I don’t like this news. Not one bit. The great Hot Dish Pantry (4125 S. Howell Ave.) announced they will close after service on Saturday, Sept. 28. The business started as a pop-up in 2021, spent a little time as a vendor at 3rd Street Market Hall, then moved into the South Side space once occupied by Iron Grate BBQ. (I miss that place, too.)
Owner Laura Maigatter and Nathan Heck posted this unfortunate news on the restaurant’s social media. They explained that the building has new owners who have plans to open a restaurant there. This was a factor in their decision to close. Their Facebook post reads: “To be very clear, we are not being forced out. We had been weighing this decision for some time and the circumstances lined up to make our decision a little easier. We are excited for the new owners to begin this journey and wish them nothing but the best. We know the neighborhood will welcome them with open arms.”
Tell us who you’d pick to be a Betty this year!
If you’ve patronized Hot Dish, you’ll know that their pierogi are incredible. They also do hot dish – involving ground beef, grilled corn and mushroom cream sauce buried under a layer of tater tots – and several fried pork tenderloin sandwiches (featuring a large saucer of a cutlet that makes the bun look teensy) and a few burgers and sandwiches. And incidentally, their Lucy Goosey was just covered in the New York Times.
Here’s the full social media post.
Until then, you know what to do: Get yourself some hot dishes. Looks like they’re expanding their hours a bit until the closing.
I don’t have details on the couple’s next plans but they’re not closing the door on Hot Dish completely. From their post: “We can imagine bringing some of the bangers out for a popup here and there, or revisiting offering frozen items for presale (the real OGs know all about those years), but for now we plan to divert our energies into other directions and rest our weary minds and bodies.”
