Pop-Up Review: The Golden Girls Kitchen

by Anthony Losanno
Golden Girls Menu Cover

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One of my all-time favorite TV shows is The Golden Girls. No matter how many times I have watched an episode, I’m always ready to join Dorothy, Rose, Blanche, and Sophia on their adventures at 6151 Richmond Street in Miami. When The Golden Girls Kitchen announced that it was coming to Chicago, I knew I had to go to visit.

Thank You for Being a Friend

The pop-up debuted on May 9th in Wicker Park. It assumed the space formerly occupied by Cheesie’s Pub & Grub and Whiskey Business. The wall between the two places was taken down and familiar scenes like the kitchen, Blanche’s bedroom, the living room, the lanai, and The Rusty Anchor have been recreated here.

Tickets are sold for 90-minute seatings. You are free to walk around the various setups and take selfies in these recreations of The Golden Girls‘ home and favorite watering hole. Tickets cost $50 and include your choice of entree and cheesecake. Reservations can be made here.

Golden Girls Menu

The experience is top notch, but don’t come here for the food.

Golden Girls Kitchen

After you enter, the kitchen is to the right. It has the feel of The Golden Girls kitchen (though it’s not an exact reproduction).

Rusty Anchor

The Rusty Anchor is across from the kitchen. There is a spacious bar and clips from the show playing on several TVs. A second bar is located on the other side of the restaurant.

Blanche Bedroom

As you walk into the other side, you’ll fin Blanche’s bedroom (complete with the signature palm leaf wallpaper and bedspread).

Golden Girls Living Room

Past Blanche’s bedroom (and the second nondescript bar), there is a stairwell leading to the living room and lanai. Once upstairs, you’ll find yourself in a space that reminds you of the living room on the show. It’s designed to be similar, but this room felt like a miss.

Golden Girls Lanai

Outside there are more tables in the area known as the lanai. You can also play cornhole and giant Jenga out here.

Golden Girls Outdoors

There are plenty of places for selfies throughout.

Golden Girls Cheese Balls

We went back downstairs and our apps had arrived. We ordered the Cheese Balls and Garlic Bread. The Cheese Balls are actually arancini and were the highlight of the meal.

Golden Girls Garlic Bread

The garlic bread was not very good. A little soggy and too much grated cheese.

Golden Girls Lasagna

We all selected Sophia’s Lasagna Al Forno when I booked. Sophia would be rolling in her grave if she knew her name was attached to this dish. It did make me think of her quote from the episode where she is in a pizza commercial: “Mmm that’s a mighty… That’s a mighty lousy pizza!” The same could be said of the lasagna. It tasted like it was reheated from the freezer and could even have been Stouffer’s.

Golden Girls Cheesecake

The cheesecake was equally bad. We each had a bite and were done.

Golden Girls Cocktail Menu

There is a full cocktail menu, wine, and beer. We tried several and all were fine.

Golden Girls Gift Shop

There is a gift shop in the back corner selling t-shirts, games, and other merchandise. Since this is sponsored by Hulu, Disney, and The Hallmark Channel, everything is officially licensed. We got t-shirts. Some of the other items I have seen in Target.

Golden Girls 1

 

Golden Girls 2

Anthony’s Take: I am a huge fan and loved the decor in the Golden Girls Kitchen. If you are a fan of the show, this pop-up dining experience is a must. It’s a fun experience and you do feel like you’re in the show. Just keep expectations in line for the food as it’s pretty bad. But, you’re coming to pay homage to the girls and can always pick up a cheesecake elsewhere to take home.

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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.

2 comments

Erick June 12, 2023 - 1:38 pm

I also LOVE the GG–I will watch them whenever they’re on–it never gets old! Thanks for this review. I was considering going to the pop-up. I might check it out now.

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Amanda June 17, 2023 - 6:37 pm

It was an okay experience definitely hyped up and wayyy over priced. My cuban sandwich was amazing and so were the fries. My drink was so strong I had to ask for a lemonaide to mix it with… And they chargered me for the lemonade 😡

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