Cook Alex Farias prepares a Chicago-style cheesy beef pizza at Pickle Haus Friday night. Darryl Postelnick, known on social media as @cookingwithdarryl, collaborated with Pickle Haus to create the special menu item.
Patrick Kunzer/Shaw Local
Patio season officially has arrived at Pickle Haus in Algonquin as the indoor pickleball venue with a full restaurant and bar celebrated the opening of its patio with a revamped menu that includes a collaboration with local TikTok cooking influencer Darryl Postelnick.
Dozens packed the outdoor patio with fire pits and TVs during the Pickle Haus patio launch party Friday. Pickle Haus, at 1621 Randall Road, opened in November. The indoor venue is touted as the first of its kind in the Chicago area.
The 40,000-square-foot building has 17 indoor courts, two golf simulators, a coffee shop and a full kitchen and bar. Co-founder Graham Palmer described the business as an “eater-tainment” concept.
“So many people see us as just pickleball,” Palmer said. “We want people to know that we are so much more than that.”
TikTok cooking personality and longtime Algonquin resident Postelnick came up with the Chicago-style cheesy beef pizza for his collaboration menu item with Pickle Haus. The unique pizza is topped with Italian beef, hot giardiniera, mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce on a Neo-Neapolitan-style sourdough crust. He said he was inspired by his teenage years working at an Italian beef stand in Chicago.
“It all goes back to being 14 years old. I worked with my friends, it was our hangout spot,” he said.
Postelnick’s TikTok account, @cookingwithdarryl, started in 2020 and now has 2.9 million followers. Known for his “R. U. Kidding Me?” tagline, he is publishing a cookbook with the same name, available for pre-order now. The book is expected to go on sale in October, Postelnick said. He also has his own product line at cookingwithdarryl.com and multiple partnership deals with national companies, including Bacon Up and Rhoback activewear.
A portion of the pizza sales will go to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Illinois Chapter. Postelnick said that organization’s work hits close to home because his older brother was diagnosed with diabetes at age 20.
“It hits a soft spot for me,” he said.
Pickle Haus’ new summer menu also features burgers, new sandwiches, a dessert and plenty of vegan and gluten-free options. Burgers are made in the stone pizza oven, Palmer said.
Palmer said he reached out to Postelnick because he has always been a fan. Postelnick’s specialty pizza will be available only for the summer, but Palmer said future collaborations are always an option.
“We’ll keep rotating the menu,” Palmer said. “Maybe he can come back to make a winter pizza.”
Pickle Haus will have plenty of offerings in the coming months, including National Pickleball League matches May 18 and 19. One notable player is former Chicago Bears quarterback Danny Wuerffel. Admission is free to watch the matches.