You’ve likely glimpsed the iconic naked Burt Reynolds sexily sprawled on a bearskin rug on the easterly wall at Boone & Crockett, 818 S. Water St. But what you may not have realized is that the mural – once the focal point at the iconic Snack Boys in Walker’s Point – was a harbinger of (delicious) things to come.

While it’s impossible to capture the magic of the original Snack Boys concept during its two glorious years in Walker’s Point, Chef Mitch Ciohon is offering diners the next best thing. For the first time in years, Ciohon is setting aside his Taco Moto business for the winter in favor of a smackin’ new pop-up: South Water Snacks.

“We can’t bring Snack Boys back,” Ciohon says of the concept he launched with co-owner John Revord. “It had its moment. But I love that style of food. I love making snackie things with fun names.”

The pop-up, which debuted during a soft opening this weekend, will open in a more official manner on Thursday, Jan. 16 at 5 p.m.

Chips Toodaloo?

The opening menu presented by Ciohon and the Taco Moto crew will feature numerous throw-back dishes, plus some fun new items for you to enjoy. All will be snack-sized, shareable and priced in the $5-$12 range.

You’ll find throwbacks like BBQ Blue Balls (The bluest. Mixed meatballs, fried and tossed in BBQ, with blue cheese and scallions, $8); and Crispy Fried Tofu (fried tofu tossed with sweet chili sauce, vegan butter, scallions and poppy seeds, $8).

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And yeah, there's those Sticky A** Ribs (slow roasted pork baby back ribs tossed with house BBQ and topped with scallions and seeds, $10). 

Of course, you'll also find some new things like Featured Wings: Mitchy Wings (Mitch's finest crispy wings. Tossed in a house wing sauce (white bbq) and topped with pickle, scallion, cilantro and seeds, $10). 

There's also Gyoza Salad (fried vegetable dumplings tossed with soy ginger vinaigrette, cucumber, sweet peppers, scallion, cilantro, radish and sesame seeds, $9); and Shrimp Fried Steam Buns (steamed buns filled with garlic ginger shrimp puree, topped with aioli, soy reduction, scallions and sesame seeds, $12).

You'll also find Bosco Sticks with Butter Chicken Sauce (cheese filled breadsticks with "butter chicken" style dipping sauce. Topped with cilantro, $8). 

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Ciohon says he’s got a trove of new ideas to pull together for the South Water Snacks menu, so you can expect items to come and go from the menu as inspiration strikes.  For now, you can peep at the menu here.

What to know before you go

At its simplest, South Water Snacks is a pop-up operating inside of Boone & Crockett. That means you just have to show up, grab your drinks at the bar and then take a seat at one of the many tables in the bar.  

You’ll find signs with QR codes that allow you to order with your phone right from the table. Be sure to record your table number and your name on the order so that it can be delivered right to your table. (In the case that Boone is super busy and it’s standing room only, please provide the table number closest to where you’re standing and then stay there so they can deliver your food to you without confusion).

The debut menu will feature 12–15 items priced $5-$12 each. You can order a couple of items for yourself or as many as you’d like for sharing. All food will be delivered in carry-out style packaging on aluminum trays. 

Wanna keep up with what’s new? Follow South Water Snacks and all of its shenanigans on Instagram.

Beginning this week, South Water Snacks will be open Thursday through Saturday from 5 to 11 p.m. 

And maybe, if you visit they'll even expand their hours!

Note: If you’re wondering what happened to Dooby Dogs, you’ll find the truck and its river glizzies Thursday through Saturday from 6 to 11 p.m. at The Mothership, 2301 S. Logan Ave. in Bay View.