Oak Lawn Bar's Birria Pizza Turning Heads On TikTok

OAK LAWN, IL — An undiscovered item on Uncle Bud’s menu in Oak Lawn that takes pub grub to new heights is exploding on TikTok after a nod from food influencer Julian Lee, who called it “the best bar food I've ever had.”

Since it’s appearance on social media a few weeks ago, Uncle Bud's has sold over 500 of the Mexican street par excellent pizzas, including to a couple who drove from Cincinnati after seeing it on TikTok.

“Everybody does quesabirria tacos,” Executive Chef Ivan Gonzalez told Patch. “We wanted to make something different.”

Last year, Gonzalez’s birria burger placed second out of a field of 75 in the South Beach Food and Wine festival in Miami, Fla., bringing in a swarm of new patrons eager to try the

>>> Oak Lawn Chef 's 'Birria Burger' Takes Second At Prestigious Food Fest

Birria is a type of flavorful stew in Mexico. The key to birria is the slow cooking of the actual chuck roast, slow cooked for eight hours in a large pot which has chicken stock, Guajillo peppers, ancho peppers, fresh garlic, cloves, bay leaves, cumin and ground cinnamon until the roast literally falls apart with tenderness.

Gonzalez uses a birria recipe passed down from his grandmother. His Mexican street par excellent pizza is a 12-inch pie, the crust not too thin and not too thick, covered with smoked mozzarella and provolone, with a side of consumer to dip the slice in.

“It gives that nice cheese string,” Gonzalez said.

When Uncle Bud’s first opened in 2022, the bar offered basic pub grub – burgers, cheese steak, sandwiches, starters and salads.

“We started messing around with specials,” Gonzalez said, newly arrived from the North Side. “We saw people were intrigued. Some people were used to just getting the usual cheeseburger. They come in and eat the birria burger, the loaded mac and cheese and the shrimp basket with elote.”

Gonzalez began his career 13 years ago at the upscale Fox and Obel grocery store that also doubled as a bistro cafe. From Fox and Obel, Gonzalez bandied about North Side bars Fat Cat and Silver Cloud. He also ran kitchens at Yolk, Kanela Breakfast Club and Berger Station. Now, at age 31, Gonzalez is the executive chef at Uncle Bud’s Bar and Grill at 97th Street and Cicero Avenue.

His inspired creations have turned this South Side neighborhood bar a dining destination.

“I’ve been in through a lot of bars chefs who helped me build what I am,” he said, who has eschewed his North Side roots and now resides in Oak Lawn. “I come up with ideas by thinking what would I like to eat it. There are a lot of good places in Wicker Park and Logan Square where they do all these crazy dishes.”

As for the birrio pizza, the ground chuck was juicy and tender and the consume ground chuck on the birrio pizza was juicy and tender – not the tough stew meat that traumatized me as a child. The consommé was rich and flavorful, enjoyed with an espresso martini (it’s five o’clock somewhere). Chef Ivan had successfully expanded my palette, as he has turns thousands of other Southsiders into converts with his Quesabirria and consommé.

“My main concept was to bring the North Side to the South Side,” Gonzalez said. “So I say, ‘why not Oak Lawn.’ We were the underdogs.”

And before your birria pizza arrives, order the boneless/bone-in wings. Chef Ivan adds a twist from the usual barbecue sauce-slathered wings you find at other bars, with six of his own sauce concoctions: buffalo, Carolina sweet barbecue, fresh harbero, lemon-pepper, Parmesan garlic and Thai sweet chili.

Chef Ivan will be bringing South Side Pride to the North Side this summer with planned Uncle Bud’s popups planned Hunter’s Restaurant and Lounge (Elmwood Park) and Captain Shrimp (Chicago-Northwest Side), every Friday starting July 11.

Stop by Uncle Bud’s food booth July 10-13 at Harley Fest in Milwaukee. They’ll also be feeding the kids with their parents’ debit cards at Lollapalooza July 31 through Aug. 3 in Grant Park.

Uncle Bud’s, 9700 S. Cicero Ave., Oak Lawn, is open daily from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.