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The original Pleasant House is an 1800s cottage that still looks out on the rolling green hills of rural Yorkshire, England. In the 1950s, the Jackson family called Pleasant House home. 

In 2011, husband and wife Art and Chelsea Jackson opened Pleasant House Bakery, a small pie shop specializing in Royal Pies—their own variety of handmade, artisanal meat and vegetable savory pies. In 2016, they expanded their signature British-inspired, locally sourced menu in a new location, Pleasant House Pub, which also features a full bar and cafe. Art and Chelsea are co-chef/owners of Pleasant House Pub.

Art worked at such lauded restaurants as Les Nomades in Chicago and Fifth Floor in San Francisco. He graduated from Illinois State University and attended Kendall College. Chelsea is a writer, editor, and pastry chef. She is a graduate of Northwestern University and Kendall College.

a man and a woman in front of a wall

Pleasant House establishments have earned such accolades as “Outstanding Restaurant” (Chicago Tribune), “Best Neighborhood Eatery” (LTH Forum), and “Rising Star Chefs” (Star Chefs), and have been featured in Bon Appetit, Check, Please!, Martha Stewart, Food Paradise, and other local and national media. Eater named Royal Pies one of “25 iconic Chicago foods.” 

Pleasant House also has been featured in The Atlantic, Serious Eats, Star Chefs, and many other publications, and on television and radio programming including Food Porn, Windy City LIVE!, NPR, WBEZ-FM, and more. Read about our many awards and past coverage on the Pleasant House Bakery website.

“Classic English pies may be the specialty of this house, but don’t let that inspire visions of chintz and tea cozies—the interior here is decidedly modern, with marble-topped tables and hand-crafted pottery. But the crowds come for the pies, and for good reason—they’re fabulous. The crust is flaky and buttery, and the inside, hearty and satisfying. Dig into the steak and ale, with its beef stew filling and side of minty peas, gravy and mashed potatoes, and you’ll be hunting for every last crumb. The comfort food hits also keep on coming, from rarebit mac and cheese with Trooper Ale cheese sauce, to fish and chips on Fridays. Of course, with much of the seasonal greens from local farms, rest assured that even a simple salad will be a revelation.”

—MICHELIN guide inspectors