Schneider Deli opens in old Pizza Capri space on Halsted Street in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood

A new restaurant has joined the busy stretch of Halsted Street toward the south end of Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood that is also home to Alinea and Boka.

Schneider Deli opened Wednesday, April 1, at 1733 N. Halsted St., at the southeast corner of the intersection with Willow Street. This is the second location for the deli, which also opened a location in the former Ohio House Motel coffee shop space, at 600 N. LaSalle Dr. in River North, in 2023.

The Halsted Street location occupies the former site of Pizza Capri, which closed in May of last year after 30 years in business.

Owners Jake and Ariel Schneider said on their website that their menu features passed-down family recipes that were influenced by Jake's grandmothers, Eunice and Goldalee. The restaurant website notes that Schneider was inspired by his grandmothers' techniques to recreate their cooking with elements of his own creativity.

"He learned to prepare matzo ball soup, ensuring the dumplings were light and fluffy, just as Eunice taught him," the Schneider Deli website says. "Each simmering pot of chicken broth was a homage to her, filling the kitchen with warmth and nostalgia."

Jake Schneider worked previously at Daisies, at 2375 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Logan Square, and Perennial Virant, at 1800 N. Lincoln Ave. in Old Town, according to Eater.

On opening day for the Halsted Street location, Schneider Deli said on Facebook that it received an "incredible welcome to the neighborhood."

Schneider Deli's predecessor in the space, Pizza Capri, still maintains its longstanding location at 1501 E. 53rd St. in Hyde Park.

The new Schneider Deli location is next door to the renowned Boka, 1729 N. Halsted St., which has been in operation since 2003 and has been Michelin-starred since 2010. Boka touts Chef Lee Wolen's seasonal American food.

Before Boka, the 1729 N. Halsted St. space was home to the celebrated Blue Mesa — Phil Marienthal's pioneering Southwestern American restaurant with its kiva fireplace, New Mexico textiles, and chipotle pepper-spiced entrees — which operated from 1983 until 2000.

Just to the south at 1723 N. Halsted St. is the famous, but unsigned Alinea Restaurant, where Grant Achatz's ultramodern cooking style helped define the molecular gastronomy movement.

Two celebrated Italian restaurants are also located steps away — Trattoria Gianni a jog to the south at 1711 N. Halsted St., and Vinci at 1732 N. Halsted St. across the street from Schneider Deli.

The buildings that house Schneider Deli, Boka, Vinci, and Willow Room — at 1800 N. Halsted St. kitty-corner from Schneider Deli — all earned landmark designation in 2021 as part of a district dubbed the Halsted-Willow Group. The buildings all date from the 1880s and were designed in the Italianate and Queen Anne styles.

The Schneiders Deli building was constructed in 1880, the city noted.