Daniel S.

Pizano's Pizza has been a Chicago pizza institution since 1991 when Rudi Malnati Jr. opened his first pizza shop. It is no surprise that Pizano's is very famous. Rudi Malnati learned from one of the best pizza chefs: his dad Rudy Malnati Sr. He is the founder of Pizzaria Uno that opened way back in 1943. No wonder that their restaurants are filled to capacity and widely acclaimed. According to the Pizano's website, USA Today voted their thin crust pizza as one of the Top 10 in the USA and Oprah Winfrey voted it as her favorite thin crust pizza. I assume that if Oprah was a yelper she'd vote it 5 stars. Based on my experience I am rating it 4 stars. Here is my Pizano's experience. I have tried Gino's East and Giordano's. They were good at the same time I thought they were overrated. Back in 2012, we tried the State Street Pizano's. It was 4 star delicious. Fast forward two years, when we returned to Chicago we saw the Madison Street Pizano's. We'd give it a try. Pizano's is located on Madison Street between Wabash Avenue and Michigan Avenue at the eastern border of the Loop. It is in the heart of the city. When you sit outside or wait outside, you get to take in the rhythm of the city. When you look up you see the elevated train buzzing above Wabash Avenue and the architecture of the skyscrapers. At eye level pedestrians and cars pass by on Madison Street. What makes this an interesting spot is that if I am not mistaken Madison Street is the diving line between north and south Chicago. So much for facts, lets step inside Pizano's. When we stepped inside Pizano's there was very little space to step. The same reason that Oprah rated their pizza high and that USA Today rated it one of the ten best thin crust pizzas in America (according to their website) is why there was a wait and that it was busy. When I write busy I state that every table was taken and people were standing waiting by the tables. This is a compliment to the business taking into account that the restaurant is two floors. Waiting was not so bad. The hostess handed us a beeper that gave us freedom to walk around. In the dimly lit restaurant, I looked at the pictures of all the celebrities who supposedly dined here. Just like the State Street Pizano's, the walls are covered with pictures. Most of the time waiting was standing outside on the Madison Street sidewalk taking in the scenery. Back inside, the waitress was pleasant but very busy. We ordered a large pizza with BBQ chicken. As we waited, I read their story on the history of pizza and Pizano's. The thin crust pizza was delicious. The cheese was mouth watering and plentiful. The pizza sauce was delicious. And the crust was just right. In similar style to Chicago pizzarias they cut the pie into squares. My minor complaint with Pizano's and the competition is that they need to offer individual pies. I love my family but when we share a large pizza pie we seem to compete for the slices. Maybe its just me. The thing is the pizza is so out of this world that we'd each finish a slice, grab the next, and eventually the pie was gone. But not the memory. Pizano's Pizza is a Chicago pizza institution that lives up to its name. And without fail, Pizano's Pizza lives up to my four star expectation.

Kendall N.

Good service and excellent Chicago style pizza. We opted for Fried Calamari for the appetizer and Rudy's Special for the entree. The Fried Calamari I felt like was bang for your buck since it was $11 and they give you such a large amount. Rudy's Special was very comparable to Lou Malnati's as it seems like both places uses white wine in their recipe. It was nice that they were open late and had good service as well and pretty convenient near where we were staying.

Nishi S.

I am vegetarian and ordered the eggplant parmesan, which comes with a side of spaghetti and salad. The salad came first, and it was literally like a plate of lettuce. I'm vegetarian, but I'm not a rabbit!! That was most bland "salad" I've ever had. I can make my own salad better than that. The eggplant parmesan came some time after (took forever, actually). That was seriously the WORST eggplant parmesan EVER. I have made eggplant parmesan myself before and it was amazing... the one that was served to me for an entire $15.00 was absolutely terrible. It literally tasted like expired, rubber eggplant. I couldn't even taste the sauce and cheese on top. The only decent part of my meal was the spaghetti, which I tried to use to hide the taste of that foul "eggplant." I didn't finish my salad, and I didn't finish the eggplant parmesan either. It was so expensive and the whole meal turned out to be disgusting. Also, a friend of mine got the fettuccine alfredo and said it sucked as well. Now I have never had pizza there, and it could be good. However, DO NOT get the eggplant parmesan. Seriously, how can you mess up such an easy recipe?! I was so disappointed. Never again. I guess they just don't give a damn about people who can't have meat. -___-

Stephanie K.

I'm a big fan of their thin crust pizza which I equate to Lou Malnati's if Lou Malnati's specialized in thin crust(Yes, I'm aware Lou's also has thin crusts but it's not as magical as their deep dish). The crust is nice and crunchy and never soggy. I know some people think it's a little *too* crunchy but I disagree. Their toppings are fresh and the pizza overall doesn't taste too heavy or greasy. If I see calamari on the menu, it's pretty much guaranteed that it's going in my belly. Pizano's calamari was light, tender and utterly tasty...especially for a pizza place. Dine in service was meh/average. I typically get delivery though because I'm a couch potato and avoid the loop like the plague when the tourists are out.

Dan B.

Visiting from out of town. Wanted authentic Chicago Pizza. Our hotel concierge recommended this place. Overall, a good experience. Lots of photos of local sports heroes on the walls. Both the deep dish and thin crust pizzas were good (We were not feeling very adventurous, so we stuck to "tried and true" items on the menu). Our waiter, a 62 year old gentleman named Chatch, was exceptionally friendly and attentive. He made our evening memorable (in a good way). 3 individual pizzas, wine for $62. Would go back.

Brenden B.

Okay, I had to edit this previous review as I didn't give this place a proper one. Pizano's is good deep dish pizza. The butter crust is tasty, they fill it with toppings and a mound full of cheese and top it with some fresh tomatoes. Is it my favorite deep dish? No, but it doesn't mean that I wouldn't be upset if I ended up here to chow down. Prices are good, cheaper than other deep dish giants of Chicago. Good atmosphere too. Great service. We had the manger deliver our pizza and talk a little bit about the history of Pizano's which was cool. I wouldn't be mad if I ended up here again!

Christine H.

Good atmosphere, so-so deep dish pizza, bad service. The deep dish pizza is full of cheesy goodness. I love cheese so that's a definite plus. However, this is where the compliments end. The crust is crunchy in the wrong way, and there was no taste in the pizza. I had to pile on the cheese and pepper flakes to eat the pizza. As the pizza cools, the cheese started solidifying and lost it's chewy texture. The service however was not good at all. We stood around for a bit in the front of the restaurant looking for the hostess. The server only refilled our water once. When the pizza came out they forgot the plates. The garlic bread appetizer came with marinara sauce, and both were excellent. Not too strong of a garlic taste but of flavor. If I do ever come back, I'm planning on getting the thin crust. Hopefully it'll live up to it's name as Oprah's favorite thin crust pizzeria!

Frank L.

I got the take out for the cheese deep dish, it was just ok. Lou Malnati got a way better take out for sure. to be fair, dining in might be a different story

Kara S.

Pizano's was definitely a stumble-upon kind of experience. Me and a few friends were in the city one night, getting pretty hungry. We were looking at the menu outside beforehand and couldn't decide if we wanted to go in or not. So as the cold creeped on us, I made the group decision and said, "whatever lets just go in". We were seated right away, in what looked to be a pretty busy restaurant. Close to a (mysterious) staircase. After we sat down a couple of minutes later our waiter arrived. He was a CHARACTER. Really funny, but after awhile it was like, okay dude chill. He was a good guy though, he just kept making the same joke. It was DEFINITELY an experience. Called himself the chach. Said he was in a magazine recently. But he did make a killer orange soda and give us pretty good recommendations/service. Found out the stairs lead down to the bathroom. And other hidden rooms that seemed to have a party happening. A little strange, but it's Chicago so I try not to question the way they work their space. So we ordered the sausage and mushroom deep dish pizza and one friend ordered a pizza burger and said it was delicious. The pizza was definitely one of a kind. We had to wait at least thirty minutes for it to cook. Which seemed a little long, but it was worth the wait. The pizza sauce was fresh, and very tasty. It had a thicker (chunkier) sauce that was mainly fresh tomatoes. Sausage was homemade, and flavorful. Crust was perfect. Food was great, definitely wouldn't mind bumping into this pizza place again.

B H.

I come to this place EVERY time I go to Chicago.. the BEST deep dish pizza in Chicago for sure. Last time we were in town, we ate there twice! Have to be patient, the deep dishes take about 30 minutes to make. But well worth the wait. On nice days, they can open the windows or you can sit outside, which makes this place unique in Chicago. Decor inside is a little used up...like every other pizza place, nothing special. Have to have good balance (and thin build!) to get downstairs to the bathrooms! Will ALWAYS come back here for pizza!

Randi M.

We had the BEST waiter Paul! He made great recommendations and bought us a dessert just because :) the food was great, highly recommend.

Yardena Z.

The first and last time... Worst pizza ever. The Dough of the pizza is disgusting. I am very disappointed .

Chris E.

I came here because it came highly recommended by a local and it was conveniently located not too far from Grant Park, which made it all the easier to get to. Even if you're coming from afar, the train is located only a block away. The inside of the restaurant is covered in framed iconic Chicago sports photos, such as Michael Jordan's last Bulls shot, the Blackhawks Stanley Cup victory in 2013 and even Chris Farley's performance on SNL wearing his Bears sweater! There are lots of sports photos all over the walls. As for the pizza, I tried a half Sausage and half Pepperoni deep dish pizza. Being the 2nd deep dish pizza I've tried in my life (1st being Lou Malnati's), it was very good, extremely cheesy and it had tons of tomato sauce as expected. The dough/breading was thick, crunchy and flavorful too, holding the slices together very well. It was very difficult to choose between my 1st experience and my experience here at Pizano because the pizza at Pizano was just as good. The convenient location absolutely doesn't hurt though if you're looking for a quick meal after touring the loop.

Blair M.

Our hotel sent us here for some Chicago style Pizza. The service was good, the staff was friendly, and I love the sports memorabilia on every square each of wall. But the pizza - NO! The crust was so hard I may have chipped a tooth. Sorry but that's not how pizza crust is done in Chicago or anywhere else that I've been. I even tried to cut the crust with a knife and was unsuccessful. On a positive note the house salad was fine and as I said everyone was friendly.

Lady B.

Three stars for the service/waitress was friendly. ZERO stars for the food. I had a bad feeling when I sat down in a chair and the legs were wobbly as if they would break at any moment. Then came the appetizer which was cheesy garlic bread. The bread was literally bread with half melted mozzarella cheese over top it came off the bread with one bite. And then came the deep dish pizza which started off okay until I ate a sour piece of pineapple (that was white in color) but I thought I might enjoy the crust (I love crust) but it lacked flavor and was very hard. This was a personal size pizza which means I didn't waste more money had I have ordered a bigger size but I'm still out $10. The back story behind the pizzeria is interesting and full of drama and passion...too bad that passion no longer exists.

Jesus G.

The deep dish pizza was great about the same if not better than Giordano's! I knew about Pizano's in Wicker Park/Bucktown area however I had never been there. This Sunday after running a race downtown we came across Pizano's and decided to try it. Our server, Nathan, was very friendly and since he was a runner himself we started great conversation about running. The pizza took about 30mins (which is normal for deep dish) and meanwhile we enjoyed a beer. Then Nathan surprised us with a baked chocolate chip cookie with vanilla ice cream and whip cream on top and the dessert was on the house!!

Far K.

The interiors were okay, just a bar-diner type of place. All the furniture is a bit crowded, and there is very little space to walk. Very dimmed lighting, so it might be difficult to see what you are eating. We ordered a thing crusted vegetarian pizza, which took a very long time to come. However, the pizza tasted really good especially their homemade cheese. I would definitely recommend this place for thin crusted pizza. The customer service friendly, and alright. The worst part of the entire experience were the washrooms, it seemed like it wasn't cleaned for days, smelled absolutely disgusting, I had to hold my breath the entire time. So if you ever go here, use the washroom somewhere else, and save yourself from a gross experience.

Blake L.

They have a convenient take out menu and located right downtown so made for a nice lunch. What was really good was the crust and sauce so thumbs up on the thin crust!

Kendrick W.

So I mean what can I say? Pizano's is a Chicago institution. Now you'll hear about some of the other more touristy spots, but Pizano's is where it's at. I'm partial to their thin crust. If you're a fan of thin crust pizza then this is your spot. The crust is actually amazingly well done and crisp. Thin crust should not be soggy or floppy like some cheap NY Pizza. Pizano's nailed it. No surprise here.

May T.

I thought I'd check out the take out deep dish sausage pizza. The crust was not good. I expected more. I have to say even though I know it's not the freshly made I just anticipated better. I was going to try the cheesecake slice but it was $7! That's straight up robbery!

Kimberly S.

The best thin crust pizza, hands down! I'm not just talking about in Chicago or even Illinois, it's likely the best in the entire world. It's thin flaky pie crust and melts in your mouth. All the toppings were fresh and tasty as well. We came here a few years back and made it our mission to come back. I've never had their deep dish so I can't speak to that, but if you're in the mood for thin crust this is your place! Oh man, I already want to go back.....

Hyeongjun C.

Papa John's is much better. I tried thin crust cheese and sausage pizza and seafood marinara. Pizza was OK but too much dough. It got hard and eventually tasted like some pizza chip. Seafood marinara was terrible. It tasted like squid soup. Yuck

Nick M.

Every time I come to Chicago I always come here for Italian Beef. The bread is the best out of any other Italian Beefs sandwiches I've ever had. The spinach & artichoke dip is second to none from the appetizers. Their Deep Dish is also very good but I think it's best without toppings.

Naheed M.

pizza was good but wait was soooooooo long. service was ok, but could've been better.

Jonathan B.

Poor service! At this point in time it's been over a hour and I still am yet to even taste the food. 15 minutes after being seated we were finally approached by not our waiter but by his colleague.... Who took down our drinks and brought our needs to our waiters attention. When it came to ordering, I have to say the order was quite simple "large pizza"..... Well apparently not! 35 minutes pass. Several people that were seated after me are now well into their meal. To no surprise the waiter comes to tell us that our order was never sent to the kitchen. To quote him " this has been the fifth time this has happened to him today, it must be the system". After the fifth time I would think the problem would be addressed. With an hour quickly approaching we asked to speak to the manager... With time continuing to pass by and no word from the on duty manager Roy. It became really clear that the staff running this business really need to revisit the basics of customer care. "Thanks for the great service Roy! Way to take charge of your business! Providing customer service is not you strong suit!" P.S the food came out and the order was completely wrong.

Jackie W.

I am a student at Roosevelt University and four of my classmates and I went to Pizano 's this restaurant for some pizza after a final exam. We were told that because we were a party of five, that we needed to be a party of six to be seated, We stood and waited because there were open tables but we were not seated. The manager and or owner at the time spoke with one of my classmates who asked if he could make a consideration and he said it would take ten minutes to find up a table. Great! As we waited, we observed a party of three be seated at a table of four and a party of five be seated at the bar area. When we asked why that was we were told that it did not seem that we wanted to be squeezed together but we were never given that option. When we entered, We waited twenty five minutes with open tables being given to others . All we wanted d to do was celebrate the end of a long semester IT WAS NOT RIGHT PERIOD. we went to another restaurant and we were seated served and treated beautifully. Acantos. in the gage building. was this restaurant. if you read this and are a student at Roosevelt ora student in that area area, we urge you not to go we never got to eat we were just stood the whole time. We would love for you to NOT patronize Pizanos. and we will attempt to let the Roosevelt community know as well know as well PEACE OUT/ JLW. . NO STARS AND DAMN SURE NO PIZANOS THERE.

Fatima O.

Stopped at Pizanos as part of of a food tour and tried a sample of thin crust and deep dish . The pizza is ok nothing spectacular.

Karen Y.

Came here for some of Chicago's famous deep dish pizza but honestly I fell more in love with their homemade gnocchi in cream pesto sauce. I'm not really a deep dish fan in general anyway. The deep dish had a very crunchy crust and lots of cheese. Good, but not the greatest I think it could be. The gnocchi was perfectly delicious though... I also ordered the minestrone soup but it was a mismatch of vegetables. For some reason there were lots of peas in it which I've never seen in minestrone soup before. The flavor was a little bland too.

Krsna V.

A friend asked what's my first indulgence after returning to Chicago. Without hesitation I answered Pizano's pizza. It is usually our first meal after flying back to Chicago. That's how much Pizano's has become part of the routine. While there is always a debate on who has the best deep dish pizza in town, I prefer the butter crust of Pizano's. Most deep dish pizzas are over stuffed, but Pizano's gets it with the right amount of cheese, sauce, and toppings. The winner, however, is the thin crust. Buttery crispy crust where the toppings are covered under the cheese is a pure delight. The only drawback of this thin crust is that it doesn't hold well for delivery. But it beats most thin crust pizza in town when eaten on site. The salads are big and green (well, how else do you describe a salad?). I have never eaten anything at Pizanos' besides pizza and salad, so I cannot make a first hand comment on other dishes, but my friends like the pasta dishes. One of the gems in the Loop.

Manuel V.

Awful customer service. They can't even keep up with sitting people down. If you are downtown please do yourself a favor and go to a better quality pizza and customer service, even if it is not close to Michigan Avenue.

Mike D.

I ate their gluten free pizza which may sound so-so but it is amazing! Instead of using dough for the pizza crust, they make it out of sausage! It is just incredible! You owe it to yourself to try one of these! It is deep dish no less and starts at $7 with just a cheese topping although of course you can add as many toppings as you wish to pay for. Highly recommended.

Nicole M.

Not my favorite. The patio is nice for people watching and the service good, but the pizza leaves something to be desired... At least mine did. My table mates food seemed much tastier.

Daniel S.

It was voted best thin crust in the city, but frankly i found it too crispy, their deep crust was too hard with not enough meat, the ravioli had only 4 pieces, overall i found it overrated

Catherine S.

Had a pizza and garlic cheese bread delivered to the hotel. Delivery was faster than advertised however that's about the only positive thing about the order. Pizza and bread were cold, soggy and chewy...easily undercooked. Onions and bell peppers on the pizza were way too crunchy like they were still raw. Bread looked like they just laid a slice of cheese on it. Specifically requested napkins, paper plates and Parmesan cheese but didn't get them either. Overall disappointing for "authentic Chicago-style" pizza.

Brandon C.

Samantha is the best!!! I was seated at her table. Courteous, friendly, attentive. I will definitely return. I didn't eat any food this time, but the drinks were on point.

Joe S.

Old school. A bit divey. But they serve the real thing. Versus Giro's, Girodano's and Malnati's, I'd choose Pizano's deep dish first. I took four frozen ones back to California they were so good.

Erica N.

Cannot thank Chris and his staff enough for making our Rehearsal Dinner perfect!! We had a group of 25 and used the downstairs semi-private dining room. The appetizers were out a few minutes after we all arrived and they were delicious. They had a table set up were our guests could serve themselves 'buffet' style- which worked out perfectly and kept large amounts of food off of individual tables, making it easier to work around. The timing of our pizza being served was perfect too. The staff was great and really personable, which made us all feel so welcome. We did end up sharing the room with a large group of Miami Dolphin fans who were in for the Bears game, but they were fun and our groups were able to playfully banter about the upcoming game on Sunday. Thank you Chris & Pizano's!

Teri W.

This was seriously the best pizza we have had. The staff was friendly and service was quick. But the food, it was amazing! I have never been a fan of Chicago style pizza or any deep dish, however my husband is. We love to try new things when we get to a new city so he wanted Chicago style deep dish. The locals told us to go here but we were hesitant because it is a chain restaurant and we like the little hole in the wall places that locals frequent. But we decided to give it a try, and we were thrilled. Even the appetizers were fantastic. You would never know this was a chain, the food tastes like homemade. The outdoor dining was a blast as well. We loved being able to people watch as we ate. The whole experience was fabulous.

J. Chuck K.

Oprah don't know pizza. Making famous people cry and get in touch with their feelings? Yes. Picking out the restaurant with the best thin crust pizza in Chicago? No While the pizza wasn't awful, it certainly wasn't in my top 3 in all of Chicago. However, their thin crust was better than their deep dish. Yes, my dining companion and I ordered two medium sized pizzas; even the waiter gave us a look of concern. He was so concerned that he moved us from the tiny two person table next to two people on a date to a four person. Their sausage is good, but the crust for the deep dish had a weird taste and fell apart at the slightest touch. Whereas many reviews complained about the service, ours wasn't bad. It got off to a slow start, but he rallied and checked on us throughout the night. The taste of the pizza certainly effects your judgement about it, but so does price. I'm willing to pay more for great taste, but not for average to below average compared to other pizza places....Pequods, Piece, Roots and even Lou's can justify charging more, but not Pizanos. The same goes for their beer. Under no circumstances should a can of Revolution cost $6.50.

Henry C.

First time eating Chicago style deep dish pizza. Delicious and a friendly staff. Will definitely come back next time I'm in Chicago.

ryan c.

Between my girlfriend and I, we could only eat 1 pizza even though I wanted to try the thin crust pizza as well. Rudy Special DEEP DISH for us. I like that this joint is open late and you can order to pick up since it was around the corner from my hotel. Anyways, on to pizza. Let me say the waiter was very accommodating and even quickly brought me paper plates, forks, and napkins to take back to my hotel. All of the ingredients were fresh and delicious but the only thing that disturbed me was... there was a bit too much sauce and a couple of the slices of pizza was soggy on the bottom. Other than that, everything else was good. Crust was crunchy and this was the 1st of 3 pizza joints I visited in Chicago. When I come back, I have to try the thin crust.

Vanessa I.

Good food, bad delivery personnel. Bad attitude, through my receipt in my buildings hallway. I regret leaving a tip.

Hilary K.

We absolutely loved the pizza! Had excellent service and the waiter went out of his way to be kind to us.

Allen B.

Pizano's Pizza = The Bombazee like Patrick Swayze. (And you all know that Patrick Swayze was the bomb, no doubt. Rest in peace my friend.) Although I'm a fan of both deep dish and thin crust, at Pizano's I'm going to have to rock the thin crust. It is PHENOMENAL, hands down. I ordered a basil chicken & mozzarella pizza and holy sh*t it was AMAZE-BALLs. There are a several things I love in this world and that's: my dog, hot girls, fitness, and Pizano's pizza.

Ces'Ari D.

It's local and down to Earth. They have pineapple as a topping option (Lou Malnati's doesn't). There is also a good balance between sauce, cheese and sauce. I tend to prefer more sauce, less cheese. This is definitely the spot for the unpretentious. Lou Malnati's is over rated in my opinion.

Diane S.

Excellent and attentive waiter. Calamari appetizer was tough but sauce was good. Ordered a deep dish pizza that had about as hard a crust as I've ever eaten on a pizza. Filling was tasty but somewhat meager. Was a little disappointed as we were looking for great Chicago deep dish.

Devina B.

Horrible service! The waiter was rude and forgot my drink after I reminded him a few times and still left it on my check. Our pizza was delivered to our table 45 min after we ordered. Only pluses were the location and our pizza was served hot. Thin crust was like flavorless cardboard. Too much of a tourist attraction!

Caitlin C.

Food was okay. Pizza was average at best, Caesar salad was good. I think there are probably better places you can go.

Mark K.

Our waiter was drunk; spilled the drink all over me. Didn't tell us beverages didn't come with refills. Not coming back.

Dyer B.

A good place for Italian sandwiches and deep dish pizza. Try the Italian beef or the Italian sausage sandwhiches.

Stephanie H.

I am by no means a Chicago pizza expert since I've only been here 2 years, but Pizano's had been on my list for awhile because it's near my office. I took a friend who was visiting me (her first time in Chicago) and I was embarrassed. I should have taken her to Giordano's. For starters, we went last Friday and got there a little after 6pm- there was already a 15-20 minute wait. Thankfully, we could put in our deep dish order while we were waiting for a table. We FINALLY got seated after 20 minutes or so, we joked that our pizza might be done first. We order a salad to split and a few beers and then the pizza came out. Yikes. It looked like crappy Pizza Hut pizza. At least at Giordano's it's a really thick piece of pizza that bleeds cheese- Pizano's does not. It was really really greasy and the crust was so hard you might cut the roof of your mouth. We split the small 10" vegetarian pizza and added fresh garlic. The garlic was definitely needed as I thought the pizza was bland. Perhaps the thin crust is better, but I wanted deep dish...

Eli G.

Pizza #3 of the night. By the time the pizza bus rolled up to Pizano's, they were rolling us off the bus. No one should eat more than a couple slices of deep dish in one night; I was up to 5 as we entered. They had our group in the basement, which on a hot June night was verging on intolerably hot. We had another round of deep dish along with some very buttery thin crust pizza as well. The thin crust would have been a perfect drinking pizza if I could have stomached it, very rich and buttery. The best part of the deep dish was the cheese. It was wonderfully real tasting and worlds better than any of the other cheese from across the night. The crust and sauce however were sub-par. yelp.com/biz_photos/9LaA… Overall, meh. I wish I could have taken the cheese from here, the crust from Gino's and the sauce from Pequod's. Then it would have been almost as good as Lou Malnati's.

Karen W.

This. place. I have no words. Come eat here for yourself and have a deep-dish. Your welcome.

Saba H.

It's hard to make pizza taste bad, but they managed to do so. I got the individual size deep dish pizza with spinach, olives, and mushrooms - what a disappointment. The crust was lacking in flavor, almost like they forgot to put salt. It was overcooked/dry and raw at the same time. The bottom was too dry and the top was still dough-y My husband is not picky with food and even he though it was horrible. Maybe they messed up on my pizza, but the crust definitely did not taste good. Having said that, the appetizers were tasty especially the cheese quesadillas.

Emil A.

The food here is pretty disappointing ... worst thin crust pizza I every have in my life.

Justin V.

With all of the pizza establishments in Chicago, it's pretty tough to stand out with competition from Lou Malnati's, Gino's and Giordano's. I am pleased to say that Pizano's pizza is one of the better places. Every time I go there, the service is prompt, attentive, and friendly. You may run into a waiter named "The Chach" and he's super friendly and definitely creates an alluring atmosphere. I unfortunately wasn't served by The Chach last night, but it was just as prompt, attentive and friendly as always. The Spinach and Artichoke dip is as much of a staple as the pizza is. Very highly recommended. IT comes with toasted bruschetta bread and never disappoints. Just be careful - if you don't let it cool for a minute you might burn your mouth! Of course the Pizza is delicious. I always get the deep dish pepperoni. Sometimes my girlfriend insists on putting pineapples in it. I'm not a giant fan of that, but that's certainly not Pizano's fault! Hah. It's cheesy (but not TOO cheesy) with a butter crust - just the way I like it. The waiter actually comped our dessert too which was a nice surprise. It was a giant cookie with ice cream and whipped cream. It was delicious and filling, but my waistline tends to think unfavorably about my decision to eat it. I still stand by my decision. It tends to run a little bit on the pricier side compared to other pizza places. But you know what? You get what you pay for and I've never been disappointed with Pizano's product. If you feel like a change of pace from Lou's or Giordano's, this is definitely a place to try.

Stina N.

I've never been to the restaurant, but whenever my office buys us pizza, they order from here. This is my least favorite pizza ever. I will actually forego free, my office paid for it pizza rather than eat the pizza that comes from this place. This is probably a good thing for my waistline, but it's a very sad thing for my pizza loving stomach. The best way I can describe the pizza from Pizano's is generic Lou Maltnati's. It's got a similar buttery crust which totally isn't my thing. However, while I don't love Lou's, I'll eat and enjoy it. The crust here is thoroughly unenjoyable: dry, hard, sharp, and covered in corn meal. I've actually cut my mouth on this pizza crust before. For me pizza is all about the crust so a bad crust can ruin a pizza for me. The sauce isn't great either. I'm not sure if it's the sauce that causes it or some other element of the slice as a whole, but I (along with other coworkers) consistently end up with a stomach ache/ indigestion after eating this pizza. I really wish my company would order pizza from one of the many, many other options, and I think several of my coworkers would agree. But until they do, I'm going to keep skipping those company paid for pizzas.

Jamie D.

I was in town for a long weekend. A stranger in the L that I was randomly talking to recommended this place for pizza. It was one of the best pizzas I've ever had and I eat a lot of pizza. Our server was great and knowledgeable. Lots of beer options. I highly recommend it if you're looking for that Chicago style experience.

John B.

On my most recent trip to Chicago I wasn't sure that I would be able to free up the time to get some pizza. Fortunately for me, a dinner that I was invited to was at Pizano's Pizza. Before the dinner, I was a little bit skeptical about Pizano's (primarily because it is not Giordano's). However, I was very pleasantly surprised to find that Pizano's really makes a good pie. Because this dinner was for a fairly large group a variety of foods were ordered including thin crust, deep dish, pasta, and salads. It seems a waste for an out-of-towner to eat anything but deep dish, but even so, I have to admit that even the thin crust pizza was pretty good. The Chicago style pie was not Giordano's (what is?), but it definitely ranked higher than Lou Malnati's in my book. The staff at Pizano's was particularly helpful, and did a wonderful job taking care of a large group. They gave us a private room in the basement which was terrific for our group. I can't speak to price because I never saw a menu, but I can't imagine that it is much different than any other pizza place in town.

Lucia P.

Pizza was just fine but there are PLENTY of other places you can go for great pizza and not have to deal with seriously awful customer service. Do yourself a favor - if you are coming downtown and have kids (and a stroller), stay away from this place. I've seen cleaner bathrooms in gas stations. Don't even think about a changing table. None there. I guess I should have just been happy to get the "free crayons". One set per table, no exceptions, so hopefully your kids share or you've come equipped. Make sure you know how to collapse your stroller while holding your 15 month old baby and keeping an eye on your 5 year old as trays of hot pizza go flying by. They will NOT under ANY EXCEPTIONS open the main door to enter/exit via Madison St. Per the exceptionally rude manager - if you're handicapped, we'll open that door. It's not for strollers. Our initial entrance was via the main building door which conveniently closes at 7pm. I wish I could say the wait service was good but it felt like I was in a drive through and was just being pushed along. I barely put my purse down and the waiter who proudly announced he'd been working there for 30 years asked what I was going to order. Translation: HURRY UP and get out.

Vishal B.

After hearing great things about Rudy Malnati's pizza joint.. I went in with expectations which the other Malnati has been delivering on for years. I'll just get to the point. The deep dish pizza is indeed baked in a deep dish, the crust is thin and crispy, holds up well and does not get soggy, just the right thickness as the rest of the pizza is pretty thin as well. The sauce is watery and runny, they may want to think about straining the tomatoes? the veggies ( green pepper, onion) were cut into dices, instead of long slices like most deep dish places, and did not feel properly cooked. The restaurant is a cramped and crowded dark place, tables for two are almost actually tables for 4. The loops theatre/financial district still needs a good pizza place.

eglys h.

This was not actually our first deep dish pizza in Chicago, so this place had big shoes to fill and unfortunately it came in a bit short. Service was ok... We stopped here cause it was even included on a tour guide for a "food tour" offered in Chicago. It was hot and when asked if we wanted to sit inside our out we chose inside. To our surprised, we were sat at a table which was right next to a window of which did not have glass and it was next to the tables outside, therefore even thou we were technically inside, with that open area we were feeling the same heat and unable to enough the a/c. We just went with the flow - cause we were hungry. When ordering the deep dish it states on the menu there is a 30 min cooking wait so we waited. and it did take the full 30 mins. When it was placed in front of us, it looked good, but we soon discovered that it was not like our first experience (which btw was off a food truck!). This crust had been to me a bit over cooked and very crunchy. Pizza was more sauce (which was not that pleasing) than cheese. It was a nice size portion of which we could of shared 1 for both. It was overall ok.. If ever in the area, we will try a different place for deep dish pizza...

danielle f.

Pizza was horrible. We were informed that the crust was buttery . . . But all I could taste was butter. Couldn't taste tomato sauce nor the cheese. It tasted like a mouth full of butter. I would like to give the be edit of the doubt to Pizano's, maybe the salt was left out of the sauce? We have have never salted pizza before. Our server was nice, and the BBQ chicken salad was good, thus 2 tars and not just 1.

Andrew J.

Terrible service, excellent pizza. Our server was slow to say the least, we were ready to order immediately once we got there, and it took her two trips to bring the menus and another two to ask if we were ready to order...before we even had a chance to say hold on she was gone. We would've saved 30 minutes if she would've waited a few seconds. Pizza was delicious do not get me wrong, however the bartender spent all of the time we were there talking and cursing loudly to her friend. I don't know if I'd go there again, but on the plus side besides the pizza, it does have a nice atmosphere and appeared very clean, even the floors on a cold, snowy Chicago night.

JL S.

Pizza is comparable to any giordanos.. Uno... .. Go with the thin..Whatever.. Pizza here is exceptional, nice bar area with Tvs for sports events.. Great device with outdoor seating area. Cookie ice cream desert is fantastic..

Bianca C.

Great pizza, it wasn't quite as "deep dish" as other pizza places but the crust was still good. I hear the thin crust is really good too!

John A.

Great deep dish. Crust is thinner than most deep dishes. Good location to all the attractions.

Rick R.

Aside from another couple, we were the only ones here. Service was spot on and friendly. We ordered 2 personal deep dish pizzas. Both were as ordered and very good. Very light for a deep dish. The cookie. We asked, we were told, and we had to order the cookie. I recommend it to everyone.

Terrill S.

My husband and I recently hosted a family dinner here for 19 while in Chicago for a wedding. From the moment I contacted to restaurant, and began working with Chris Spitzer to the night of our event, it couldn't have gone smoother. Chris was wonderful to work with and since I live in Southern California, I relied upon the reviews of Yelp and my rapport with Chris to choose Pizano's for our family event. The bottom level for our event was totally unlike the upstairs, very quiet (we had a semi-private room). The pizza(s) were wonderful and our server was THE BEST! He made sure our event went so smoothly!!! His name was Joe or John (sorry, it was a busy weekend!) I would DEFINITELY recommend Pizano's for anyone considering a private party/group booking!! My husband and I were VERY happy with our event!! It was the perfect kick-off to our family wedding weekend in Chicago!

Jessica S.

The pizza was pretty good, I'd eat it again, but the service! Oh my I sometimes feel like I'm over analytic about service because I'm in the service industry. But when my friends who joined us came in, they instantly remarked about it too!! The hostesses were acting as though they were pissed we were there. I get it, you're busy, but you need to maintain a positive atmosphere. The manager? Or I'm assuming so because she's older, was so consumed by her iPhone she could barely look up to assist us. She was almost frowning when she spoke, it was awful. The only thing that saved me from saying something was the fact that she was wearing a zodiac sign choker that made me laugh. They need to get their service together.

Hannah B.

It would be four stars but I knock one off because they don't control their bar area. The food is excellent but order take out. We were seated near the bar on a busy night and watched the bartender serve a man martinis well past normal cut off. The men were screaming and swearing and the bartenders did nothing to try and calm the crowd. However! Service and food are amazing I highly recommend the Robert's favorite and lemon chicken. Great food but far too rowdy bar.

Amanda K.

The pizza was delicious but not what I think of when I think "deep dish". In fact the bottom was just a plain crust with the edges being larger. But the pizza was still amazing! I also tried the spicy pasta that was very good.

Diana K.

We asked if we could have the calamari pan fried not breaded & deep fried & our waiter told us it would take as long to prepare as a pizza????? The calamari was still good deep fried..... My daughter wanted just cheese ravioli & was told it was spinach & cheese where the menu clearly stated cheese was available so she had the meat & it was OK. Our waiter quite frankly irritated us because of the two things we requested we couldn't get & we have been here many times in the past we just didn't feel like arguing. There are a lot of great restaurants to choose from in the area.....

Mary Elizabeth W.

Got an individual deep dish pizza with sausage, onions and green peppers which was pretty forgettable... Needed a lot of Parmesan cheese, oregano, and peppers to be considered good. The atmosphere of the place was nice and they offer free wifi, which sort of made up for the bad food. Also, the bartender was very helpful and my pizza and beer came in just under $15.

Suzcelle S.

We were in Chicago for the first time and wanted to try deep dish pizza and found this place! This restaurant is amazing! We had the calamari for appetizer which was pretty good, and the deep dish pizzas did not disappoint!!! We told our server that we were out of towners and she brought us two of Holly and Little Rudy's chocolate chip cookie dessert on the house! She was so nice and it was delicious!!! Highly recommend this place!

Lil D.

Off night, perhaps? Came here to give the "top" deep dish pizzerias a try, and boy, were we disappointed here. When the pizza came, it was already visually a tell-tale sign of what's to come. The pizza rose only to half the height of the side of the pan...uh-oh, seems like the dough didn't rise correctly. Never mind, we're hungry and deep dish has lots of room to spare, righhhhht... Well, we could barely cut the crust with our knives, let alone bite into the dough, which almost broke my jaw...and I'm not exaggerating. We inquired the manager regarding this, and his response was at first quite condescending, "Have you had deep dish pizza before?" WTF?! Of course, we have. He proceeded to explain that they tend to make their version on the crustier side and that this is normally how their deep dish pizzas are served. Oh well, we tried to give them the benefit of the doubt that it was an off night. If it wasn't, then I cannot in good conscience recommend them. We just scraped off the toppings (oh, the cheese would not budge, so we gathered it was also old cheese) and ate what we could, and called it a night. Only reason this place even got two stars is due to my friend liking her chicken marsala and pasta. For those who gave 5 stars, I'm glad you went on a good day when the dough was fresh and proofing was done right.

Jamie M.

Yum. Reliable service. Good pizza with a great atmosphere and neat scenery. Stop in for true chicago style pizza. Menu selection was superb.

Paul S.

We went into Chicago for my friend's birthday and knew we had to expose our California friend to Chicago deep dish pizza. Naturally, we took her to Pizano's on Madison. We weren't surprised when she loved it! The best part of the experience was having Chach as our server! The guy is simply the best! He went out of his way to look after our birthday girl and make our entire dining experience a memorable one. As for the pizza, it's some of the best in Chicago! The crust is flaky and the cheese in amazing. Under no circumstances should you forget to order the chocolate chip cookie topped with ice cream, whip cream, and chocolate sauce! It was the perfect ending to a great dinner!

William A.

I know that it is sacrilege in Chicago to speak of thin crust. But this place has amazing thin crust pizza. I took the left overs to my hotel room and lived on them cold for two days for breakfast. They were even tasty then. But hot out of the oven the pizza was purely wonderful. Crisp and with taste in the crust. And the cheese was typical Chicago real mozzarella. The only way to go.

Rodney W.

The salad and pizza were both very flavorless. Crust was too hard (borderline burned). Not impressed.

Gino W.

One of the dangers of being near or immediately off of Michigan Avenue, is that restaurants have a tendency to prepare their food so that they do not offend a majority clientèle. Such is the case with Pizano's Pizza. Not necessarily a fan of pizza, since I overloaded on pizza in my youth, I opted for a pasta dish. Arribiata with shrimp. Good, but not as spicy as I like arrabiata. And I had requested for it to be peppery, knowing that the condition I mentioned in the opening paragraph would probably apply. And, yes, the arrabiata was mild. The shrimp were plump and flavourful, but an arrabiata is not an arrabiata if it is mild. The attempt is good, but it becomes a bit of a buzz kill for anything thereafter. Perhaps if there is a next time I will sample a pizza.

Angie M.

The other night I was feeling on the emo side and wanted pizza. Serious pizza. Pizza you feel should feel guilty for eating but actually just end up not caring. I decided to sway from my typical thin crust delivery stand-by of D'ags and rolled the dice with Pizano's, ordered via Grub Hub. Fail. Epic, epic fail. I just... I don't like the pizza. The ordering on Grub Hub was simple enough and the delivery was on time. I can't make any complaints there. What I can complain about is the gross factor of the crust. Too much butter? Too much, I don't know, un-dough-like? Whatever was happening on the bottom of this 'za was not up my alley. It didn't taste good at all. The crust was rock-hard and very unappetizing. I don't know, man. I think I need pizza crust that tastes like yeasty yumminess, not hard, crunchy crust. Blech.

Kevin P.

Not the biggest fan of Pizano's deep dish pizza. The pizza isn't as "deep" as Giordano or Lou malnati's and flavor isn't all there. I mainly taste all motzerella sauce and nothing more. Wish there could be me dough on the pizza too like the other deep dish style. Don't think i'll be ordering pizza from here again.

Edna B.

This review is for Pizano's service, not food. I've been to the Pizano's on Dearborn and, not that i received 5 star service, but at least i was not ignored. this location is service was just horrendous. the waiter only came by once to take our order and then get our check. we had to ask him to refill the completely empty cups of water and he didn't even pick up the cup, which made him almost pour outside of the cup. in addition he was not there when the pizza arrived. most pizza places (Lou Malnati's or Pequods) will serve the pizza. i thought the service was very poor which made the food less tasty. especially since it was not busy at all in the restaurant. I would think that since this is a hot tourist spot they would make a point to have better service. will not return to this one again. wish i remembered the server's name.

Chas P.

If I could give it 2.5 I would. Average at best. Spaghetti w meat sauce and meatballs, my favorite food. Unfortunately this didn't do it. Meatballs were tasteless meat sauce was ok, chunky sauce needed some spices. Pretty bland. Great bar lots of games on unfortunately my meal didn't shape up. Also house salad iceburg lettuce. Was ok.

Greg H.

Yuck. Why anyone would go here for pizza in the city of amazing pizza is beyond me.

Michelle D.

It looks a bit like a tourist trap but the experience is anything but. It's fun, lively and the pizzas are great. We went for a thin crust rather than the deep dish - even the medium size is huge. Help yourself to the free condiments - chilli flakes, dried oregano and parmesan and sit back and enjoy some great local beers to go with it. It's a fun spot and very handy to the shopping and theatre precincts.

Stephy S.

Came here as the first stop on the Chicago Pizza Tour (check them out on Yelp!). This place has serious familial roots with the first deep-dish pioneers, so a lot of a respect was given. Even more respect was given for the ridiculous awesomeness of their pepperoni flat-bread pizza! Delicious! I could eat this all day!!!

Luisa T.

After visiting Millennium Park and getting caught in the rain we were ready to eat and people in the park recommended Pizano's Pizza. The ambiance when you walk in is live and vibrant, it's great! The lighting is dark but when you sit down and your eyes adjust, it isn't too dark. There are faux-lit candles on the tabletops and the table tops are covered with butcher paper which makes cleaning easy, so it's okay to dig in and get food everywhere (haha). The bruschetta is fresh and I say European because I could taste the ingredients separately, how that happens I don't know but it does. The tomatoes are fresh, the basil is strong and off the charts, and the bread is fresh. I also had the complimentary bread brought to the table, and being a bread fiend, it was great bread. My associate ordered the deep dish pizza and let me tell you, the mozzarella stretched and stretched and stretched and she was finally able to break it off at some point. I tried a piece of the deep dish and now know what I'm missing out on. It's sad that I only made it here once and didn't order the deep dish pizza and promise to come back whenever I'm in Chicago again. I ordered the lemon chicken, it was bomb. The breading on the chicken didn't taste like breading. It was a crisp crust and wasn't heavily oily, and I wanted to know how they could get such a crispy (breaded) crust on the chicken and have the chicken fully cooked and not greasy? It's modern wonder :) The chicken is fresh. It didn't have that funky after taste one usually can get when a chicken was killed more than 2 years ago and probably left out for 3 days before it was frozen, unfrozen somewhere along the line, and refrozen....anyway.... the lemon sauce was excellent too, I could taste the capers and the lemon sauce. I could taste each flavor on its own. Great stuff and I would recommend Pizano's Pizza. Oh, as far as service, Pizano's Pizza gets 5 stars. Bright, cheery, great recommendations on beer and food, attentive, and bright and cheery. Bright and Cheery go a long way!

Jennifer K.

My favorite deep dish pizza in Chicago! I wish there was one in the suburbs! If you like Lou Malnati's, this is similar but maybe a little better!

Christina V.

We came here with the sole intention of eating Chicago deep dish pizza. We ordered two small pies to share between the four of us and it was plenty. The pizza is very filling and this was a perfect lunch. I guess I a really a thin crust pizza kind of gal, but as an experience this was top notch.

Leah C.

My boyfriend and I were in the area and we were in the mood for pizza. We happened to walk by PIzano's and saw they had a huge seating area (inside and outdoors) so we asked if there was a wait. There wasn't and we were sat immediately. Our server greeted us and we told him it was our 1st time there and asked if he had any recommendations. He was friendly and recommended we share a small deep dish pizza but warned us there was a 30 minute baking time on the pizza. No problem - We weren't in a hurry. So far so good... Unfortunately it was all downhill from there. We ordered cheesy garlic bread as an appetizer along with the deep dish pizza and my boyfriend ordered a beer. The beer was completely forgotten until we reminded the server 10-15 minutes later. The appetizer was served without plates and while it was decent, it was completely unmemorable. Oh well, we came here for the pizza, right? Well, the deep dish pizza turned out to be highly disappointing. While it was super cheesy, the pepperoni on top wasn't even remotely crisp. The crust wasn't flaky or crisp - Just kind of in the middle as a regular dough. Overall, the pizza wasn't even that flavorful. I definitely don't plan on going back to PIzano's and with so many other pizza options in Chicago, why should I?

Todd G.

Wanted to let my kids try some true Chicago deep dish pizza. It was o.k. but I was a little disappointed. My kids aren't in love w/ the deep dish. Wish I would have taken them to Geno's East.

Lesley F.

We had a quick lunch after some power shopping. We ordered Ann Marie's Tortellini and a medium Rudy's Special thin crust pizza. The tortellini was OUTSTANDING! The creamy meat sauce was super delicious. I would definitely have this again. The pizza was good, but seemed a little bland. The thin crust was a bit different...it's hard to explain - it was crunchy like a cookie. I'm not sure if would have pizza again, but I would definitely order pasta again. They also have a decent selection of beers.

Anthony T.

Who Loves this place? Whaaat? this guy... oh man the pizza is GREAT! me and my friends came from New York City to visit and we had to get some deep Diiiiiiiiiiiissssssssssh Pizza and i must say we hit the jackpot coming here! you might wait a little while they make the pizza fresh for you on arrival! me and my friends got two pies one with ham and one with pepperoni! our waiter was awesome he was making sure everything is ok and we were good! they had the knicks pacers game on even though the knicks lost we saw some of it. there are multiple televisions around. there is an outdoor area too if you would like to sit and eat outside. if you are in Chicago!!! Come here! go go go !!

Justin L.

Good, Not great Deep dish pie With a relaxed Atmosphere but meh toppings, poor bathroom.

Harold J.

The best cheese I have ever had on any type of pizza.

Gail J.

When the moon hits your eye like a big a pizza pie, that's Pizano's! When you order a deep dish large, you'll think you landed on the moon. This thing is HUGE! I like the heaping amounts of cheese. My only complaint would be that the dough is not cooked evenly (burned on the bottom and a little gooey on the top), but it's probably hard to cook that much bread evenly. After two slices, I was tapping the table like I had lost a UFC battle to the pizza. That did not stop me from eating a big ol' baked chocolate chip cookie with whipped cream and vanilla ice cream. I had to eat something unhealthy to balance out the healthy deep dish choice. The cookie is delicious--worth all 700 cents. You can share it four ways, much like the pizza. Anyhow, worth the 12,321 calories and 10 bucks (that's like a dollar for every 123 calories--top that McDonald's!).

Travis B.

We stayed at the Waldof last weekend and craved pizza at about midnight. Found this place & they said they delivered. An hour later we got the pizza. It literally tasted like cardboard. Two pizzas for $50 & I've had better 99 cent & gas station pizza. Also consider we had a few beers & that always makes pizza taste better so I can't imagine how horrible it is completely sober. Never again.

Stephanie L.

Location-perfect for meeting in the loop. Not to mention there is a great outdoor patio that you can stare at all walks of life in the downtown area. Great people watching. Service-HORRIBLE. Our server looked like he was dying. Seriously, it was a Sunday afternoon and he couldnt even keep up with our drink order. He brought out coke instead of iced tea, etc. Food-it took FOREVER! One person got the thin crust pizza. Now, I know that deep dish takes at least 30 minutes to come out, however, thin crust should not. We ordered at 215PM and we didnt get our food until 320PM. I had the BBQ chicken salad. The bottom of the bowl was filled with water. Gross. Also, it just wasnt that good. The pizza was great with the cornmeal crust. I think they do a great job with pizza, everything else, skip. Maybe get take out or delivery to avoid the horrendous service.

Janet R.

I don't always love deep dish pizza, but I really loved Pisano's! I went there on St. Patrick's Day (I know... but honestly, this Irish girldoesn't have to turn in her shillelagh just yet, as I had eaten my fair share of corned beef and cabbage over the weekend and I make my own soda bread, dammit). Anyway, we were a little hung over and a lot hungry, so the 39-minute wait seemed like an eternity. So we basically ordered everything on the menu: cheesy garlic bread, chopped salad, a side of Mama's meatballs, and a medium pie. Everything was great, even though by the time the pizza came, we could barely finish a slice apiece. The service was great: out waitress was really nice and super attentive. This place may be touristy, but sometimes touristy places earn there reputations because lots of people (including tourists) like to go there!

Angela Y.

I really like cheese before. But now... After tasting this deep dish cheese pizza, I don't wanna any cheese anymore.....

Andy C.

As a tourist, I stumbled upon this restaurant. This place is in a good relatively safe area. I was welcomed by the staff, even though I didn't know what to order. I wasn't used to the fast city pace, but I thought they were patient when I ordered. Shared a small with a friend. This place is fairly priced and their customers were mostly locals when I visited. Pretty good taste with lots of tomato and cheese-Hot with great aroma. I would come back again.

Adrienne T.

What are with all these reviews?????Am I missing something???? First off, their "deep-dish" pizza is NOT deep dish. Sure it comes in a deep dish pan but the crust was medium thickness at best. We chose this place over Giordano's because of the ratings on yelp but this place does not deserve the 3.5 stars. Three reasons not to go here: 1. The people working here are NOT friendly. 2. They do Not serve real deep-dish pizza. 3. Frozen pizza tastes better than Pizano's. If you've read this review and have disagreed with me then maybe you should get your taste buds checked! no joke.

Peter L.

Came here for a family gathering, which means we got to taste slices of at least 4 different pies. They were all very good. The atmosphere was nice but laid back, I would definitely return. Do not come here on a diet.

Mike S.

I used to frequent this place in college, and now that I'm living in LA, I miss it dearly. I just railed on some "Chicago Sytle" joint in LA, so I figure maybe I can quell the bad juju of a bad review by raving about the real deal. Pizano's was always my favorite Chicago pizza joint. The tourists all gather at Gio's, but I was never a fan of eating a molten cheese wheel on a cracker. Pizano's has my favorite balance of ingredients. Lots of sauce, a lot, but not too much cheese, and just enough crust. The crust is crispy and the sauce is spiced well, but not overpowering. I remember hearing a rumor that the owners of Lou's and Pizano's were relatives. I don't know if it's true, but the pizza is definitely quite similar. I remember the manager there would always come around and make conversation with the patrons, which I always appreciate. I also seem to remember a "college night" (Tuesday, I think) on which you could bring your student ID and get a significant discount. I can't, however, seem to find any evidence that this offer still stands.

D W.

Had an awesome lunch today! We ordered deep dish cheese which was amazing and I want to say the crust was sweet?? not overpowering but definitely added a little sumthin sumthin that my taste buds enjoyed And the thin crust brickhouse with sausage and mushroom was equally delicious (much better than Lou's thin crust, not soggy at all) Nathan was our server & he was a such a delight. We almost took him back to work with us and soooo my verdict is: I'LL BE BACK.

Angelique Q.

Yummy deep dish pizza! Very different from Giordano's. I like the crust here at Pizano's better. I'd definitely come back here when in Chicago! And their Antipasto salad was delicious except wish they didn't cut up the meats so small but I'd definitely order it again and again...!

Katie S.

This pizza was the best pizza I think I've ever had. I might have had some wines, but seriously it's amazing. Salty, cheesy, perfect crust. I want to eat this pizza every day. I had the cheese, mushrooms, onions, and a thin crust.

Sharina G.

Had the plessure of visiting chicago this weekend and of course Pizza is a must have. This place is hands down THE BEST deep dish pizza I've ever had! Service was great the calamari appetizer was yummy. Our amazing waiter Paul suggested we try the Rudys special and this was exactly what I expected Chicago pizza to be! We visited giordanos yesterday and wasnt impressed especially with all the reviews as it is supposedly the number one pizza place in Chicago. We ordered almost the same same thing at both places (appetizer, pizza, and drinks) and not only is the quality better at Pizano, we spent $20 less. Easy choice- go to Pizano!

Mahsa T.

Three lovely ladies and I walked into Pizano's one night and stepped right into a dream. I dreamt I was in a diner back in the 50s where the food was good, the dessert was fantastic, and service meant being treated like family. My friend asked to be seated in our server's section--his name is Joe, but he's known as the "Chach" as in the "Fonz" and he is the most genuinely nice person you will ever meet. Chach is a sweetheart and remembered my friend from a previous visit and asked about her family. He got to know a little bit about all of us during the course of our meal and shared some great stories about his past with us. Ladies, if you're looking for a warm, kind-hearted, and faithful man, Chach is single! He's 57 and actually looking to date someone his own age--how refreshing! We shared a delicious cheese pizza and Chach brought us dessert on the house--it's called Holly's cookie and it is heavenly!!! If you happen to stop by Pizano's some time, be sure to ask for the Chach.

Buortau L.

I want to say that this is the only Pizano's that accepts reservations. If you ever stop by Chicago and you want to try Chicago-style Pizza, you should try this out. It's definitely worth your time.

Min C.

Sorry folks, their thin crust is a lesser version of Lou's. Shame, I was quite excited for a change. Service was EXCELLENT though, as was their ambience. Points.

Helena B.

We had our rehearsal dinner here, and it was perfect. First, most people like pizza, so, Brides, this is something you can select without people being all "why are you making me eat this?". Lord knows I was done wrangling people and their assorted food preferences. I digress. Second, if you have out of town people, you can be like "it's Chicago Pizza! This is A THING! This is A CULTURAL EXPERIENCE!" Which it totally is. Third, it's in the Loop, so it was very convenient to my hotel. This may not be relevant to you. Fourth, the party planner guy was SUPER helpful and nice. I didn't have to worry about anything. I reserved the downstairs room, told him the number of people we expected, and we were done. Pizano's offers several options for private parties - all at different price points - so you can choose how you want to handle it. We went with pizza plus 2 hours of domestic beer/house wine, and it was very reasonably priced.

Kris L.

The pizza is fine, but doesn't beat out Giordano's, or Lou's. It has good flavor but nothing about it sets it apart. The service at this one in the loop is not that great. The customer next to use accidentally set his table on fire...and we were the ones putting it out.

Sauce C.

Just ordered from this place and we had the best experience! I said no pinenuts on one of the pastas and the manager actually called me to let me know they were in the sauce in case I was allergic! Talk about going above and beyond. In addition, we had selected marinara with the cheese sticks and were surprised it was an additional $2.50. He gave us a heads-up that the cheese sticks already come with marinara and the $2.50 was for an additional 8oz side. Since we didn't really need it, but had already paid for it, he let us switch it out for other smaller sides of sauce such as ranch, honey mustard, etc. The total was actually more than $2.50, but he let it slide cause apparently that's just the level of service here- impecable! My husband and I both looked at each other after the call and said how refreshing it was to deal with such a nice manager. Obviously, the food rocks as well, but there are a lot of places with good food in Chicago- significantly less with good service. Congratulations Pizano's, you guys are definitely the whole package!

Ashley S.

For someone who isn't a fan of deep dish, Pizano's pizza is top notch. I have to say, I have tried Giordanos, Unos, etc - Pizano's, hands down. The service, the quaint ambiance, and oh lawd the food. The pizza is simply delicious. I have been here a few times in the past few months, and I recently went last night for my Valentine's Date with my love. AMAZING service. Who else gives better service than The Chach! He was the best; everything I could have asked for. On top of awesome conversation, he gave us a FREE Chocolate Chip cookie dessert. Free chocolate on Valentine's Day? Yes, please. I have only tried the pizza and the spinach and artichoke dip, so I have no tips on other entrees. Just make sure you sit in The Chach's section. Such an experience.

Lauren A.

I tried Pizano's today for the second time for lunch and am officially a huge fan. I was expecting it to be fairly crowded because it was right at noon in the Loop (everywhere is crowded around this time) but we got seated right away. The holiday decorations were really nice and the place looked great. The first time I went here I had the thin crust pizza which was delicious and this time I got the individual deep dish with peppers and onions. Oh my... the tomatoes, onions and peppers were SO fresh. The ratio of cheese to bread to tomatoes to veggies was spot on, too, for my taste. I also love their buttery crust. Sometimes with deep dish pizza I will discard the crust, but not here. I ate the entire individual pizza in addition to a yummy side salad. The only reason I am giving this 4 instead of 5 stars is because Pequod's is my favorite deep dish in Chicago... no one will ever be as good as them. Pizano's is second in my heart, though.

David L.

I have had pizza all over the place (including 10+ places in Chicago alone), and Pizano's Pizza is THE BEST PIZZA ON PLANET EARTH! Strongly recommend the deep dish over thin crust here. Unbelievable pizza. SO DARN TASTY! If you go to only ONE PIZZA PLACE IN CHICAGO, go to Pizano's. If you are going to more than one place, skip the rest, and eat at Pizano's twice. Trust me on this - VERY GOOD PIZZA. To go? You can walk in, prepay for a pizza to go, walk over to the park or a museum, come back in 30 minutes, and take your pie. Or dine in...wait staff is very friendly. The pizza is very delicious and very filling. JUST AMAZING. Wish they would turn into a chain or franchise - their recipe is HOT TIP: You can fit two medium pizzas in the overhead compartment of most airplanes. TSA will beg you for a slice at O'Hare airport, but it is allowed...and your friends and family will thank you for it.

Adrienne C.

While our service was good the food here was absolute crap. Some local told is that this was the best deep dish pizza place in the area but he was very sadly mistaken. We got a deep dish that was not very deep and a thin crust that was so awful only a few prices were ate. No flavor, taste, etc.

Bill N.

I came here with my son after watching the Seahawks beat the Bears. We attracted a lot of attention because we were still wearing our Seahawks gear. Everyone including the waiter wanted to talk about how bad the Bears played and we were lucky to win. Another waiter came by to tell me that the Seahawks QB, Russel Wilson, his receiver and their wives ate there the night before the game. We had to get the deep dish pizza which was pretty good. I wouldn't call it amazing though and I am actually prefer thin pizza which I would order next time. Service was responsive and friendly even though they were in mourning mode because the Bears lost. It seems like everyone in Chicago lives and dies with their sports teams.

Dominique Y.

Best deep dish in town! Love the chicago para on the walls especially the Bulls with MJ shots! Great place

Emily R.

Yay I like this place! :) We came here on the first stop of our Chicago Pizza Tour. They let us sample both the deep dish and the thin crust. I don't remember what toppings we had (though I know some amaaaaazing sausage was one of them!) because there was just too.much.pizza . throughout the day. The food was so tasty that we came back later that same day to try the cookie with ice cream that our tour guide told us about. And MAN am I glad we did!!! First we started with Pizano's Chopped Salad and it was delicious! It was HUGE though so I'm glad we split it. When we told our waiter we were having trouble deciding between the chocolate chip and the peanut butter cookie, he brought us both - and didn't charge us for either! They were both crazy good, but we both agreed that the peanut butter cookie with the cinnamon and caramel syrup won out over the chocolate chip. Thank you Pizano's for awesome service and incredible food!!!

Bob N.

If this was just for the pizza I would give it 4 stars but our waiter basically ruined the meal. We went to Pizanos on a couple of recommendations. We ordered a Rudys special and a chop salad. The salad and pizza were both good, but when our pizza arrived so did our waiter and he never ever left. I don't even think he took a breath while talking to us thru the entire meal. I had casually mentioned that i used to work for a Detroit sports team which must have been the magic word for him, because he knew someone on the team and it was off to the races of him telling stories. Finally after 30 minutes of stories the mgr had to tell him he had other tables to look after. Ughhhhh.

Travis H.

This is probably my favorite Pizza ever and especially the best deep dish (very close with Lou Malnotti's bc they are half brothers or something like that). Although, be ready to have some mediocre service, at best. I have gone there twice in the last 2 weeks and the service from the servers really lacked. When I first started going there roughly 8 years ago, I had some great servers who were engage with me and made sure i was enjoying my meal. The past two times, the service wasn't good at all. The server never checked on us to see how the food was and they made it a bigger deal to get only mushrooms on half of the Rudy's deep dish than it really needed to be. Besides this, both the thin crust and deep dish pizza are phenomenal.

William B.

Pretty quick delivery. Hot, decent ingredients, just a little heavy in Iron content: Three bites into my thin crust pizza I bit into a METAL STAPLE. I took pictures, emailed grubhub, threw the food away. After a day of haggling the restaurant issued a full refund.

Amy L.

My friends and I signed up for a pizza tour while in Chicago and this was our first stop. I had one slice of deep dish pizza and that was enough. The slice was just all bread and cheese. The over abundance of cheese made it too salty to enjoy. The bread was a bit dry and I found myself drinking a lot of water to help wash the pizza down. The thin crust sausage pizza was good. The service is friendly.

Suavecito m.

We tried a thin crust pizza and deep dish pizza. The taste of both of them was very good. They have cool sports memorabilia throughout the restaurant.

Noel C.

Two hour wait! Pizza was hard and smelled like beer! The server would not even give us our money back when asked, even though we did not eat the pizza. Terrible service from the host staff. If the wait is actually 2 hours, don't tell your customers the wait is only 45 minutes. I will definitely never eat here again.

Justin E.

So I was in Chicago on business and of course why not get some deep dish while I am in town. I wandered through millennium park and the theater district and stumbled across Pizanos Pizza so I dropped in for some pizza and a drink. The place was busy, it was about 6pm so everyone was stopping in after work. The host said the bar was open so I took a seat. After 10 minutes of staring at the television one of the bartenders finally came over and asked if I wanted something. I ordered my drink and looked at the menu. I ordered the deep dish peperoni pizza. The bartender ended up being a counselor to the two regulars seated next to me. I listened their plights and problems while they spilled every detail to the bartender. I looked around the bar and of course just like me people needed drinks or refills but she listened to her two regulars. My pizza arrived it looked delicious then I started eating it. The pizza was very bland (domino's has more flavor) and it only had 4 pieces of peperoni on it, really?! This is a good place to drop in for a drink and a bite on the way home not to enjoy a good deep dish with Friends.

Jennifer S.

I'm not a deep dish pizza expert but I was impressed. I got the single serving mushroom deep dish pizza. There was just the right amount of sauce and it tasted freshly made. The crust was great and had a nice bit of crispness at the very edge. I only wish there had been more mushrooms - couldn't taste them as much as I would have liked.

katy m.

Absolutely awful location, especially for delivery. Ordered a medium with four toppings (one only on half)-- it came out to $33. A little steep, but I was willing to try it. I definitely regret that. Pizza hadn't come within 1 hour 40 minutes despite being quoted as being there in less than an hour. So we called back, and the guy just said he would send it out now. No explanation why he didn't send it before, which is inexcusable. Pizza shows up 2 hours 15 minutes after the first call and the delivery driver doesn't follow any of the directions we gave, just calls and demands we come down. I ask if he's at the front door, no answer and he hangs up. We get the pizza and by this time it's obviously cold. It's just been sitting at the restaurant waiting on... what? As for the pizza, we asked for one topping on half (which they charge full price for), and they don't even cut the pizza so that 3 slices have the topping and 3 don't. So 2 slices have it all over, and 2 are half-and-half, ruining those 4 slices (out of 6) for the person who didn't want the topping. We also asked for double pepperoni (charged 2x) and I did not think there was double pepperoni. For all of this, the pizza wasn't even as good as Lou's. This is one of the most disappointing experiences we've had ordering pizza in Chicago, and we won't be doing it again...

Cass H.

After having deep dish pizza at Giordano's the night before, we decided to round out our Chicago pizza trip with something a little less heavy. I'm a deep dish fan, so maybe that's why I wasn't all that impressed. I also was not a fan of the sauce. If this had been my husband's review, it would probably get a 4 or 5 star--he loved it! Alas, it was not meant to be for me. The place was plenty busy at about 10 p.m., so clearly this place is a winner for most. We were thoroughly entertained by a neighboring table's server, Chachi or something like that. Definitely see if you can get a table in his section, he was pretty hilarious.

Shelly A.

If you're from Chicago, you know that our box-cut style pizza is just as good as our deep dish. NYC can talk about their flippy floppy foldable pizza style all they want! For me, if I want thin crust, I'm looking for Chicago box style pizza. Pizano's is a great local pizza joint that makes a delicious pie with the freshest meats, cheeses, and veggies. The thing that makes Pizano's so great is that they use that corn style crust that you would know and recognize from Lou Malnatis. Pizano's just does it in a thinner form and then they 'square cut' all your slices, so you can shovel it down conveniently and efficiently. :) If you're looking for something a little different than the typical Chicago deep dish, then stop by Pizano's and get a thin crust pepperoni and sausage. It's to die for. Then you'll know all about the lesser-known Chicago tradition of box-cut pizza!

Brad R.

We took a pizza tour of Chicago and this was our 1st stop on the trip. Lots of rich history about this place and located literally a block from the exact center of Chicago. Our tour guide really made this place a great experience hearing about the families of pizza makers and how the thick crust came to be a Chicago main-stay. It was even more interesting to hear about all the sausage families and why that is more important to the folks of Chicago than peperoni. We tried a couple of the meat pizzas including the deep dish peperoni and sausage and even a thin crust vegetarian. Pizza was moist, juicy, and loaded with flavor. The ambiance was good as it reminded me of an old school Italian gangster joint but not in the dangerous way. Service was quick and their beer selection had a couple Goose Island beers so I was happy. The cheese on these pizzas was truly the bomb-diggedy and most importantly the pizza wasn't greasy at all. Definitely a must stop on any pizza tour of Chicago.

Katey C.

This is by far the BEST thin crust pizza. The crust literally crunches when you bite into it, it is buttery and AMAZING. If you're looking for great thin crust pizza in the city, you have to come here.

Brian B.

Opened a Yelp account specifically to write this review: 5:30pm: Order pizza via Grub Hub 6:45pm: Estimated Delivery Time 7:15pm: Called to ask where the pizza was. They said I needed to call Grub Hub since they placed the order (as if Grub Hub knows whether the pie is in the oven or in a driver's car...) and refuse to answer the question. 7:25: Driver calls to ask where my building is. (Ever heard of Google Maps?) He's a 2 minute walk from the building, but it's not until... 7:35: Driver finally knocks on door and delivers pizza. Pieces are tossed about within box as if it had been shaken. Pizza is room temperature and as tough as beef jerky. It's clearly been sitting out for at least an hour. 7:40: Call Pizano's to complain. They tell me I ordered pizza from different Pizano's store. Grub Hub receipt begs to differ. They give me other store's phone number and hang up. If you made a mistake, OWN IT. 7:45: Call Grub Hub. They call the Pizano's. Not sure whether they recuperate any cost from Pizano's, but they refund my order. Bottom line, good on you, Grub Hub; shame on you, Pizano's.

Benjamin G.

The waiting time for the pizza was 20 min. So the pizza came very fast, when it was made from the bottom!

Julie T.

I read so many reviews for pizza and Pizano's pizza didn't stand out on yelp at all. But, I got lost, ended up here and was pleasantly surprised. The deep dish pizza here was in between Gino's East and Lou Malnati's. Gino's east is a very thick crust that reminds me of a cornmeal pot pie and Lou Malnati's is thinner crust, but perhaps too thin? I liked Pizano's a lot and it wasn't AS heavy as others so I can eat more slices. The cheesy garlic bread was not good at all. Not a great beer selection, either. I would definitely come back. This place is also conveniently located near the bean. For a thicker, flakier, and heavier crust which I also enjoy, I would try Gino's East as well.

Annie C.

Not bad, mind you we only had the bruschetta and chicken fingers and fries..don't judge, we just needed something to snack on. They were both pretty good for appetizers. The waiter was really nice and informative, the patio is also super nice to sit on during a cool summer night!

Nick D.

Pizano's was our first dinner spot we hit up upon arriving in Chicago. It wasn't on our to try list but it was 10:30pm and was the only restaurant open within a couple blocks from our hotel. First impression of Pizano's upon walking in was that it was dark and but they had a bunch of TV's tuned to various games and I couldn't help but notice the red & white checkered tablecloth that runs standard with the old school Italian restaurants, which I was able to overlook as the food certainly made up for it. We started off with their Bottoms Up Chicken Wings, with medium heat, which essentially made them Buffalo Wings. The wings were pretty decent, the sauce was nicely dressed and the flavoring was infused skin deep. The wings also had a nice crisp factor to it, which tells me the wings were freshly fried and not just popped into the oven. The s/o and I also shared a Caesar Salad, which was standard but the dressing was flavorful and had nice hints of garlic. Now for the pizza. Pizano's would be the very first spot I'd get to try some real Chicago style pizza. With that said, my expectation were so high, that it had to knock my socks and shoes off. Our server did forewarn us that it would take around 30-minutes or so to bake, which just simply built up the anticipation. We ordered a small Rudy's Special. Between the s/o and I, we can easily eat an average of four slices of thin crust easily, but our server suggested a small would be sufficient and it was. When our pizza came out, it was pure, melted cheese and pizza topping perfection! I grabbed a slice of that bad boy, took my first bite and it was amazing. The toppings were fresh, the cheese was fresh and the pie/crust was out of this world! Not sure what's in their dough recipe but my biggest pet peeve is when my pizza slice becomes soggy and (excuse the expression) limp. The service was meh, but I didn't expect to exactly be wowed since it was so late in the evening. But our beves were refilled when we needed it, our food came out as expected and got our check when requested. Overall, if I had to recollect where I had the best pizza I had during my visit to Chicago, Pizano's was pretty damn good but Lou Malnati's reigned at number one, Giordano's in last place. With that said, Pizano's is definitely worth checking out!

Alan K.

Our waitress was so sweet. The service was excellent. For lunch today, we ordered a deep dish pizza along with a thin crust pizza. I have to say that the thin crust pizza was better than the deep dish. I ordered the vegetarian deep dish but asked them to add pepperoni to it. The deep dish was smothered with cheese. When I ate the thin crust pizza, it had much more flavor to it. You could taste the toppings more because it wasn't enveloped by the cheese. I should have ordered the deep dish with sausage if they had that here. I will ask for it specifically next time.

Adam S.

Probably the best thin crust pizza I have ever had - and that is saying a lot. Corn meal crust - excellent toppings. Great beer on tap. I can't speak to anything else on the menu but I would eat all my thin crust pizza here.

Kerry S.

We walked here from the train. Very friendly staff even with the place so busy. Their able to open up their windows to cool off the place nicely. We ordered a pizza with the 30 min wait. The waiter kept coming over giving us a countdown of when it was ready. Was worth the wait. Very yummy!

Gina S.

When I have visitors in town it's a guarantee that Chicago style deep dish will be in the near future, it's almost expected. We arrived just before 6:30 on a Friday night with a party of 7. It was a humid evening but there was little relief from the heat inside, it felt like they didn't have the AC on. I even mentioned it to the hostess and she was like, "Yeah I know. It does seem warm in here doesn't it?" She just kept manning her post, didn't even check the thermostat or send someone else to. It was slightly more comfortable inside than out so dining on their patio was out of the question. I put our name in for a table and the hostess gave me a ballpark estimate on the wait and a pager. When that estimated time ended I asked again because my pager didn't go off. They really have no clue about how to guesstimating table wait time. Our initial 20 minutes was in reality 50, but every time I asked I got the "Oh it'll just be 10 minutes." Add to it the heat and the fact that they don't have a designated waiting area inside unless you belly up to the bar, which was fairly busy and we had small children. My brother managed to finish two cocktails and I downed 2 large glasses of water...all while standing just inside the door for FIFTY minutes. I had to bite my cheek every time the words "biatch bring me a chair" started to form on my tongue. We were finally seated at a very small table cramped in the corner surrounded by other full tables. The service was fine, our drinks and complimentary bread came out quickly. We placed our order right away after sitting: a Rudy's Special deep dish, regular crust cheese pizza and a chop salad to share. The Rudy's Special was a basic sausage, mushroom, onion and green pepper deal. The deep dish pizza came out after about 40 minutes after placing the order. It wasn't overly cheesy, the crust wasn't super thick either, the other toppings were pretty good and the sauce was a little bland. All in all a slice couldn't have been more than 1/2" tall...I like my deep dish DEEP and full of toppings, sauce and more cheese than this one had. Overall, it was a let down that I would try again. From the hostess and the standing wait to the cramped tables, the cherry on top for the night was that I forgot my credit card in the bill folder. I called 20 minutes after I left to see if they had it. They never called me back, GREAT customer service...SMH.

Bianka H.

UNACCEPTABLE !!! I placed a phone order ,on arrival to pick up my order I was not greeted or acknowledged but people who came in before and after me were greeted in a kind and courteous manner. THAT was just the beginning of my unpleasant experience. I was forced to make myself present to the staff. when paying for my order I placed my credit card in the cashiers hand, but to my surprise the cashier didn't place my card back in my hand but instead placed my card on the counter insisted I pick it up. when I brought the issue to the cashier that it was rude to not place my card back into my hand it was not well received , so I asked for management I received the same unsatisfactory service that I was presented by his employees along with finding out the manager was also 1 of the people who didn't acknowledge me as I arrived to pick up my order, to add on to the series of events my order was wrong and no compensation was given or offered for my inconvenience ,if your looking for great customer service and a friendly environment this is not the place to go !!!!!

Emily Z.

Perfect place to meet up with a few friends on a cold January evening, sadly for me it was sunny and 70 in which case that atmosphere here is just depressing! I had a side salad as this was my second lunch for the day so I can't complain, my out of town friend devoured her personal deep dish so I am going to say that was A-OK. The service is where they lost me. Mediocre at best, and I don't have high standards. In fact, fancy restaurants where they pull my chair out and sweep away my bread crumbs between courses actually make me nervous. We didn't have silverware when we were sat at our table. Our meals didn't come out with silverware and when we flagged down our server to get some he said sure, got the silverware and then went out of his way to go talk to a coworker for a minute. At this point you are probably thinking 'sheesh, 1 minute, this girl needs to take a chill pill'. Well, when you wait 30 min for a pizza you get to a point where you just can't wait any longer; and honestly if your going to talk instead of bringing us a crucial element to enjoy our meal don't do it in front of us, duh! The decor here is a little to old school for me, dark interior, a Christmas tree decorated with leaves in October and most annoying extremely narrow walk ways thus you feel super awkward trying to walk anywhere like you are always in the servers way. This especially causes problems when your group of 4 + suitcases is taken to the back to sit and then forced to stand cramped by our future table while they clear and set the table #poorplanning #getyourducksinorder. The food was decent to good but if I am going to be spending the money to eat out downtown it is going to be in a place with an equally good atmosphere, why do you think people pay $15 a cocktail in the signature room, scene sells.

Jessica H.

I'm gonna let you finish, but Pizano's Pizza is the best pizza of all time!!! No, for real, it is. The deep dish brickhouse pizza (sausage and mushrooms) is mind blowing. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. This is my go-to pizza place when we're jonesing for pizza at work. We've dined in and we've picked up. I can't speak for anything else on the menu because this pizza is so good I get the same thing every time I go there. EVERY. TIME. Service has always been friendly, and the place is always packed.

Brandon L.

the pizza is pretty good but i still like PEQUODS the best

Rhonda G.

They have a pretty happening happy hour Pizza is good! I'm sure everyone else agreed since we inhaled two pizzas. Save some dough (no pun intended)! This is a nice cheap eats option for post sightseeing or iceskating in the area. Drinks are pretty average but they do have a pretty ok beer list. Wine snobs beware, they don't have the best selection and the glasses might give you a heart attack. Enjoy!

Tom F.

The only way to order is with a butter crust....it's the best.

Marcio A.

I saw on yelp the reviews but the restaurant surprised me! Good service, amazing pizza! So far the best on I eat here in America !!!

Vanessa V.

The deep dish pizza was not up to par. If I can pick it up with my hands and eat it without making a mess, it's not deep dish. It was like they put a giant crust around their thin crust pizza and called it deep dish. Go elsewhere. I gave the extra star for their spinach and artichoke dip. That was yummy.

Nick S.

Food good. Over priced drinks. Damn!!!!! $7.50 for a 8 oz beer and the same for a Guinness? $9.50 for a mixed drink?

Tamar D.

It was a very busy night and they were out of their only Zinfandel, and by the time we finished, we were not able to order dessert. They have four ovens, and with the crowd of 200+ patrons, couldn't share the desserts and pizzas in order to meet the demand. While a tad annoying, the pizza was really yummo. Their spinach and artichoke app was terrible. It tasted metallic, like they used old mayonnaise that had a silver spoon sitting in it too long. We ordered a small deep dish to share between two people, and that was plenty. Really enjoyed the sauce, the right amount of cheese, the taste of the pepperoni and sausage, and the crispy crust that I got to dip into Ranch. Kudos to our server, Mike, who kept checking in with us despite his super busy section. Although, Mike, my friend, you led us astray on the whole "Moonstruck" for dessert. We couldn't find that place to save our lives and ended up at CPK for red velvet cake and an apple crisp.

N P.

You found it. This is the best Pep and Sausage thin crust pizza in Chicago... So by default, it is the best there is...anywhere. Every bite is pizza nirvana. Enjoy.

Mark B.

I have my 1st Piazno's today, and my last. The only good thing I can say about it was, it was plenty hot when I got it. We had a sausage with Jardinero peppers and it was SO greasy. The crust was HORRIBLE and for a large at $30 with NO delivery, it was TOO SMALL and WAY OVER PRICED. This might be the biggest pizza ripe off of ALL time. I will Never, ever, ever, get pizza from here again. For the record, I would give this a ZERO Stars if it would let me

Jaci E.

I have loved Pizano's for 2 years! They deliver quickly (often faster than GrubHub tells me they will), the food is fantastic, and the staff is always friendly.

Ellen C.

We were excited beyond belief to try this place after having heard raving reviews from our chef friend. "You have to go Pizano's! They have the best pizza!" So... we did. Waited for 30 minutes or so to get our table, preordered my pizza so that we'd be able to get our food faster. 30 minutes later, we get seated in the bar area where we could watch the baseball game and tennis match on the flat screens. All good. Our waiter was good, he brought us our drinks quickly and we didn't mind the additional wait for our thin crust pizza. Yes, we ordered the thin crust because countless reviews said the thin crust was better than the deep dish! We got the thin crust and it was okay. Rudy's special and all, the crust wasn't really that distinct although it was crispy without being overly greasy. You could tell that the cheese was of good quality and the ingredients were used with care, but in the end the pizza just wasn't that great. It wasn't nearly as good as we expected and we've had a good variety of thin crust pizzas in our day. And then came the shocker. We wanted the "famous" chocolate chip cookie dessert. We ordered it 30 minutes before we were ready for it to give them enough time and after we were done eating and had been waiting for a good 10-15 minutes, were told that the "manager is informing" the waiters that "they're no longer making dessert because there are too many pizzas in line." Um... are you kidding me? I'm sorry, but this restaurant isn't a new restaurant. It's been around for ages so shouldn't they know how to handle a big crowd and still be able to serve their desserts for goodness sake? The line wasn't that long either, I would say it was about 30-45 minute wait. I think we were more disappointed than anything because we were so looking forward to one of their famous dishes. Who can say no to dessert??? Apparently we had to that night.

Nell N.

Wow. That cheese was amazing. I'm not really a fan of the thin crust (sorry Oprah). But the deep dish sausage was amazing! I preferred this pizza to Lou Malnati's.

Melissa P.

Go. Deep Dish.- Go now.

Marisa H.

I can see why this place has mixed reviews. The deep dish ended up wrecking the roof of my mouth.... I am not sure if it was the dough. Our waiter tried to be overly friendly and used more than enough profanity in front of us. The overall ambience of the place was nice. We were able to catch some of the World Cup on their big flat screens. I wouldn't go back if I lived in the area.

Magnus H.

Melissa the bartender is the worst bartender/ server I have ever had in my life. I have never met a bartender who argued with the customer. She is stuck up and pretentious, I love the pizza so I will come back, as long as someone else takes care of me.

Ellen P.

Some serious PIZZA OMG happens at Pizano's. We go for a Rudy's Special, thin crust, and a bottle of red. Without fail, they comp us the Chocolate Chip Cookie for dessert, and it is just... so bad for our waistlines, but somehow, it always disappears. I see they are expanding a bit, which means more pizza happy people. A truly delicious Chicago Pizza experience - definitely in my Top 5.

Chris M.

Stopped in for a quick lunch. Ordered sammys as pizza would have taken too long. Had the steak and sausage sammys. They were full of meat and pretty good. Wouldn't rush back though.

Bobby C.

The Dude Abides... This is the best deep dish I've had in Chi. Supposedly they are known more for their Chicago-thin, but that would be like ordering a cheeseburger at Mexican place known for good burritos. We got the deep and were happy we did so. Unfortunately, knowing it was our first time there, our waiter didn't tell us about their secret "butter crust" which apparently I later found out from my local friend is just what it sounds like -- They lather the shit out of the crust in butter making Jesus taste like God (sorry if I offended any Muslims but it is Xmas today). I would almost take off a star for that but I get it, it's a specialty reserved for the locals. Like George Bush once said, "Fool me once shame on you... fool me twice... uh, well I'm getting the butter crust next time!" It's busy as hell and we were there at like 5 pm on a Tuesday -- and we were lucky I used Yelp to see they take reservations. I'd go back, maybe try a thin and a thick if I was with a bigger groups BUT MAKE SURE TO TRY THE BUTTER CRUST.

Gilbert D.

we just got to chicago and we needed a place to eat. pizzanos was there for us. excellent service and amazing deep dish i mean amazing if anyone says it is bad dont listen to them the guy nathan was super awesome give him a raise

Alisha H.

If you are looking for Chicago deep dish, this is the place. It's all about the quality of ingredients when you're putting that much cheese and tomatoes on a pizza, and Pizano's does the best at getting high quality stuff. In particular, Mark's Special (fresh mozz, basil and tomato) is your pie (add sausage if you truly want the best combo). Just don't attempt to eat more than two slices or you will regret it!

Dennis B.

We had a long wait for a table since our buzzer didn't go off. They claimed they were looking all over for us. Since we were right in front of them the whole time, they couldn't of been looking hard. All i can say is that their pizza sucks. We got a deep dish and a thin crust. They were both basically the same. Greasy sour crust smeared with flavorless sauce and cheese. Horrible experience.

Melissa F.

Mark's Special Deep Dish. The. Best.

Neil R.

Love it ! The thin crust AND the deep dish both fantastic. I'm a little partial to the thin crust - you really can't go wrong either way. Great bar too- nothing terribly fancy but really chill atmosphere to just hang out or even watch a game on TV. I think what sold me (besides the food) was the service - both at the "sit-down" area as well as at the bar. The bartenders are really chill and I've gone back there just get beers based on my pleasant experiences. Can't say enough though - if you like thin crust you MUST go here !

A Is For Alexandra S.

First time guest. Asked if they had the four cheese pizza and they said they only do mozzarella. Ok not the end of the world but this is pizza Mecca right? Then once the Deep dish cheese pizza arrived that I ordered, nothing was deep on it except the cheese. The crust was very thin and didn't even cover the entire bottom of the pizza. Crust was also flavorless. Starving so ate it, once ready to go, server offered me a styrofoam to go container. For pizza? Really? Lastly asked for a Togo cup for my remaining ice tea and was told they dont have..... Speechless at this point. All in all, did not feel like I was eating a Chicago pizza and would have rather had dominoes or pizza hut. This place won best thin crust pizza... I suggest they stick to that.

Tommy V.

Pretty amazing thin crust pizza. We had some leftover and it was still crispy an hour after we left. The hot wings were mediocre. Very dry and medium had no spice at all. Service was outstanding. Atmosphere was good but seating was pretty cramped. Overall... I would do it again for sure.

Stephanie P.

Update: I know it has not even been 24 hours since my initial review but please stay away from this place if you have food allergies. I have been up all night becoming BFFs with the porcelain goods. Totally not worth it. Came here for lunch today against my own will. My coworker was celebrating a birthday party and chose this place. I did not eat any of the pizza since I am allergic to tomato and cheese. However, the portions of the a medium size thin crust pizza are quite small. Two stars for the grilled chicken breast sandwich.

Peter N.

Ordered subs for me and my roommate: Italian sub: bread was very hard - My roommate said his gums were all cut up from eating the sandwich. Very little meat. Italian beef/sausage combo: sausage was kind of flavorless, but otherwise the meat had good flavor and sauce. Bread was moist, so I didn't suffer the same fate. Very quick delivery for 2am.

Kevin W.

Found this place while looking around downtown. Very friendly service and good deep dish pizza

Tito S.

Oh my God! First time here from California. This place was great! Pizza was awesome! A little bit of a wait but well worth it. The Rudy's Special deep dish! Oh yea baby! This pizza was awesome I'm of the mind that California Pizza has nothing on Chicago. However if anyone wants to let me know otherwise please do!

Katie H.

This may be the best pizza place in the city no joke... and I am a Chicago native so that is saying a lot! Ive been going to Pizanos for about six years now it used to be that I worked at the Art Institute so we would come here after work and have a couple beers. Now I live in the South Loop so whenever I want Italian food Pizanos is pretty much my go to place not to mention they deliver until something like five in the morning... where can you find that anywhere else. The restaurant is reminiscent of old Chicago; it is a well known fact that Al Capone used to eat here and you can really feel that when you walk in the decor is very cozy the bar is big and old and the food is amazing If you haven't been to Pizanos you are doing yourself a disservice!

Genevieve S.

This is the perfect pizza place to bring an out of town guest. I love al fresco dining in the summer! I was pleasantly surprized by the wonderful thin crust pizza... The deep dish was great, too... but there was something mesmerizing about the thin... I was so jealous that the thin crust was a sausage pizza... Next time, and there will certainly be a next time, veggies will dominate the thin crust and the pleasure will be all mine! I can't wait! Oh, and the house salad was great, too!

Nikki S.

Was hopeful because no line to sit down, but that is for good reason. The meatballs were served cold and the deep dish was definitely not authentic. The service not to mention was slow.

Liz P.

Do yourself a favor and get your pizza delivered, or at the very least, place your order with the hostess if there's a wait of at least 20 minutes (because that probably means you'll have to wait at least 45 minutes). I was here a few weeks ago with some friends from out of town who wanted the best pizza in Chicago. The pizza is definitely 5-star-worthy; the thin-crust pizza warrants a sixth star. However, our experience eating at Pizano's was rather unpleasant - our 45-minute wait ended up lasting over two hours. We placed our pizza order with the hostess and were served within 5 minutes of finally sitting down - much to the chagrin of the people at the table next to us who had waited well over an hour for their table and had been waiting at their table for at least 30 minutes for their pizza! The food was excellent, but we were so hungry, bored, and tired by the time we ate it that we wished we had just gone home and phoned in a delivery order.

Mary L.

We visited Chicago over the summer. This was on the top of my list for deep dish pizza. And they did not disappoint! Excellent food and friendly service! While we did not have a long wait for a table, we did have a fair wait for our food. It was worth it! Our party left satisfied and had leftovers to snack on throughout the night.

Lisa M.

Friendly staff and they gave us a few for our party of 10. The thin pizza was very good, delicious. We walked from the Hyatt so it was a good location for us. Taxi were visibly around though. Idk the price point. We'd go again.

Wei-Hsiang H.

I like its pizza, but pasta was just fine...

Cerene P.

We ordered pizza from here today. The bbq chicken pizza was interesting, i'm not a big fan of other miscellaneous ingredients on my pizza so this was different. Not in a good or bad way, just different. The pepperoni was very plain, but the sausage had a lot of flavor! We also had a veggie which i didn't try this time.

Ebs B.

Hmm... *thinking, thinking* Nothing really stood out here, except the tons of big parties and families that occupied the place. Food: decent, though not outstanding by any means. Service: Lackluster Decor: Old-school Price: Over-priced ($15 for a lunch salad. Yes, it had shrimp, but come on, there was nothing special about it). I can see where I might come here with a group of people to grab some beers and snack on some pizza, but for a real lunch/dinner, I'll be skipping it.

Ben N.

As a non-Chicagoan, I'm definitely no expert on Chicago deep-dish pizza, but based on what I have had, I thought Pizano's was rock-solid. My only comparison in recent years has been Lou Malnati's, which I thought was excellent but not quite as good as this, and a couple of Pizzeria Uno chainlets outside of Chicago, which have been horrible and are doing all they can to damage the Chicago-pizza brand. I have no idea how well Pizano's pies conform to the Chicago deep-dish standard, but it sure seems like the the restaurant is using fresh, quality ingredients and using them well. The tomato sauce is nicely balanced, the cheese is a couple of notches better than the average for pizza, and the flaky crust was just about perfect for this style. Really good stuff. Only quibble I have is that the pizza--the "Jack Brickhouse" with mushroom and (good) sausage--came out a little runny, although it seemed to solidify after a couple of minutes. And I'd say that, at more than 20 bucks for a medium pie, it's a little on the pricey side, although more than enough to feed two. Pizano's is very dark, with most of the light provided by giant flat-screen TVs tuned to sports. My guess is that the atmosphere at this location gets loud and obnoxious on weekend evenings, probably amplified by the half-way decent beer list, and that the service slips accordingly. On the Wednesday evening we were there, though, service was professional and the atmosphere was subdued and pleasant.

Vic R.

Visiting from LA. Was excited to hear this was supposed to be good, but overall let down/disappointed. Interior cool, with Chi-Town sports stuff. Pizza very average.

Ashland T.

Worst. Deep Dish. Ever. (Beside's Connie's anyway). The service was poor, the sauce was weird, the crust was weird.. everything about it was weird. We each ordered our own personal pizzas and no one liked it. There's too many other options that are way better and have always left me satisfied. Stick to Giordano's, or Malnatti's, or Pizzeria Uno. Heck, even Gino's!

MJ W.

This is my first time in Chi-Town so I naturally have to eat some real deep dish. I chose Pizano's off a few suggestions and proximity to where I am. I started with Annette's Tomato Bread. I love blue cheese so this simple tomato, blue cheese and garlic bread concoction hits the spot. There is a lot of cheese but it's not over powering. It's also a big portion. I settled on the Rudy's Special with black olives added. It came out piping hot and covered in veggie goodness. The sauce is great, not too sweet with some chunks. The sausage seems to be be homemade and the cheese is nice and fresh. Finally, the crust is nice and crispy with good flavor and texture. Service was been good, and my only complaint would be the pricing. My meal for a small pizza and app will come close to $30 for one person.

Michael S.

This place gets one star because we got seated relatively quickly and we didn't get food poisoning. Deep dish is my favorite type of pizza, so I didn't mind the wait. It was the worst pizza I ever had. I had to saw at the crust to cut it up. Taste not too great, either. We didn't finish it. Beer selection was OK, but not the price we paid for it. Waitress was in over her head. Service was very slow. I can't figure out why so many were waiting in line. Will not go back.

Damian C.

My first stop last Friday at noon for a post-GMAT celebration was Pizano's. I had a few goals in mind - have a few beers to relieve all my built up stress, have a good time with two of my best friends, and eat some of their (world) famous pizza with mounds of sausage. Goal... NOT accomplished... ...but at no fault of Pizano's. Silly me forgot that it was Lent, and good Catholics like myself cannot eat meat on Fridays. Maybe it's crazy, but I vowed that THIS would be the year I stuck to the "Vegetarian Friday" thing, and I wasn't about to abort the mission half way through the season. I'm not the veggies-on-pizza type and prefer piles of meaty goodness. Thankfully, whoever Mark is created a special on the menu, creatively named "Mark's Special", with tomato, basil, and garlic that was not only Lent-friendly but acceptable as well. Order us up a small deep dish, please! Thank you, Mark, for keeping me holy. We threw in an order of spinach/artichoke dip to hold us over during the 45 minute wait for the pizza. Excellent choice. It was served with crusty Italian bread as opposed to chips, which stinks, but I guess it IS an Italian restaurant, so I digress. The pizza was pretty much everything I hoped it'd be - piping hot, gooey delicious, and a crunchy buttery crust that is sure to prevent a beach body. The only thing that disappointments me about their pizza is the lack of thickness of the deep dish crust. When I think of deep dish, I think of a crust measuring at least 1-2" top to bottom. Pizano's is lacking in this area - it's fairly thin and crunchy but models the "sauce-over-cheese" model of traditional Chicago deep dish. If it upped its heftiness I'd be 100% sold on this place. One complaint about the restaurant itself. We were seated in the very very back left corner of the restaurant. Right behind my friend's seat was a glass door that led to some hallway, presumably the office or condo building it's attached to. I would venture to say at least 7 or 8 people walked in and out of that door during the hour and a half we were there, most of them brushing up against or slamming into my friend and/or her chair. At one point one of the employees did close and lock the door and informed another employee to not allow this, which helped only temporarily, but eventually people continued to come and go as they pleased with no reprimand. If you dine here, I'd recommend avoiding that table at all costs, even if you have to wait longer.

Al Y.

Our particular night the pizza seemed cold and over cooked - the feeling that you were handed recooked pizza and the crust was hard because of it. This may be an anomaly of a night because I have been here before and the pizza was much better. I'm disappointed that this restaurant wasn't consistent. We had sausage, pepperoni, and veggie pizzas and some ice cream at the end, all of which were a bit lackluster. But, it was a slow wednesday night and we had the thin crust pizza, not the deep dish (not what they are known for). I have tried their deep dish and I thought it was excellent. So, this review is to say be wary of the thin crust pizza here.

Rosa R.

I have been coming here for about 4 1/2 years. I ordered takeout last night and it was as good as dine in. The service isn't great and the place is always ridiculously crowded but they have the best thin crust pizza. Love it!!!!!

Kymberly J.

I took off one star for the long wait for the check. Our waiter was sent down stairs to serve for a party and forgot about us. Why couldnt they have sent one of the bazillion waiters who were standing aorund downstairs. arghhhh! Aside from that, I loved loved loved the pizza. The cheese looked a little weird and glumpy (if that's a word) but it tasted so fresh and not loaded down with salt. We had a thin crust half pep and half shrooms, garlic bread and a side salad which was a bit over priced for the size. Over all though it was a pretty decent value. I took my 12 year old friend and she loved it too! So if this place gets an endorsement from her, you know its got to be good! I also loved the atmosphere. It was all cozy and friendly. They had garland with white christmas lights strung accross the walls. It felt like Christmas.

Jim H.

Very good thin-crust! The chocolate chip cookie desert was good too (unless your on a diet). Service was good. We ate indoors and the atmosphere was good. The employees were polite and helpful. Not too pushy and kept our drinks full.

Luis V.

Great pizza at Pizano's. Cool place. Did have to wait 30 minutes for my pizza, so being your phone and take some pictures.

Linda H.

I put this pizza on my list of Chicago favorites! It's no surprise that there is a Lou Malnati's influence here (another of my faves), as the sauce (fresh and tomatoey) is similar, as is the crust. It's a great spot in the touristy section of the city...close to Millennium Park. Hence, it is usually quite busy. The last couple times, we've grabbed a spot at the bar, where there are typically plenty of spots, or a very short wait as the turnover is high. I love the bustling atmosphere. I've only had the thin crust here, and it's always perfect. Love the sauce, the crust, and whatever kind of cheese blend they use...it's just great. I cannot speak for the other menu items other than pizza, except for the one time I did order minestrone soup and it was downright inedible. It was like vegetables in hot water...flavorless and nasty. Oh well. The wait can be a bit long for the pizza, but what's your hurry? You're in a great spot in the middle of a great city. Enjoy, people!

Foodie L.

The food was bland. Big portions and good service. I ordered the Sam's favorite. It was a box of rigatoni with some sauce. Eh.

Dhruv P.

Went here late weekday night early this year. Ordered a pizza which tasted like cardboard and the ambiance felt like a old dive bar or a bar in the suburbs. With so many pizza choices in the city, don't even bother unless you are grabbing a drink at the bar and need some substance.

Jeff C.

The thin crust pizza is exceptional, as are the friendly bartenders. A reasonable, decent restaurant in the Loop.

Michael P.

The lady doth protest too much, methinks. Seriously - this place is pure Chicago - if you haven't been "Chachi-Fied" by Uncle Chachi then you haven't been to Chicago! So you had to wait for a table - welcome to city living! And hey listen to this it is a family run business! How cool is that! LOVE THIS PLACE Love the character and OMG LOVE THE food I love this place and if I wasn't worried about my weight I would be eating deep dish every night from this place - MY Favorite place in the winter or a cold rainy night - bundle up get a deep dish pizza and a bottle chianti! FABULOUS and listen you want to ask for Uncle Chachi's table - it is the only wa to get Chachi Fied - and learn about Pizano's , Chicago, and maybe a fun fact - we take all our out of town guests to Pizano's love it - and seriously an old school Chicago Pizza Parlor who treats a sassy interracial gay couple with open arms is UNUSUAL for this midwest town. OOOOOHHHH the crust THE CRUST : crispy - buttery - and so Chicago SO Local - love it and always piping hot ALWAYS - love when it is packed love the people who work there - LOVE THE Food

Maria A.

DEEP DISH PIZZA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Soooooo amazing. Soooooo delicious. Their pesto gnocchi was probably the best pesto gnocchi i've ever had. I was sad I do not possess four stomachs like cows do, cause I wanted to eat four times as much. Service was a bit shakey, but I could tell it was that the guy was really tired/overwhelmed, he was very nice and kind and attentive.

Robyn C.

It's nice to return to a restaurant and have it be just as wonderful as you remember it. Pizano's is filled with good memories, good friends and good food and I was a bit hesistant to return after leaving the city 8 years ago. It didn't disappoint. The atmosphere was lively, the service was impeccable and the pizza is just as good as always. Our server, Juan, could not have made this a better memory to take home with me. He was the perfect combination of attentive, friendly and efficient. Chicago is known for its fabulous restaurants, and you could live in this city for a lifetime and not visit half of them. But for me, Pizanos will always be a must-stop on every visit to Chicago.

Jana B.

Went here on recommendation of Palmer House concierge. Gluten free pizza was my desire. Awesome thin crust, crisp while chewy and can actually hold it up to eat it. I eat gf by choice and miss pizza a lot. This was sooooo good!

Jennifer M.

So on a recent trip to Chicago, my Travelling Companions and I decided that we just HAD to try deep dish pizza. We chose Pizano's mostly for the proximity to our hotel. The entire place has a very "East Side Marios" or "Olive Garden" vibe with a little "Local Sports Bar" and "Sammy Davis Jr" thrown in for good measure. We ordered a Large deep dish with sausage for the table. It was enormous, and the four of us struggled to finish. Also split a salad. Deep Dish takes at least 20 min to cook, but they will bring along some bread if you are peckish. The pizza itself is VERY hearty, VERY cheesy and all around tasty. The sausage tasted like it was made in house. Good flavour. Our server was polite, attentive and friendly. Not the best dining experience of my life but decent none the less.

Joe W.

Legacy is an interesting concept. To many it can be associated with an expensive degree from an Ivy League School, a classic Patek time piece or even surname which is associated with foundations or trusts. To some it's the passion in which they professionally perpetuate their craft...their art. Legacy as I see it means proliferating what is important to the community around you. It demonstrates awareness, social receptiveness and understanding of what makes people really happy. Pizanos makes me happy. Say what you will - but sweet sauce coupled with the understanding that this is as close as possible to what pizza means to Chicago is important to me. My experiences with Rudy Malnati are limited. My interactions his loyal and apparently fulfilled staff indicates that he understands what success is - and is willing to allocate the time and dedication to make what he thinks is important...stick. I'm not going to dabble in the history of Chicago Pizza. From what I have sampled, what I have read, and what makes me happy - Pizanos is it. These opinions vary even in my own home - proportion of cheese, butter content in cornmeal, density of sauce, etc. That being said Pizanos is my first choice, my default, and also my neighbor. I recommend you complete your own evaluation - but also take into consideration the distance from the original source. This is the closest, unadulterated, and authentic Chicago Pizza.

Fate O.

First bite... Yum! But that was b/c I was hungry. 2nd bite... Do I taste aluminum? I was looking for CHICAGO pizza near Millennium Park with an out of town visitor. First of all, this isn't your Chicago pizza. Tasted more like Wisconsin pizza. Very heavy on the stiff cheese. Bit of everything else including aluminum. Deep dish? Not. More of medium or in between thin crust pizza and deep dish. Large with half spinach & half pepperoni. Make it loud and clear, they'll bill you for TWO toppings even though you split ONE ingredient for each half. All for about 25 bucks (not including tax). Had only 1 slice. Never again.

RJ B.

It's in the loop so the location is great, and it's probably my favorite in Chicago. It's also the place I have been to the most so perhaps that's skewing my vote a bit because I have had some native Chicago'ans tell me I'm dead wrong. The pizza is good, the ingredients always seemed fresh, not too greasy, a good pie. When I visit I usually end up here over my popular locations like Lou M's. The service has been somewhat spotty, but otherwise no complaints.

Hen H.

Two stars because the food was great. I was a big fan of this place and use to eat there very often. The food was always good but the service got awful. On our last visit nobody knew what they were doing. And we had no idea who was our waiter until close to the end of our meal when he introduced himself. Very disappointed.

L.J. P.

Tried this place today while in town on business. Didn't have time to wait on a pizza unfortunately. Tried their Chicken Parmesean and can not say that i was impressed. I have had much better in my hometown of Kalamazoo. The service i received was also sub-par and our waiter seemed very dis-interested in his job duties. Also very pricey draft beer, even for Chicago. I may be willing to try them for pizza, but i probably won't go out of my way to return here.

Windy City Pizza Club K.

When it comes to Deep Dish Chicago Pizza, Pizano's isn't what you need to satisfy your palette. Their pizzas are big, they're average tasting, but their service is lacking and the cheese and sauce combined were much too heavy. Most recently, the Windy City Pizza Club met there for their monthly meeting, and to many it was disappointing. According to the Oprah Winfrey show, Pizano's has the best thin crust pizzas in the city and one of the top in the nation, and while the Deep Dish was just okay, their thin crust wasn't much better as it has a very "warmed up in a microwave" taste. After hearing so many great reviews from A-List celebrities, and friends, I came to the conclusion that this pizza was not for me. Their location in the loop was roomy and warm on a snowy and frigid Chicago winter's night, but their presence of service for a group of 15 people was lacking and unacceptable for a place that prides itself of spectacular Chicago pizza. Pizano's was opened in 1991 Rudy Malnati, Junior and features three locations: State Street, Loop, and Glenview, each with it's own unique look and feel. The loop location where the Pizza Club met was 2 stories with a private room and bar in the roomy basement. If you were a true Chicago pizza fan, you would know the family that owns this establishment. Rudy's father, Rudy, Sr. is the founder of Pizzeria Uno & Due. Rudy Jr.'s, brother is Lou Malnati, founder of Lou Malnati's Pizzeria. According to the Pizano's website, a good raised bread dough tones the crust. In our experience with the crust, it was extremely hard. They use High-grade canned tomatoes and of mozzarella cheese, topped with a sprinkling of grated Parmesan and oregano to complete the basic pizza. It sounded good, but the biggest issue was that they use too much of each item. The actual wait time for pizza was no longer than 20 minutes, so if you are in a rush and want an average pizza with a lot of history, this is a good place. Anchovies, onions or green pepper are other optional additions. I did enjoy a tossed salad, which was fairly large and nicely priced. All of the prices that Pizano's offers, are out-of-date and expensive for what the quality, but items are large so you could technically say you are getting your money's worth. I would possibly go back, but not with a group.

Lorna S.

I really liked this joint. I would call it an upscale pizzeria, with a sportsbar-type bar area. Flat screen TV's in the bar allow customers to watch "the game". The bartender was amazingly friendly, and made me feel comfortable. I wish I remembered his name. I tried their pizza, and really enjoyed it. It was deep dish pizza, and I normally eat thin crust. Next time I go, I will try the thin crust, and update my review. I liked the decor, and will definitely go back for more!

Courtney F.

Amazing pizza, amazing staff! This is my new favorite pizza place in Chicago! Ask for The Chauch as your waiter! He rocks!

Jeff P.

Used to love this place. Now I'm embarrassed to recommend it. Called in a pizza to make sure it was ready before we got there due to another engagement afterwards. She said in the phone it would be a 20 minute wait when we got there. No problem. We got down there and they still said 20 minutes for a table. 45 minutes later we got the table and the called in pizza was ice cold with coagulated cheese. We were hungry and didn't have time for them to make a new one so we are it. Never again will a recommend pizanos.

Anne Marie N.

Not sure what all the fuss is about. Had the recommended house salad and bruschetta, and both were barely worth eating. Salad ingredients were not great or mixed up well, lots of white iceberg. Bruschetta got super soggy really fast due to the loads of tomato juice coming from the piles of tomatoes. Flavors didn't mix well - just tons of tomatoes and strong basil. Service was absolutely wonderful though - fast and friendly. Would come back to try the pizza but not otherwise.

Rose K.

Pizano's has the best pizza in Chicago! Whether you want the popular Chicago staple of deep dish or their classic thin crust, you won't be disappointed. I've been going here for about 3 years. I first discovered it as a freshman in college because I had heard from a few people about their "college night" special. Turns out every Tuesday night (starting at 9pm) you can get free pizza! You just have to pay for a drink and then gratuity is included on the bill. But no matter how many people I came with, our totals always ended up being about $5 each. That's a pretty stellar price for some of the best pizza in the city! It's a really cute place too. They always have it decorated for whatever holiday is coming up (Christmas is the best time to go). Their bar is really nice and they also have a whole other seating area in the basement! There's lots of really neat pictures on the wall, TVs throughout, and everyone is always very friendly. I've never had a problem here before. Highly recommend it! (Oh and the deliver too!)

Charles S.

always good, great bar scene as well.

Jamison E.

I read reviews before going here and so I took people's advice and went with thin crust veggie pizza rather than Chicago-style. I wasn't really impressed with the pizza or the wait staff. The pizza sauce and crust were very bland, so much so that I tried to add the Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes on the table to add some flavor! I definitely think there are better pizza places in Chicago than Pizano's.

Megan J.

i have honestly only had the pizza here - but I have had the pizza here often and I really really love it. i have had both thick and thin crust versions - both are delicious but in general I prefer thin crusts and at Pizano's its a clear win for the thin. MY new craving is their "Mark" specialty pizza. It sounds super simple but the flavor is amazing!!! A friend of mine and I made our way through a large last month. No shame. I just could not stop and neither could she. The crust, sauce, cheese, and garlic - ooooh the garlic. absolutely perfect They also do a classic sausage, onion and peppers that is as good as any I've had. Fabulous!!!

Elliott C.

So Oprah rated this pizza joints as one of her favorite. Boooo! Oprah you must have been mighty hungry and this was the ONLY pizza joint open in Chicago - or maybe they gave you the Oprah treatment. The sauce is fresh and the crust was descent, but everything else is mediocre! Pizano's consider that as a compliment. BTW, if you are in a rush, then this is not the place to go. The wait time on November 3rd 2012 was 45 min long!!! In my Walter Jacobson voice: "Shame on you Pizano's"!

Laura J.

I was in Chicago visiting for a couple of days, and literally ate pizza every day. So although I wanted to try the highly ranked pizza at this restaurant, I instead chose the meatball sub. It was so good, especially with the mozzarella cheese melted on it. Our server was the Chach, and I have to say that he was the absolute highlight of my trip! He was so welcoming and friendly, and was definitely one of the best servers I have ever had anywhere!! He even gave my friend and I a free chocolate cookie. Be warned though-the portions are rather big, so come super hungry! Whenever I can find the time to visit Chicago again, I will definitely hit up Pizano's again!

Tina N.

It's been over a year and a half since I have had this pizza, and nothing has compared to it since. The crust and mozzarella cheese was amazing. I had the pepperoni. It was a little bit of wait for the food, but totally worth it. I also tried the chocolate cookie desert which was very good.

Sara G.

I want to enjoy my pizza but it's difficult having just seen a cockraoch crawl across the floor. I know I'm downtown in a large city, but that is no reason to expect or dismiss roaches. The server picked it up in a napkin and I saw him tend to other tables without pause to wash his hands. Even in the darkness of the basement seating, it is clearly past time for a thorough cleaning. I will have second thoughts about eating downtown. It's really too bad because the servers were handling a busy night pretty well.

Mike F.

Pizanos Eaten here three times before and loved the deep dish pizza. Ate there today and got Marks Pizza. The crust tastes like turned sour dough. Absolutely disgusting. I dont know if they changed their recipe but if so please fix it. If I wasnt in a hurry I would have sent it back.

Eve A.

Delicious pizza, however bar staff terrible. Not attentive, poorly trained, good luck trying to get a drink unless you flag to your attention. Far too consumed in speaking amongst themselves. After a 12 hour day, not worth the energy. State better location, or try mama milanos on wells.

Ivan D.

Delious pizza, terrible customer service. We had reservations for 8 at 1pm on Friday, we were finally seated @1:40 (with reservations?). No apologies, no explanation, no communication, no where to sit and wait, with elders and a child. We just waited by the door, waited, waited, waited, and waited ... without any communication.The manager (male) and front desk host, just looked at my group, while we waited, waited, and waited. I'll definitely eat Pizano's again, just not at the Madison location.

Maureen D.

Nice deep dish pizza prepared in 30 minutes.

N S.

Maybe some people like this pizza, but the thin crust I ordered did not satisfy my pizza craving at all. Too crumbly, grainy, and OILY. Maybe some people like this, but it is not my style. Will not order again.

Hailie S.

Amazing deep dish pizza!! Not only is the food great, but the service is great as well. Our waitress, Terri, was fabulous! Great customer service loved it.

Helen C.

I held off writing this review after my first visit because we only had the thin crusts first time and I was desperate to try the deep dish. Now I have tried the deep dish and I wasn't disappointed. First off, this place is open until THREE AM at the weekends. That is singularly wonderful. Because nothing in the world tastes better than deep dish when you've had a few drinks and the 40 minute wait helps sober you up.... and also because knowing that I can get pizza at 3am that won't have cockroaches in it just makes the world a better place. We rolled in after the second day at Lollapalooza, got seats at the bar, had a beer, had some garlic bread with marinara (in hindsight, an error, in drunk-sight, an extremely good idea, it was delicious) and waited. The bar staff were friendly and recommended a very good wheat beer for me to try when my old standby 312 wasn't there. The other people at the bar were a bit odd, but you can't win 'em all... Both the deep dish and the thin crust are SO good. A proviso: you need to like cheese. It's been a while since I've had Malnati's so I can't judge, but for thin crust this is by far the best. I will say that the atmosphere in here is great and the portion sizes aren't obscene - a small pizza perfectly feeds two people and won't break the bank. I envisage missing Pizano's greatly when I leave Chicago. My last meal will be deep dish at 3am.

Harlen B.

Excellent pizza, excellent service. How do they get their crust on their pies so perfectly crispy outside and chewy inside? We may never know, but I am happy knowing that I have a go-to pizza joint next time I'm in Chicago. I will say that their 'chocolate chip cookie' smothered in whipped cream wasn't what I had hoped for. It was good, don't get me wrong. However, I expected a traditional choco-chip cookie, not a chocolate-chocolate-chip cookie. There's a major flavor difference, and I prefer one over the other, so I was a bit disappointed. Thinking about this place right now makes me want to order a deep dish pizza and eat the whole thing. Mmm. Smacks.

Dylan T.

Pizano's is consistently very good. The staff is very nice and their service is as quick as you could expect for deep dish. Our server was great and he actually got us a complientary cookie a la mode for dessert being that it was my wife's birthday.

Elly C.

I went here for lunch and got a deep dish pizza with green peppers and sausage. I could tell all the ingredients were really fresh which makes a huge difference. I don't normally like sausage on my pizza but it was really good! I also like how the crust of the pizza wasn't too hard like other deep dish-it was sort of flaky! I also got a Long Island iced tea that was scrumptious!!

Neill C.

Excellent traditional Chicago deep-dish pizza (plus thin crust options), al fresco dining, excellent service, reasonable prices... What's not to like?

Greg B.

Not impressed. I have ate enough deep dish pizza in Chicago to realize that it is nothing special at all. BJ's put's Pizano's, Gino's East, and Uno to shame. The only positive is the tomato sauce and cold beer on tap.

LaRae H.

Amazing pizza and beer! This was my first experience with Chicago Style Pizza!!! Now I want to travel back from California to Chicago just to experience it again! The waiter was amazing, took our pics, let us try different beers until we found one we liked. Everything about this place is great!

Amanda C.

I do like Pizanos, but always want to like it a little more than I actually do. I like the location, the fact that it's historical, and the decorations at Christmastime. I'm usually underwhelmed by the food, although their deep dish is very good. Their thin crust pizzas seem greasy and other food has not been great. If you're going here, get deep dish. Service has been slow in my opinion so it may take longer than you expect.

Shawn D.

Good, solid thin crust pizza. The crust tasted more like thin deep dish and had a nice buttery taste. Nice tasting sausage, just wish there would've been more of it. Waiter was ok, warned us the pizza would take 30-45 min, but only stopped by once to check on drinks and had to flag him for the check. 4 stars for food, 2 for effort.

Neil F.

Great thin crust pizza. The location is good. I love the Millenium Park area and this is steps from there. I ordered the ceasar salad which was good and the Rudy thin crust pizza which was great. The service was great and the waiter was very personable. Pizza can take a little while, but it's because it's delicious. I will go back here again to grab some thin crust pizza. Definitely recommended.

Lynn M.

Hostess barely acknowledged us and dropped the menus off at the table without looking at us or saying any words to us. Waitress was pleasant though. Food was not great. Just because you offer a minestrone soup does not give you the right to dump in whatever veggies are about to go bad...like lettuce. Also the chicken parmesan was too dry. And the bathroom faucet was uncomfortably close to the back of the sink basin. I felt like I was on Hidden Camera with secret people trying to gauge my reaction to how I would maneuver my hands. I can't comment on the Pizza.

Janet E.

Delicious pizza! Something about their crust makes the thin crust pizza different from all the other pizzerias in the city. Its crispy and buttery. So good! We ordered a medium which was more than plenty for two people. We also got the bruschetta. The tomatoes were fresh and the bread was very soft. Definitely fresh baguette bread. Service was great but less attentive when things got busy. Prices were reasonable.

CJ C.

It goes without saying, an Italian restaurant with great pizza will never let you down. I've been to Pizza places in NYC, Chicago, even Rome, Italy and Pizanos ranks right up there with the best. If you go, make sure you ask for the choch. He's an energetic server that will keep you entertained, give you some insider info on the best spots around Chicago and makes sure that when you leave, you'll never forget pizanos or the choch.

Kristi D.

A large group of us went on a Friday night, the only thing I liked about this place was that we could get a reservation for a large party on a Friday night in a reasonably private room. My husband, who ranks pizza as his favorite food in the world, said that he didn't even finish a piece of the deep dish. And while I finished it, I thought "man, I really wished that Giordano's took reservations" and "I hope that all these out of town folks we brought here don't think this is Chicago pizza" I've heard that this is supposed to be similar to Lou Malnati's, same family owns it, but they must have gotten the brother who forgot sauce and ingredients go on a pizza. Really, the worst pizza that I can remember having. If you like cheese and sauce and actually tasting the toppings on your pizza, do yourself a favor and try Giordano's, Lou's, Edwardo's

Monte R.

Deep dish pizza was incredible. Perfect in every way - crust, toppings, tasted so fresh. Salad was yummy. Service was okay - couple odd moments with bartender and hostess. Food was amazing, however, and highly recommended.

Erica W.

Pizanos makes a decent pizza. The thin crust seems to be the popular pizza choice at this restaurant. The crust tastes very similar to Lou Malnatis - I was reading the background info about this place, and Lou Malnati's dad started this place, therefore you get the similar tasting crust. The salad was delicious, but overall, I felt like the pizza needed more seasoning. I put a lot of cheese, oregano and peppers on my pizza to add more flavor, but I could tell that the sauce was fresh. I would go if I was in the area, but I would opt for Lou Malnatis if I had the choice.

Jennie C.

For those who cannot survive deep dish, there is the pseudo-deep dish. I was actually in a hurry for a game (Go Duke!), and this was the only place in the Loop where I could grab a bite and hop on the bus to the United Center. My favorite kind of pizza is actually the Brooklyn Style (East Coast, born and raised), but the Chicago deep dish is a close second. However, whenever I eat deep dish, I need a good hour and half to enjoy and digest that delicious monstrosity. Cut to the chase, you can have a quasi-deep dish here. It's not really deep dish, but it's not really thin either. Perfect for those who want to take baby steps towards the big one. I knocked down two stars because of the service and the fact that my pizza was sloppy, like they dropped a water balloon filled with tomato sauce on top of the pizza, it was all over the pan.

Pam D.

I've been here twice. The first time was after the Chicago Marathon, when a friend and I just wanted a beer. We waited over 20 minutes to get waited on and that's will telling staff behind the bar that we wanted to order. The second time was during March Madness, final game to be exact. We were seated right away, yes, in one of those booth tables that everyone seems to hate, with a couple of TV's to watch the game on. Service was a bit attentive, but I think that was because they were standing out in the dining room to watch the game. We had the Mark's Special which I've been dreaming about. This isn't a place to go to for an intimate dinner; yes it's dark, yes there are candles on the tables, but the whole place is a bit cramped. You're going to hear what your neighbors say and they're going to hear what you say.

Joe L.

they serve up a mostly respectable thin crust. however, this being chicago, you will be much better off getting a deep dish elsewhere.

Cranky C.

Pizza is very average. If you consider its a pizza place, I'd say it's poor. Wings were awful. Dried up, skinny, no meat wierdness. Service... We sat at the bar. Our bartender, Elizabeth, was not good. Basically just lazy. Typical bartender service really. Had to ask for everything. 1st beer, had to flag her. 2nd beer, had to flag her down. Wanna order food, helloooo? Ok, need the check. Helloooo? Had to actually get someone to get her. Lame.

Daniel P.

Chach! You made my night! In addition to great food and drinks with some great friends, we were treated to some sparkling conversation with our server - and all around great guy "The Chach". We came in to Pizano's from an absolute downpour, and when the host sat us at a booth in Chach's section, he immediately helped us find a place for our wet coats, bags, and umbrellas so we could get comfortable. From then on, it was clear that The Chach was there to take care of us and make sure we had a fun time. In addition to telling us about himself - stories from his childhood and previous relationships, etc - he also told us about ourselves. It's true - the Chach can see into people's souls. And while I've sometimes found this kind of overt familiarity off-putting in other servers, there is something about the Chach that exudes warmth and a genuine love of people and a desire to please. I couldn't wait to see what he was going to say next. Oh - Pizano's has food too! The pizza is fantastic. It takes about 30 minutes to prepare, but it's super-tasty, with a buttery crust and FANTASTIC sausage (if you like sausage). And I'm not even going to talk about the warm cookie thing with whipped cream and warm drizzled chocolate. It was fabulous, but I thought I was going to burst by the time I stood up to leave. At the end of the night, the Chach wished my married friends happiness after proclaiming that they were made for each other and would have beautiful children. To my single friend who didn't have her boyfriend with her, the Chach told her to bring the boyfriend next time so he could check him out. He wanted to make sure he was good enough for her. To me, he put his hand on my shoulder and said, "You - you we gotta work on. I'll say a prayer for you." And while I'm not much for prayer, I gotta say that I hoped he would say a prayer for me. When my friends got on their train home, I walked home in the rain with a smile on my face and said a little prayer for Chach. i hope he gets everything he wants in life, because he's doing his best to give people what they want.

Never M.

I was so ready to fall in love with this place. Another recommendation from my homegirl in my mind. Say it with me.....Oprah. The pizza was ok. The crust was decent and I could tell that the sauce is made fresh hourly. But it just didn't do it for me. Sorry Miss Sophia! The service is great though....

J. P.

I really want to like this place more. On my third visit yesterday, I headed there with my husband for a casual, yet early, dinner. We had been at the Art Institute prior, and I know with it being a stupid holiday that we would probably have a bit of a wait anywhere we went. Surprisingly, there was a table available in a booth section of the restaurant. This section, however, is terribly cramped and I really don't like being that close to my fellow diners. We opted to wait for a high table separate from the dining room and was told that it would only be 10-15 minutes. In the meantime, we took a seat at the bar to have a beer and watch the Olympics. I have to say, the bartenders aren't terribly friendly. I remember that from my last few visits also. Twenty minutes later, our buzzer goes off and a table is ready only it's the table that was originally available. When I reminded the hostess we didn't want that table, she just gave me a blank stare and wasn't apologetic. Since we were hungry, we took it instead of watiing for another table. We sat there for several minutes without anyone coming over. Service was incredibly slow and our waitress was nowhere to be found most of the time. She gave me a bit of an attitude when explaining pizza toppings/options to me. I know you're busy, but I don't know the menu, so a little help answering my questions would be great, thanks. And by the way, if you don't get a specialty pizza and you want to add toppings, it can get pretty expensive. The pizza, however, is pretty tasty and that's why I give the place two stars. Definitely delicious, but my stomach is not doing so well today. Damn the buttery crust!

Ashley F.

Yuck, this is the worst Chicago style and thin crust I've had in the city. Why you would go here when there are tons of other amazing options is beyond me.

Robin F.

First stop on the Chicago Pizza Tour and had to be our favorite Chicago Style pizza. Both the thin crust and the deep dish were great - you could really taste the cheese and the crust while deep dish was somehow light and airy. Definitely will be a stop when we visit Chicago again.

Ronald B.

One of my favorite places. It's the crust that makes the pizza so good.

Mark T.

Looks like a dive, but it is actually nice. Very Chicago. Great meatball sub. Tastes homemade. Give the place a try. You may be surprised.

Paul S.

There was good and there was not so good. The good. The ambiance was very nice - comfortable. Our server, Anthony, was very attentive checking on us and refilling drinks every 5 minutes. The deep dish pizza was super! And there was the bad. The thin crust pizza was burnt and Anthony did offer to have another one made but we didn't have time. Anthony did make up for it with a complimentary baked cookie pie with ice cream in it. Yum! The worst were the washrooms. Yuk! It was a Sunday night and there were some Bears fans there - but that is not an excuse. All in all we would try it again! Ok - I tried it again and I strongly suggest that your stick with the deep dish pizza. I might also suggest that you ask for extra sauce on your pizza - it comes with only a very light covering!

Rachel O.

I stumbled upon this place on my way to a concert at Millenium Park. My mom and I were craving pizza and a bit pressed for time. Pizano's was right in front of us so we just popped in for a quick bite. As for food, we ordered a pizza with spinach and tomato no sauce (not on the menu) we just love that combination. No matter what the toppings or the creation, they make the crust perfectly crisp and the cheese is gooey yet crispy on top. Service didn't really stand out negatively or positively...just a run of the mill. Its all about the flavor for me at this place. All in all, I'll be back again soon for more! Check it out if you're in the area and looking for a quick bite.

Beki H.

I'm a bad Yelper, I only leave a review if it's amazing or horrendous... You guessed it. The Mark's Special thin crust pizza is my favorite ever ever ever, and I've had a LOT of pizza in my time. Too bad I work so close to this place, otherwise I would travel the city over to get to it. The one thing that hurts is the price. $22.95 for the large (about 20 pcs) is a hard crust to swallow, but if you can wing it every once in a while, it's so worth it. The crust isn't thin like New York thin- it's definitely Chicago thin. But it's soft & warm with a cracker crunch on the outside and everything on top just melts your heart away. As for their dishes, they equally are always impressive. I've never taken a friend here (both out-of-towners and fellow Chicagoans, whose taste buds are seasoned in the culinary arts of course) who has not been impressed by anything they've ordered. Obviously they use as much crack in their recipes as basil and garlic. If you want to adventure from the pizza, try the Chicken Marsala. The best I've had, as this is my fave Italian dish that I order everywhere I go. It beats everyone else's I've ever tried, yes even Olive Garden. Plus, 1/2 priced bottles of wine on Wednesdays is nice... and they do have a half bottle of Chianti if your party doesn't join your tastes... and $5 martinis on Thursdays!

John D.

When my staff decided that they wanted pizza for their holiday luncheon and suggested Pizano's, I was delighted to see that they had a Loop location. The restaurant is at 61 E. Madison. We are just up the street at Wacker & Madison. The site said they delivered. So it seemed like a perfect fit. It took almost an hour and thirty minutes for two medium pizzas to arrive. When they did arrive, the final cost was over $57! That is almost $30 per medium pizza with tax, tip, and delivery!!!! Full size, deep dish pizzas do not cost that much. We paid a $10 taxi fee to get the pizza delivered. That is NOT delivery. The pizza was good, but not worth almost $60. We will NOT be ordering again!!!!

Jessica D.

It was a late night returning from a night out with guests and everyone wanted pizza. Well the ever so gracious Pizano's was able to deliver! Just my luck because I had been wanting to try this place for years (sad I know). So we ordered thin crust and my usual veggies only will do! The pizza arrived in no time and was still piping hot which is always a good sign. So I took a slice and bit down and my immediate thought was this surely reminds me of Lou Malnati's then my BF utters "the owners of Lou's and Pizano's are brothers" - well there ya have it! I love my Lou Malanti's pizza but Pizano's has them beat with thin crust pizza. I gave them 4 stars but that's only because I haven't tried the deep dish yet! Hey what can ya say? I'm a Chicago girl

Taeler H.

The thin crust pizza is good but their deep dish is fantastic! Well worth the money.

Kristine M.

I always come here on the Tuesday College Night because all you have to pay for is drinks and you get a free pizza, great deal if you can curb your liquor consumption. The pizza is always yummy. I took the Pink Line back home to Pilsen and all of a sudden I was stumbling off 18th, trashed as hell. Their pomegranate martinis sneak up on you.

James W.

Love the pizza. Nice place for the family to go to.

Robert T.

WORST Thin Crust Pizza I have EVER had! Last night my wife and I calle the Chicago/Dearborn store for a delivery which arrived in a hour. We ordered a thin crust pizza which was so bad we threw 1/2 of it in our garbage disposal. When we opened the box, it looked diffeerent. The cheese was a heavy yellow color which was our first thought that this may not be a good experience. The cheese seemed to be a combination of mozzarella and parmesan which tasted awful. The pieces of sausage had a strange taste--what kind of sausage was it--as it was much darker than normal sausage. The so-called tomato sauce was dried out and flavorless. I love the tomatoes/sauce from Malnati's. The crust, though buttery, was very hard, too crunchy and tough to chew. It was horrible, horrible, horrible. NEVER AGAIN will we order from Pizano's. One would think for $20.00 (yes $20.00--delivery and tip made it $28.00) for a thin crust pizza, it should have been over the top. Well my wife and I were so disappointed. We are not "competitors" -- just a couple who love pizza..especially before the Presidential Debates. We love good pizza--both thick and thin. We LOVE deep dish from Lou Malnati's and Bacino's, thin crust from La Gondola--but we read that Pizano's was the #1 Best Pizza in Chicago and decided to give it a try. Forget it. If I were the owner I would be totally embarrassed to put out such an inferior thin crust pizza. Sorry, Pizano's, you are off our list--a very bad first time experience. And there is never going to be a second time for certain.

Michael C.

Found this place while looking for a place to eat Downtown. Apparently, it's been there for a long time, and it's a chain, but we still have never heard of it. Anyway, the thin crust pizza was very good. A yeasty crust, a different cheese, and good sausage and pepperoni. They brought out bread and butter, which was pretty good. The server, Paul, was ridiculously nice, too. Overall, pretty good. Not the best pizza we've had in Chicago, but it's a place we'd go again for sure.

Kammie G.

I came here for lunch on a weekday. The place was not very busy, but it had some people in here, which was good, I don't like being the absolute only people in the restaurant, it feels awkward. The waitress seemed nice but she was very "all over the place" to put it nicely. She gave us an awkward vibe, sort of like she was judgmental of what we were eating, with the looks and faces she was making at us. But maybe that's just me. The food was mediocre. Individual size deep dish was pretty bad, the sauce was making the pizza wet and soggy, and there were barely any vegetables in there even though I ordered for them to put some in. It was definitely on the list of one of the worse pizza's I've had. My friend had spaghetti which she said she enjoyed. It was nice that they brought us bread to start out with too, although it would have been better if it was warm, the bread didn't taste that good to me. The tables should have condiments on the tables as well as salt and pepper, etc, in my opinion. Also I couldn't find any drink menus.

Lenora C.

I give this place 4 stars! It was a raining day last weekend; when me and my boyfriend went out and he surprised me with shopping and dinner. After shopping on state street, we worked up a "horse" of a hunger. We originally supposed to go to Chili's but, why not try something new. I have been wanting to eat at this place forever but, it was always a 45 minute wait to get a table. So, Saturday when we walked in it was a quick seating. I loved the atmosphere. It was romantic with twinkling lights and a candle burning on the table. Me and my bf also had gotten to watch the Bulls Vs. Atlanta Hawks game. Being a Bulls fan; I was so in love with the magnificent big flat screen TV's that hung so nicely over the bar.. The quesdillas were soo delish! I mean they were buttery and not too crispy. They come out very quickly too (less than 10 minutes). The thin crust pizza is awesome. I sensed a difference in the crust (butter crust). We gobbled up as much as possible but, ended up taking some home. You must try the sausage. I will most definitely go back here and shout out to our waiter Matt... He was so attentive and prompt. Perfect Service!

MTML D.

I decided to go off of my protein shake/protein bar lunch because I have been feeling a little stressed so I decided on a pizza for lunch at work. I ordered Pizanos because it is close to my office. I actually lived close to the location in Glenview but never tried it. I got the deep-dish cheese. I was pleasantly surprised. Very good cheese, sauce, and crust combo. One yelper mentioned that Pizanos taste like Lou Mal's but better. I agree that Pizanos is good but the deep-dish is not as thick as Lou's so I like it better but I still like Lou's. I would definitely say that Pizanos is good for people who want deep-dish without all the dough. It has a nice cracker crust on the edge and the cheese is just right. You actually feel satisfied without feeling like you have a brick in your stomach. Anyway it might be worth a try for someone curious about Pizanos. I would suggest getting cheese and sauce only. Anytime I try a new pie that is my standby because the basic pizza let me know if it's any good. TIP: order a small pie. Anything bigger for 1 person is waaay too much.

Amy W.

Two of my friends and I had to wait around 30 minutes at 8 on a Thursday night to get a table at this place. First we ordered cheese sticks, which came scattered about on a plate as if someone had just carelessly tossed them there. They were good enough, just pretty standard cheese sticks. We then shared the mushroom and spinach deep-dish pizza and it was just... alright. The crust was entirely too hard for the first piece that I had. It had the consistency of a thick, stale cracker, and my jaw was literally aching by the time I finished that first piece of pizza. The crust for the second piece of pizza I ate was a bit softer and easier to chew, perhaps because it had been sitting around for longer. The only thing redeeming about this pizza was the sauce, which was fresh and delicious. Otherwise, nothing special.

Tracy O.

By far the WORST pizza we have ever had in our lives. We grew up around Boston so we know what good pizza tastes like. I hate onions but ate from my husbands half just to try to give it some flavor. What a disappointment for our first time to Chicago. Big thumbs down.

Crystal F.

Nice atmosphere, friendly staff. Try the Caesar salad and Chicago deep dish pizza you will not be dissapponted!

Uncle Grannon L.

3rd favorite pizza place in Chicago (behind Manzo's and Apart). Oprah digs it. Oprah likes a lot of things-- being preachy, vaginas, crack, philanthropy-- but that doesn't make it right. She's right on this, though. There are two locations in the loop. One near the lake (newer one?) and one on State Street. They're equally tasty. Where people go wrong with Chicago pizza, is that they think it needs to weigh more than a small child. It doesn't. They best thing Pizano's does is thin crust. It's SUPER thin, like a Ritz with cheese, light sauce and your choice of meat. The pizza comes out scaldingly hot and it pretty much melts in your mouth. The one near the lake seems more touristy, but the one on State is where it's at. It's got a great 'old-school-mafia' feel to it. You sit in the back, you order your pizza, you get some questionable service from a 20 year old mother of three who'd rather be at her home on south Pulaski with a hair-curler and a Micheal Buble record. That's fine. All you need is pizza. And you get it here. In spades. It's hot, it's fresh, it's delicious. Again, it melts in your mouth. You eat and eat and eat and you want more. If you're human, you won't have any leftovers, but that's cool (and this is coming from a man who dictates his life on leftover potential). I hate the fact that I can't have anything this delicious right now.

Dorotka K.

I will not return. Maybe I was in a bad mood, or maybe it was the unappetizing ambiance or a tight squeeze between awkwardly placed tables, or the loud tvs, or perhaps the chaotic service. I dunno.

Laura Z.

Yum!!! The place for Italian beef! 4 nights in Chicago for a conference and 3 nights at Pizano's! Great service! Great atmosphere! Highly recommend!!!! Everything we tried was amazing!!! First the Italian Beef, then the Deep Dish and then more Italian Beef!! Dipped of course :)

Alan S.

Decent pizza but a long wait. So it was about 830/900 pm on a Friday night. We got there and were told it would be a 15-20 min wait. It was closer to 30 mins. One nice thing was that we got to order the pizza while waiting, so it came to our table only a few minutes after sitting down. A buddy and I split a large deep dish pizza, which probably could have fed 3 rather than 2 given the left overs and how over full I felt after eating. The pizza was nice and cheesy, but as it cooled it seemed to loose its flavor. My buddy thought it was one of the best pizzas he has ever eaten, I thought it was decent and unique as compared to both other pizza I've had in Chicago as well as the pizza I generally get in Houston. The thin crust some other people shared at our table looked better, but they didn't really say much about the taste. I'd go back, and try the thin crust next time... I love pizza so I'm always game to try a new one!

K C.

Nice Chicago style pizza place in the Loop of Chicago. Have eaten there several times, and have really been pleased each time. Service is good,and food arrives quickly. Old school menu, with different style crust offerings. Good beverage selections and bar keepers are very knowledgeable, with local and national taps. Will return to Pizano's Pizza whenever I can!

Joni J.

Their pizza is definitely NOT traditional Chicago deep dish. It was a WHOLE LOT of crust and minimal toppings, which were bland. The salad was standard at best. The bathrooms were gross. Not impressed with anything we experienced here, except maybe the service. Almost everyone was friendly.

Lourena Y.

I would give it a half more star, but the rating thing won't let me do that (so three stars it is). I've heard about this place, so I was really excited to come and eat here since I heard nothing but good things. We went around 4 pm on a Saturday thinking that the place might be in its "down time," but it was really pretty busy. I think it is because of the location being so close to Millennium Park, the Loop, and all the shopping place around Madison Ave. Anyway, we came there excited to try the deep dish pizza for the first time. I must say that I did not enjoy it as much as I thought I would. The sauce was watery, but the crust was dry. Not letting myself use the old cliche judging books by its cover, I ate it with an open mind. It wasn't the best pizza ever but was still good. There was nothing so spectacular about it. If you still prefer another pizza place for your deep dish, I guess you can hang on to that place for now. I have yet to try the pastas on the menu, so I can't judge whether they are good or not. The toasted ravioli appetizer is pretty good. The service was average. I enjoyed the music playing in the background. The interior reminded me of an Italian restaurant and a sports bar was blended together.

sanda k.

It was a 30 minute wait on a busy weekend, but pretty much worth it. We ordered deepdish cheese and the veggie thin crust pizza. Both good (a bit low on salt but easy to fix).

Tracy H.

Worst customer experience ever. And as a repeat customer, I'm surprised. I used to live here and when I return on business I want my Chicago pizza. Last Sunday, after a full day of travel, starving and pregnant, I decided to treat myself to pizza and a hot cookie with ice cream. Delivery. To a hotel one block away. She took my address, my number, my hotel name, and my hotel room number and said it'd be an hour. I could barely wait... But nothing from room service was gonna be faster. 1:10 into the wait I called to find out my delivery guy had gone out. Ok but how long can it take to move one block?? 1:30 I call and--with a smile on my face--ask for help, say I'm prego and starving and where's my order? The manager wants to talk to me and "do something for me" Here is what they did : had me leave my room, walk downstairs, wait more and then pay almost 30$ for a small cold pizza, a large colder cookie, and a very warm ice cream soup--seriously? You couldn't even refresh the ice-cream? I asked how old my pizza was. It's ready in 45 I was told. So again with a smile I said, "so it's only 45 minutes old". Just a laugh and please sign the bill. I shouldn't have. Charging me for such ruined food = a darn shame.

Neilav B.

FOOD POISONING - I ordered an individual deep dish pizza last night with sausage. About 10 minutes after eating I started to feel a pain in my side and started to feel cold. I knew something was wrong but drank some water and tried to sleep it off. After about an hour of not being able to sleep I got up and sat in the bathroom. Eventually I had to vomit everything out. It's 7 am now and I'm still not feeling right but it's clear that the pizza has caused my illness. I wrote Pizano's today not for any other reason but to know if others complained recently so that I could add it to this post.

Bex J.

This place is really good. My mom and I stopped in for lunch on Sunday as we were wandering around in the area. We started by splitting a caesar salad that was gigantic and tasty. We also ordered a thin crust sausage pizza. The pizza was very very good! Thinking about it right now, I wish I was back in Chicago to get more! It could have been a little more well done, the cheese wasn't really at that "baked and slightly brown" point, but it was still nice and melty and let's be honest, I'll take cheese in any form I get it. Oh, and I took the advice of someone here and got the buttercrust - good suggestion! The service was efficient and attentive. Sometimes I felt like the server was just standing there staring at us though, which is a little awkward. Overall, I'd definitely hit this place up in the future! I'm dying to try their deep dish.

Maher A.

Nice location Deep dish pizza is delicious Chocolate ship cookies as a dessert is amazing Service is super excellent

Carla P.

While my girlfriend's antipasto salad looked really good and she seemed to enjoy it, my gnocchi were disappointing. I was so excited because most places in my hometown don't serve it. But, unfortunately, it was a waste of an eating experience in Chicago. They were really tough. More so clumps of dough than soft pillows. Bummer.

Ted S.

A must when we visit the Windy City. Have been for both lunch and dinner. Dining in has been great 5 star experiences in food and atmosphere. Takeout on August 15th is a 1star story. Our family that made phone call to order felt rushed and rude. Very disappointed by how food was packaged. Leaky lids on sauce that saturated bags. Unwrapped bread rolls just smushed in food bags. Half of order was wrong when brought back. My order was right, chicken parm and it was below average in taste and texture. Like it was prepackaged frozen. We called the next day to complain and all that was offered was replacement salads because dressings were wrong too. I hope it was due to a bad night? We may go back on next visit and dine in only!

Alexis M.

My favorite pizza place in town - I always take out of towners here and order the deep dish with sausage. My best advice is to call and order the pizza ahead of time, to spare yourself the hour long wait.

Christine J.

I went to Pizano's for the first time this week, and it's already one of my favorite pizzas in Chicago. I love chicago deep dish, but a couple things bother me about the crust at most places - dry and way too thick. PIzano's is pan pizza so the crust isn't as thick, so you get a better ratio of crust to toppings. While the pizza was awesome, I was a little disappointed by the dessert chocolate chip cookie for two. The cookie itself is delicious - chewy and buttery and baked in a mini pizza pan. But they put way too much whipped cream on it. Like overkill city. I understand they did it for looks, but it detracted from my enjoyment of the cookie. The restaurant itself is what you'd expect in the loop - crowded tables, not much ambiance. It's nice that they take reservations.

Maureen P.

A special place to frequent as a "regular", the atmosphere is friendly and casual. The staff makes my husband and I feel like they appreciate our business, which makes us want to return to the restaurant regularly. Thanks, especially, to Roy who always has a smile to greet us with and will always go out of his way to make us happy! Also, "newbies" to the establishment should make sure they meet the Chach! A special waiter who lets you know "he is the Chach"!

Marie C.

Yummmm I came here on my lunch break it was delicious. I sat at the bar. Order was taken fast. I ordered the Rigatoni in Creamy Vodka Sauce. Ginormous portions. I ate the leftovers for dinner. I recommend this place to anyone who is looking for amazing Italian food in the downtown area.

J H.

we had been to this location before...and probably would have given it a 4-5 stars then, but on friday night (our 3rd visit) I just wasn't that impressed. The first time we found Pizano's, we were at Millenium or Grant Park for an event. Hubby headed over and ordered food to bring back to the family. Was a nice experience. The second time, hubby and I ate out on patio on a beautiful day- so nothing was going to ruin the experience. This last time, it was after a busy day exploring the city on the Divvy bikes. we were tired and hungry, and thought we were getting to the restaurant before the crowd- about 6 pm...guess we were wrong! The place was pretty busy. No seating left on patio, so we went in to wait for a table. Since there is no foyer, you are literally standing in the doorway while you wait. There were a few tables open in the bar area, but when the hostess finally got around to seating us, she almost wasn't going to let us sit there, as one was a table for 4, and we were only 2 people. Once we were seated, our waitress was attentive. We ordered drinks, then when they arrived, ordered our pizza and salads. Hubby's salad was very watery at the bottom of the lettuce- so it diluted his dressing. The blue cheese dressing, he said, was "different"...with a dill taste to it. I wasn't too impressed with the pizza. We love thin crust- but this was so crispy/crunchy that it was't enjoyable to eat. It tasted fine, but i felt the ingredients were skimpier than we're used to on our pizzas. (I'm a Nancy's Pizza fan!) Had orderd green olives, but my first 2 pieces only had one olive on each piece. Saw a few people come in with kids (one in a stroller)...ther was just NO ROOM for an umbrella stroller in that place...that poor little girl nearly got trampled with the traffic trying to squeeze past her. The TV in the bar was playing Comcast Sports. Talk about boring! Next time we're in the city, we'll have to try someplace else.

Long B.

I was recommended this place by a friend, so we decided to go check it out. Service was quick and friendly but that goes a long way. The appetizers were fine, we had the ravioli and garlic cheese breadsticks. The biggest disappointment was their Chicago style pizza. The crust was very hard and had the consistency of cardboard and there was too much cheese which made it overbearing in taste. The toppings were very stingy and there was barely any sauce on the pizza. I had Lou Malnati's which drove circles around Pizano's pizza. There was not nearly any seasoning to give it flavor. I would not recommend eating their pizza. Perhaps maybe we got a bad batch? I don't know but I will not visit them if I come back to Chicago.

Allan N.

We headed down here for lunch and were seated immediately. Service was attentive and quick considering we were right in the middle of the lunch rush. The food exceeded our expectations. I intend to go through their entire pasta and sandwich menu.

Amy C.

Service was good. Food was good. We were seated downstairs and I felt like I needed night vision goggles on since it was so dark! Nothing too amazing about this place. Only been here one time and I had pasta, which was good. The portions seem to be pretty enormous! Overall- not bad. I may return to try the pizza.

Nak N.

NO MAYUM... NO SIR...Nooo ....Way overpriced for such a "you coulda made that at home taste! " ...I was referred here by my cousin whom I should've known would've sent me off with her "office space" humor taste! o_O! I ordered a small veggie deep dish... I'm still looking to Roll in the DEEP! IT WAS FLAT, THIRSTING FOR MORE SAUCE AND SCARCE OF VEGGIES.... NO RETURNING FOR ME!

Scott P.

Was in the mood to grab some pizza... but ended up really liking the Annette's bread appetizer, which was garlic bread, thinly sliced tomatoes with melted Gorgonzola... if you want to have something different, and are a fan of cheese with bite, you should try it... Of course had to try the deep dish pizza, which was tasty. In addition, I should give the wait staff credit for providing great customer service on a very busy Friday night.

Jessica G.

I'm going to have to agree with Oprah on this one. Best dang thin-crust I've had. I've been twice, had friendly waiters, great service and delicious pizza. I've only had the thin-crust so I cannot vouch for the deep-dish, but I will try it next time. Go all out and get the BUTTERCRUST (best dollar or dollar fifty, can't remember) you'll spend. And, to you college kids, they have a special on Tuesdays nights from 9 to midnight, delightful. Thin crust pizza at Pizano's: solid, crunchy (but not hard!), savory crust. And, just the right amount of crust, not too much and not too little. Sauce is smooth, well-seasoned. Cheese is deeee-lish, and toppings are fresh.

Eric H.

I hate to come down hard on the joint, but based on my recent visits, they need the tough love. The place is very nearly very good, but there are problems that can and should be addressed. The pizza is basically good, but was inconsistent between two recent visits. Quality was better at the leisurely mid-afternoon lunch than during the crowded Friday night dinner visit--not surprising, in a way, but given the location, a weekend evening rush shouldn't be unexpected here. I had a basic sausage deep dish pizza on both visits. The style is similar to Uno or Malnati's--thick pan crust topped with mozzarella and tomatoes. The lunch pizza was basically perfect, with a nice fried crispiness to the sausage chunks. Crust was nice both times, though slightly charred on the second visit. The dinner pizza was also skimpy on the tomatoes. Service was fine both times, and our waitress on the second visit was outstanding. The other major flaw is the beer selection. There's variety, but not quality, a wide selection of watery domestics and ho-hum import lagers like Stella and Harp taking up valuable tap space. In a town with many excellent breweries, the sole local offering was Goose Island 312. Fat Tire was the only U.S. pale ale offering. Sometimes boring taps can be offset by an inspired selection of bottles, but that wasn't happening either. The location is great, and they seem to aiming for good quality pizza. I expect to return, and will hope they hit the mark when I do. And that they put a great Midwest ale like Honker's, Bell's Amber, or Three Floyds on tap.

Stacey H.

Good food, fun atmosphere. I had the pasta with vodka sauce & homemade sausage - excellent! My dining companions had the old fashioned deep dish and raved about it. Ask to sit in Choch's section. He's a hoot!

Faith D.

Had lunch there yesterday. Sick all night. Not a good experience.

Mark M.

I like this pizza. I like the history of the place and it has always been really good for larger groups for lunch.

Adkins J.

I go here with my friends from college on College night on Tuesday's. The pizza is delicious, I highly recommend the cheese thin crust with extra giardiniera. If you come here for college night, don't show up before nine because they won't seat you for the discount. Also, it's free pizza because your basically paying five dollars each for soda, but you only have one free refill after that. So save the soda or they'll charge ya extra. If your on a college budget like I am then you do NOT want to be charged extra! Overall great atmosphere and great food!

Isela R.

It says a lot when their wings are better than their pizza, even though pizza is in the place's name! Seriously, cheese overload. Wasn't even great cheese. The sauce was... missing. Just a hint of fresh tomatoes on the pie. To be fair, I prefer more sauce than cheese, but this was too much even for my friend that I was sharing it with. Service was slow too because the place was full of people on the Saturday I was there. Obviously they've got some good things. Apparently Chicago style pizza isn't one of them. If it wasn't for the amazing reviews by others, I wouldn't even consider a second visit. Instead, if I do go back... I'll be sure to ask for more sauce and less cheese!

Jessica S.

After 24 years of being a die-hard Chicago pizza fan (yes, that's my ENTIRE life, and YES I have been eating deep dish since I was on the tit), I still can't figure out why I've never heard much of anything about this place. I'm now a fan, an addict, and a returning customer all from my one experience there two weeks ago. We had a bit of a wait on a Saturday but with a place this good, that's bound to be expected. I wised up and made us a reservation the night before the marathon (CARBO LOADING!). Three of us split their amazing chopped salad - don't ask me what's in it but by golly gee it was fantastic. I heart their dressing. For the main event we ordered their thing crust pizza with sausage and mushrooms. The crust is so buttery so it's crunchy and flaky on the outside and soft on the inside (like a really dense croissant). The sauce is fresh and robust. The cheese is the highlight though - not sure what makes it so good but it's incredibly thick and gooey and melty. The mushrooms and sausage were just as fresh. And for dessert? Their chocolate chip cookie in a pan with ice cream, of course! We devoured every.last.bite. The girls behind us ordered two of them! And, our waiter was so sweet, he comped it for us "just because I can". Love! Can't WAIT to head back there this weekend for round two.

Donna W.

Hadn't tasted deep dish pizza before. It's not quite my cup of tea but it was ok

Melissa M.

I ended up here after a Saturday night concert around 12:30am. Parking was a pain to find... even at that hour! Since it was late, we just ordered a bunch of appetizers and shared them. I will have to go back and try the pizza. Everything from the service to the food was pretty standard. I really liked the bruschetta! Will have to give it another try a little earlier and a little more awake.

Alexa B.

I love Pizano's. Our company always orders pizza which everyone really enjoys it and my all time favorite is the Hot Mama's Pasta.

BarraKuda H.

Can't say that I've had a friendly bartender yet, in all my visits but the pizza is the best in Chicago as far as I'm concerned. I know us Chicagoan's can argue for day's about our pizza, but the crust is only slightly sweet, and always oven fresh, crunchy. The ambiance is warm...and can put you to sleep if you're not careful!

Brian D.

I won't claim to be an expert regarding Chicago deep dish, but the pie was good. There was significantly more cheese on this pizza than other places I've been such as Lou M's. If you like cheese, they've got you covered. The salad was ah-kay. Its hard to make a bad salad. All in all, solid place for a bite inside the loop.

Kim A.

I've always liked Pizano's as an after work spot to grab a quick and delicious bite. I've never had anything I didn't like, and they have a great selection of beer on tap. Then I moved to West Loop, and was left longing to be in an area that my favorite pizza spots delivered. PIZANO'S DELIVERS. Thank you , folks, for saving me from the likes of Domino's, and Pizza Hut.

Monica S.

I visited Pizano's on the day of the Chicago Marathon. In other words, this place was packed! Fiancee and I walked in to a long line of about 10 people waiting to be seated, but we reached the front of the line within a minute or two. About 3 minutes later, we were seated with minimal wait. The busser greeted us right away followed by the server, who was very quick and attentive. I ordered chicken wings and a medium deep dish pizza for 2 people. We were warned by the server that the pizza could take 30-40 minutes, but it wasn't a huge surprise since it was on the menu. We received the chicken wings a few minutes later and it was freaking delicious! The chicken pieces were very large and meaty, and it was fried perfectly. This was definitely not Hooters quality wings. The pizza arrived soon after we finished the wings, and it was so dense, the man and I only had 1 slice each between calling it quits. If you get an appetizer, the medium pizza is more than enough for 2 people. We now have enough leftovers for 2 more meals, and I'm wishing I got the small instead. Great, friendly service and delicious food.

Amanda P.

We have been here twice now, everyone else seems to really like it, sadly I am not one of them. Pizza is ok, cheese bread is awesome but they charge $2.50 extra for a little thing of sauce! Love the outdoor seating, and can be ok for the pizza but the cost of the sauce is insane. Makes me crabby about this place.

P S.

Those of you that have had the great displeasure and annoyance of engaging me in a thick vs thin pizza debate know my feelings on the skinny variety. However, here's a bit of disclosure for you: I was raised on thin crust pizza. RIP, Masi's of Elgin. 21 years gone and you're still missed. When I go for pizza with my sisters, it's always deep dish. Always. Visitors to Chicago? Malnati's every single time. However, I realize there is not always a proper time, place, set of taste buds or stomach fortitude for deep dish. In times like these, there is Pizano's. It's thin but substantial, has very crispy, buttery crust and sauce that's salty and yet sweet. This particular location is a bit of a tourist magnet so prices are inflated even for the city. It feels like a get in/get out operation with some disengaged staff. Once you dig a little deeper though, you find friendly servers, quick service if however standard appetizers and beer list but I don't go there for any of that... it's the pizza. It's all about the pizza. And I haven't even tried their deep dish yet.

Julia B.

263 reviews and yes I feel like I have to put in my 2 cents..why? because there are crazies on here that think this restuarant is sub par. I went here on the Chicago Pizza Tours and this one was by far my favorite. The deep dish to die for. And i understand people getting frustrated with the wait but trust me...it's well worth it.

Mary Beth E.

Freakin DELICIOUS!!! Seriously, so freaking yummy! I don't even have the words.... Just thinking about this place makes me want to go out and get me some RIGHT NOW! This is a great place to eat. The service is good and they have plenty of options on their menu. Thier pizza is second only to Lou Malnati's. Seriously, my top 3 are: Lou's, Pizano's, Chicagos Pizza. In that order. There are two Pizano's in downtown Chicago. I have only been to the one near the Theater district. I gave this place 4 stars because their pizza is awesome. They also have the most amazing brownie bottom pie for dessert. BUT, the down falls are, the tables in the place are a little crammed together. It kinda feels like you are sitting on top of the other people in the restaurant. Also, I once didn't get the pizza (I must not have been feeling well that day) and got a chicken sandwich. I didn't love it. The seasoning was a little off for me. I can't put my finger on the problem exactly but it just wasn't my favorite. The fries were good though! But the pizza...worth the trip downtown for it!!!

AV G.

Let me start by confirming the fact that I have eaten tons of pizza all over the world and also confirm that i feel that no freshly baked pizza is really bad. That being said, I would confirm that Piazo's Pizza (thin cheese) is Good. A unique crispy crust with good sauce, a little greasy, but in a word, Good. It is however expensive --14" cheese--$17--but you pay for the location--and it is my personal carryout/carryover to Millenium Park Concerts

Stephanie H.

I'm only rating the thin crust, but I'm giving it 5 stars. We stumbled upon this place on our brief trip to Chicago, after an employee at The Drake recommended it. The place is really quaint, and upon opening the menu, I noticed its reputation for thin crust pizza. The bellman at The Drake raved about it, but acknowledged that their deep dish was about average. Either way, it was delicious. The crust was almost like a cookie crust, in the sense that it wasn't doughy, but crumbled just perfectly. The cheese was also really good. I wish they had a Pizano's in San Diego!

Jennifer H.

I miss you already, Pizano's! We ended up eating here twice, once for pizza and once for other stuff. Don't get the other stuff as it's inferior to the pizza by far. We got the Rudy's Special, which is amazing. So worth the wait for the delicious deep-dish crust. We also had the grilled mushroom appetizer. YUM! The service was good and the atmosphere was fun and friendly. I would definitely recommend.

John M.

While in Chicago recently, we wanted deep dish pizza and chose Pizanos for the experience. We ordered the Rudy's Special from our very friendly waiter Jose Martinez. We'd been away from Chicago for years but had a vivid memory of the pizza at Uno's and wanted something as good as what we remembered. Jose, our waiter, was very concerned that we have the experience we wanted. The pizza was delicious and even better than what we remembered. Jose even treated us to a Holly's cookie to make sure we visited the restaurant on our next visit. you can bet we will. Be sure to ask for Jose. You won't be disappointed.

Timothy H.

I'm a fire fighter! Literally. I had just sat down, the last of 10 to get to the table, and almost immediately my fiancee starts hitting me on the shoulder and pointing to the table next to us. "It's on fire, it's on fire" she's screaming. As I turned to my left, I see napkins and the paper table cloth on flames, having caught on from the candle in the middle of the table. I jumped up blew out the candle and started looking for water to douse the flames. Two people in my party passed me some, and I doused the fire. The manager came over a minute later and made some quip about the table being on fire, which I thought was lacking considering the fact that one of his employees had lit a table on fire!!! I should have asked for a discount on the check for putting it out. We didn't get one. C'est la vie. Overall, our experience was great, but with little thanks to Pizano's. Our server was attentive and abrupt to the point of being rude. I do love Pizano's thin crust pizza, and yesterday was no exception. However, we had to ask for crushed red pepper and parmasean, which is a no-no in my book. You shouldn't have to ask. The company really made the day, 10 friends out for a birthday party. It was a relaxing Sunday evening following an early easter egg hunt in Grant Park. We were all relaxed, happy, and just glad to be able to enjoy some qt with close friends. Thanks for hosting, Pizano's. But do me a favor, and try not to burn yourself down! I'd like to return.

Jane F.

My husband and I ate very late, about 9 PM on a Friday night and had to wait about 20 minutes for a table. Once we ordered it took about 30 minutes to get the pizza. This is explained on the menu, so we expected the delay. We had the thin crust sausage pizza and it was delicious. The crust was crisp and tender/chewy. The cheese was hot a bubbly. Wonderful. It was noisy and crowded, but the waiter was easygoing and took the time to chat with a couple of tourists about recommendations for our trip.

Lori Taylor R.

I had never really warmed up to the deep dish pizza. I looove my thin crust! The whole idea of building the pizza backwards had been a really hard concept for me to wrap my brain around. However, Pizano's helped me come around to this creation made of thick buttery crust, loaded with mounds of cheese and chunky tomato sauce. Our waitress was absolutely wonderful! She had the patience of a saint and suggestions galore. My girlfriends were all visiting from VA and the deep-dish was a new concept for them. We had no clue of what to order, how much to order or the toppings to select. Very indecisive bunch ... with the most indecisive one leading the group - Me! One beer later and a few nibbles of salad our steamy hot concoction arrived - conversations ceased, smiles appeared and full tummies were achieved. Thanks Pizano's for changing my opinion of deep dish and making me look like a fantastic tour guide!

AJ M.

I guess it's supposed to be this way, but very greasy and heavy for our liking. Great staff and clean. Convenient location, good for kids.

Crystal L.

Warning: You will cry the next time you attempt to eat Domino's. I went here just last week for the first time and absolutely adored it. The spinach and artichoke dip is the best I've ever had, plus it comes with a ton of fresh, amazing bread to eat while you wait 20-30 minutes for your pizza to be done. Don't let the long-wait deter you, however -- it's worth every minute spent viciously attacking, I mean eating, your appetizer. We ordered the Mark's Special, which is pizza made with basil, fresh garlic, and sliced tomatoes. It tasted like the chef had a tiny garden inside of the cabinet and they handpicked the tomatoes just for me. Final Note: Don't let your eyes get too big and end up ordering a medium or large pizza for just two people. A small pizza will still give you a slice or two of leftovers.

Kevin W.

Better than Gino's East. Better than Lou Malnati's. Best I've had in the Loop. There are better Chicago pizza pies out there, but if you're in town on business and don't want a cab fare, THIS is the place. Soups are hit or miss, but the toasted ravioli is top notch and the deep-dish AND thin-crust can't be beat.

Shradha A.

This was the WORST pizza experience I've ever had in my life!!! This place is CHEAP - what kind of place asks you whether you want water and then checks with you twice before they refill it. What place charges you to bring out a bread basket! What places charges you $1.60 extra for each topping and then give you just a cheese pizza with a few pieces of topping which you have to take off the 2 inch thick cheese layer to find. The garlic break was just slices of break with loads of butter on it - not cooked either - is your stove running up your bills too!? What place is so noisy that instead of a relaxing satisfying dinner, you have a headache and feel exhausted. The inside is sooo dark, seems they're saving on electricity bills too. I HATE THIS PLACE!!! I threw up at night when I got back and fell so sick couldn't sleep all night! THIS PLACE DESERVES TO SHUT DOWN!

Bridget G.

Once when I was in high school, I married a Chip Ahoy. I was saying how much I loved Chips Ahoy and my friend said why don't you marry it, so I did. I had a little ceremony and everything. My full name is Bridget G. Ahoy. Chip and I didn't work out- we were young and naive...but I digress. Point is it could easily soon be Bridet G. Ahoy Ravioli, because I love the ravioli here so much. I've never met a cheese ravioli I didn't like but this stuff is remarkable. The marinara sauce they use with it is chunky and basil-y and just the very perfect blend of everything you want. Thin crust pizza here is actually really good too- with a sturdy buttery crust. Their minestrone soup is NOT vegetarian which costs them a star because it looks wonderful. xoxo

Dan C.

The 4 star rating might have been boosted by the lack of good takeout/delivery pizza in the Loop. Either way here is the good and the bad. Good: Very good pan pizza and thin slice pizza especially if you get the butter crust. Lots of topping options from traditional to not so much. Full bar with TVs good for catching a game with buddies. The Bad: Preparation time is horrible. We usually call about 45 min in advance for one pizza. The "deep dish" if you can call it that is just as thick as a regular pizza (except for the crust). When I think deep dish, I think Gino's East or Pequod's thick pizza pies. If you want take out I recommend this over the few other options, maybe even over Giordano's (but that's a close call), if you want a sit down place there are better options.

R.G. R.

I had the chicken parmesan, which was supposed to come with chicken, pasta and meat sauce. When it arrived, the pasta was practically dry. The "sauce" was pretty much all meat and grease. The pasta wouldn't even really mix with it, and to top it off, the chicken was very bland. This $15 dish overall was very much lacking in flavor. A complete waste of money. On top of all of this, the customer service barely met the bare minimum. The entree was supposed to have bread and butter before the meal, which the waiter forgot and had to be flagged down, and reminded. He did not check on us even once. He didn't ask how the food was, or if we needed anything. When we wanted more water, we had to again, flag him down. The restaurant wasn't particularly busy, and he was standing around not doing much fairly often during our meal. So, there's not excuse for him not to even check on us. The only time he came back (besides the 2 times we flagged him down), was to leave the check. I've been to this place twice, and do not think I'll be returning any time soon. The only redeeming quality is that the first time I went there, I had the BBQ chicken pizza, which was decently good. The customer service was okay. So all in all, NOT my favorite restaurant, to put it much too gently.

Amanda Z.

So, I just realized that in addition to ordering in from Pizano's, I have eaten in the restaurant. You see, every late summer, some people at my work participate in the Race Judicata. And instead of hanging around the other sweat-meisters who have also just run a 5K, we like to go to Pizano's for some serious post-race carb loading. And they always save us a table in the basement. Probably safer for everyone that way...ya know, cuz we don't smell good. Service is always friendly, and the pizza is always good. Love this place, especially after I have run, cuz then I have an excuse for hijacking that eighth corner piece of perfectly crispy thin crust pepperoni pizza. Cuz I already burned off the calories, duh.

Arturo G.

I love deep dish pizza. That is the only thing i have had at this place all the times i have been here. I love the crust here. it is like a love hate with the crust for some people. a few people i have been there with either liked it or not. When you order the deep dish pizza prepare to wait. but with all the decoration and pictures on the wall you can stir up conversations easily, or just catch a game on the muliple tv's they have.

Laura M.

Wow, I read all the mixed reviews and all I can say is that every experience at Pizano's seems to be different for everyone. I went to Pizano's right after the CSO played at MPark and we were all hungry. We always walk by this place and it is always packed. We went and got seated immediately outside. The waitress was attentive the entire time. She got us a booster seat, made sure we had our drinks filled and the order for the pizza actually came in 30 minutes as stated. We are pizza lovers especially for thin crust pizza. We ordered Mark's special thin crust pizza and we were quite surprised. Not your typical flour based crust but it seems to have corn meal and it gives it a distinct taste and crunchy too. We ate the entire pie (large) and my son stated "delicious!". I am still going to try the other thin crust pizzas like at Follia, but this was a great place to go for us.

Bob V.

Service was great from "the Chach" and the thin crust mark's special was very good, but we've had better in Detroit area. One large thin crust was not quite enough for our family of four, but would have been with a salad or appetizer. Overall a good experience for a reasonable price, especially in a touristy area.

Jenn S.

Pizano's is hands down my favorite pizza in Chicago. When I first moved here, I would not eat deep dish. It tasted terrible. But when I had Pizano's pizza (deep and thin crust), I was hooked. Although they deliver, I encourage you to go to the restaurant itself. I've always opted to just sit at the bar versus a table. The wait is shorter and the bartenders are always nice. Everytime I go there, people are waiting for a regular table. So I suggest, if you don't have kids, just grab a stool at the bar. Besides pizza, I've had a few of their appetizers. All of them have been good and a in large portions. As for the pizza, I think I've had almost every kind there. If I had to choose, my favorite would be the veggie. I don't know what it is about their pizza, but its just so damn good. The crust is buttery but not over the top. And the cheese doesn't fall of (I hate when that happens). My only suggestion if you've never been here...don't eat outside. You might as well be sitting under the train. It is SOOOO loud at the intersection by Pizano's.

Joanne K.

How have I missed this place? We had the thin crust tonight and was fabulous. Can totally taste that Malnati influence in the crust. YUMMY! This place is now on the top of our fav pizza list.

Colin E.

*Disclaimer* This review mostly pertains to the gluten-free pizza that Pizano's offers. Ugh. Really, that's almost all I want to say. Pizano's gluten-free pizza is perhaps the worst pizza that I've ever put in my mouth. In fact, I've eaten frozen GF pizza that blew this crap out of the water. The pizza is served on a sausage patty that was obviously formed to resemble a pizza, and then it's topped with slivers of cheese, a touch of toppings, and then some sauce. It was nauseating...this wasn't pizza, it was sausage with pizza sauce on it. Until they invest in a real crust, I'm never returning. (On a similar note, my girlfriend had their normal, thin-crust pizza and was only mildly interested in it after a few bites. The cheese is good but the rest was mediocre, she said.)

Katie C.

Having a friend in from the UK, it is my job as a Chicagoan to ingrain in her Chicago's status as the best city in America; as well, a city with the best. food. ever. Deep dish pizza, an unknown to many, is of course, on the docket. Commas, anyone? I don't usually break it down this way, but I will compartmentalize and say: 5 stars for our server, 3.5 stars for the dining experience, 2.5 stars for the food. Being all mathematical, this would mean my overall average rating for Pizano's would be 3.66667. However, I am going to round down, because this is my review and math can suck it. The deep dish was too thin. Simply not deep enough, people. I'm looking for layer after layer of cheese, sauce, veggie, meat, meat, meat, s'more cheese--Lou's does it! Gino's East does it! Even Giordano's is livin' large! Pizano's, your thin crust is better than most. Let's get it together with the volume of the deep dish! (Still fairly tasty, just not up to par with the others). Our server was not to be believed. In a good way. I don't know how he did it, but "Uncle Chotch" as he called himself, brought us back to an era seemingly gone in Chicago, a time you knew your bartender, your server, and every person in the restaurant, because you came there every day. He was outgoing and "aggressively friendly"--a perfect example of "American" for my UK friend--and nosed himself into our business. I loved it. I hated it. I couldn't have asked for anything more. So pizza lovers--visit Pizano's and partake in their lovely thin crust. Ask for Uncle Chotch and be catapulted into a simpler time. Deep dish fans? Seek solace elsewhere. Math? You can still suck it.

Matthew H.

Here's the deal: The thin crust pizza is the absolute best I've ever had anywhere in Chicago, or the rest of the world for that matter. The crust, the cheese, the toppings: all superb. As for the rest of the menu, well, not great. The soups tend to be good, the sandwiches are hit and miss (the eggplant parmesan was awful), and the salads are way over-priced for what you get. The Pizano's salad, in particular, is a $9.50 disappointment, unless you like the taste of bagged lettuce with croutons and mushy cherry tomatoes. (Thank goodness there were only two of them in the whole salad). Also, they say it serves two, but that's the case only if you're a rabbit. You would think if they were going to put their name on a salad, they would try to make it at least above-average. But back to the pizza. It's so unbelievably good, it makes you forget about the shortcomings of the rest of the menu. As for the service, it tends to be friendly and efficient, which is no small task considering how crowded and loud the place can get.

Kathy H.

It's busy, and noisy, and the tables are close together. Make a reservation, and be prepared to be there a while, especially if you're able to get Chach as your waiter. He was born and raised in Chicago, and will regale you with stories of what it was like growing up there. We ordered two pizzas, a "thin" and a "thick". These are not the inch-thick, super doughy crusts I've had before in Chicago. They are crisp, almost like pie dough, and delicious! The house-made sausage on one pizza was great, and everyone loved both pizzas. They do a giant cookie in a pan with ice cream, which the kids loved, but was a little too done on the bottom.

Leslie D.

If you know me, you know I love a great pizza! I've been looking for some a great thin crust pizza, and I was directed to Pizano's. I've been to the one on Rush and the one on Madison, and they are both pretty consistent. I like the crust and the sausage -- but I prefer my pizza a little more baked. We tried the chicken wings, and they were not good. Overall, if you want a good thin-crust pizza that is not filled to the brim with meat, then this is for you!

Made N.

We hosted our rehearsal dinner here. We booked a pizza/salad/beer/wine package and were happy to have everything included and this checked off the worry list. They were accommodating about adding in our preferred dessert, Tiramisu. When we arrived, it was mass confusion. We had the whole half of the downstairs dining room (no one was in the other half), minus one table in the corner, where a group of strangers were seated. We literally sat on three sides of them and it was awkward to have them there amongst our family and friends. We were told to go ahead and get drinks at the bar or waiters would come to the tables to bring out drinks. We had five extra guests, which happened to be the bride, groom, groom's elderly parents and his sister, who had arrived last. They arrived and had NO WHERE to sit. Disaster. Granted there WAS an open table, in the other half of the room, but they wouldn't allow us to sit there because it was booked, though the party was already 75 minutes past the reservation time. After some frantic scrambling between waiters/management, the guests of honor were allowed to be seated, as were the elderly in-laws. So we were seated, though not with the rest of our family (like outcasts at our own party) - (granted this mistake was initially our fault, but it was not handled well and if the stranger table wasn't there, it wouldn't have been an issue at all - we integrated with the group by moving to that table after those diners left). Dinner was served and I found it mediocre, though others seemed to enjoy it (maybe just being nice?) - Chicago has better salad and pizza options than this, for sure, but it served the purpose. But the basis of my rating is that when we went to pay the bill (bride/groom hosted), we were struck by a higher than anticipated bill because they had opened up a bar tab and guests had racked up about $200 of non-beer/wine drinks. We booked a complete package and believed that that's what we would pay for. Not once did anyone in the booking process ever mention how we wanted to handle if guests want something which was not included. In my experience, the wait staff will inform guests what's included and direct them to a cash bar if they want something else. Maybe that's not always how it's done, but opening up an unauthorized bar tab is a sneaky business practice. The waiter gave me the name of the manager and told me to call him the next day. I made many calls after the wedding and felt the situation was handled very unprofessionally. We had a $1500 tab and they engaged in unfair business practice in my opinion and all they would offer was a $75 gift certificate. $200 isn't a huge deal, but it's the principal that angers me so. In the scope of their business, is $200 really worth an angry customer and nasty review (and BBB complaint, which they never responded to, though they had all the information necessary to respond respectfully)? Apparently they believe so. This was, at best, unclear communication on their part (and lack of a written contract). They've lost my business and my recommendation. I hope other party-hosters take note of my experience.

Ragan M.

Rude manager, rude hostesses. I walked in no one greeted me or acknowledged I existed. The manager was talking to two hostesses and two waitress and they were having a great time. My party were seated in the lower dining area which was great. Except it was also the staff hangout when the place wasn't busy so really enjoyed listening to phone conversations. The three stars is because the food was fantastic. I really enjoy their pizza and the spinach artichoke dip. My suggestion is retrain the staff. There is no excuse for that behavior ever.

Kay K.

Homey pizza joint in downtown Chicago (upper river). Of course, we came here for the pizza and we were not disappointed. Really filling and delicious. When you order a pizza off the menu, make sure you follow the guidelines on the sizes. If the pizza says it's big enough for 2 people, it really is. It will stuff you. They also give delicious bread. I ordered a salad as an appetizer and that was really fresh and tasty as well.

Rog J.

Came here and ate inside. Ordered Rudy's special thin crust, and marks special deep dish with pepperoni to add some meat. First came out the Rudy's thin crust. It was good! But waited for the longest time for a personal marks with pepperoni. When it came out, there was no pepperoni in it..... This ruined my whole view of this place. Came here to compare with giordanos and lou malnatis and this place let me down. The marks tasted sooooo plain..... Crust wasn't very special and sauce isn't to die for. Not only did they mess up my order, I didn't like the pizza and they still charged me. Try the Rudy's special if you want to compare but If you want better pizza and service go try giordanos or lou malnatis.

Pari P.

Ironically, you can't buy a slice of deep dish pizza in downtown Chicago. That was the case up until recently when Pizano's on Madison and Michigan saw the need as well and made a separate section for those on the go. With the amount of foot traffic around Millennium Park, it's a surprise no one thought of this sooner. I don't know the full story but it sounds like Pizano's is the love child of the great Chicago Uno's and Lou Malnati's. Once you take a bite, you can taste the family heritage. To me, I enjoyed it better since the crust wasn't soggy like at Lou Malnati's. The pizza itself is a miniature whole pizza pie with crust all around (about 6" diameter) which is awesome if you love a bit of crust in each bite. You can get a slice of thin or deep dish pizza all the way up until 10pm. $8 is a small price to pay for Chicago deep dish pizza but for the location and not having to wait 30 minutes. It's ideal for those who want a quick bite whether you are a tourist walking around Millennium Park or happen to work downtown.

Benito S.

I like the atmosphere of this place. And since I traveled to Chicago Han Solo style, I was able to sit at the bar right away....no waiting. What I had was the deep dish, "individual" size pizza. Pepperoni, some spinach, and black olives was my flavor of choice. The crust was buttery perfect, and the tomato sauce/cheese combo was delicious. I'm getting hungry just writing this review. Lol The bartender had told me that it'll take around 30 minutes to make. No problem, I thought. You simply can't rush perfection. To occupy those minutes, I opted to have a local brew...Chicago's Revolution Anti-hero IPA(pictured almost empty). I'm definitely gonna come back to Pizano's when I'm in town again. Cheers!

Julee D.

I was here on a business dinner last week. Since it was a big group, we had a reserved room on the lower floor. There were good wine options. Then we started with some appetizers including bruschetta and tossed salad. It was pretty average. Afterwards we had the main entree. Chicago style supreme pizza. It was pretty good but not great. We were also served some thin crust cheese pizza. It was okay. There were a few vegetarians in the room and only a few vegetarian deep dish pizzas. Not sure who did the ordering but the servers were nice enough to make sure the vegetarians got at least one slice of deep dish cheese pizza from other tables in our group. Not sure I would come here again but I am a pizza snob I admit.

Steve N.

Pizano's pizza is considered one of the best pizza parlors in Chicago next to a few notable ones like Lou's and Giordano's. The restaurant is pretty much across to Millennium Park on Madison. It's open late and the first meal I had in Chicago. There's a bar and a bunch of tables in the restaurant. It has a very dive-ish feel to it. The staff were all courteous and full of recommendations unlike the New York attitude. We sat at the bar cause I wanted to have a couple of drinks to open up my palate. In all honesty, I wanted to drink. Anyway, the bartender recommended the thin versus thick pies cause Pizano's is known for their thin pies. However, my buddy and I are both overweight and have overeating issues so we went with both pies. 1) Thick Crust - We went with the individual cheese pizza. This is a fairly large personal pizza about 6" wide. It's about two inches thick and the crust is burnt. The burnt crust makes the pizza dough extra crispy and crunchy to the point it was really hard to chew. The fresh mozzarella was pretty good but not as ooey gooey and elastic as I would have hope. I like my mozzarella to stretch as I pull the slices apart. However, thick crust didn't do that for me. It was a bit of a disappointment like when you finally get a call from your girlfriend or boyfriend but they only called to break up with you. 2) Thin Crust - We went with the medium Rudy's Special Thin Crust. It contained cheese, sausage, mushrooms, onions, green pepper and 12 inches wide. This is not a fold-able pizza like a New York pie. It's has a buttery crunchy crust, heavy on the toppings, and elastic cheese. The cheese and toppings is at least 40% of the pizza. That's a lot compared to your typical pizza. As you ate the pizza, the first bite consisted of the crunchy buttery crust followed by the cheese then the toppings consumed your palate. It was full of flavor and it was the toppings that made the pizza stand out like Jennifer Lopez's back side. The difference between Chicago and New York pies are the components of the pies. Chicago is all about crunchy crust, fresh ingredients and heavy on the toppings. New York focuses on the dough, sauce, mozzarella and the toppings take a backseat. Therefore, it's really up to your preference on how you like your pizza. I personally prefer an NYC pie over a Chi-Town pizza. I'll take a Sicilian Pie over a Chicago Deep Dish any day of the week like not working. Overall, Pizano's is a good example of a Chicago pizza. It was definitely an enjoyable experience and the thin crust was definitely better than the thick as the bartender said. However, I still prefer New York pizza over Chicago pizza, but Pizano's thin crust could possibly be the best in Chicago history like Michael Jordan.

Anthony S.

Excellent pizza, with an interesting history of the owner's family.... I tried a lot of pizza on this trip, and Pizano's was one of the best. Julie and Tammy the bartenders are wonderful too. Nice place, friendly "local" atmosphere. Check out their $5 martini night once a week, but I'm not sure what night. They have an app that lets you ship pizza too. Very cool.

Dennis L.

I have no idea why this place isn't rated higher. I had Lou malnatis yesterday. I prefer this place for sure. It's also closer to the loop ( at least closer to the Palmer house where I'm staying). Ordered the small deep dish pepperoni pizza. Enough for 2 people for sure. Nice and rich with cheese. Wow so much good cheese and pepperoni. Crunchy Crust as well. If I stayed longer here I would go back. Hopefully I can eat here again tomorrow before I leave for the airport. I'm drooling as I think about this. Yum yum.

Karen P.

My 75 year old mom said it best when we were here the other night- 'This is the best pizza I've ever had in my life!' You should know that my mom is not quick with a compliment just for the heck of it. She's incredibly thoughtful in her praise, as in she puts a lot of thought into it. So for her to be so ebullient with her praise is really saying something. And she's not sarcastic at all- she literally means that this is the best pizza she's had in 7 1/2 decades on Earth. We ordered the deep dish cheese, and it was- in a word- PERFECT. As was our dessert (spumoni, and chocolate drizzled cheesecake), our waiter (such a nice guy! The place was packed but he was attentive and never seemed rushed,) and the salad I ordered as an appetizer. It was chock full of lots of different fresh veggies, plus garbanzos and black olives. I'm not usually a fan of Italian dressing, but theirs is dynamite- it's kind of like an Italian/French dressing hybrid in a red wine vinaigrette base- SO yummy! We were only in Chicago a few days and wanted an authentic Chicago deep dish pizza experience, and we definitely got it at Pizano's. I can't recommend it more highly.

Lucas P.

So my girl friend and I are on a road trip across the U.S. And stopped in Chicago. This pizza place we found was very close to "the Bean". Delicious to say the least. Our first time in Chicago and also our first time eating real Chicago pizza. Definitely worth it!!

Jenna C.

I'm pretty sure Fred Armisen just served us our pizza. Which was pretty delicious. Small deep dish with mushrooms and green peppers was just enough for our party of two. My friend said Lou's is still better but what does he know? This isn't his review. I didn't love the crust, but I'll be back to try the thin. And get Fred's autograph.

John T.

Stopped in during a stroll around the city for an individual pizza. I got the deep dish and my gf got the thin crust. Note that these are not single slices of pizza, but rather individual pizzas. The thin crust was amazing and the deep dish was good. I can't say amazing for the deep dish because there wasn't much cheese. The crust, however, was buttery heaven. No wait at all, do that's always wonderful.

Marcus O.

/TL;DR Great service. Good pizza. I would definitely go back to get my Chicago pizza fix. /ATMOSPHERE It's something between dive-ish and warm-ish. I can't really figure out what it is. It's pretty comfortable though. The first thing I was told was that I needed to go to Lou Malnati's to have the best Chicago pizza experience. It wasn't for lack of trying. Lou Malnati's had a stupid wait time when I tried going. I detoured to Pizano's. Not a mistake. /FOOD Well, I tried to get the small version. Ended up getting the not-small version, but they were kind enough to adjust our receipt. Chicago pizza is not my favorite, honestly. However, I did like it. It's different. While I'm sitting here thinking about it, I have decidedly liked it more than I realized as I'm currently making myself starve. The pie crust was thick, crispy and good. The couple at the table next to us ordered fries to go with their pizza. Is that a Chicago thing? Man, I wish I had thought of that. Seemed like a small dish and an order of fries with ranch would have been just right. /SERVICE I am sad I do not know the man's name. He was a really great waiter. Attentive but not in your face. HOW TO READ MY REVIEWS: 1 Star - Does not approach edible. Enter at your own risk. 2 Stars - If I'm in the area, I'd pick something else. 3 Stars - I would stop by if I happen to be in the area. 4 Stars - I would pick this place out of other places nearby. 5 Stars - I would go out of my way to dine here.

Jean L.

I came here at noon on a Saturday and was shocked this place wasn't more cramped (shocked in a good way). The State location is always full of people and frustrating even to walk by. This one, in comparison is much larger and not as grimey-feeling. I gotta say though, Pizano's is my favorite chain thin-crust. I felt so-so with the thick crust..really wasn't that impressed, but their thin crust was nice and crispy. The only kind of weird thing was that with a near empty pizza joint, they decided to sit us next to the Chicago food tour. It kind of felt like we were imposters on the tour full of tourists (and yes, despite that I'm eating Pizanos on a Saturday, I wasn't a tourist).

Daniel R.

This was a pretty nice little pizza place in a good location. Nothing phenomenal, but it definitely got the job done.

Denise S.

I was super stoked about eating some deep dish pizza in Chicago. It is the classic NY v.s. Chicago pizza wars. I don't want to throw down on either side in terms of what type of pizza is the true champion of pizza. (cough cough.. NYC cough cough) Regardless, this particular pizza is kind of, well... just ok. The crust is a crunchy cardboardy thing. (Did I just make up a word?) I just kept thinking 'overwrought dough'. If you don't use tomato sauce, you should make sure the tomato chunks on top are super tasty. Essential to this kind of pizza and a total miss for Pizano's. You should know the pizza takes like 20-30 minutes to cook so have enough charge on your phone to play angry birds before you enter.

Chelsea M.

Ok so maybe I'm just not a fan a pre made pizza that doesn't even get heated up. We didn't sit and eat we just wanted something quick! But the pizza was cold already boxed and they also didn't have what I wanted. So I wanted sausage deep dish pizza and because it wasn't already made I had to get thin crust. How hard is it to make pizza? Isn't this a pizza place? They really could have had someone make it but I guess that would be too much to ask. Especially since it's a personal and were not ordering in! Also there is this weird 10$ minimum for your card. Who is going to spend 10$ on pizza? Especially when the most expensive pizza is 8$! Someone recommend them as good Chicago pizza but I was honestly not that satisfied. The thin crust pizza was so crunchy and hard...

Barbara B.

Pizano's makes a good deep dish, maybe not as good as Gino's or Lou's but it depends on your taste as the crust here is much different than at those locations. The thin crust pizza also is very tasty at Pizano's and it is cut into small pieces which makes it quite shareable. What is really great about Pizano's is that it has the delicious pizza cookie with ice cream and whipped cream on top (West Coasters, this is like the pizookie at BJ's Brewery). This dessert really puts a cherry on top of the experience.

David J.

We stopped in to Pizano's after a trip to Millennium Park and Navy Pier to grab a bite before we headed home. The place looked welcoming enough but as we were here during the lunch rush, the inside was packed so we decided to sit in the fenced in outdoor seating area near the street. It was a great experience having a slice (or two) of deep dish right next to a busy street in Chicago. It felt as if every thing was right in the world at that moment. The pizza itself was pretty good, but I have to say that it was not as good as Giordano's. Pizano's and Giordano's are the only two pies I have had in Chicago so I can only compare and contrast the two. The location of Pizano's is very convenient if you're looking for a quick bite to eat after visiting Millennium Park and the pizza can hold it's weight against other deep dish in the city.

David H.

Been to pretty much all the Chicago deep dish spots and well. This was so exceedingly bad it was honestly shocking. Tasteless crust. A thin layer of decent at best tomato sauce. Overwhelmed by a cubic ton of the saltiest and most disgusting cheese I've ever had. Toppings tasted like freezer burn. I went for lunch, if that matters at all.

Kate S.

We got into Chicago very late Thursday night and were just looking for a a quick bite before bed, but when we saw Pizano's was open we thought "oh what the heck." We got the classic deep dish cheese pizza and holy amazing, this was the best pizza I've ever had! The crust was so crispy and supported the generous portion of cheese and sauce. The sauce is actually served on top of the cheese (prevents the crust from getting soggy) which sounds odd but is actually very good. Lou Malnati's makes a very similar deep dish and I prefer Pizano's. The crust was crispier and the pizza had better flavor. They also had $5 Martini's and margaritas. Allow at least 30 min for the pizza to be made! Give this place a shot!

Ben A.

Came here for a co-workers birthday lunch around 12:30. We were seated immediately near the window and Kelsi was our server. We skipped appetizers and ordered our meals. I had the chicken parm sandwich which included fries and cole slaw. I also ordered a side salad. The side salad is only iceberg lettuce with a few toppings, definitely not worth $5.50. The chicken parm is a breaded chicken breast topped with mozzarella and sauce. I should note the sauce does have meat in it. The fries were crinkle-cut fries and pretty standard. The sandwich was ok. The salad was over-priced. Our server Kelsi was friendly and personable. I've been here before for their pizza and really liked the pizza. As a lunch option in the loop the service is fast if you don't order pizza (all pizzas take at least 30 minutes). You can get in and out within an hour.

Sampson M.

Deep dish pizza was very good, decent atmosphere but what really shined for me was the Italian sausage on the menu. It was a surprise for everyone at the table and was some of the best I've ever had. If you decide to go here, get the sausage!

Pearl L.

The service was great, but the food was average. I went there at the suggestion of the concierge desk at the hotel I was staying at, but it wasn't anything to write home about. The spinach- artichoke dip was pretty bland, I had to put salt and pepper to liven it up and it was still blah. My boyfriend and I didn't finish it. But the deep dish pizza made up for, although it wasn't the best deep dish I've ever had it definitely wasn't the worst.

Morgan A.

The smell of Nana's kitchen is the first thing that hits you as you walk in the door, that is always a good sign. Dim lighting sets the dinner vibe. Pretty large bar, and a good amount of tables, but I would strongly recommend a reservation. Really enjoyed the pizza. Not as thick as most "Chicago Style" pies, but all the flavor was there! and because it was a little thinner, I could help myself to that second piece!! Delicious pizza, a must try in the city.

Toulaphone C.

Pizano's was our first dining spot after arriving in Chicago for the first time, so it was my first deep dish pizza experience in the city. We ate here on a Saturday evening, and were seated less than 5 minutes of waiting after being told it would be a 25-30 minute wait. Sitting right next to the window on high seats during a cold, blistering night with temperatures in the teens and snow falling was very nice, since we were nice and warm indoors. As an appetizer, we got Toasted Ravioli the the OH MY GOSH chicken wings. The wings were amaaazzzzing if you can handle hot! The Toasted Ravioli was delicious as well. We got a medium Rudy's Special deep dish pizza and thought the sauce was very flavorful, just wish the crust wasn't as hard as it was. Overall a wonderful experience here, and it didn't hurt that it was right across the street from where we were staying.

Annie-Lee T.

The experience was horrible. The food was horrible. Just, not good all around. I stopped by to place an order to go, thought I would save a little money instead of getting it delivered. The hosts were all clueless and rude, which is a terrible combination and almost immediately turned me off. Then the wait, the longest wait of my life with rude and clueless people. I got my order after what felt like forever and got out of there as fast as possible. It was also incredibly crowded. Did I mention I didn't like this place? I got a pepperoni and basil and just did not like it. Any of it. Too doughy. Too much. I didn't even get a deep dish, I got the thin crust, because I am not a fan of too much breading in my pizza and it was still too doughy! Not ok. Malnati family restaurant, Oprah's recommendation, I do not care, I will not come here again. Learned my mistake the first time.

Austin Y.

I've tried their deep dish and thin crust and was not impressed by either. On my first visit with a group, we had large veggie and sausage deep dish. The enormous amount of melty mozzarella was topped by a generous amount of sauce, which I actually appreciated. The sauce helped balance out the heaviness of the cheese...but the crust, especially in the middle of the pie, didn't hold up at all. It ended up being beyond soggy, almost wet. Not good. I got Pizano's thin crust for another event and didn't like it at all, we had to wait about 20 minutes longer than quoted and the pizza was completely mediocre and $23 on top of everything (for thin crust!) Coming from the East Coast, any $23 pizza better be damn good and on the same level as, say, Grimaldi's in Brooklyn. Completely disappointing, won't be back.

Janine K.

I LOVE this place!!!! Their pan pizza is right up there next to Lou Malnatis....very similar in every way!!! Definitely order the butter crust, you won't regret it!!! They have great appetizers like the toasted ravioli and spinach artichoke dip. I'm not a fan of the thin crust pizza here, only because the pan pizza is so much better... it's not "bad" I just prefer the pan pizza. I've been coming here for many years since I work down the street from this place. They have outdoor seating which is nice during the warm months in Chicago. Service is up to par, I've never ever had a bad experience here! Again...I LOVE this place!!!

David W.

Staff is great. Food is good. It takes a long time to get the food though. I prefer Giordano which is a little walk away. We ordered a cheese pizza and added pepperoni for $3...each piece of pizza had 1 pepperoni on it. The crust was delicious, but we won't be back cuz the cost to product quality ratio was way skewed toward What The Heck!

jason k.

My favorite thin crust pizza in Chicago. Thin and crispy with just the right crunch. I absolutely love the sausage pizza. Yeah I know I'm kind of boring

Zach M.

Didn't eat pizza, because even the thin crusts take 30+ minutes. Had the pasta, and it was good.

Ryan M.

Sat us after we booked a reservation.. ordered a sm all deep dish..40 minutes later they come to the table and say the pizza may or may not take another 40 minutes... the restaurant was half full..stay far away from this place

Damon G.

Pizza and service were really great! The waiter and buss staff really went out of their way to cater to our little ones. Much appreciated.

John H.

Great pizza any way you order it. Get the butter crust option for an extra dollar. Like Lou Malnatis but miles away from Foxes.

H M.

We thought a deep dish pizza would be too heavy, so we ordered the thin crust. The menu said it was Oprah's favorite. It was one of the blandest pizza's we have ever had. Airport pizza has more flavor. I kept dumping the oregano and pepper flakes on to spice it up a bit. That didn't help. We are from the Boston area and have had better pies from the corner take out place. Next time, if there is one we will order deep dish. On the plus side the reasonably priced Chianti was good and the service was very attentive.

Katelyn J.

Pizza is a deeply personal thing. I know people who favor Pizano's over all other pizzas with a passion I have never known. I think it's good. Here's what I've learned. Their sausage is amazing. Skip the pepperoni and go for sausage. Their crust is unique and delicious and while people love their deep dish, I think it's all about the thin crust here. So, thin crust sausage. Try to save room and share a cookie skillet for dessert. I know this isn't a unique dessert but it is here. They leave it gooey on the inside and instead of a few scoops of ice cream, they put a whole layer over the entire cookie. It will melt your brain.

Ian C.

During a recent vacation in Chicago, we were walking around and needing some food in downtown. Also, we needed a place that was open late. Several people recommended this and they weren't wrong. I was surprised that service was great for a Friday late night. We got two pizzas, with the BBQ Chicken Pizza having a terrific sauce. The Deep Dish Pepperoni wasn't the "Deep" dish style I was imaging but I liked it none the less. Cookie Dessert Pizza Pie was also good. 5 out of 5 plus, can you argue against Oprah?

Beth S.

The pizza here tastes good, service a bit spotty. You can sometimes wait forever for your check or for the change. That being said, it's tasty pizza. The thin crust is buttery, different, and definitely does not agree with me. I feel ill every time I eat here. Others I have gone with have not had that experience. If you have a sensitive stomach or can't handle too much butter in your diet, be warned! P.S. I am a native Chicagoan and I despise deep dish pizza!

Lola T.

Okay, ever since I started working in Chicago and moved downtown, I've become a pizza snob. Pizano's thin crust is pretty good, but their "deep dish" isn't really deep dish and leaves a lot to be desired. I've been to more than one location and am never impressed. Other dishes I've experienced here have been overpriced and not great quality or taste. If you come here, I suggest thin crust and a drink you know you'll like.

Justin O.

As a big fan of pizza, pizano's offers a slightly different pie from my other favorites Lou malnati's and Pequods. The butter crust, minimal bread for a deep dish, and cheese makes for a good pie. If in college, ask about their special deal.

Audre L.

LouMalnati's is better. Not bad though

Allison K.

Best pizza i have ever had. Ordered pizza from here for the first time a few years ago, 2003, and had surgery the day after - after I recovered I could not for the life of me remember where I ordered the best pizza of my life at! I just ate at Pizano's in the loop last friday and IT WAS THE PIZZA I HAD BEEN DREAMING ABOUT FOR 5 YEARS!!!! :) I haven't had anything else but there pizza, but it is so good! YUM, I HIGHLY recommend it.

Aloysius T.

I had the deep dish here for the first time, it was better than anticipated. As I presumed, the type of dish is very similar to the chicago deep dish at Lou's. The crust wasn't nearly as good though. What I like about Lou's is the thin cornmeal crust, this crust was a bit thicker and less...corn-mealey? Regardless, it was still very good in my book. It deserves a four. But yes, Lou's Chicago-style, often imitated, never duplicated....even if by your own spawn. :)

Marshal Y.

I was in Chicago last weekend visiting some friends. We picked this location because it was a central location for all of us to meet, even though none of us had been here before. Not being a Chicago native, my experience with deep dish pizza is limited. Of several times I have ordered it, Pizano's is now at the top of the list. Our pizza was just perfect. I have to give mention of our waiter, as he was one of the friendliest characters I have ever encountered. Hats off to "The Chach", he made our meal memorable with his outrageous stories and genuine good attitude. I'll be back the next time I'm in town!

Frank H.

GREAT Pizza!!! Also $5 martini's on Thursday, any alcohol. Makes a great place to go for a drink.

Chrissy N.

Found it, love it. Great little spot about 2 blocks from Michigan Ave. and Millennium Park. Nice ambiance, candles on the tables, Italian music in the background. Bar or dining room available. There are also some TVs located throughout which you can watch sports at. (This brings the ambiance down a little, and makes it more casual, but I didn't mind at all.) The prices were between $10 and $15 for dinner entrees. A VERY nice price for a downtown loop dinner. I will go back again next time I've had a hard day of shopping with the ladies! And it's open till 1 or 3am!

Molly L.

In my opinion, Pizano's is tied with Lou Malnati's for the best pizza in Chicago. I've been to this location several times, and it's great! It's big, so you don't have to wait a long time to be seated, even when it's busy. As for the pizza, the deep dish isn't as deep as some other varieties of Chicago deep dish, but that's why I like it. I'm a thin crust girl, and Pizano's has AMAZING thin crust. Regardless of whether you order the deep dish or the thin crust, you MUST order the Mark's Special. I have dreams about this pizza. With garlic, basil and the freshest tomatoes I've ever tasted, you will die and go to pizza heaven. For this amazing pizza alone, Pizano's gets an A+.

Taylor M.

The garlic cheese bread was really good, but everything took really long and after experiencing Malnati's, this doesn't come close!

Emily Y.

Pizano's is my favorite thin crust pizza in all of Chicago. There's something about that crust...it's just so buttery and perfectly crisp and never burnt. Just the right amount of cheese and sauce, whatever toppings you desire, my choice is pepperoni and mushroom....mmm I'm in pizza heaven. Location is great, just a bit off the beaten path of the Loop and Michicgan/Millenium Park madness. Grab a table by the large open air windows, enjoy a beverage while people watching, and try the fried calamari while you wait for your pizza to come out. Then head over to Millenium Park for a stroll. A perfect way to spend a downtown Chicago evening!

Malik G.

Spent $150 on 6 large pizza's to be delivered; asked they provide 24 plates & silverware and you know what they said? They charge after 10 plates! What? Walked over to Walgreen's to buy supplies. Hey Pizano's, I wanted to avoid going out that's why we were ordering in! Zero stars for attitude on the phone.

Mark G.

Went specifically for the pizza. The Honker's Ale was not quite cold out of the tap. A medium sausage and pepperoni thin crust took 45 minutes. It was 2:00 in the afternoon on a Friday. Pizza was meh. Cheese and toppings were good. Sauce was bland and watery. Crust was too crisp and felt like I was eating a chip. I think they need to turn the heat down on their ovens. I would not go back for the pizza. I would be willing to try some of their other menu items. The dude next to me at the bar had bruschetta which looked good but then had an Italian Beef which looked like a monstrosity (compared to Luke's). I don't know what I'd try if I went back but I'd give it a shot.

Julius R.

This is a good spot. Stick with the thin over the thick. There are a few places doing better deep dish. But I really dig the the thin sausage. No tricks just damn good thin crust pizza! They get 3 instead of 4 because they are a bit expensive...but hey that is Chicago

Crystal L.

Excellent choice for thin crust pizza. Today is our intern's last day so our director took the team out for lunch at Pizano's. We ordered a garlic & tomato, veggie, pepperoni, sausage, and cheese pizza. My favorite is the sausage pizza. The sausages are huge not like the idy bitty ones you normally get on pizzas. Another great thing about Pizano's is you can preorder become you come so the pizza literally arrives when you get seated.

Hayley S.

Pizano's is one of the only reasonably priced and delicious restaurants in its area. The pizza and fried ravioli are great, and they serve Dog n Suds Root Beer in the bottle. Beware that the "gluten-free crust" is actually just flattened sausage. Really. You can't even make something like that up. Still, what a lovely dive!

Christina L.

Best deep dish I've had! Still.. I'm more of a New York thin crust fan :x

Michelle C.

We stopped into Pizano's since it was right around the corner from our hotel and it was recommended. It was about 8 p.m. and we got seated right away. Our waiter was great and made good recommendations. We got the Fried Calmari which was pretty good. I got the Pasta A "La" Dino which was very good and tasty. One of my girlfriends got a salad and the other girlfriend got a burger; both said it was good, but nothing remarkable.

Leon M.

They don't do pizza very well in Florida. We are the home of hurricanes, humidity, bat sized mosquitos, and bad driving octogenarians but just try to find a decent pie. On a recent trip to Chicago I stopped by the Madison Street location for a late night pizza and I was not disappointed. The thin crust pizza was outstanding enough that I had it again 2 days later. The buttery, crunchy crust made the pie. I have seen the complaints about how long it took for the pizza to be served but if I wanted fast food pizza I would go to a mall food court and eat Sabarros. We ate at the bar, drank some cold beer and chatted it up with the friendly bartender. It's my kind of place with the paneling and sports memorabilia. Alas, I am back in Florida dodging Granny operated Buick Roadmasters, swatting mutant insects, and dreaming of having another decent slice of pizza.

Lauren M.

I took my out-of-town sister for Pizano's to experience Chicago deep-dish pizza since it was close to where we were and we were tired from walking....I wish we walked a little further to Lou Malnati's. While the pizza was ok, the service was disappointing. I think we saw our waiter only twice: to take the order and to get our check. We actually had to ask a passing server for more silverware. Too bad.

ROSE D.

Chachified!!!!! If you get Chachi as a waiter, you are in for the best experience of your life. He was life if our dinner. We are in town for the Bruins-Blackhawks game (I bleed Black & Gold) and he entertained us like I have never been entertained before. Oh yeah, the food was amazing too! To start we had Annette's Tomato Bread. He had Hot Mama's Pasta. I wanted whatever Chachi told me to get. It's not on the menu but it was a bowl of mostaccioli with sausage and a spicy tomato sauce. For dessert Chachi gave me an early bday present: a chocolate chip cookie with vanilla mousse and vanilla gelati and homemade chocolate sauce topped with homemade whipped cream. AMAZING!!!!! For my first night in Chicago, I couldn't have asked for anything better.

Becky R.

This is a "go to" when my Loop workin' pals and I want to have a special occasion lunch without breaking the bank. Although they claim not to take reservations, you can order your pizza ahead to minimize the wait for a work-day lunch. My review is going to focus on my latest trip to Pizano's. I pre-ordered two large pizzas -- one just sausage and with sausage and a bunch of veggies (we like sausage.) I have only had the thin crust here, which is very good. The cheese sticks are also yummy! We were seated almost right away, even though they told us it would take 15 minutes. Score one for Team Pizano. When our pizza arrived, the one that was supposed to be just sausage was sausage and mushroom. We said that was fine, the waitress apologized profusely and said she would talk to her manager and see what he could do. The pizza was delicious, as usual. At the end of our meal, the waitress brought us a free cookie sundae dessert -- a chocolate chip cookie on the bottom of a mini-pizza pan topped with a sundae. Pure decadence! When our bill came, the manager (owner??) came over to say that he was truly sorry and that the mixed up pizza was on the house. A truly classy joint! I think that the server herself decided to give us the sundae, not knowing that her boss had decided to comp the errant pizza. Either way, we'll take it!! It showed that they really do care that their customers get what they ask for.

Todd A.

Very disappointed, pizza was flavor free. Service was good, clean restaurant.

Catherine A.

HORRIBLE service. DECENT pasta.... hear the pizza is good but you have to wait an HOUR or MORE. I wouldn't ever go again. Management sucks and they won't take orders on charge cards for less than 20 bucks.

Daniel B.

Can't really comment too much, I had a Coke and the bruschetta. Both were good, but not real challenging to statisfy any gourmand.

Dane K.

I went back here w/ my sister and her hubby recently.. and it was enough to reaffirm that I think Pizanos makes the best deep dish in Chicago... Go for the butter crust deep dish, I like the Rudy's Special (or whatever they call it... sausage, mushroom, onion, green pepper). Their sidewalk patio is nice and shady.. It's touristy but not as crazy as some of the places right on Michigan Avenue. For dessert we had a Holly's chocolate chip cookie. I have no idea who hollie is, but she makes a damn good cookie. It's not really a cookie actually... it's a mini deep dish pie pan that they bake a cookie in the bottom of, then when that's done they cover it with a layer of vanilla ice cream, a layer of whipped cream, and of course chocolate. as the menu says "To die for!" ... MMMMMMM. Service and drinks were great, of course! We had a pizza with the exact same toppings from Lou Malnati's two days later, and it was laughable how much better Pizanos was... For those not in the know, Lou Malnati is the brother of the founder of Pizano's, so for all intents and purposes their recipes are basically the same. There wasn't even a debate, it was more of a "we just paid $25 for this???" silence while we ate our Lou M's. Pizano's FTW!

John P.

The pizza is very good, but they can't seem to get the pricing down. The website says one thing, but when you call they say "we have raised our prices 2 dollars." This would typically be fine but then they also surprise you with an additional charge for getting a pizza half and half.

Shane L.

Meh. Pizza lacked flavor, crust was incredibly crunchy, just a mess. Service was excellent though.

Nicole M.

My friend and I were walking around shopping and we smelled this place! We decided to come here for lunch. We ordered a small thin crust pizza and sat outside. The pizza was delish, nice and cheesy and crispy. The table was kind of small, so we asked for a bigger table and they said no because there was only 2 of us... but then they sat a couple of 2 like 10 mins later at a bigger table... We didn't understand that. Price wasn't to bad and we left with leftovers.

N H.

we stumbled upon this place and were so glad we did!!! Our food was delicious, but even more important than that was how amazing our waiter was. We were "Chachi-fied" by the Chach. I'm here to tell you he was one of the best most entertaining waiters I've ever had. Wanted to know our names and our stories (and remembered them) and stood by our table for a while and told us stories of people he'd waited on. He got us a free desert (which was also amazing!) and before we left shook all of our hands and left us with warm wishes. I will definitely go back to this place whenever I'm in Chicago and I will always ask for the Chach and I would recommend it to all who are looking for a fun, delicious (and fairly reasonable) place to eat in downtown Chicago

Bill M.

This eatery benefits from being fairly close to Millennium Park. The thin crust pizza here is surprisingly good, with an indelible crunch in the crust. I hear the deep dish is good too, and coming from the Malnati pizza family that should be no surprise. Pastas and sandwiches round out the menu. There is an outdoor seating area if you are not crazy about the indoor tables placed really close to each other.

Adam B.

Only been here once, and I ordered the thin crust specialty veggie pizza. Quite delicious! A little greasy, but that's expected in a pizza place like this.

Sonia L.

Pizano's is a perfect place. It's so Chicago. It's good pizza. There's not much else to ask of this place. The pizza is not the BEST deep dish pizza in Chicago, but it still satiates the craving for a good deep dish. The decor is appropriate for what they are - an old school Chicago pizzeria that has waiter service. It's definitely great for lunch! Or any time spent in Millennium or Grant Park.

Ariel J.

Best thin crust pizza i've ever had. I stopped in with a friend who works down in the Loop and swears by this place. I was not disappointed. We had a medium pie with pepperoni, onion and peppers. The ingredients were baked below the cheese which helped hold the slices together nicely. The pie is cut into squares. The crust reminds me a bit of NYC pizza in its thickness; the edges differed in that they are very crispy and flaky, a very nice touch. The bill came out to a little more $25, which makes it a bit pricey for pizza; but, it was well worth it. I definitely plan to make Pizano's one of my stops next time I'm in Chicago.

Jennifer B.

This place is wonderful! The deep dish pizza is yummy and so is their pasta. Don't just go for the pizza. Their pasta is fabulous also.

Daniel L.

They pack patrons in tightly. Conversation is difficult. The Service was bad. Three tables had to ask for utensils. The water was tepid. Orders were screwed up. Worse, the thin crust pizza was so-so.

Mark S.

Some of the best deep dish and thin crust pizza in Chicago! The buttercrust is amazing and the other ingredients are all top notch, good stufff. Similar to Lou Malnati's (owned by same family), but a bit better than Lou's.

Michelle H.

If I find myself in the Loop, I may give this place another try for the pizza. As for the pasta I had on my first visit, it was not very memorable. The garlic oil sauce was great, but the overcooked pasta made the dish very rubbery. The prices were decent for a restaurant smack in the middle of downtown. And the service was quick, (yeah, I'm gonna give the place an extra star, because our waiter had the best set of buns on him (and I am not talking about the dinner kind), I've ever seen!.) and efficient.

J R.

I came here anticipating good thin crust pizza because I've heard it's voted the best in the city. I am not a fan of Chicago style so my boyfriend and I figured we would try it out. The thin crust pizza was quite terrible actually. It was so greasy--had so much cheese it was unreal. The sauce was very bland and forgettable. The price was outrageous as well. I've had better delivery from Pizza Ria and Ranalli's. The service was good but I would not get pizza here again. If you want to have really good thin crust pizza--Go to Brick's on Lincoln. Some of the best pizza I've had in my entire life.

Ben B.

The pizza takes awhile to get ready, but it's well worth the wait. One night, we had out-of-town guests looking for Chicago-style pizza and this was one of the first places that sprang to mind. We've been there a few times, but that particular visit was the first time we've had "The Chach" as our waiter. He's very friendly and you can tell he enjoys talking with people. Our guests really enjoyed both the pizza and the service, as did we, but I can also see how it could have been viewed as over the top. Be sure to make a reservation as the waits can be long, and try the Rudy's pizza.

Elizabeth B.

I just can't stay away from Pizano's. Maybe it's the fact that the staff looks a good decade younger than they likely are, or maybe it's the fact that they smell the post-shift food funk on you and offer generous industry perks. I love to hate the stereotypical Italian chef decor and how all of the images of veggies on the walls seem to be painted to look like butt cheeks.

Jennifer M.

OK I really don't get the hype over this place. My first visit I had the "Oprah Recommended" thin crust pizza. I have to say that the pizza is actually pretty good, but the 30 min wait....not so much. My second trip, I opted to try one of their pasta dishes. I ordered the Pesto Gnocchi. Lets see here, over cooked, mushy gelatinous gnocchi, overly cream laden sauce, little pesto flavor and gobs and gobs of oily lumpy cheese. I sent it back, (and I have NEVER, EVER sent food back to the kitchen) Seriously, I've had better Gnocchi at Maggiano's. Despite the crappy Gnocchi, I have to say that the service was pretty good. Both times our waitresses were very attentive and friendly. And when I sent my food back the waitress apologized profusely and even sent the manager over, who also apologized. She also offered to comp a different dish, but I ended up just splitting my friends pasta, which was fine because there was more than enough for two people. Bottom line...stick with the pizza, I really don't think that pasta is their specialty.

Laila L.

Pizano's does not offer the best Chicago-style deep dish in town by a long shot. It's okay, but not spectacular. It's not even very deep! Their fried calamari on the other hand -- you should order 3 of those. No one will think you're being excessive. Trust me.

Jenny T.

I don't know about you, but I love pizza. I went there with three friends and had a wonderful time. The food was delicious and the service was outstanding. Our waitress was fun and delivered drinks, appetizers, and our pizza promptly. It was pretty dark inside, but since I was on a double date I didn't mind much :) As much as everyone raves about the thin crust, I'm all about the deep dish. PS-the drinks were delicious too!

ryan w.

This is the place where Mike in sales would order us lunches for a good week, or something like that. Yeah. That Mike guy. What a dickhead. He crashed his computer downloading pornography and asked me to take the rap because, "You don't have a real job here and you don't have a kid on the way." So I took the rap for Mike and these guys in corporate, rather than fire me, said, "Look, Ryan. We know you're covering for your buddy in sales. We know all about your Internet usage, and his. You're the guy who buys used books all afternoon on Amazon. Mike is the guy who looks at anime porn." "But Mike has a kid on the way, he needs his job!" I snapped. To which the corporate guys replied: "And we were going to fire him anyway, because he's a terrible salesman. So retract what you said, go back to your cubicle, and order yourself some more used books when you finish your report." Which is exactly what I did. Then, the greasy-looking corporate guys fired Mike and a few weeks later he moved to Jersey. Pizano's has decent pizza by the way.

Stothe H.

Amazing late hours. Pretty good food - standard italian fare. Great in a pinch or really late!

Justin H.

Walked in here after standing to get tickets to Billy Elliot for 2 hours. The host was very attentive and we were seated at a window seat very promptly. Our server was here and had our drink order before we even had our menus open. Not much later he was back taking our order. I ordered the four cheese homemade tortellini. Serving size was large and everyone I was with loved their meal. I plan to go back here again sometime to try their Pizza.

Jeff W.

Hands down best thin crust in chicago. Go with the Rudy or tomato basil. Really, any style is great but the Rudy is my favorite. Get the cookie for desert, best skillet I have ever had. Been going for 13 years now and can't stay away.

Lynn S.

We had the pasta dishes and not the pizza. Each of our party of four had a different selection. The dishes were good and the service was very good. The chocolate cookie desert was excellent. If you like cookies & ice cream don't pass it up.

Beth A.

meh...ive definitely had better...pizannos is fast food italian style with sit down dinner prices very crowded (definitely may have been a factor in the less than par food and waiter service)...runny pasta sauce...ravioli without much flavor...and o yea they charge u for bread and butter if ur not picky about italian food go for it...if u actually enjoy places that have delicious sauce and recipies to boot...skip it ...pizza did look go thou...watched some skinny europeans devour one...if u can count cutting it up with fork and knife devouring ;)

Aaron L.

Great Deep Dish Windy City Pies here. Had a group of nine and we were treated to a great dessert by the staff as well.

Brett K.

Best "thin" crust in Chicago. Please let me know if you've tried it and there is better because I have yet to find it. Now I am from Saint Louis and our "thin" crust is like a saltine cracker thin but by Chicago standards I'm gonna call it thin. Just get a large sausage plus anything else you want "butter crust" thin crust pizza and we can talk. The sausage is the best I have ever had at a pizza joint. I believe it is often brought over from a local vendor on the West side. Not too fatty and the flavor/spices is out of this world. The crust is done like a deep dish but with a thin crust, just so buttery and crunchy on every bite. Just do it. Do it!

Jen B.

Two large thin crust pizzas totals $47?! Seems semi-outrageous. It might just be the downtown premium that seems to bump up everything you eat within the confines of the Loop/South Loop/River North to one and half times the normal price. But the pies tasted good and showed up within an hour. An okay option for when you're craving fresh thin crust.

Dylan F.

Nutshell version: Worst treatment I've ever received at a restaurant Went here with my girlfriend on a Thursday afternoon, maybe around 5pm. We were seated at one of those two-tops where one of you is on a long bench along the wall and the other is in a chair opposite. On either side of you, inches away, is another table, another couple. It's like sitting in one giant booth and I hate it because there's no privacy. Throughout the restaurant there were multiple open tables so after squirming in discomfort for awhile we decided to simply move to a more comfortable spot.. Well, within seconds the host manager (blond woman, didn't get her name) came over and asked really snottily if this was the table we had been seated at. She had just seated us sixty seconds earlier at the original, cramped two-top so I thought the question a bit disingenous. I politely explained that we weren't really comfortable at the original table, and asked if she had an alternative for us. "Well" she replied, "We have a POLICY on Thursday nights that two people can only sit at two tops, so could you return to you original table?" Feeling slightly embarassed that the manager was making a scene about this, not wanting to be seen as a jackass, and realizing that clearly the table we had moved to (a small 4 top in the corner) was precious to them, I offered to look for a couple places at the bar. "Fine" she said and waved us off to the bar. "Just look around". Thanks for your helpfulness. Well, we did look around the bar and couldn't find two adjacent spots at the bar. However, there were MULTIPLE open 3 and 4 tops at the bar--several of which had COUPLES sitting at them. So we sat down at one. In less the minute, a different hostess who, along with the original host-manager, had obviously been watching us struggle to find a table, came over and immediately started HARASSING us. "This is a four-top, you can't sit here." I was dumbfounded. There were at least 3 open tables in the bar, and NO PATRONS waiting. "And why is that?" I was starting to go over to the dark side. "People might get upset" she explained. "What people?" I asked "People who might have to wait for a table." I told her to send her manager to better explain this brilliant policy. The manager came and started in with the same inane nonsense about other customers. "Where are they?" "Well, they're not here yet." "So you're more concerned about hypothetical customers who don't exist than the two sitting in front you? Do you see all the open tables with no one waiting?" "It's our policy on Thursday nights." "IT'S YOUR POLICY TO MAKE PAYING CUSTOMERS SO ANGRY THAT THEY LEAVE, SO YOU CAN FREE UP SPACE FOR IMAGINARY CUSTOMERS?!!" I was beginning to use my outside voice. There comes a time in everyone's life, even the gentlest and most rational of us, when we are confronted with such wanton stupidity that we are obligated to GO SLIGHTLY POSTAL. I think this manager could tell that I was very much on the verge of that moment. Pizanos gets one star because they forced me to the point of uncivility when all I wanted was some stupid pizza on a Thursday. That should not have to be the most combative thing I do all week. I shouldn't have to fly into a rage to get treated like a paying customer. It kind of ruins the experience. Bottom line: Go somewhere that your business is appreciated.

sarah l.

This place had the best bruchetta and deep dish pizza I've eaten so far. Not too sure if we were just really really hungry that made it taste so good or if it was actually really really good. It definitely makes me want to visit Chi-town and taste the bruchetta.

Zach D.

I'm not a big pizza enthusiast, but I know good pizza when I eat one...and this was waste of money, well...kind of. So Pizano's gives free pizza to college students every Tuesday night after 9pm...and so I rallied 6 of my friends to go enjoy a night a free pizza since we were all leaving for summer break at the end of the week and wanted to share a last meal. I called the restaurant to make sure they were still doing the promotion and was told that we at least have to purchase a drink to get the free pizza; I was totally fine with that. My friends and I got there around like 11pm and went in to get a table. We were told it was going to be a few minuted before they could seat us...perfectly acceptable. So we took the pager and walked outside to wait in the nice cool air. The pager goes off about 25 minutes later and so we all walk it. The hostess said that she would be splitting us up into 2 separate tables...on opposite sides of the restaurant. I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT WOULD EVEN PASS THROUGH A HOSTESS' MIND!? I mean honestly, when is that acceptable to offer a group to sit apart from each other? I am totally fine with waiting for a larger table to open up. And so we declined and walked back outside to wait. Another 25 minutes passes and we finally get in and sit down at a rather tight squeeze of a table in the corner of the restaurant by the bar, where all the noisy sports watchers are (and there was a hockey game on that everyone was literally screaming about). Whatever. Our waitress comes and takes our drink orders, after a few minutes she comes back with them and we ask about the free college student pizza. Since there was 7 of us, we were allowed 2 large pizza, so we ordered a large deep dish with pepperoni, sausage, and olives, and also a large thin crust pizza with pepperoni, sausage, and mushrooms. We are told there was going to be a half hour wait for the pizzas, totally fine. About 10 minutes later we are through our sodas and ask for a refill, the waitress tells us we are only allowed one refill. WTF!!! I've never in the world been to a restaurant where only one refill was given, especially when a soda is $2.50! My friends and I could not believe that, and the waitress ignored our shocked faces (I bet she's used to the shocked faces on college nights). Not only that, but we later learned that we were being charged 18% gratuity...not only on our drinks, but on the pizzas!! That means we were being taxed and gratuity on about $78!!! If we would have known that we would not have even went. We spend about $30...on free college night??? Our pizzas come, we're already pretty upset with the place. Three of us are sharing the deep dish, and so we wanted to put it by us...however, we didn't know which one was deep dish. I know deep dish, trust me, I love it. What was in that black pan was not deep! It looked exactly like the thin crust pizza, except that the crust was just a tad taller on the edge. The pizza tasted gross, and I pretty much figured the cooks just didn't care about the quality because it was for free. My friends and I were pissed. Pizano's will never get my money again. Even if there's a free night, I still deserve good food, service, and respect!

Varsha L.

We ordered Pizano's on Sun, it was really good! That was my first time having Pizanos! We ordered a large this crust but it was kinda small.... Can't comment on what the place looks like or the dining experience inside or the service or staff!

Donnie D.

The Sausage and Mushroom deep dish pizza was good. I recommend it if you're in the area.

Kevan L.

The management told me to "go fuck [myself]" and that they "never wanted to see [my] fucking face in here again" because I attempted to pay my bill with a credit card and when they said there was a $20 minimum (which is against the Visa merchant agreement - usa.visa.com/about_visa/… ) I said that was out of the merchant agreement they have with Visa and that I'd contact them about it. The MoD got in my face and other customers started yelling at him that what he was doing was inappropriate. I spoke with the owner of Pizano's who, after I explained the situation, told me that I was a liar and some some non sequitur about how he'd gotten the other side of the story from the GM (who we'd already established wasn't working during the incident). He then said that I called him a "little prick" which didn't happen at all either - he was the one literally yelling at me on the phone while I kept calm. Don't go to Pizano's Pizza. Ever. For any reason. Unless, of course, you like to be told to "fuck yourself" for trying to pay the tab.

nancy b.

i don't know how i had never heard about pizano's until this past year. thank you to my friends who moved across the street or else i probably would still not know about it. i can only speak to their thin crust, i've never tried their deep dish. the jack brickhouse thin crust is my favorite: sausage and mushroom on their buttery, crispy crust. their version of thin is what i'd consider closer to a pan style, but i think of cracker-thin as "thin". i've ordered out a couple times from there and it's always been ready on-time. however, there is usually a wait when i have gone to eat-in there. given their just-off-michigan-ave location, they're always busy. the service has been mixed when i eat there; some servers were great, others were really slow and really inattentive. it's a bit of a crap shoot.

B L.

This place has location, and nothing else. I took out of towners there on Saturday. While the menu advertises wings with your choice of mild, hot and extra hot sauce ---- wings only come in XX hot. When we sent wings back and asked for mild sauce, they said they had not other sauce! The waitress proceeded to bring out a bottle of Tobasco sauce -- stating that is all they can offer as a mild substition. Bizarre. Make a sauce that is mild! Throw some butter, vinegar, tobasco, etc in a pan and manage the portions of each. You can indeed get a mild sauce. It is clear that Pizano's has a cheapskate owner. Wait staff seemed totally afraid to make any concessions. There was a real, "too bad for you" attitude. Been there a few years ago, and it was mediocre. After this past experience, I'll never go back.

Steve F.

amazing Pizza I think the best in Chicago. The service was ok.

T K.

We were downtown so we decided to knock out a stop on the pizza tour.... Pizano's! Yes, Pizano's. It's right across from Millennium Park. The food was ok. A little blandish. I rate the deep dish and thin a 3 out of 5. Nothing special. Wouldn't think of going again unless someone wanted to. We had to make sure to speak loudly enough for our waiter, The Chach (real name), to hear our order. Then remind him a few times. He had a knack for making what seemed a normal verbal exchange into awkwardness. We payed in credit, but tipped in cash on the table. He didn't know and came out bloodthirsty wondering if we thought he did us wrong. Oh, The Chach, don't find out where I live please.

M M.

The food is good, but some of the staff are so rude it is inexcuseable. I came in once last summer and waited for the host to seat me but he was too busy chatting up his coworkers. I was the ONLY person standing there and found it a bit rude. A server finally awknowleged me, and she told me I could have a table that was just about to open up in a few minutes. When the table opened up, I sat down. THEN FINALLY the host notices me, and yells at me for not following procedures and putting my name down. (I waited and waited and waited, and you didnt even notice me!) The server realizes his mistake and tries to correct him, but he won't back off. I offer to leave, and he says I should. At this point there is still no one else there waiting for a table, I was the only one. Wow.

Sarah N.

BEST PIZZA EVER! Staff is always friendly and the pizza is the best I've ever had.

Katie M.

I love this place! Laid back atmosphere, good food, lots of space, and $5 (strong and delicious!) martini's on Thursday nights. Can't say that I need much else in an establishment!

Sarah M.

My husband and I ate here tonight and as soon as we were seated we could recognize that this was an establishment that loved Chicago and felt nestled into the sports / blue collar / Italian / family culture. Didn't seem touristy at all and had a crowd that appeared to be from the neighborhood. We ordered the mozzarella stick appetizer and a medium thin crust cheese and pepperoni pizza. The wait time was average. The server was pleasant enough. The pizza crust tasted home-made (almost like pie crust), the cheese was real and the pepperoni was of quality, but the pie had more grease than I like - maybe that's just unavoidable, though, with the given ingredients. The absolute best pizza I've had? Not even close to Home Run Inn or Lou Malnati's IMO. Would I go back? Sure, if I was in the area for lunch, I'd consider giving it another go.

Tom K.

Waitress was really nice and took care of us but we were dissappointed in the pizza. it was cooked well but I think that we just don't like that style. The house sald was good though. That's all we had so i'm not sure my rating is entirely accurate.

Roy F.

Starving for Chicago deep-dish pizza, tried Pizano's. Best ever? No, but pretty good. Was hoping for something deeper, with some more kick to the sauce, but overall, worked out alright. Service was friendly enough (take-out), but my order was incomplete and by the time I figured it out I had to turn around to go get the rest.

Steven K.

Deep Dish Pizza is how Chicago earned its winning reputation and Pizanno's lives up to this outstanding distinction. Always a great fan of anything with vegetables on it. My personal favorite is deep dish with, Spinach, Mushroom, extra cheese, and sliced Tomato on top. Dine In not a big fan, but there is a convenient location for carry out to make you & your friends the envy of ANY Millennium Park Concert. Once you are a regular & know how the crust SHOULD taste you may come across an occasional older crust uncooked for too long and put in the necessary complaint. If possible, don't settle for less and return your unfinished Pizza , if convenient.

Rory d.

The pizza was great but the service was just plain awful. We were seated downstairs where there were two waiters who, Paul and Sean (sp?). The first one, Sean, introduced himself to us and promptly disappeared even though we were ready to place our order. After about 10 minutes of waiting, we hailed Paul, who gave us drinks and apologized for Sean. After another two minutes or so, Paul took our order. We ordered salad and pizza. The salad was supposed to arrive before dinner. It never arrived. The pizza arrived after the promised 30 minutes. We told Paul to cancel the salad and take it off our bill. We had two young kids with us who were patient enough to sit through the wait. After dinner, we got the check and my wife and kids went outside to wait for me. After waiting for Paul to pick up the payment for a good 10 minutes, I just had to get up to the bar and settle. Bottom line, go if you have a lot of patience and do not mind horrendous service. The pizza is good, but the service killed it for us.

Silvio D.

Maybe the thin crust is better, but the deep dish was subpar. I tried Mark's Special - sliced tomatoes, basil, and fresh garlic. Personally, I thought it tasted liked frozen pizza and the cheese wasn't even really melted. The tomatoes had good flavor, but that was the only good thing about this pizza. I would save your money and skip this place because there has to better pizza in Chicago.

Sonali K.

I won't say Pizanos is the best pizza in the city, but their crust - whether thin or thick - is always good. I don't mind eating here a couple of times a year. It was always a favorite after finals since we'd be right around the corner. Their cheesy garlic bread is one of the best I have had. It's not the fanciest of places, but if you're looking for a chill pizza joint that has good pizza in the Loop, this is it.

Gfiddy F.

Has skyrocketed to my favorite thinnish crust. Outstanding pizza.

Nathan K.

Don't go here if you want a quiet meal in a quiet place. Some days this place is ridiculously busy. (And some days it's not) But my wife and I tried this place about 2 years ago, and we've been hooked since. This is my favorite deep pizza in the world. I've lived in Chicago for my whole life (29) and I love pizza. So I've had many many many pizzas from all over. Uno's, Giordanos, Lou Malnati's, Gullivers, Carmen's, Nancy's, and on and on. And it's funny too because Uno's, and Malnati's and Pizano's all have this family connectedness thing going on. But I love Pizano's the best. Yes it can take long. And yes the servers can be a busy, non attentive and rude. So go in there knowing that, and order your pizza before you even show up and you'll be money. And for you Bull's fans. You might want to just go here to say hi to Norm Van Lier. He's at the bar about 4-5 days a week :) He'll even stop in after his pre-game show to pick up a pie before heading back to work.

Amanda S.

Extremely slow service. Pizza tasted like burnt cardboard. I gave it a star because it was open.

peter C.

fat Peter rating system. as follows: STARS- standard yelp CHANCE I WILL BE BACK- NO Why I went- i'm am a tourist asked a native on twitter. Never had deep dish someone said go here, I went. I got there around 12, load behold i'm seated next to the chicago pizza tour people. Pizza was surprisingly good but i'm not a fan of deep dish but not a hater. it was good. DONT THINK NYC PIZZA think of a pie made of butter crust loaded with cheese and sauce and other ingredients THINK PIE But it was good but not enough to make me say I will be back but good what was good!!! the Brushetta w/ fresh basil was excellent never had it so I went. But not life changing 2 people brushetta and small pie 28 dollars incld tip not cheap but good. LOOK i'm aint a ASS*ole it deserved a 3 1/2 stars but you know yelp don't have 1/2.

Jennifer P.

I really don't understand the hype. Oprah, you have misled me for the last time. The pizza was just okay. Is this the best thin crust in the city like I've been hearing? In my opinion, it's definitely not. It was overly greasy. I did happen to enjoy the crust. It was doughy and had a buttery taste to it that I really liked. The service was definitely lackluster. Our waiter never came back to see if we needed refills on our drinks. He brought the pizza to our table but didn't come back with plates for about 5 more minutes. I know it was pretty busy but these are just basic things that I expect when dining out. This was far from the worst pizza I've ever had, but I'm not going to be craving this like I crave Tedino's. It's not awful but there's much better places to go in the city.

Ricardo J.

I'm a pizza lover and I heart Pizanos! Their distinguishing characteristic is their buttery cornmeal crust which perfectly complements the toppings, no matter what they are (sausage, onion, green pepper for me please!). Their thin crust rocks my world, but I find the deep dish to be too heavy on the buttery cornmeal flavor. I say stick with the thin crust and you can't go wrong. Business must be good since they've expanded the bar into the adjacent space next door and hung several flat screen tv's. Good place for a drink any evening in the Loop or after work. Some have complained about the 30 min wait for a pizza. Well, good things come to those who wait and good pizza is worth waiting for. Seriously, what's the rush? Check your need for immediate gratification at the door, grab a drink, relax, and enjoy your company, even if it's just yourself. If you want quick, go where pizza is sold by the slice. If you want quality, then wait for it.

Kathryn M.

Stopped in on a Saturday evening around 6. Pizano's was definitely the place to be, people swarming everywhere going to and from tables, waiting, etc., it was slightly overwhelming. We were quoted a wait time of 20 minutes, but only ended up having to wait about 5. We were seated at a table for 2 that is so tiny and crammed next to the other person, I felt a little uncomfortable talking to my fiance about anything semi-personal or private. We ordered our pizza with the hostess, so it came out pretty quickly. The garlic cheese bread was good, but I've definitely had better, a little dipping sauce would have been nice. The fiance and I ordered a thin crust sausage, which was pretty good. The crust was on the thicker side and very crispy. I'd definitely come back for the pizza, but could do without the garlic cheese bread, pretty non-existant waiter, and the throngs of people.

Jon B.

At Pizano's, on Thursdays a $5 martini is straight gin, and they play late Elvis (Suspicious Minds!). I'm a happy guy tonight. The thin-crust pizza's not bad, although I'll probably always prefer the thinner, charred crusts you get in New York and that I grew up on.

Esther Y.

I have ordered from here a number of times. Not my favorite pizza in the world, but it IS the favorite of a friend of mine at work. I think the pizza crust is too greasy. Not the cheese greasy way that I like pizza to be, but the crust is too buttery, oily, crunchy and weird. Don't get me wrong, I still over eat when I have it, but that's mostly due to my unhealthy love of pizza. I've never had deep dish here, but if the crust is the same, then it'll be way to greasy.

Tom D.

Called ahead and ordered a deep dish sausage pizza. The food was served 5 minutes after we arrived. Great pizza and really loved the crust. I will definitely go again.

Robyn T.

Yes this location at 61 E. Madison is a bet touristy but I think it's one of the best Chicago-style pizzerias in the city. If you want a more neighborhoody feel head to the location in Wrigleyville or the Gold Coast (both have great people watching). Of course you need to order the deep dish pizza here and that's why you're eating here anyway, right? Salads are ho-hum nothing too special but the pizza. Yummy! I LOVE their flaky dough crust and am a fan of the pizza with pepperonis and mushrooms. Save room for dessert...a huge deep dish chocolate chip cookie. Could there be anything better. They'll have to roll you out you'll be so full!

Abby T.

Very yummy. Just got back and am a LITTLE drunky. GOOD pizza though. Fabulous garlic cheese bread. Excellent martinis!

Good Time C.

For a white guy to begin this review with "this pizza is bland" speaks volumes about the tasteless wallpaper paste this establishment deems "pizza". The only reason I give this one star is because you can't put zero. To their credit, it did get here within 45 minutes, but probably because they couldn't wait to get it out of the kitchen. If you'd like to join the petition for a class action lawsuit foe ruining evenings when you're looking forward to a nice warm pizza, Pls plus this rating. The tomato sauce is devoid of flavor, as Is the cheese and flour. The flour tastes like a mix between corn flour, chalk and paste. The cheese, if we can deem this gift from the Cow as such on this culinary travesty, is void of flavor or the right texture. So poor is its quality, when you cut it doesn't pull apart in a melty, gooey deliciousness.. But fairly breaks apart, at least warning you that the experience is about to be less than what you're anticipating. We're about to call them to have them come back and pick up the leftovers. Spare yourself from this cardboard and order from someone else. After little ceasars, this is by far the WORST pizza Chicago has to offer.

Karen F.

I really liked their pizza. We had the deep dish pie with pepperoni and one with veggies and sausage. I am not crazy about pepperoni but in this case I liked it. The crust was delicious and sweet, and it wasn't so thick that it put you into an immediate food coma. They had a long wait for a late dinner on a Friday night, but at least they got our order in so that we could not wait terribly long when we got seated. All in all, good eating experience. I

Peter D.

By far the best pizza I have ever eaten. Got a deep dish Cheese/Pepperoni as well as a garlic/tomato thin crust. Was visiting from Cleveland and looking to try authentic deep dish pizza, this place did not disappoint.

jenny r.

YUMMMMM-O! This is the Chicago experience from the get go! Frank Sinatra playing in the background, loads of historical photos and the best martini's around (there is even a limit of 2 they are soooo good). As for food, the pizza is fantastic, but my favorite is the chopped salad with their homage insanely good Italian dressing. The calamari as delish, bot fried and grilled. And my favorite dessert is the chocolate chip cookie with ice cream. Heaven! The ONLY thing i can complain about is that whomever it is that typically picks up the phone for deliveries is not all that friendly. AT all. I know they are busy, but I am paying just as much for my food as they are. Also they do not deliver the chocolate cookie desert which I think is RIDICULOUS, and the way she told me was downright rude. They allow me to order it to go when I go in there, but not for delivery? I only live a 1/2 mile away. Boo for that. But the wait staff are golden, just not the person that answers the phone.

Liz W.

So it was Sunday night and my friend and me were looking for a place to eat after we finished ice skating. Pizano's was the first place we saw, so we stopped in. I really liked how it was dark and there were candles on the table. It was cute, but not romantic. Service was good, but the food took about 30 minutes to come out. I enjoyed my chicken vesuvio and the pizza was pretty good too. The crust was really buttery and crunchy. The best part about the pizza...the cheese. It was really good. If im in the area i'll check this place out again if not oh well

Valerie N.

I love the Pizano's in the Loop -- haven't been to any others. Just great pizza.

Liz W.

My boyfriend and I just had dinner here with two good friends. We are visiting from out of town and were waiting all day for a classic deep dish Chicago pizza to satisfy our craving. We came here on the recommendation of our friends who ordered a thin crust mushroom and olive pizza while my boyfriend and I got deep dish pepperoni. Flavorless crust that tapers off and turns to char as it attempted to climb the side of the pan (nothing very deep dish about it), the pepperoni tasted like it was frozen, and a waiter from the next section over tried to change the channel of the overhead television for five minutes, his armpit inches from my boyfriends face as we ate. No apologies, but on the plus side our friends liked their pizza and finished it. We are now on our way to another pizzeria to find that elusive Chicago classic before we leave the city. Our waiter was busy but quick to bring water and parmesan once requested, so this is mainly a reflection on the disappointing pie and unapologetic server next to us.

Andrew G.

I was ABOUT to give this place three stars - because of the good service the waiter gave me, but the ending with the manager totally turned me off. Please just hear me out. Here's what happened: I'm at Chicago this weekend since I needed a break from school and needed an escape. Well, I decided to check out Pizano's Pizza & Pasta, because I heard so many good reviews of it. Once seated, I decided to try Chicago's famous deep dish pizza. After a 30 minute wait, the pizza finally came. Upon eating it, it tasted terrible. It had a metallic taste to it, and tasted overcooked. I politely asked the waiter (who has been great through the whole thing, FYI) if he could switch to an fettucine alfredo. No problem. A few minutes later, a bowl of fettucine alfredo arrived. It didn't taste good, either - it had too much cheese and tasted kind of undercooked. I didn't want to complain further, however, so I just ate it. I guess maybe that was a mistake I made, but I was hungry and it was tolerable. Well, when I had finished eating, I asked to see the manager. I wrote him a long note, explaining my gratitude for the waiter bringing me bread and trading the pizza for the pasta (apologizing for the inconvenience, too), and explaining that the pasta didn't taste good at all, and asked him if there was anything he could do for me. He walked off with the bill, then returned shortly with the bill, pointed at it, and shook his head. In hindsight, I should have asked for clarification, but I didn't. Stupid of me. I thought he meant that I didn't have to pay the bill, so I left. Big mistake. As I was walking down the street and turning the corner to return to my hotel, I saw the manager, plus two other men, running after me. My instinct alarmed, and I felt very uncomfortable. They came up near me, in my face, and spoke in my face. I pointed to my ears, to indicate that I am Deaf, and they continued to talk in my face, pointing to the restaurant, and they kept cornering me and wouldn't let me walk away. I felt very scared at that point, and felt trapped, so I just followed them. I kept trying to type on my pager to explain that I thought it was a minunderstanding, but they wouldn't listen or look at my pager, and the three of them basically "escorted" me back to the restaurant, walking on my side and behind me. Once inside the restaurant, I tried to catch my breath, and the nice hostess at the front desk gave me a paper and pen. I explained what happened (the minunderstanding and why I left without paying my check), and they still insisted I pay. I decided to pay first (stupidly, but I wasn't thinking straight at that point) and then asked them if they would give me a refund because I didn't appreciate the way they treated me. They said no, and feeling worn out, I decided to leave. I walked straight back to my hotel, shaking and crying. Maybe it's not like they did anything that physically hurt me, but I felt very intimidated, and not being allowed to communicate while being outside scared me. I feel scarred by this horrible service. I do want to applaud the waiter and hostess - they were great. It was the manager who really scared me and was too aggressive and went over the line. Thanks for listening, and any advice would be useful at this point what I can do.

Samantha L.

Much better deep dish than any place I have tried in Chicago (Other than My Pie, which is closed now). I think this place is much better than Lou Malnati's, Bacino's, or the Art of Pizza. However, their crust isn't that good and the service is very average, ESPECIALLY if you sit outside. I would still put up with it since their pizza is better than the other popular places!

Steve H.

I've only had the thin crust and it is hands down the best thin crust I've had in Chicago. The right amount of sauce, right amount of cheese and a perfect cracker like butter crust. DELICIOUS!!

Natalie M.

Pizano's is a good restaurant...FOR ME TO POOP ON. I've been twice: 1) Ordered a pizza to split with a friend, aware of the 30min prep-time. 40 minutes passes w/ no sign of bread, drink refills, or our waiter. We finally grab him and he says it will be out in 10. 15 minutes later we ask the manager who says, "they are putting the cheese on it now." 10 minutes later we talk to the manager who tells us it's not their fault it's so busy since they got so much press the day before. Newsflash, that's not my problem, I'm there to eat and I haven't been doing any of that in the hour and a half since arriving. 10 minutes later the manager informs us they have lost our pizza. Nice. Bottom line: Had the manager bent over backwards to try to make us at least somewhat happy, I would have been more understanding. Instead, he decided to place blame, point fingers and make us seem like jerks for wanting our frickin pizza. 2) The only reason I came back was bc it was -15 outside and it looked warm inside. Sat at the bar with a friend and the bartender acted like we were an inconvenience to her. Excuse us for ordering food and drinks from a restaurant. That's as ridiculous as going to the zoo to look at animals. How dare us. Remember, Pizano's, if you have a good experience somewhere, you'll tell a friend or two. If you have a bad experience, you'll tell 10.

Emily T.

My first meal in chicago. Recommended by hotel concierge... and wow what a disappointing meal. I can make better bruschetta and garlic bread myself. Pizza was just sad. Total tourist trap.

Jed S.

I can't speak of the deep dish, never had it here. I always order the thin crust which isn't a traditional thin crust - a tad thicker than the D'agistino's. It's one of my favorites. The crust is crispy and buttery all the way to the middle, sausage is great too. I don't know what else to say. Would give this place five stars but you have to pick up to use the gift cards they issue, really big pain in the rear when you want to stay home and be lazy.

Tom L.

Came here during the madness that is looptopia. Awesome time people watching from the sidewalk. They let you order the pizza as you wait for a table so by the time we sat down and finished our salads the pizza was ready! The pizza was super good-- thin crust with lots of gooey cheesy goodness and light toppings.

Jon J.

Man oh man.... what happened to Pizano's?? Pizano's on Clark used to be my absolute favorite deep dish in the city. Excellent crust, not overdone on the cheese, and far more flavorful sauce than Giordano's or Malnati's. The Pizano's on Madison, however, disappoints on all fronts. The pizza was nearly tasteless, the sauce was sparsely applied, yet still managed to ruin the flavor of the pizza, and the cheese was piled on in ridiculous amounts. What happened to the subtle interpretation of Chicago Deep Dish that I had come to expect from the Pizano's name?? I used to recommend this Pizano's to all of my out of town guests on the strength of its name alone, without having been to this location. Now I see that something is definitely amiss on Madison. Downtowners with a deep dish craving should head to Giordano's to satisfy, and avoid this spot. For shame, for shame. How the mighty have fallen.

Brad B.

Friends in the area suggested Pizano's when we were visiting. A group of 7 of us walked in unannounced on a Friday night and they were very accommodating; with a little wait. Even with three tired kids, the service was fantastic, polite, and the food was great. We will visit again when in the area. Try any pizza; thin-crust or deep dish; the pasta was great too.

Karen L.

4.5 Stars. Came here for a work holiday party and was very impressed with the pizza that we had! (I have had Pizano's before but it was take out and awhile back, so I can't even remember how it was!) We had both thin and thick crust; I think I prefer the thick, although both were delicious! There was something about the crust that was really good to me... I think it may have been like Lou Malnati's, which I LOVE! The sauce and the cheese, too... just a perfect combination! It is also a great place to go downtown that is affordable with a fun, casual atmosphere!

Dan G.

I have been wanting to try Pizano's for some time. Mrs. G and I decided to mangia for a Summerfest drinking base. I guess I wasn't prepared for the tourist hell that it was Friday afternoon. The place was packed and they stuffed us in at one of those way to close two tops. Ugh. Fat Tire on tap is a nice start. Lots of options here. The couple joining us for dinner right next to us had a deep dish sausage that looked great and smelled fantastic. We opted for a large thin crust Mark special (sliced tomatoes, basil and garlic) add light cheese, spinach and mushrooms. I heard our server inform others that the deep dish would take 30 mins, and that's pretty much how long our pie took. No check ins or heads up about the wait. C'mon bro this Elite Yelper has a party to get to! When the pizza finally arrived, we devoured it. Which, we've been known to do if you've read about any of those other pizza beatdowns (see Lombardi's, Pi, and pizza Regina). Pizza tasted like the Lou and had a buttery crust. Could have used a more generous helping of toppings, definitely more garlic. The crust was not that thin and it seemed like a small pizza for a large. However, it was a good pizza for two to split. Four pints and a pie for $65, we'll be back.

Luis C.

Pizanos has the best pizza....its often over looked for the giordanos and lou malnatis...blah blah.....the pizza here rocks.,try the chad special add pepperoni.....i prefer the thin crust and I have actually only had the deep dish once,..also order a personal pizza its not on the menu.,,,

Alison H.

Food was fine, but the lengthy delay in getting our food means I won't be back any time soon. We went at lunch time, and chose to order sandwiches instead of pizza because their pizza takes 30 minutes to bake. It took 45 minutes for the kitchen to prepare three sandwiches! The table next to us arrived after we ordered, ordered pizza, ate, and were getting ready to leave when we FINALLY got our food. The server was okay, and did give us several updates, although mostly of the "the order still isn't up" variety. When the food arrived, no apology from either the waitress or a manager. Unacceptable at lunch time, when it is obvious that people need to return to work. We should have just ordered pizza (which I do hear is very good).

Maria C.

the first and only deep dish chicago we had! it was pretty good. maybe because i'm a vegetarian and got a plain cheese (since i heard it's best to load up on the meat), but i wasn't totally crazy about it. it was really nice to sit outside and drink beers! service was ok, waiter didn't seem like he was happy to be there, and there was no wait when we went!

Dan S.

Great place. We've been there twice and loved it both times. Good Italian food in a good location.

Mallory B.

Giving this restaurant only 3 stars makes me a little sad but we had a terrible experience the last time I was here. I usually brag about the pasta here and bring Out-of-Towners. We had a reservation on a Sunday night and ended up having one more person than planned for. The host said no problem and gave us a small table and said WE could pull up an extra chair from another table, even after we said we would wait if it was inconvenient. The restaurant was not busy. Our service that night was TERRIBLE. I'm very forgiving having worked in restaurants for about 5 years. Our server didn't approach us for about ten minutes, until after we flagged him down. Again, It was NOT busy. We had to flag him again to order an appetizer, and again to order our food. He never once asked what we wanted, just stood there with his book writing things down as we just announced what we wanted. We seriously had to ask for everything, even water refills. The pizza one couple ordered was really flavorless, and cold so they wanted to send it back, we flagged him down and all he said was "OK". Not even "can I get you anything else". We were seeing all the other energetic great servers at the other tables and were extremely jealous. We don't ask for much, just good food and service but that night was a let down. As my favorite pasta spots in the city I will definitely be back, although praying for better service

Jessica M.

My husband and I went to Pizano's on Valentine's Day. (We hadn't made reservations anywhere and it was close to the Millenium Park ice rink so it was perfect.) This place has a relaxed super-casual and friendly atmosophere and great pizza. The ingredients (especially the cheese) were so fresh and tasty. This is a great option if you're at Millenium Park or in the Loop and just want some good food without a lot of frills.

Scott L.

This was our first trip to Chicago and as an ex-New Yorker I was looking to experience a deep dish pizza to see what the hype was about. This restaurant delivered. The atmosphere was great, the service was prompt and friendly and the pizza was great. We were only in town for one night or I would have gone back to test their famous thin crust as well.

Mark C.

The best thin crust I have ever had. My friend ordered some takeout from here and the pizza was amazing, the crust was buttery, and the sausage was unique and sweet, very good. Wish there was a location near me in L.P.

Angelica D.

Very dissapointed! The pizza here is really not good. We had a salad also and again not good. There are so many other pizza places around the area with much better food. We went here because we were at the palmer. My friend came from california and we were both very dissapointed with the food. They get one star because the service was good. Don't think i'll be back

Kwoky L.

Pizano's butter crust is pretty similar to Lou Malnati's but the latter's more crunchy and they are generous with the fillings. I went here for a work event and I think it's pretty decent for lunch. Not a big fan of their thin crust though.

Ron S.

Fantastic deep dish pizza! Its arguably better than Lou Malnati's if you ask me

Gerald F.

The portions were amazingly huge for the price I was paying! The salads were great and I highly recommend the Chicken Limon or the Chicken Marsala! If you're into pasta, the pasta bowls are ginormously humongonoid and packed with home cooking flavor! Save room for dessert! There's a great one with a fresh baked chocolate chip cookie smothered in ice cream and hot fudge sauce. Chocorgasmic! We loved our waitress who was such a cutie who paid attention to little details. The atmosphere is very metro Chicago, inside and out. It's pretty dark inside and you get the noisy streetscape eating outside. But that's what I like and a lot of other people like that, too! So I was very happy.

Sheri N.

this was one of the few options for a late night meal on a sunday night. we were roaming around millenium park, trying to get to the bean, but the security guards steered us clear and far from it. i didn't know the place was patrolled at night; we just wanted to pictures of the bean in the evening. buffalo wings were great, but the pizza was not. too cheesy. the crust stood it's ground while the rest of the pie looked like it deflated. although they had great service.

Kelly K.

I went to Pizano's ( pizanoschicago.com/loop.… ) after work on a Thursday. We were lucky and were able to get a seat right away. I didn't smell anything weird and it didn't seem dirty to me (as other people had commented). The waitstaff was very attentive and people seemed very friendly. We did not order the pizza - we had pasta instead, which I was very happy with. I thought the prices were very reasonable for pasta, and it was nice that they had two price structures. The pasta came with a salad and a side pasta plate. The side pasta plate was mediocre, but hey it was included. I ate the Chicken Marsala, which was AWESOME. Very flavorful, and I was surprised that they brought out two chicken breasts, so I was able to share and save some for lunch the next day. We also had the Four Cheese Homemade Tortellini, which was also very good. I'd definitely return here for a good, reasonably-priced after-work dinner in the loop.

Trinidad F.

After Dirty Dancing my friend and I decided to check this place out. I was craving pizza and she mentioned they have college nite so why not. Ordered a deep dish with cheese, onions and mushrooms. My friend had some beer and I simply had Sprite. After waiting 30 minutes our pizza finally arrived and honestly I was not impressed. Not enough cheese and simply blah. The crust tasted a little overcooked. The texture was simply weird. Really not worth my time. Did I mention the waiter had a sarcasm issue which I didn't appreciate. Lol. Most likely won't be returning. Meh indeed Beth, meh Indeed.

Katie R.

3 and a half stars. My department ordered this pizza (thin) for our December lunch get-together. I don't generally like thin pizza, but I actually really liked this. The crust was thin, but somehow the pizza didn't seem that thin. And the crust has a slight cheesy taste. If someone wanted to order this again I wouldn't complain. Although I'd still prefer a deep dish pizza.

Roy S.

I was there for a wedding rehearsal dinner and the food was awesome. The thin crust pizza was great and the beer very cold! The service was ok but not near as good as expected for a pre-planned party. I will certainly return the next time I am in town.

Kyle T.

Their pizza is pretty good - but I can't say it's the best in Chicago for a few reasons. Although they do have a really great crust, the whole experience just wasn't incredible for me. I'm a fan of true Chicago Deep Dish pizza, and from what I've had, Pizanos tended to be more New York than anything (and I ordered the thick crust). I know I shouldn't review solely on the fact of preference, but the pizza just doesn't do it for me. The service when I went was horrible, our waiter checked on us maybe once during a 2 hour period, ridiculously low in proportion to the tip he was getting (Pizano's is expensive and we were a large party). To go further, the place wasn't even busy! Overall, if you have money to burn and aren't looking for a very deep dish, check the place out, otherwise, look around a bit more, there are a lot of places in Chicago with better pizza.

Susanna H.

Unfortunately, I don't think I have anything positive to say about this restaurant. Our waiter was from somewhere other than planet earth. Everything we ordered was awful. The icing on the cake - Food Poisoning!

Brian E.

They lose points with me for a few reasons. The first is the hostess wouldn't let us me and my friend at a table for 4 even though several were open. Instead we had to wait 15 minutes for a table for 2 to open. But, not the end of the world. Next our waiter was really short with us, and told us there was no drink menu, even though the table next to us had one. Weird. The final, and most important (since you don't come here for the service) is that the pizza just isn't that good. Even though they call it deep dish, it's really thin crust with big edges. The sauce was watery, and there was too much cheese, that was a bit stringy. The crust was good, but that was the only saving grace. With so many other good options in Chicago, I will definitely not be returning to Pizano's.

Disappointing. The food was fine, but the lengthy delay in getting our food means I won't be back any time soon. We went at lunch time, and chose to order sandwiches instead of pizza because their pizza takes 30 minutes to bake. It took 45 minutes for the kitchen to prepare three sandwiches! The table next to us arrived after we ordered, ordered pizza, ate, and were getting ready to leave when we FINALLY got our food. The server did give us several updates, although mostly of the the order still isn't up variety. When the food arrived, no apology from either the waitress or a manager. Unacceptable at lunch time, when it is obvious that people need to return to work. We should have just ordered pizza (which I do hear is very good).

Lesley S.

I've only had the thin crust but I think it is delicious. Pretty rich though. Has a really buttery crust similar to that of Lou Malnati's and the topping sort of reminds me of St. Louis style pizza because it is a little different from the norm. Might be one of my favorite pizza places in the city. They also have really good pasta, the chicken tortellini dish (can't remember the name) is absolutely wonderful. Don't try to dine and ditch though! One time I was there someone hopped the fence and started running and one of the workers chased them all the way down the street and caught them! That was an interesting experience :)

Leigh K.

Way too expensive for lunch in the city. They should offer half portions or a smaller lunch menu or anything. We had a mediocre meal there for lunch today. I've had the pizza when work has ordered it and liked that, but who has 30 minutes to wait for a pizza to cook on their lunch break? My friend and I split the spinach and artichoke dip, which was pretty good. Then I had chicken vesuvio which was a fairly good sized portion, but just not that tasty. Meh to this place. It was nice to sit outside today though.

Heather I.

This was the first Chicago pizza place we ate at when we first moved to the city. We loved it, and since then have brought countless out-of-state (and some in-state) visitors for a taste of Chicago deep-dish. I like it better than the heavier, dough-ier deep-dishes. I have also had their tortellini soup and it is wonderful on a cold day! Plan on at least 1/2 hr for the deep-dish to cook. We usually place an order immediately with the hostess if there is a long wait. Haven't been disappointed yet!

kristy a.

My rating is strictly based on food and atmosphere because our waiter TALKED and TALKED and TALKED...albeit very nice. The pizza, a thin crust, was the best I have ever had. And I have had my share of Chicago pizza! The atmosphere, just a perfect neighbor pizza joint! We had our share of pasta at Pizano's as well and it didn't disappoint either. If you are staying at the Palmer House and looking for great, casual, italian/pizza, I highly recommend.

Kyle N.

it doesn't compare to lou malnatis, but it was still pretty good. you can never go wrong paying $12 for two meals in one

M S.

The deep dish here is incredibly underrated, which I don't get because it's one of the best in town. For some reason, media "Top 10" lists or whatever haven't yet picked up on this place, so it's usually just packed with local Loop lunchers. Definitely a nice contrast to dealing with all the sucker tourists lined up outside Uno's.

Thurston H.

I had heard and read that Pisano's had some of the best pizza in town (it's what Oprah gave to Ellen, after all), so I took my West Coast cousin there to try it out. Bad call. The deep-dish was very disappointing, dry and insubstantial. Next time I'll head back to Lou Malnati's or Gino's East

Eryn F.

I don't know much about Chicago style pizza but the thin crust pizza with basil, tomato, and garlic was fantastically satisfying!

Kevin S.

When I'm in the loop, there are definitely other pizza places that I would prefer to dine at. I've had their "deep dish" pepperoni and green peppers and thin crust cheese and was not impressed with either of them. The only reason why I went was because on Tuesday nights they have free pizza for college students when you buy a drink. Which don't get me wrong is really awesome but I wont be rushing to get back here soon.

jaime m.

damn you pizano!!!! this pizza is so tasty. I dont know what magic unicorn pixie dust dough your crust is made from , but ive deviated from my "eating well" program & indluged in 3 squares of pizza today. You need to open up a store in Hyde PArk. Giordanos sucks tale!

Tonya B.

Ordered deep dish this evening after coworkers raved about the pizza. The cheese is flavorful, but deep dish this is not! The pizza looked like thin crust with the edges pulled up. There were about 2 very thin slices of pepperoni on each slice. The crust also tasted "lardy", not buttery, to me. maybe this place is just for thin crust and the "buy a drink get a free pizza" special?

Jeff W.

I am a fan-let me tell you they have perhaps the best pizza in Chicago and the place is decorated in a great holiday theme-BUT be prepared to wait not only for a table(I am ok with that), but for your food-up to 30-45 minutes-so if you have time to kill and want top notch fairly reasonably priced Italian fare, check out Pizanno's

Ashley V.

This Pizano's location is the perfect ending to a long night of Margarita Fridays at Park Grill with the co-workers. The buttery thin crust is awesome and they serve a great ice cold beer on their patio until pretty late.

Bobby D.

This pizza is rather good, A nice but somewhat crowded place.

Mara S.

I went here for lunch the other day and it was decent. The service was good and fast and the outdoor seating was nice, but it's just another Italian restaurant. I hear they have good pizza, but we had pasta which was ok. The portions are pretty big for a lunch - I'd probably go back but it's not going to become a loop favorite.

Scott P.

On our recent trip to Chicago, we were in The Loop and found ourselves looking to experience true Chicago-style deep dish pizza... In the best tradition of the iPhone culture, we used an app called Where To to look for pizza restaurants near our current location. Of the many pins that dropped from the sky, we chose Pizano's and confirmed it's reputation via Yelp! With 4 stars we figured we'd be safe and it was only a few blocks away! The Madison Street location was just across Michigan Ave from Millennium Park. We ordered a deep dish pizza with lots of toppings including italian sausage, pepperoni, green peppers, garlic,and mushrooms. Thirty minutes later we, were enjoying our pizza. I think our opinions are mixed. I thought the pizza was ok but not spectacular but my wife definitely was disappointed with the thinness of the crust and the blandness of the tomato sauce. On a scale of 1 to 10, I think I'd give this pizza a 6 and my wife would give it a generous 4. Later in the trip, we had a much better experience at Giordano's so I'll stick with my original assessment of Pizano's -- there is much better deep dish pizza in Chicago!

Caira R.

Don't order a deep dish if you really want a deep dish. It was the same thickness as a thin crust only the thin crusts are larger because they aren't in a deep dish pan. What a rip off. Especially for the price. I will never go here again and order a deep dish. Some of the pastas looked good. Cheese sticks sucked too. Over-Priced. Crowded. Sports on with some italian dance music... very strange romantic/bar atmosphere.

Gracie G.

The deep dish here is great! I went one evening to dine in, but it was way too crowded with a sports bar crowd, thankfully they deliver. Its a bit more expensive than your local pizza joint, but its not by too much and its very well worth it. I really enjoy the crust, its so rustic looking and crispy. I typically liken thin crusts, but at Pizano's I have deep-dish.

Abigail D.

My favorite Pizza in the City. I bring all my out of town visitors here. They love the thin crust. Every Tuesdays it's Student discount night, so if your a student and need a late night meal check this place out.

annie c.

I was born and raised in Chicago, but I'm no pizza expert. I do know that I've had lots of "chicago" pizza in my lifetime and this is the BEST pizza I know of in Chicago. I don't care what you call it, it's just good. I don't really know what "chicago" pizza means b/c professional reviewers change their minds all the time in this town. Currently thin crust seems to be the latest craze. I've never had their thin, but if it's anything like the pan, you'll be in good shape. But there is something that people should know. Call ahead, look at their menu on-line, and order before you go and you won't leave frustrated with the wait. and yes, the service isn't the best, but who cares...the pizza is!

Dee W.

Owned by family of the Malnati chain (Lou Malnati's) and they have incredible thin crust pizza (try the Rudy special - loaded with cheese, Italian sausage, mushrooms and green onions). And try the chocolate chip cookie which is baked in a deep-dish pan and topped with vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup and whipped cream. Did I mention that Tuesday night is college id night where my grad school id comes in extra handy!

adam s.

The salad for $15 had 5 shripms inside, some tomato and the rest was lettuce ! They spent $1 max. to prepare it. The pizza was half-baked. Don't go there, you better stay home.

April M.

i'm local to Chicago, but i've only been to Pizano's a few times. the last time (about a week ago) was definitely my best experience there and all thanks to Joe Chachie (AKA The Chach) i met up with some UK friends there who had yet to try Chicago pizza. we loved the food, but were super impressed with the service. Chach made us feel right at home and definitely made our time there memorable. he is one of the best servers i've encountered in this city... and i am a server, so i know good service. thanks so much, Chach! i will bring all of my friends to see you!!!

Vicky S.

I went to Pizano's a bunch of times for lunch with some school friends. I really enjoyed their pizza. Although, it always took a long time to cook. They actually suggested to call ahead and order before getting to the restaurant. I wish I could give this place more stars, but the service was incredibly bad. They always found a way to mess something up. Once, they spilled water all over my friend (which happens sometimes, I know), but they barely made an effort to clean it up. Also, we told them we were on a time crunch and they ended up messing up our bill several times. We asked if they could split the bill, which they said yes, but they didn't inform us that the machine would only except 4 cards until after we gave them our cards. The waiter just kind of shrugged at us. It's tough to recommend this place because of the service. I guess don't go with larger groups during lunch time, but I've been there with just two other people at a time and the service was still some what wonky.

Chris S.

A decent pizza place downtown? Yes indeed. Pizanos has a really good homemade butter crust pizza that is pretty darn good. The ingredients are fresh, and when I finally ate in after carrying pizza back to work for a year, the service was surprisingly good. Our server was funny, entertaining, and on top of everything. Usually packed after 5pm during the week, but if you call ahead, you should have no problem.

C H.

I love this place; too bad its a bit pricey. The thin crust pizza is to DIE for, and so is the pasta (ravioli, gnocchi). However! Their soups are really bad and sometimes so is service. Plan on spending ~$20 without appetizers.

Ian K.

I didn't get the pizza - who has 30 minutes to wait on a pizza during a lunch break? Sure, I guess I could have called ahead, but I also didn't know when exactly I'd be out. The service was... strange. The guy talked really fast and was usually walking away from us as he was asking questions, so it seemed like he didn't care how we answered. I was also a little put off that the menu says they won't take a credit card for a bill under $20. Maybe that's just what the menu says, but my trailing off waiter was never around long enough to confirm. Really - is the credit card processing fee going to break the bank for my $10 Italian beef? Speaking of the Italian beef, is there something I'm missing? It was a good sandwich, but isn't it supposed to be something special? It was beef. And some grilled peppers that I paid 75 cents for. And some au jus? I don't know... like I said, it wasn't a bad sandwich, but it was $10 and it wasn't mind blowing. My friends who had eaten the pizza there a few days ago said the pizza was great, so maybe I'll go back in the next day or so and try that. They had the bruschetta as an appetizer today and it looked good - plenty of tasty tomatoes piled onto the bread. Oh yeah - another tidbit? 18% automatic gratuity if you order after 10p. At least that what the menu says... and that keeps me from marking the "Good for Late Night" box at the bottom of this survey... I hate to knock the place just because I didn't have their signature dish... but I did.

Andrew T.

The service was a bit lacking, but more so wierd... The waiter was goofy as hell. I think he knew he was being wierd and since we humored him, he gave us a free dessert. The pizza was not as good as Giordano's or Lou Malnati's in my opinion. We had the deep dish w/ butter crust and the crust was just dry and the pizza wasn't deep at all. The caesar salad was weak and a rip-off at 9.50 w/no half portions. I was not impressed and probably won't be back... I might give their thin crust a try.

cary o.

Awesome thin pizza,horrible service by a crotchity old man named "choc'! they have a policy that is NOT written anywhere saying they have a 2 martini drink maximum and denied me a 3rd one, and i wasnt drunk or anything, the waiter told the manager to come and tell me that i was only allowed two. horrible waiter and horrible manager and bad experience. they said i could order unlimited booze, just not martinis. so stupid. they need to put that policy in writing.

Kate C.

The food in here is only ok, and the service is pretty bad. I've had a couple indifferent servers, which is okay with me. But last time I was in there, with m 13 year old niece, I had the worst server ever! He was very touchy-feely with us, and swore a lot. I asked him not to swear in front of my niece, and he made a stink. I complained about him to the manager, and she was like, "Oh hahaha, yeah, we know about him." No apology or anything. It was weird and creepy. We won't be back.

Ramona G.

Wouldn't recommend for deep dish pizza but the pasta's are AMAZING. However they serve large portions so you might want to ask them to half an order or split it.

Patty V.

I have to be honest. I have not had the pizza here as one of my co-workers said it was not the greatest.I have eaten at the restaurant and had delivery. The food was quite good. I would not put it up there with Tuscany or Mia Francesca, but it was decent food .When I sat at the bar(one of my friends wanted to smoke:(,the bartender was an old school kinda guy. I really like that! I enjoy some conversation when I am sitting there-I do not like pretentious bartenders or wait staff.(my family has been in the restaurant business for many years).I had a good experience here,the food is 3 star(which is right in the middle-nothing to be sad about). I had 4 star service,which is harder to find than great food,in my book. Update 3/20/2008 I met a fellow Yelper here for dinner before the Argo Tea event last night. I had not eaten here in some time and I have to say I was not very pleased with the food. the service was fine, very quick, even. too quick, to be honest. The pasta in both of our dishes was over cooked, to the point it fell apart the moment you put a fork to it. A SURE sign of precooked and nuked pasta. Really, Rudy, I would rather wait the extra 10-13 minutes it takes to cook pasta FRESH and have it stand up to your really good sauce. Too bad,Rudy, you lost me.

Andy P.

There is an old quote that reads "If you repeat it enough people will start believing it even though it is not true". I believe that to be the case with Pizanos pizza. With a recent marketing blitz, USA today mentions, and a good plug from Oprah, all touting Pizanos to have the 'best pizza', my office mates and I decided to give it a try. The Madison St location opens @ 11AM. We called and placed an order for carry out. Thin crust sausage and thin crust pepperoni ( I voted for a sausage/pepperoni combo and a veggie, got over ruled, but ended up with a veggie anyways.) We were told 30 minutes. We arrived 35 minutes later, gave the name, got a bill from the host , paid at the bar, and waited for our pies. The ambiance is great. Excellent design, nice choice of colors, woods, and the usual vintage Chicago reminders all over the walls. Backtrack - The greeting at the door was great, smiley, and genuine. The bartender was also professional and very nice. Kudos to the staff! OK. Waiting for pies. The host came out and said "There was a mix-up with your order, you can wait 35 minutes or take what I have here." The 'have here' was a deep dish sausage, deep dish pepperoni, thin crust cheese, and a thin crust veggie (Hey! I got my veggie after all!). Sure, that a good deal. I took the boxes and ran. Another star for making it right. OK. Taste test. This is just little ol' me expressing my opinion ( I said the same about Krispy Creme. "Whats all the fuss? Its just a frickin donut!" And got slam-basted by devotees.) ((Puts on catchers mask)) The pies were decent, but not 'great'. The cheese is slightly sharp for my tastes, the sauce lacked in quantity, and over all it tasted like a glorified Tombstone. After one hour if sitting out, the thin crust dried and curled up, but the deep dish held on for a bit longer. So much for placing leftovers in the fridge for breakfast. Also, I like a traditional crust, this seems a bit buttery for my tastes, but was still pretty good. I might give it another try. Call me silly, but there are far better places for pizza in Chicago. Something new, something different. Give it a try and see whatcha think. ttfn.

Jenelle K.

Dude - this place ROCKS. Never eaten there, but the $5 martini's on Thursday nights can't be beat!! Best of all, the bar tenders remember your name :) Great place to chill after work downtown.

mr d.

Real tasty. I got the cheezee beef sandwich on garlic bread with peppers. It's not on the menu, it's the beef with a lot of cheese on top. Great meal, open late, serving food until 12:30 or later.

J B.

I am from WI and came down on 7/18/09 with some friends to spend the evening in Chicago. We were lucky to get seated right away (outside) and the fact it did not rain, despite ominous signs. I love dining outside. Their outdoor dining was nothing special, not much ambiance. The deep dish pizza took awhile, as they warned on the menu. We also got a few appetizers. The food was certainly better than average. The pizza was good and filling. I think they are always busy and not staffed enough that the servers can be highly attentive. Anyway, I was satisfied with it and would reccomend to others. I would go back if I were in the mood for deep dish pizza/italian fare in The Chi.

Sydelle M.

best thin and one of the best deep. fries are great. they give HEAPING piles of pasta. best server is Natalie. Rick is great too. the restaurant was recently expanded - good - they needed it. cute downstairs party room, also.

M. C.

Excellent for thin crust pizza. Nice outdoor seating area too.

n z.

I went to Pizano's because it won the awards for best thin crust pizza. So I was expecting a nice, quiet place. This was a mistaken assumption! The place is downright touristy, with garish Portillo's-style decor and huge sportsbar plasma screens. We got a thin crust pizza. The crust was buttery and crisp, although I've had just as good elsewhere. I don't see how that merits the 'best of the city' award. Also, we like to have wine with our pizza, and the cheapest bottle, at $29, tasted like Carlo Rossi. Blech! Way overpriced. The greeter at the restaurant looked exasperated, but our server was a real pro. She even brought us an awesome plate of oil, pesto, pepper and cheese to dip our bread in! That was the best part of the meal. So for me, the so-so food and obnoxious crowd made this place a turn-off and slight disappointment, given my expectations going in. I wanted to write a review because no one on this page mentioned just how touristy a place it is. I think it's worth knowing in advance!

Bridget G.

The gnocchi with pesto is one of my all time favorite italian dishes. It can get crowded, but it's worth the wait.

Stacy K.

The calamari and thin crust pizza were great, but the service was pretty slow and messed up our order a few times (or would forget to bring basic things, such as silverware or napkins).

Vinny The Vacuum S.

This is a great Italian place to refuel after doing the Art Institute (which is right across the street) or walking around Millennium Park. We found this place while walking around, looking for a place for dinner after doing Michigan Ave. What a great place to end up. I started with the Fried Calamari ($10.25) for the appetizer - the platter was so huge my wife said I would be boxing up my dinner. For dinner I had the Chicken Parmesan with a side of spaghetti and dinner bread ($13.95). This entre was also a generous serving:) Much to my wife's dismay I not only erased the Calamari, I powered down the Chicken Parm, the pasta, the dinner rolls AND 3 Cokes! Needless to say I was a full and happy camper by the time we rolled out of there. My wife had the House Salad ($4.95) and an iced tea - she said both were good. So - is $10.95 for fried calamari and $13.95 for Chicken Parm on the high side? Yes - but your talking about dinner in a tourist area of downtown Chicago so it's not bad. Check it out. I heard they have good pizzas (thin crust only) and gigantic desserts.

Em C.

i had the meatball sandwich and i recommend it.

lee m.

Hey yelpers. I've eaten here twice and been disappointed both times. The first visit there was a group of waiters in a booth in the back with one one them swearing about an earlier customer, cussing and using the F-word. I thought it was unprofessional and rude because I was on a date! The food the first time was really, really salty and gross. I got the "deep dish" pizza which is NOT AUTHENTIC CHICAGO DEEP DISH. It was thin, salty, OILY, and gross. Take two tombstones and stack them on top of each other. Then pay twenty bucks for it and you've got the general idea. I just ate there with my girlfriend because we were meeting friends (not because I am a glutton for punishment) and the pizza was the same- gross, salty, and now it's 3 in the morning and both of us are still awake with stomach aches. I also waited like 15 minutes for a beer and had to go get the waiter to bring it to me. This place really sucks. If you want good pizza don't even think about going to this obviously jaded-from-tourists piece of shit restaurant.

Julia B.

I enjoyed eating here. They have great thin crust pizza! We got a medium pepperoni which we thought would be tooo much but for two people that were hungry it ended up being enough! They have a large menu including all types of pasta dishes, salads and soups!

Jola B.

Not a huge fan. My second Chicago pizza in a week. Was here last month when visiting Chicago for a week. The pizza did not taste cooked at all. I think this is part of their half-cooked than frozen process or whatever. But I did not enjoy it. Our group of 8 was able to get a table on a Friday night pretty quickly and we had a good time. It's just not my favorite type of Chicago pizza.

AJ T.

Got their take out. It was my first "real" Chicago deep dish experience. What a disappointment! Crust was stale, sauce was flavorless...the only good thing was the fast and friendly service. Ugh. Guess I'll try another place for GOOD Chicago deep dish.

C L.

Good dish of pasta primavera. The bread was fresh and delicious. The staff was attentive.

John M.

Alright. Visiting Chicago this weekend and not having much luck with food! Ordered the bruschetta and it came with no Balsamic vinaigrette (we're told they were out). Would've been good to know before we ordered and before the waiter recommended!!?!! I ordered the Italian sub. I didn't realize it was served cold. I don't like cold Italian subs. I'm used to the being heated in an oven and served with melted cheese, etc. did not eat and gave to one of the multitudes of homeless. My wife orders a thin crust pizza with mushrooms and sausage. It was bizarrely devoid of any flavor? The little bit of 'sauce' that was in there was basically crushed red tomatoes with no seasoning at all. It was terrible.

Claire Y.

Came in on a Saturday morning around 11:30 am and it got packed around 12. We ordered half cheese and half vegetarian deep dish and it was okay. Nothing special given that I'm not into deep dish so can't really judge. We also got bbq chicken salad and it was ok. Our server was attentive and checked on us several times. It seems like a lot of families bring their kids to this place. Restrooms downstairs was pretty small (only good for 2 people).

Kathy N.

We had lunch here after a morning exploring millennium park. We sat outside and it's almost right under a bridge so a little loud. The sausage and mushroom thin crust pizza was super crunchy, how'd they do that??? A lot of times thin crust pizzas flop and fold but this one was so crunchy and hard I had to be careful not to break my teeth on some bites but it was one of the best thin crust pizzas I've ever had. The deep dish pizza was ok, not my style i guess, I like thin crusts better. The crust on the rim was very thick and the crust on the bottom couldn't manage to hold the toppings. The toppings filled up to half way so like half the crust around the pizza was exposed. It tasted good though.

D. K.

I actually really love Pizano's pizza (maybe even my favorite Chicago deep-dish?) but my experience here a few weeks ago wasn't great. The service was terrible (the hosts especially!), the waitress was nice but seemed too busy, and the table they sat our group of 8 in wasn't big enough, and it took FOREVER to track down the correct number of place settings, waters, etc.

Peter W.

You know the feeling that you are in an "authentic" restaurant? I had that feeling yesterday at Pizano's. Great pizza, good service. The sodas tasted a bit chlorinated, but we got new ones without any problems.

Dan D.

From a Chicago pizza standpoint, it's notch below other options. Similar, but not as good as peer. Crust is sweet like Lou's, but not as good. Sausage, sauce and topping was similar to others, but not as good. Place is very noisy. Service is slow and inattentive.

Huong V.

I suspect that the Chicago deep dish is more of a hype than a local staple. Our pizza was so.....carby. One slice and I'm done, but yet not satisfied. I wanna eat more cheese and toppings! I also ordered a side of chicken tenders and fries (yes yes such a faux pas) that night which surprisingly turned out to be more delicious than the pizza. Our server was really friendly and I like that the atmosphere feels homey and very casual.

Michele Q.

Visited Pizano's based off a recommendation of a friend and was not a fan. Should have gone straight to Lou Malnati's instead. By this point in our trip, we knew that deep dish pizza took a while to make, but our experience with the wait staff made it feel longer than it probably was, as we wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. The pair was quite odd. Apparently the girl was a waitress in training, but she literally followed our waiter around like a puppy and watched him clean off tables and stuff. I would have assumed she would help at least? Our guy was also making very strange jokes. We were starving so when the pizza finally came, we wasted no time in grabbing our slices. However, it just didn't do it. The crust was bland and the pizza tasted off.

Kris P.

Food is good but it's small, crammed, dark and very loud. They also have some rude staff members, which I will explain. My husband and I were here on a Friday night. Luckily we had a reservation because it was packed. We ordered tortellini soup and deep dish pizza. Both were pretty good, but I've had better deep dish at Due's and Uno's. What really ruined our experience were a couple of things... There was a group of trashy people near us who were totally drunk. They were yelling and really loud and obnoxious. I saw the Restaurant manager walk up to them and thought, good, he's going to ask them to be quiet. Wrong. Turns out he knew them and started hugging them all. Great. It was also so loud in the place the whole time that we could barely talk to each other. Also, I'm pregnant and got up to go to the bathroom and had to walk down this narrow hallway to get there. A waiter had a tray of food and instead of waiting for me to get by with my pregnant belly, he plowed right past me, didn't say excuse me, and almost pushed me into the wall. Then I went downstairs to get to the bathroom, and two staff members were standing down there as if they were bouncers at a bar and blocking the bathroom door. I had to ask them to move so I could get in the washroom. I don't plan to return here. The pizza was just ok, it was too loud and crowded, and they have rude staff members.

Sonya M.

Not a fan. We ordered Pizano's for a team lunch because my boss swears by it. He's always saying,"I'm fat for a reason." He loves food and pizza is at the top of the list. I decide to join the group in ordering primarily based on positive feedback. People in the office have ordered it previously and seem to enjoy it. We ordered 3 pizzas: veggie, sausage and pepperoni deep dish. I'm not a fan of deep dish normally so I fully admit that this review automatically might be a little prejudicial. I took two slices - one sausage and one pepporoni. Problem 1 - It was soggy. Nothing is worse than soggy pizza. Soggy deep dish is probably the worst of the worst. Aside from that I didn't find the crust or bread tasty. It tasted weird. Kinda chalky and crunchy rather than chewy. Problem 2 - You could barely taste the toppings. I felt like I was eating bread and cheese. I honestly don't recall tasting sausage at all. If I hadn't seen the sausage with my own eyes I would have told you it wasn't there. The pepporoni wasn't much better. Problem 3 - Too much tomato sauce. I think their strategy must be to skimp on the toppings by drowning the pie in tomato sauce. Overall, I wasn't impressed. The pizza had minimal flavor and even the addition of parmasean cheese with crushed red peppers didn't help it. I won't be visiting the Pizano's location or taking part in the next team lunch if Pizano's is the chosen restaurant. We paid $82 for 3 large pizzas. That's a little steep for such a mediocre product. But you live and you learn.

Stephanie B.

Went here for lunch today, everything was delicious!! The pizza amazing, worth the weight - and their sandwiches the same, juicy and full of flavor! Our service was great as well! Love this place! Must try their pasta next time! The guy next to us wS having spaghetti with meatballs that looked and smelt fantastic as well!

Laura S.

The crust was the most disappointing part of this meal by far. I expected flavorful, even if a little crunchy. It was hard, lacked flavor and was completely inedible without sauce on it. We had a small meat lovers deep dish and an order of cheesy garlic bread. If you're deciding between the two, skip the cheese. It's mostly flavorless and made the bread a bit mushy. It really needed to be toasted more and even a bit more garlic. The pizza itself was just firmly okay, there was a lot of cheese, but it needed more sauce and spices. I'm a huge fan of pizza, I would skip this one. Service was good though and our waiter was pretty entertaining.

Michael N.

I feel weird writing a long review about a pizza place that is already so well known and loved by hundreds....no, thousands....possibly MILLIONS of Chicagoans. So I will keep this review short and sweet. Pizano's thin crust pizza is, in my opinion, the best thin crust pizza in the world. I've had lots of other really good thin crust pizzas...Bill's, Silo, Pat's, Emil's, some NY pizzas that I can't remember the name of...but Pizano's laughs at their attempt to take the top spot. I honestly can't say why its so good...but I'll try. It doesn't fill you up, yet it's not a wimpy thin crust. The crust breaks apart in your mouth, with its flaky, buttery doughy perfection. The sauce is kept to a minimum, giving their ingredients and cheese top billing. It's just so good it makes my mouth water thinking about it. Yes, they have a pizookie dessert...it's amazing. But then again, every pizookie is amazing. I can sum up my love for Pizano's in one sentence...my brother organized my bachelor party and we went to Pizano's for dinner.

Richard W.

Worst. Pizza. Ever. Well, not really. BUT. Be advised that I prefer a spicy sauce on pizza (marinara for example) and Pizano's using what tasted like straight, bland tomato sauce. So this reviewer tried to not be influenced by that fact. The diet Coke tasted like it had been in a tin can in the desert sun for three weeks. Ick. The sausage was very unseasoned, much of what flavor it had was masked by the sauce. The cheese was mozarella and sufficient. The crust was actually thin and crispy as ordered. We enjoyed the crust. We chose this place because we had just gotten into Chicago after a long drive from Nashville (TN) and it was one of a few sit down places that were open after ten p.m.

Michael C.

Rating pizza might be the most subjective of the foods because we all "know" how it should taste. For my tastes, the large thin crust order wasn't memorable. This pizza is very similar to Lou Malnati's thin crust pizza, but the crispy butter crust overwhelms the pizza and I couldn't even taste the pepperoni. The cheese sticks were better than my pizza, but for me, there are better options. If you like thin pizza with crispy, buttery crust (which is likely a lot of you), I would recommend. I personally like more in a New York style.

Whitney S.

Placed reservations weeks ago and although my table was ready, it was in such a bad location I was constantly bumped by wait staff and patrons. The waitress actually discouraged us from getting pizza due to the long back up. I ordered sandwiches instead. Food was good but not great. The worst offense was the temp of the place- 80+ degrees inside. No way to enjoy any meal at that temperature. Most unfortunate as my family was really looking forward to this restaurant.

Mark B.

Bad service. They close at 3am, called in my order at 1am. They said it would take 45 minutes. I get there at 1:45 and they said they haven't even put the pizza on the oven. What kind of business is this? Would not recommend!!!!

Ashley S.

My husband has been raving about this joint since we've been together. It's hard for him to get me to any place other than Lou's, but I was somewhat curious...so we called up a friend in the city and made a day of it! I'm sure I'll have lot's of confused Yelpers, but I really wasn't overly impressed with the pizza here. It was fine, not bad, but wasn't anything to write home about. The sauce was a little light, I like a saucy za :) The crust was really good, kind of a mix between thin and deep dish...really good actually. We had sausage on ours, and I thought it was a little bland. All in all, if you're looking for Chicago pizza...this isn't the place I'd recommend. Definitely go to Lou's, our of you're in the burbs, Silo is a nice treat!

Ashton D.

I was a little disappointed in the deep dish pizza. The crust was really hard I could barely bite into it or cut it. I have had better deep dish, but the thin crust was excellent.

Pam D.

Pizano's is an authentic Italian restaurant located in Chicago's Loop. Upon entering Pizano's, it is a throw back to the Rat Pack generation in the 1950's, complete with vintage posters, Sinatra singing a tune and the black and white checkered floors. Heads up: if you go on a weekend, make sure you make reservations, they get full...fast! We splurged and ordered the Lobster Ravioli, it comes with 6 nice squares of lobster stuffed pasta, shared the cheesy garlic bread (serves 4) and a thin crust pepperoni pizza. Another heads up: it takes 30 minutes to bake. My mom was in town visiting from Albuquerque and had not seen Millennium Park. Waiting for our pizza to arrive my mom and son, strolled across the street for a looksie at the Big Bean. Perfect timing, as they returned, our pizza arrived! We were celebrating my son's Masters Degree and Pizano's comped us on a beer and dessert. Thank you! The bar area has a big screen TV and it does it loud when the fans cheer on the home team. There is a quieter dining room but, on this night it was closed.

James U.

"Open late" is a total joke. Tons of tables open, dozens of customers asking to sit, and they force everyone into an hour wait at the sh*tty slide counter. Why not just close if you don't want to work these hours???

teresa C.

Awful 2 hour delivery? Delivery man couldn't find the location after being told 7 times ? I'm so confused why this was so difficult. Good pie......not worth the wait. Called over and over no one could explain why they couldn't find the address .

Herschel S.

The food here is pretty disappointing. I did not walk away wowed by anything. We ordered the fried calamari and bruchetta as our appetizers and we got Mark's special deep dish pizza and BBQ chicken pizza for lunch. The calamari was chewy, and the bruchetta is pretty standard. Mark's special isn't that special at all- other Chicago deep dish pizzas I've tried are better. The BBQ chicken pizza tasted like BBQ chicken- no surprise there. If we are just judging this place by its food, I'm only giving it a 2 star. However, we had an outstanding service so it got bumped up to a 3.

Nina H.

Good Chicago style pizza. Not fabulous, be ready for a traditional Chicago-style flaky crust.

Denise C.

So good! The best pizza I HAD IN CHICAGO! They are also open late which was helpful since we were out late most nights. The small deep dish was huge for my boyfriend and I so I'd advise a couple to share a small or a personal size! It's so yummy!

Ziyan C.

Our server was awesome: really friendly and did a great job always being around to check on his tables and make sure we were good. Cost: ~$60 for 2 starters & 2 pizzas. More than enough for three, and we had tons of leftovers. Despite that, the food wasn't too much to brag about: * Spinach Artichoke Dip - 3 stars (Chopped spinach, artichoke hearts, a blend of Italian cheeses, and baked in the oven until creamy. $8.50) pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/piza… Bread a tiny tiny bit over toasted, but I guess the extra crisp works with such a thick, heavy dip. The dip was very oily, cheesy, spinach-y. Good, like your average spinach dip. * Cheese Sticks - 3 stars (A basket of breaded mozzarella sticks, cooked until golden brown and served with marinara sauce. $6.50) pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/piza… The dip was a little watery, not super fresh. Could have use more tomato zing. The cheese sticks had a good breading, but I found the cheese inside a little too hard. * PAT BRICKHOUSE SPECIAL thin crust pizza - 3.5 stars (Sausage and Mushroom. $18.50 for 12" medium) pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/piza… I didn't realize that "thin crust" in Chicago doesn't default to NY style thin crust, so I didn't get the super thin crust I was expecting. I still enjoyed the thicker, crunchy and rather grainy crust. it came with a thick (and pretty oily) layer of cheese, and our toppings were good. * RUDY'S SPECIAL deep dish pizza - 3.5 stars (Cheese, Sausage, Mushroom, Onion, & Green Pepper. $18.25 for 10" small) pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/piza… A good pie, but not extraordinary by any means. The cheese was pretty hard, the tomatoes & peppers not very fresh.

Herman B.

Awesome Pizza (deep) like the old Lou Malnatis. They have corn meal in the crust I think, and they cook it enough. After the Eduardo's by my house closed, this is now my favorite deep dish/stuffed pizza. Service is good and they also have good toasted raviolli appetizers.

lizzie R.

Amazing Pizza!!! I have had the thin and pan. Both are delicious. Worth the hour drive and $8 to park and 6 block walk in the cold Chicago winter. Also had cheesy garlic bread. Best I have EVER HAD! Chocolate chip cookie dessert is also worth trying. Hot and so good!! And while you are there, take some frozen pizzas home.

Dominique O.

Stopped in for take out pizza and no one in our party was impressed with our personal pan deep dish pizzas. They lacked flavor and the crust taste like flour. Would not go back.

Joe A.

Since we were in the city for a theater production, we decided to get some quick food before heading home. Pizano's happened to be open, so we walked on in. Overall, the service and staff here are extremely friendly and do a great job of providing great service. From a glance, you'd think the restaurant was a rather small establishment with it's average sized dining room and bar. However, if you take a peak downstairs, there's an even larger dining room provided as well. Our large group was seated downstairs, which was which was pleasantly a good experience. The ambiance felt private enough that we weren't overhearing other tables. We ended up ordering chicken fingers and three pizzas: one deep dish, one combo with sausage, and one plan cheese. Each of the meals were very hot and tasted fine. The cleanliness of the place is a bit lackluster. Given that it's a loop Chicago restaurant open at 10, I understand that it could get a little grungy at that time but still, the bathrooms shouldn't be as atrocious as they were. One of the stalls had a massive puddle next to it as if someone had flooded the toilet recently. Other than that, my experience at Pizano's was good. Not the best pizza I've had in my life, but still decent nonetheless.

Barby M.

We were very excited to try Pizano's... after all, it is Oprah's favorite pizza. We went with half margherita, half pepperoni deep dish and tried the mozzarella sticks to start. Mozzarella sticks were very good. Now the pizza was good, but not as fantastic as we had expected. We later realized that they might be known for their thin crust, which we did not try. This was probably the second best pizza we had in the Chi.

Valerie H.

I came here with co-workers for after-work drinks and dinner. Ordered a large thin crust with sausage, onion and mushroom and a small deep dish with spinach and basil. I must say both crusts were amazing... Buttery crispy but with substance. Really hard to describe! Just amazing. The sauce tasted homemade and unadulterated, with a nice pleasing zing. As if a perfect crust holding a well-balanced, chunky homemade sauce wasn't enough, I was further smitten by the generous loads of fresh toppings. I usually consider myself a thin crust girl. That's because I associate deep dish with a ridiculously heavy, gloopy, greasy cheese fest. And the deep dish is nothing like that. Yes, it's rich, but they've successfully created a pie that is also well-balanced in flavor texture and indulgence. My ability to enjoy wine with it is a reflection of this deep dish's conservative richness. The bar's offering of Kim Crawford Sav Blanc (my favorite go-to for a crisp, refreshing, uncomplicated white wine) was a pleasant surprise! I enjoyed two glasses :) I definitely recommend Pizano's for your old school Italian, classic pizzeria fix.

Ann S.

Wow...what the heck happened?? We went back for the peanut butter "deep dish" cookie that we craved for 3 years. We decided we'd do a dessert lunch and order the peanut butter cookie and the chocolate chip deep dish cookie and each eat half. I fished through the sea of whipped cream and hit the bottom of the pan. As I poked my spoon around more, I heard more tapping with no resistance where cookie should be. This was like a whipped cream pie with a cookie like crust, certainly no cookie of respectable thickness. It was like they took ONE break and bake cookie from the store, rolled it thin then covered it with whipped cream and a puny scoop of ice cream hoping you wouldn't notice. The amount of cookie we both ate in eating half of each 'deep dish' was like eating one small, disappointing cookie. To top it off, it was $18 with modest tip for this heap of fail. Talk about a 180 in the wrong direction, won't be coming back.

Heidi T.

Came across this restaurant when visiting Chicago, it's absolutely amazing!!!! I highly recommended!!!