fixx, a North Side coffee shop, for a remote workday. By the time our work was done, we were hungry—and ready for a cocktail. However, a recent bout of holiday shopping had me on a tight budget. I was looking for somewhere where I could get dinner, but not necessarily pay for it.

We decided to walk from Fixx to Fizz—just two letters and about 20 minutes away—to check out its pizza special. I had heard that Fizz hosted a free pizza happy hour every weeknight, but I found it hard to believe, especially because I had also heard Fizz offered half-price pizzas on Wednesday nights.

During the frosty walk to Fizz, we passed Cooper's, which I sampled a cheap thrill at in September. And lo and behold, Cooper's had a sign claiming that it, too, had free pizza! Could it be? We debated making it the first stop on a complimentary pizza crawl, but decided against it. The clock was ticking: It was past 5:30, and Fizz only served up free slices until 7.

After a considerable walk, and then a short bus ride after we realized we could no longer feel our fingers, Matt and I shuffled into Fizz. Wednesday is also Sneaky Tiki night, which means a special menu of island delight drinks is available.

However, while they sounded delicious, and the temptation to order a drink called the Banana Hammock was high, the tiki beverages weren't offered for any kind of price deal (I guess that's the sneaky part), so Matt and I instead opted for martinis. I tried the coconut one and was pleased with its punch.

We inquired about the free pizza. I had suspected it was the large pizza sitting on the bar, but the waitress insisted on confirming that first. (I think she wasn't sure if the woman sitting next to it had ordered it, or was just hanging out beside it—but it was indeed the free food).

The good news: You just need to order one drink to partake, and it's tasty pizza (thin crust, lots of cheese, solid sauce). And Fizz kindly made half sausage and half cheese, for the hungry vegetarians who stop by on tiki night.

The bad news: We felt bad housing the entire thing, and what we ate totally was not enough to qualify as dinner. So, come 7 p.m., Matt and I ordered up a half-price pizza. Which, it should be noted, was really not a bad deal for the money: The basic 14-inch medium cheese was only about $6 and was more than we could finish.

I also at that point switched to wine; without prices on the martini menu, I was getting nervous about blowing my budget (which this month basically includes presents and lodging). However, Fizz has a number of decent wine selections for under $9.

What it did not have was a ton of heat. During the evening, I slowly reapplied my scarf, coat and was about to put on my gloves when I began to realize that I was growing increasingly cold. A trip to the bathroom—which for some reason felt warmer—confirmed it: The bar was freezing.

When the busboy came back to wrap up our leftovers, I asked him if the heat was on, and he assured me it was. But for a night meant to inspire tropical tiki celebrations, Fizz felt far from island hot. In fact, I wanted a blanket.

So we asked for the check and decided to find somewhere warmer to go. After stepping outside, we spied Belly's just a few doors down.

On Wednesdays, Belly's serves $3 drafts—right in my price range—and apparently believes in liberal use of its utilities, because the bar was downright toasty. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the free pizza, and I like Fizz's general atmosphere (temperature aside).

But cheap beer and central heating? My belly and I couldn't have asked for more.

Hungry? Fizz, 3220 N. Lincoln Ave., (773) 348-6000, offers its complimentary pizza on weekdays from 5-7 p.m. Belly's is located at 3210 N. Lincoln Ave., (773) 525-3632.

Erin Brereton is our resident urban cowgirl on a bi-weekly search for life on the cheap. If you know of the mythic happy hour that she missed, do clue her in.