Old dairy depot turned into hotel and dining hub FieldHouse Jones
CHICAGO (WLS) -- It's always fun to see how Chicago architects restore notable buildings and turn them into something special. Our Hungry Hound says an old dairy depot on the Near North Side is a perfect example. From a space that was completely vacant, has now sprung a unique kind of hotel, FieldHouse Jones, where you can find something to eat or drink all day long.
You may have driven by the old building at 312 W. Chestnut over the years, and never paid it much attention. But a new kind of hospitality company has recently restored the address, using the city's love of fieldhouses as an inspiration. There's a lot of communal activity here, with much of it centered around eating and drinking.
The coffee bar and dining area might look familiar. But this is actually the lobby of a unique new hotel. FieldHouse Jones sits next to the Brown Line tracks, in the old Borden Dairy Depot building. The space has been converted into 55 unique rooms - a few of them dorm-style - with the theme being an old Chicago fieldhouse. In the basement, a massive slot car racing track to tap into your inner kid, plus foosball and air hockey. In the lobby, unique art installations and food all day.
"It is an all-day café, but it's predominantly breakfast items is what we see we move the most," said Sarah Jordan, the Food and Beverage Director for FieldHouse Jones.
Avocados are mashed then set atop country toast with pickled red onions and a bright arugula salad on the side, plus a gently poached egg on top.
"You can get like a classic style breakfast - eggs, bacon, sausage and toast - but we also have things like chilaquiles with slow roasted pork shoulder and fried eggs," she said.
Or a bagel bar, with creative toppings like a smoked whitefish and cream cheese, shmeared on generously, then topped with pickled onions, fresh chervil and trout roe. Lunchtime brings double-stacked patties for their excellent cheeseburger or a thoughtfully composed spinach curry with chickpeas, assembled over a mound of sweet potatoes and topped with a fried egg. The coffee program is notable, but moreso due to the lineup of cooler and steamers.
"We've designed four different coolers, they're all non-alcoholic-based; different flavors like a cucumber lemonade, we have a hibiscus drink. We have a forbidden rice horchata which is super cool and interesting and a strawberry rhubarb consommé," said Jordan.
DropShot Coffee & Snack Bar
312 W Chestnut St
(312) 496-3014
