Restaurant Review: God, That’s Good! Luscious Royal Pies and other delights at Pilsen’s Pleasant House Pub

Those familiar with the musical ‘Sweeney Todd’ will remember savory meat pies, but this British-inspired Pilsen café elevates the meat pie with a menu of farm-to-table fare, baked goods, brunch and Sunday tea service. Today, Pleasant House Pub is a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant, a prestigious honor for quality restaurants with lower prices. 

It all started n 2011, when husband and wife Art and Chelsea Jackson opened the Pleasant House Bakery, a small pie shop,   specializing in Royal Pies-their own version of handmade, artisanal meat and vegetable savory pies. In 2016, they expanded their signature British-inspired, locally sourced menu to their current Pilsen location, which also features a full bar and café. 

Michelin took notice and awarded the Jacksons a Bib Gourmand, which celebrates restaurants that offer good food at a moderate price, emphasizing value and accessibility. There are two main criteria to qualify for a Bib Gourmand: 1) the food must be delicious, and 2) it must cost less than a set amount for three courses.

Royal Pies, a highfalutin, round version of British pasties, is the house specialty at Pleasant House Pub for a good reason. They’re handmade and have their own flaky, buttery pastry. In fact, Bon Appetit Magazine took notice as well, calling them “British-y pies to die for.” 

Start your British adventure with some classic English starters, such as a Pickled Egg, served with a pack of crisps.  Or, a Scotch Egg, which is a medium-boiled egg wrapped in pork sausage, coated in breadcrumbs and fried, then served with grainy mustard. Welsh Rarebit has a tangy, creamy beer cheese smothered on toasted sourdough. Currywurst has their signature curry chips with curry sauce, scented with mint and lemon zest, in a whole smoked German sausage packed with curry spices. 

Luscious luscious Royal Pies 

The chief attraction here are the Royal Pies. Take, for example, Steak & Ale Royal Pie, their savory, rich beef stew is filled with carrots, shallots, and herbs. Chicken Balti is a fragrant stew with chicken, tomatoes, and ‘proprietary’ curry spices. Mushroom & Kale hasassorted mushrooms and kale in a white wine and parmesan cream sauce. Rockin’ Vegan Pie is a blend of zucchini and yellow squash, chickpea, sweet potato, and golden raisins in a North African spiced-tomato sauce. 

NOTE:  For an upcharge, you can ‘Crown Your Pie!’ with fluffy mashed potatoes and gravy. Worth it for a full meal! 

Pub Plates 

Pub Plates include a Crispy Buttermilk – Fried Chicken Sandwich, a lemon and herb-marinated, buttermilk-fried chicken breast, zucchini pickles, chipotle mayo,  served with chips. Bangers & Mash are classic British-style banger sausages, mashed potatoes, pea shoots, and onion gravy.  For lighter appetites, Royal Pub Salad is filled with local greens, cucumber, spiced pickled carrot, shaved apple, radish, cranberries, pepitas, Shropshire blue cheese, and honey mustard and dill dressing. 

The dessert list is small but inviting. The classic Sticky Toffee Pudding teams a date cake with toffee and custard sauces. Chocol – Oaty Lace Cookie is a crispy oatmeal-lace cookie sandwiched with dark chocolate. 

Mine is not the only good review. One Google review said “The atmosphere here is wonderful, and just screams cozy English pub. Our server was also great tonight and we never felt ignored or left wanting. But the food, god damn the food here is amazing. We split a scotch egg and curry wurst with the table, and both had great flavor. My only critique would be I wish there was more sauce on the fries. We finished with the Steak and Ale pie, crowned with mash and gravy, and it was just divine. Love that they have a beer selection from the UK as well. Can’t wait to come back again.”

Another wrote: “Classic pub fare in a wonderfully cozy space, especially in the patio area. The curry chips are well spiced, the Scotch eggs delightfully runny and crispy, and the steak pot pie is pure comfort with its buttery, crisp crust and hearty beef filling. A satisfying and heartwarming meal.”

Pleasant House Pub is located at 2119 S. Halsted Street. They are open Sunday-Thursday from 10am – 9pm, and Friday and Saturday, starting with brunch, from 10am–10pm. For reservations, click here. 

Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago