Pizano’s Pizza

Talk about false advertising!
Outside it says fresh pizza by the slice, not so, not even close!
It’s a reheated tiny skimpy 5″ personal pizza.
Also sign inside says they have a Wednesday special. It’s flashing on a huge sign, but there is no such thing.
Definitely should have kept walking pass it.

My review is biased due to it being a delivery order. I was staying in a hotel downtown and ordered around midnight. The food didn’t show up until 2am. I started calling at 1 only to be told it was in its way. Called again at 130 and they said the driver was close. I asked well how can the pizza still be hot? I was told to call back if the food was cold. Food arrived at 2am. And of course the pizza was ice cold so much so that the cheese was no longer melted. I immediately called in. I was put on hold for 15 mins, then when they finally came back on the phone the guy had an attitude with me saying quickly that he would credit me 20 on my next order. I told him this was unacceptable since I’m not from town and doubt I would be ordering from them again. Again hold for 15 mins. Guy comes back on the phone and says again quickly and angry that he credited my credit card and hangs up.
I have never been treat so rudely or had my time wasted as bad as this night. I never got a credit and spent 50 dollars on pizza and pasta that was easily an hour old by the time I got it. Shame on you! If you make a mistake, the least you could do was make it right.
I will say the pizza was decent cold. I can only speculate that it would be better fresh and hot.

I cannot believe in all of the trips I have had in Chicago that I haven’t been to this place. From the second I walked in I knew I was going to be pleased.
I had the great pleasure of sitting in The Chach’s section and instantly became obsessed with him. What a great guy! He was a great waiter and so friendly. He really made me enjoy being there.
I ordered hot mamas pasta and it was delicious. I was trying to decide to go with the spaghetti or the pasta and The Chach recommended the pasta. It was perfect. We also ordered the cheesy garlic bread and I could have eaten the whole loaf (I didn’t but wanted to).
I will for sure to back and highly recommend this place to any and everyone!

I’m back with another pizza review in the loop area here with Pizano’s. Ordered delivery for a medium thin crust half cheese half pepperoni, and an individual deep dish pepperoni and sausage. Not off to a good start, the thin crust was delivered with pepperoni over the entire pizza. Luckily my vegetarian friend was ok with picking the pepperoni off her only cheese half (my other vegetarian friends would not have touched it). The best way to describe both of these pizzas is Lou’s little annoying brother who tries so hard to be like his older brother, but falls short in every way. One thing we noticed as a generality is the flavor here is weak. I hoped the more I ate it it would get better, but I was simply left unsatisfied. Second, you really don’t get much here for what you’re paying. Pizza is not dense enough to warrant the high price tag. Crust is crispy, good amount of cheese, and little amount of flavorless sauce. The «deep dish» had the illusion that it was deep because the crush edges are baked about 2 inches high only to form almost a bowl of sauce and cheese that is maybe twice as thick as the thin crust. Would I order again? Probably not. But was it the worst pizza in Chicago? It it about average. Needless to say if this is your first shot at Chicago style pizza, you will enjoy it, but there are much better options out there.

Food is fine
Recently ordered delivery. They deliberately brought me a salad instead of soup, saying that soup no longer comes with the dinner I ordered on their website. Why not call in advance?
Why does it not come with soup? They want $ 2 more? Seems petty

Ok, this was a truly Chicago experience… A crowded place, sports bar in nature, but it was fun. Not sure the guy’s name that seated us, but he was old school, and come hell or high water, he was finding us a table… And he sat us with Juan. What a great guy. He took great care of us, and seemed genuinely proud of the place, his food and himself.
Started with garlic bread. For me, it was perfect. When someone says garlic bread, that’s what I think of. Also had to have the deep dish pizza, the Rudy, and it surpassed our expectations. Easily one of the best pizzas I’ve ever had. Perfectly cooked and the flavors were perfectly balanced. End crust was a bit dry, but that’s about the only thing we didn’t like.
Without a doubt, we’ll be back!

I’d say 4.5 stars. I’ve been to this place twice with my family and really liked it.
Their service is great, their pastas are amazing and the portion size is large. Overall, very good value for money.
The first time I ate there I had the pasta a-​la-​dino and my mom had the four cheese tortellini. Both of us couldn’t stop eating even after we were full — the dishes were sooo good.
The second time my dad joined. He has all kinds of diet restrictions — he’s allowed to eat whole wheat only, and no butter or any dairy. The waitress was really helpful and actually managed to tailor a pasta dish we could eat, made of whole wheat, with shrimps and olive oil instead of butter. I ended up ordering the same and it was absolutely amazing.
The only thing I should mention is that in both times the place was very noisy. It makes sense because it is always full of people, mostly families with kids, so as long as you’re not planning to go for a romantic date, it is very recommended.

2.5 stars maybe?
I was quite unimpressed by the food. I got a personal size thin crust pizza, and it was the tiniest personal pizza I have ever seen. There is a sign in the take out section to display the size of the personal pizza, and it’s very misleading.
The sausage didn’t taste great, and the crust tasted a little stale. Not sure if it’s better if you dine in, but I simply didn’t like it.

Very nice pizza. My friend and I traveled to Chi-​town from NYC during the New Year of 2016. At first we headed to some of the highest rated Pizzerias in town but was needed long wait time. Then we were happy to checked out this one, near the Loop.
Service was pleasant, we ordered Rudy’s deep dish pizza, which was mouthing-​watering. The peppermint hot cocoa was a hit. I felt like my taste buds were fully satisfied. I will come again when I reach Chi-​town next time!

TL;DR — A great deep dish experience in a neat location!
A great deep dish pizza chain (a smaller chain with 6 restaurants) from the Malnati family!
We arrived at the Madison & State location on a cold and snowy night, and we’re quickly made comfortable by the warm greeter and ambiance.
We came for the deep dish pizza, and though there were other items on the menu that sounded good, we kept our eyes on te deep dish prize. Our waiter, Justin, had the great recommendation of adding sausage to Mark’s Special (sliced tomatoes, basil, and garlic).
The pizza was great! Very similar to Lou Malnati’s with a heavy emphasis on delicious topings, a crispy crust that is less heavy than other chains, and an appropriate amount of cheese that was delightfully gooey.
The small deep dish was plenty for my wife and I.

Great pizza! I like it better than Lou Milnattis.
Slow service though. But us California people like our beers fast Lol. Don’t forget to order their peppers and sausage!

A Chicago classic, located in the Loop on Madison. The décor is old-​school, with tons of photos on the walls, decorated to the nines for the holiday season.
We went with a classic — the thin-​crust pepperoni. Tasty sauce, nice crunch on the crust, all good! Along with the friendly service from Kelsi, a great way to round off an afternoon of sightseeing downtown, watching some football and having some of Chicago’s best.

When you are in love with a native of Chicago, you can find yourself doing many crazy things. Ditching work and driving 13 hours to Chi-​town on a whim might be one, eating only pizza for 4 days might be another.
We have tried a ton of deep dish pizza in Chicago but, in my opinion, it doesn’t get any better than Pizano’s. The customer service, food, and atmosphere are fantastic.
We were waited on by Nathan who hands down was the best waiter we had in Chicago over any trip. He was absolutely perfect. Nathan was super friendly, moved with a sense of urgency, helped us with the menu, and was attentive.
The pizza is phenomenal. It is a slightly smaller pie in circumference to others in the area. The crust is crunchy beneath the pizza and on top, while maintaining a buttery taste that balances out to tomato sauce really beautifully. We also shared a house salad and garlic bread were great as well. I love homemade Italian dressing. Our entire meal was presented at a great pace, with Nathan managing our expectations about how long our pizza would take. I was so impressed.
We came on a cold and rainy Black Friday. The restaurant was so sweet and cozy, decorated with lots of Christmas lights and dim overhead lighting. We were seated immediately in an appropriately crowded dining room. The people watching from the window was a lot of fun. I can’t wait to come back.

Somewhere in between incredible and passable. Can’t decide. Overall, it’s probably a half price app special away from being an Applebees.
We came here because the other «famous» spot about ½ mile away was an hour wait. An hour wait for pizza? Don’t care how good it is. Not waiting.
The service here was quick. Immediately got a spot at the bar. Salads were on point. Deep dish pizza took a little while. Not amazing. Not bad. Idk. It was pizza. Buttery. Hot. Maybe a little thin. It was fine. Check it off the list.
I think it was a bit expensive too. Prolly chalk that up to the fact that it’s in a busy part of downtown that caters to tourists and business folks.
If you want pizza, it’s cool. If you don’t maybe go somewhere else.

Delicious deep dish!
We came here on a pizza tour to try the deep dish and compare it to the competing Lou Malnati’s. This crust reigned supreme for me! It’s lighter and has way better flavor. The slice of pizza I had was a spinach and garlic and the flavors were so strong but well balanced w the tomatoes. It was really a killer slice!
They also gave us a deep dish cookie to share at the table, and I ADORED that. After our tour friends left for the evening, I went back and finished off the rest of the cookie! I couldn’t stay away.
I would easily return to this restaurant!
–1 star because 3 of us ordered a glass of cabernet and all agreed it tasted old.

Not worth the money.
Decent but overpriced pizza and biased seating practices. The bill was $ 83 before tip for a party of three and only one person had (beer) alcohol. We called ahead for the estimated wait time and was told there was none. When we arrived, it was a 20 minute wait but as we and others waited, other patrons walked in, inquired about the wait and were told 5 minutes or seated right away. Managers strategically went to some tables to ask how was everything and skipped others.
Our order–
Butternut Squash (GF) Ravioli $ 15.95 ;
tasted a like like apple pie
House Salad $ 5.50 ;
regular traditional salad. House dressing was underwhelming
Minestrone $ 3.50 cup;
lots of pieces of pasta and large kidney beans. Served with oyster crackers
Italian Wedding $ 3.50 per cup;
spinach was fresh, loved the meatballs and the broth
Thin Crust Brickhouse $ 23.20 (medium);
decent tasting but not as good as countless others. The crust was very crispy. Suspect Oprah’s list sought to select places within walking distance to Michigan. No where near the best or worth the money.
Individual one topping deep dish $ 9.70;
not a true deep dish. Thicker than thin but you can eat with your hands. Other deep dishes could never be eaten by hand.
While our server was nice, the hostess group were less than welcoming. It is difficult to spend money at a place where all people are not treated fairly, especially when everyone’s money spends the same. Thank goodness this is far from the only show in town leaving no reason to waste time, resources and patronage on this one.

The location is great, very close to millennium park. I went on open table and reserved a table so we could eat right after a day at the museum and park.
We got the thin crust with pepperoni, green peppers and mushrooms, yum! It was pretty big, but between the two of us we were able to finish the whole thing haha.
The service is pretty slow, our waiter was more interested in watching the game than doing his job.

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.

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.

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.