Chess-centric Restaurant Review

I thought the food, service, and décor were all quite good at the newly renovated Giordano’s pizzeria in Hyde Park, which reopened this week after several months of remodeling. I’ll leave it at that and let people who know about restaurants fill in the details. What struck me about the place was that the tabletops are perfect for chess. Just bring pieces, and the board’s right there. The squares are about two inches and take standard-size chessmen just fine.

Props to Giordano’s, by the way, for preserving the historically significant glazed façade of the building. Hyde Parkers of a certain age will remember that the space was once the site of the Eagle, a classic neighborhood bar that closed in the late 1970s.

photo: Michael Panelas