Pizza near Pulaski and Montrose

The AS family has moved west to near Pulaski and Montrose. I am warned that there is no good pizza in the neighborhood. I called up Apart the other day (which has been our usual haunt since it opened). They stated that they don't deliver west of Kedzie - though I think a few bucks for the driver should change that.

Anyway, where does one get pizza in the Irving Park/Mayfair/West Mayfair area?

I typed Pizza Mayfair in LTH's new and improved search feature, and came up some good spots. Give it a try. Manzo's is one of my favorites in the general vicinity. I'm sure they'd deliver to you.

I second the recommendation of Manzo's. Marie's delivers to that area as well.

Marie's Liquor & PizzaMarie's Liquor & Pizza
4129 W Lawrence Ave
Chicago, IL 60630
(773) 725-1853

Marie's is the single best option around that area, but their pizza doesn't have a very long life, IMO. If you don't eat it hot from their oven, you're better off eating elsewhere.

As far as pizza delivery, I've been happy enough with Limbo's and Bellona's. Standard Chicago pizza, nothing special, but you could do a lot worse.

Limbo's Pizza
4929 W Irving Park Rd
(773) 481-0500

Bellona's Pizza
3447 W Montrose Ave
(773) 588-8500

There's also Nancy's on Elston (if you're into Nancy's)....
3970 N Elston Ave
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 267-8182

Best,
Michael

While Manzo's thin crust is nice, I will warn that their stuffed is abysmal. Nancy's on Irving and Elston has really good stuffed but they only take cash.

Baked Tomato makes an OK thin crust and a rather competent stuffed. Eating at the actual restaurant is a hoot. It's a total 1970s Old-School Chicago time warp. (Same with Manzo's for that matter.)

Pete's Pizza delivers to the area, and they have really really good thin crust and stuffed. Their thin-crust is my favorite in Chicago so far and IMO their stuffed is only one step below Art of Pizza. If they don't deliver to your specific area, I'm pretty sure Suparossa does (same restaurant group).

Manzo's
3210 W Irving Park Rd
(773) 478-3070

The Baked Tomato
4358 N. Elston Ave.
(773) 777-6434

Pete's Pizza
3737 N Western Ave.
773.463.7770

Suparossa
4256 N. Central Avenue
773.736.5828

La Villa and Noli's also probably deliver to you.

La Villa Restaurant & Pizzeria‎
3636 N Pulaski
(773) 283-7980

Noli's New York Style Pizza
4839 N Kedzie Ave
(773) 588-0400

I work in the area and can reccomend La Villa for their thin crust sausage. The crust is crispy, the sauce and cheese decent, and the sausage is great, fresh with a good hit of fennel.

We cater our office parties from La Villa as well. The chicken vesuvio is a crowd pleaser. The tasty sausage appears in the sausage and peppers (you can see where my bread is buttered). Also, I always order the hand breaded fried mushrooms.

If you want to try something different, Manzo's (not La Villa) does a Taco Pizza. Thin crust, ground beef, cheddar, and a creamy "taco sauce", baked up. Then cold lettuce and tomato get added. The effect is bar-nachos meet pizza. I add jalepenos, becasue there is no real spice to this. Also, order one size smaller than you think. The piled-on toppings make this a hefty slice.

Finally, though not pizza Beef and Burger is worth a stop.

La Villa
3638 N Pulaski
773-283-7980

Manzo's
3201 W. Irving Park
773-478-3070

eatchicago wrote:As far as pizza delivery, I've been happy enough with Limbo's and Bellona's. Standard Chicago pizza, nothing special, but you could do a lot worse.

Limbo's Pizza
4929 W Irving Park Rd
(773) 481-0500

Bellona's Pizza
3447 W Montrose Ave
(773) 588-8500

Unfortunately, Limbo's is...well, in limbo. They suddenly closed their doors, about 6 months ago, and disappeared off the face of the earth. We'll really miss them because it was one of the few places where Alice (who is lactose intolerant) could find an edible pizza. Many places use cheese or other dairy products in their sauce or dough (Manzo's, for example, uses milk in the dough mix).

Limbo's storefront is being used by another (non-pizza) restaurant. We plan on going there soon and posting a report.

Ken

Drover wrote:Baked Tomato makes an OK thin crust and a rather competent stuffed. Eating at the actual restaurant is a hoot. It's a total 1970s Old-School Chicago time warp.

I have been an off-and-on fan of The Baked Tomato's thin crust pizza for some time now ... I'm in an "on" mode right now, based on a couple of great pizzas recently procured from them, which is why I have revived this thread. The Baked Tomato crust in particular can be excellent, in the ultra-thin category; the plus is that they give it some nice burn on the edges. Or, at least they've done so lately; but not always, sop YMMV. The toppings are always competent, but not exciting -- e.g., I still consider Pete's the best sausage I've found on a pizza that delivers to me, although the vegetables on The Baked Tomato's pizza's are head and shoulders above Pete's (in particular, the green pepper ... which Pete's apparently freezes then puts through an autoclave to ensure proper bitter mushiness before dressing the pizza). Further, Pete's also is a big disk of goo, with way too much cheese (unless you are in the mood for way too much cheese, in which case Pete's is right on). Anyway, The Baked Tomato shows some thoughtful discretion in apportioning the toppings, they put some care into the baking of the pizza, and they use nice, crisp vegetables, which enhances the whole experience. Are we getting the point here that there is no perfect pizza on the Northwest side? Mmm-Hmm.

edited to remove defamatory statement regarding canned mushrooms ... on second look, they were fresh, just a little squishy

Pinnocchio's wooed us with a $5 large cheese coupon and won us over with their very good thin crust and super fast delivery.

my last couple deliveries from LaVilla were less than stellar.

Are we getting the point here that there is no perfect pizza on the Northwest side? Mmm-Hmm.

Yes, agreed. We are "off-and-on" with LaVilla. For our tastes, it crucial to ask for spicy sauce and (especially,) EASY CHEESE.

Haven't tried Baked Tomato in over a year. Perhaps we'll give them another shot soon....

JimInLoganSquare wrote:

Drover wrote:Baked Tomato makes an OK thin crust and a rather competent stuffed. Eating at the actual restaurant is a hoot. It's a total 1970s Old-School Chicago time warp.

I have been an off-and-on fan of The Baked Tomato's thin crust pizza for some time now ... I'm in an "on" mode right now, based on a couple of great pizzas recently procured from them, which is why I have revived this thread. The Baked Tomato crust in particular can be excellent, in the ultra-thin category; the plus is that they give it some nice burn on the edges. Or, at least they've done so lately; but not always, sop YMMV. The toppings are always competent, but not exciting -- e.g., I still consider Pete's the best sausage I've found on a pizza that delivers to me, although the vegetables on The Baked Tomato's pizza's are head and shoulders above Pete's (in particular, the green pepper ... which Pete's apparently freezes then puts through an autoclave to ensure proper bitter mushiness before dressing the pizza). Further, Pete's also is a big disk of goo, with way too much cheese (unless you are in the mood for way too much cheese, in which case Pete's is right on). Anyway, The Baked Tomato shows some thoughtful discretion in apportioning the toppings, they put some care into the baking of the pizza, and they use nice, crisp vegetables (with the exception of canned mushrooms), which enhances the whole experience. Are we getting the point here that there is no perfect pizza on the Northwest side? Mmm-Hmm.

Jim, thanks for the update. Baked Tomato recently went through a change of ownership/management, and whenever that happens to a restaurant my gut instinct is to stay away. That's what I've done with Baked Tomato. But it sounds like the new management is getting it right, so that puts me at ease about trying them again.

How about Sano's Pizza on the corner of Lawrence and Elston? I've heard great things about it, but I have yet to try it. I'm going to check it out (along with The Big Tomato) very soon. Thanks for the heads up on the latter Jim.

One place I tried not long ago was Phil's Pizzeria D'Oro which was decent, with a great server, but unfortunately it was a typical bready (but crisp) thin crust that you can get at countless of similar joints. The free basket (ask for more, they'll give it to you) of garlic flatbread was tasty.

Sano's Pizza
4469 W Lawrence Ave
Chicago, IL
773-725-9863

Phil's Pizzeria D'Oro
5800 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago IL
773-763-2285

Since my thread has been revived, let me tell you about our pizza adventures in the new hood two years in:

For thin Marie's is the medalist. Among the best in the city.

Second most ordered is Manzo's. I prefer La Villa (with awesome sausage) but she who must be obeyed prefers Manzo's.

Red Tomato has been tried and rejected. The sauce is bad - too much like tomato sauce and too sweet.

As a final word: I am now making my own pizzas as inspired by the Homemade Pizza Gallery thread in the Shopping and Cooking forum. I have been ordering much less since I started that.

AngrySarah wrote:Red Tomato has been tried and rejected. The sauce is bad - too much like tomato sauce and too sweet.

You mean Baked Tomato right? Have you tried it recently under the new owner?

Ram4 wrote:How about Sano's Pizza on the corner of Lawrence and Elston? I've heard great things about it, but I have yet to try it. I'm going to check it out (along with The Big Tomato) very soon.
Sano's Pizza
4469 W Lawrence Ave
Chicago, IL
773-725-9863

Definitely. Keep this place alive. One of the great signs in town.

JeffB wrote:

Ram4 wrote:How about Sano's Pizza on the corner of Lawrence and Elston? I've heard great things about it, but I have yet to try it. I'm going to check it out (along with The Big Tomato) very soon.
Sano's Pizza
4469 W Lawrence Ave
Chicago, IL
773-725-9863

Definitely. Keep this place alive. One of the great signs in town.

Apparently Sano's used to be Nick's.

Ram4 wrote:

AngrySarah wrote:Red Tomato has been tried and rejected. The sauce is bad - too much like tomato sauce and too sweet.

You mean Baked Tomato right? Have you tried it recently under the new owner?

Red Tomato was that terrible place on Southport which is mercifully closed. Baked Tomato is the pizza place near casa AS. I have not tried it since shortly moving in, so I may give it another shot, based on your recommendation.

Rene G wrote:

JeffB wrote:

Ram4 wrote:How about Sano's Pizza on the corner of Lawrence and Elston? I've heard great things about it, but I have yet to try it. I'm going to check it out (along with The Big Tomato) very soon.
Sano's Pizza
4469 W Lawrence Ave
Chicago, IL
773-725-9863

Definitely. Keep this place alive. One of the great signs in town.

Apparently Sano's used to be Nick's.

Frank bought the place from Nick about 40 years ago. Anyway, if we order delivery in the AP, Sano's is where we call (they also have a tiny seating area). Homemade sausage and sauce not too sweet. They also have an old Faulds oven you can see from the sidewalk.

We've been eating way too much delivery food lately (new job sucking the life/energy out of me... ) However, we hadn't ordered pizza in a couple of weeks. I recalled this thread and decided to give The Baked Tomato another shot last night.

Large, Thin Crust, Onions & Black Olives on the whole pie, 1/2 Pepperoni, 1/2 Spinach:



It didn't blow me away, but I liked it. Crust could have been a bit crispier for my taste, but it was truely thin. I may also ask for "easy cheese" next time. Fresh baby spinach was nice. A definate over-all improvement from previous ownership to my recollection. It's back in the rotation.

The Baked Tomato
4358 N. Elston Ave.
(773) 777-6434

Rene G wrote:

JeffB wrote:

Ram4 wrote:How about Sano's Pizza on the corner of Lawrence and Elston? I've heard great things about it, but I have yet to try it. I'm going to check it out (along with The Big Tomato) very soon.
Sano's Pizza
4469 W Lawrence Ave
Chicago, IL
773-725-9863

Definitely. Keep this place alive. One of the great signs in town.

Apparently Sano's used to be Nick's.

Unfortunately a great sign doesn't mean great pizza. I tried it last summer, I liked the old school charm of the place, but the long booth the runs along the wall was uncomfortable and the seat was too short. The pizza was very average. I'm not going back with Marie's down the street.

Just felt the need to update some old info on here. Manzo's on Irving Park is now closed. Nolli's on Kedzie was sold probably about a year ago and is now operating under a new name. Also I believe it was mentioned in a recent Comings and Goings thread that Phil's on Milwaukee has also closed.

Since I live not too far away from this area (It is at about the midpoint my home and my job) Manzo's was our go to for pizza. Now we go to Baked Tomato. Not the tastiest pizza in the world but not bad for this dead zone of good pizza places. One thing I like about Baked Tomato is the great old school decor on the inside (used to be an Italian restaurant in the 60s and 70s) and the more than reasonable prices. I also dig their Italian beefs.

I have only tried Marie's once and thought it was just decent (thin crust just doesn't wow me as much as pan pizza does, but Marie's DOES NOT beat Villa Nova in Stickney which has to be my favorite thin crust), but with Marie's I adore the old school decor as well.

I love dining at La VIlla but I have never had their pizza because we always order the pasta. A friend of mine when she lived in logan Square used to get their pizza delivery fairly often and has said it used to be one of her favorites. Looking forward to trying it one day.

I live <1block from la villa, and it's just not in our rotation. always seems to be heavy on the cheese, light on the browning. I guess I could ask for easy cheese/well done. maybe i'll try that next time.

good to know the rest of the menu is quality. we've never had anything but carryout pizza.

La Villa is in our pizza delivery rotation - in fact we ordered it last night. We also find their standard way too cheesy and always ask for "easy cheese" & "extra crispy." They do a good job of honoring both requests. FYI - Used to be you had to call in your order, but they now take on-line orders via GrubHub.

KajmacJohnson wrote:I have only tried Marie's once and thought it was just decent

I don't think you should ever judge any place (especially a GNR) by only one visit. I have had many, many restaurants that were perfect on the first try and were not that great the 2nd time, or vice versa. I recently had a thin pizza at Rosebud in Deerfield that was out of this world. I was in shock, I didn't expect it to be that good and I was so excited to have a killer new pizzeria in the neighborhood. I went back a few days later with a friend. It was not even close. My friend was stunned at how bad he thought his pizza was. I was beyond embarrassed and I have to say that the pizza was not like I had it the first time (the thin crust was too thick, resulting in a cardboard like taste and texture). The spicy sausage however was amazing on the pizza. So, next time, I will ask for extra thin.

Marie's can be a tad inconsistent. I think the thinner the crust is, the better it gets. Don't know why, but all my friends agree once they've had an extra thin Marie's pizza. We also love it well done. Give it another try.

Thanks for the heads up on the pizza wasteland of that area too!

Anyone ever go to Paterno's Pizza and Sports Bar on Milwaukee and Foster?

Ram4 wrote:

KajmacJohnson wrote:I have only tried Marie's once and thought it was just decent

I don't think you should ever judge any place (especially a GNR) by only one visit. I have had many, many restaurants that were perfect on the first try and were not that great the 2nd time, or vice versa. I recently had a thin pizza at Rosebud in Deerfield that was out of this world. I was in shock, I didn't expect it to be that good and I was so excited to have a killer new pizzeria in the neighborhood. I went back a few days later with a friend. It was not even close. My friend was stunned at how bad he thought his pizza was. I was beyond embarrassed and I have to say that the pizza was not like I had it the first time (the thin crust was too thick, resulting in a cardboard like taste and texture). The spicy sausage however was amazing on the pizza. So, next time, I will ask for extra thin.

Marie's can be a tad inconsistent. I think the thinner the crust is, the better it gets. Don't know why, but all my friends agree once they've had an extra thin Marie's pizza. We also love it well done. Give it another try.

As I stated in my post I am not a huge thin crust fan and the thinner the crust the less likely I will like it. I thought it was good but not enough to charm me to go back. However, the atmosphere at Marie's was definately enough to wow me to go back so one of these days we probably.

Anyone ever go to Paterno's Pizza and Sports Bar on Milwaukee and Foster?

Funny, many, many years ago my father wanted to go to this place because of a coupon in the free bimonthly TV Facts Guide. I was probably a preteen and when we hopped on over he saw the less than stellar look of the place (very retro) attached next door to a liquor store and we promptly left never to return. So I always wondered what the pizza was like.

Of course when we live in a pizza wasteland and we crave really good pizza we just head on the expressway and hop over to Bridgeport. Never fails.

KajmacJohnson wrote:Of course when we live in a pizza wasteland and we crave really good pizza we just head on the expressway and hop over to Bridgeport. Never fails.

As long as you're driving, you might want to check out Jimmy's Pizza Cafe at Lincoln and Foster, which is a lot closer than Bridgeport.

I've been there once and didn't really love it but many others here -- especially native NY'ers -- seem to.

=R=

Jimmy's Pizza Cafe (& Beignets)
5159 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60625
773-293-6992
CLOSED Mondays

Jimmy's Pizza is not bad for NY slices, but I've never had true NY slices in New York City, so I don't know how it measures up. I have yet to have a "NY slice" place come close to my favorite deep dish or Chicago thin crust (cut in squares) pizzas.

Hi,

I driving past that area last night. I saw a place with a special on NY slices. The signage was blasting Pizza and Calzones, but I could not grasp if that was the name or what they offered. I was driving and could not stand there studying the facade. Could this be Jimmy's?

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

I driving past that area last night. I saw a place with a special on NY slices. The signage was blasting Pizza and Calzones, but I could not grasp if that was the name or what they offered. I was driving and could not stand there studying the facade. Could this be Jimmy's?

Regards,

Jimmy's is right on the SE corner of Foster & Lincoln.