Zup Pizza Bar Description

Following numerous popups around the city, Zup – the brainchild of Chicago born and raised Wayne Hou and partner Lee Tseng (Liquid Laundry, Boxing Cat) – opened in the middle of pandemic takeout mode in August of 2022 to popular acclaim. Having spent 19 years in China, the majority of which was in Dalian as the owner of a New York pizza chain called Brooklyn, Wayne is no stranger to pizza culture of the East. 

“Deep dish wouldn’t work as a staple in Shanghai because it’s too dense, and New York style has its bases covered already with Homeslice and Joe’s. So this is where Chicago tavern style pizza steps into the limelight – fitting in ideally with a pizza plus bar concept.” 

The pizza and dishes are meant for sharing, a backdrop for value-driven drinking and partying. 

And it is just that. The venue stays open late, with pizza and snacks served until 2am on weekends – the smell of freshly baked pies plus a rotating set of DJs and live music pulling the Donghu Lu-Fumin Lu contingency upstairs.