Biking to Bridgeport

Pleasant House Bakery & Maria's are next door to each other in Bridgeport

Wednesday was a clear, cool spring day and the city was calling out for a bike ride. Lucky for me I had plans with my friend Jessica to head south for an evening of food and drinks in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood.  I LOVE biking to eat, in fact it’s one of my very favorite activities (read about the sweet themed biking & food tour I did with my friend Erin) next to running and eating :)

Having a neighborhood, a bike-friendly route and a destination in place are key when you’re planning your biking and dining adventure.  We knew exactly where we were going. 

Beautiful savory pie (Pleasant House Bakery website)

We headed to the farm-to-table mecca Pleasant House Bakery for savory dinner pies. The savory pies including spinach and kale (my fave) and steak and ale. Lucky for us it was a cool evening so we welcomed the satisfying heat of the pie. We also ordered the mint peas and the deluxe gravy chips – perfectly cooked crispy potato wedges coated with a light gravy, bits of steak and cheddar cheese. We couldn’t say no to the house made ginger soda either.

Jessica was nice enough to treat me to a cocktail next door at Maria’s Packaged Goods. This neighborhood bar has been on my “list” for a long time! Patrons walk through a refrigerator door in the back of a liquor store and enter a cocktail bar with a tremendous beer list and a nice assortment of cocktails too.

This was my first bike outing of the season and I’m looking forward to many more in the coming months!