A pair of Chicago natives who spent years slinging Italian beef sandwiches and hot dogs out of local taprooms have finally put down roots in Spartanburg. Bronzeville Bites, the Chicago comfort food concept from Vic and Charmaine Modica, opened its brick-and-mortar restaurant at 160 S. Pine St. in September 2026, two years later than originally planned.
The Modicas, both Chicago natives, first moved to Houston in 2019 before relocating to the Upstate in 2021, according to the Post and Courier. The restaurant was originally slated to open by the end of 2024, but the timeline slipped by two years.
Before landing a permanent address, the couple built a following the hard way: pop-up by pop-up. Bronzeville Bites operated out of local breweries including The Whale and Traveler, along with area festivals, steadily building a following across the Upstate, per the same account.
A Name Rooted in Chicago History
The restaurant takes its name from Bronzeville. The National Park Service recognizes the Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage Area.
The Italian beef sandwich is rooted in Italian-American immigrants who lived and worked on Taylor Street; competing accounts exist, and no single invention story is definitively proven, according to WTTW Chicago. WTTW also describes Depression-era peanut weddings and affordable wet-roasted beef sandwiches. At Bronzeville Bites, the 6-inch Italian beef comes topped with hot giardiniera and sweet peppers, per the Post and Courier.
Following the Rules of a Real Chicago Dog
Bronzeville Bites' Chicago dog features mustard, green relish, white onions, two tomato slices, a pickle spear, two sport peppers and celery salt, the Post and Courier reports.
Bronzeville Bites keeps its lineup short. The menu lists a $5.50 Chicago dog and a $10.50 Italian beef, with combos ranging from $7.50 to $12.75 and sides like a $2.00 Tom Tom Tamale.
Local Partnerships Fill Out the Menu
Rounding out the menu are a handful of local partnerships. Bronzeville Bites sources its candy apples from How About Them Apples in Spartanburg and gets its caramel cake from Nostalgia Sweets, built from a recipe Charmaine Modica provided herself, per the Post and Courier.
The restaurant employs three staffers, all Spartanburg natives, and the Modicas' second-oldest of their four children also helps out at the shop. Bronzeville Bites is open Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.
A Growing Corner of Downtown Spartanburg
The storefront is at 160 S. Pine St. in Spartanburg. Converse Commons is a nearby shopping center, according to ApartmentHomeLiving.
FX's television series The Bear broadened the Italian beef sandwich's audience, while Portillo's has expanded. Portillo's generates $7.9 million in annual revenue per store, according to Pizza Today.
