Open House
Open House is a bar from Tim Oakley of Greater Good and Get Well with a similarly extensive selection of craft beers.
It also houses Five Points Hot Chicken, a Nashville hot chicken counter from the guys at Village Pizza.
The space that used to be home to The Steady was considerably revamped, and it does feel a little like walking into someone’s home with an antique fireplace and light fixture adorning a front room.
An exposed brick alcove lies just before a slightly elevated space with communal tables and a bold graphic wall that both recall Greater Good.
Five Points operates the same way North of Brooklyn does in other bars: order and pay at a dedicated takeout counter, wait and a bell will be rung and your name will be called.
The menu is a mix-and-match of basics, much like a BBQ menu with different cuts of chicken breaded and fried then seasoned to your spice preference: mild, medium, hot, xtra hot, or devil’s breath.
I try a sandwich ($14) at medium spice level, a good way of sort of trying everything at once and also good for tempering the heat of the seasoning.
The bread is grilled so it’s a little crispier and resists certain sogginess, the moist chicken enveloped by a heap of slaw on one side and juicy pickles on the other.
You can also order a thigh or breast ($12), wings ($5), or even tempeh ($10). They’ll come on an honest-to-goodness slice of soft white bread, piled into a tower topped with pickles, both helpful with mitigating spice.
I decide to up the spice level to hot on some tenders ($5) and they’re not kidding around.
Crinkle fries are the classic on a list of $5 sides: what everyone eats hot chicken with in Nashville, these are salty and devourable with malt vinegar.
There’s also the same slaw that’s on the sandwich, and though red bell pepper seems a bit out of place it’s very crunchy and vinegary. Hot cakes are another divine side, a buttery, crumbly base with bits of pickled jalapeno studded throughout.
A fridge is stocked with dozens of bottle and can options.
Local Halo RGBee Wildflower Ale ($18) is one of many strong, funky bottles.
12 beautiful back taps pour constantly rotating Ontario craft beer, almost always at $8 a pint across the board.
Baby steps towards branching out from beer include cocktails like negronis on tap.
A lack of arcade games may stand out to Greater Good and Get Well fans, as gendered bathrooms might to those who use to frequent The Steady’s queer dance parties and poetry readings.
This bar gets mobbed, but it’s a beautiful place to destroy spicy chicken and beer.
Hector Vasquez