Pizza in Old Irving/Portage Park

Recently moved to the area, and want to order a pizza...but have been dissapointed with all the places! (bacci, vinces, etc.)

Any recommendations, please!!!

Thank you!

Good luck, my friend, good luck. I wish I had more encouraging words.

You might want to try Limbo's, if you haven't. Some folks like it.

Also have you tried Oddo's? I've not, but wondered about it. My hopes aren't high.

So, for the third time today, I'm going to recommend Maries on Lawrence. You can't find a better thin crust on the North side...and they deliver (depending on how far south you are in Irving Park).

stevez wrote:So, for the third time today, I'm going to recommend Maries on Lawrence. You can't find a better thin crust on the North side...and they deliver (depending on how far south you are in Irving Park).

I would definitely recommend Marie's for a visit, but it loses quite a bit on delivery (as, stevez has added in the past, most pizzas do). Still, I didn't find that Marie's ended my search for a high quality pie, delivered to my doorstep, and I refrained from recommending it in hopes you'll find better.

Make sure you go to Marie's though...a great vibe, cheap drinks, and darn good pizza hot out of the oven.

I wish I had a great place to recommend, but all I can add to this thread are places that I thought weren't that great. I've tried Oddo's and thought it was only okay. The same for La Roma, but I think I liked it better than Oddo's. I was excited to find out that there was a Pete's #2 on Montrose that delivered to my house, but it was NOTHING like Pete's on Western, which I love. Maybe it just suffered in the delivery process (the pizza toppings had shifted to one side of the pizza). And I agree that Marie's is much better had at the restaurant.

The sad thing is that I tried one place, and I loved the pizza, and now I can't remember where we got it (we ordered it when we were working on the house and had yet to move in).

I havent tried any of the others, but Caponies on Harlem has a good Margherita pizza.

Caponies
3350 N Harlem
Chicago IL 60634
773-804-9024

Not sure of their delivery boundaries.

Growing up in Old Irving Park (from the early 70s through early 90s), our standard was La Villa on Pulaski. Oddo's never compared; their onions always seemed chopped and processed, which didn't fly in our family!

I know that La Villa has gone through some management changes, but I still enjoy their pizza every now and then when visiting my mum, who is still in the area.

jblagg wrote:but it was NOTHING like Pete's on Western, which I love.

I agree with you, great pizza. jblagg, not many people on this board seem to agree with us, on Pete's. I love the Italian Beef pizza or sausage and onion (which are thinly sliced).

I also agree with diane ck that Caponies on Harlem has a good Margherita pizza.

Best,
Al

Al Ehrhardt wrote:

jblagg wrote:but it was NOTHING like Pete's on Western, which I love.

I agree with you, great pizza. jblagg, not many people on this board seem to agree with us, on Pete's. I love the Italian Beef pizza or sausage and onion (which are thinly sliced).

I also agree with diane ck that Caponies on Harlem has a good Margherita pizza.

Best,
Al

I agree with you about Pete's. I enjoy one every now and then. Have you ever tried the other Pete's on Montrose? Is it the same as Western? That one is much closer to Old Irving.

Pete's #2
5847 W. Montrose
Chicago, IL
773-282-5434

I tried Marie's for delivery last weekend. I live close by and I've been trying to find a place that I like. My boyfriend and I were not very impressed with the pizza we got. For one thing, it was extremely greasy. Although I realize that some people like a greasy pizza, it's not for me. I'm willing to give them another chance, though. Maybe I'll stop by the restaurant.

We like Suparossa on Central between Irving and Montrose. We usually get the thin crust delivered. I don't really like their stuffed, but in general, I don't seem to enjoy stuffed pizza as much as I used to. We have also eaten in the restaurant and it is nice. We had our wedding rehearsal dinner there so all the out of towners could get their Chicago pizza fix. They have a small party room (in the restaurant, not the adjacent banquet hall area) and it was perfect for our party. Anyway, Suparossa is definitely worth a try. We tried a couple of other places and didn't find anything better.

-Pam

Suparossa
4256 N. Central Avenue
Chicago, IL 60634
phone 773.736.5828
fax 773.736.1372

P.S. I used to like Pete's on Montrose but we weren't very impressed the last time and haven't tried again since.

Al Ehrhardt wrote:

jblagg wrote:but it was NOTHING like Pete's on Western, which I love.

I agree with you, great pizza. jblagg, not many people on this board seem to agree with us, on Pete's. I love the Italian Beef pizza or sausage and onion (which are thinly sliced).

I also agree with diane ck that Caponies on Harlem has a good Margherita pizza.

Best,
Al

Well, I agree with you on Pete's, which is my go-to pizza delivery source. I have a couple of reasons for this choice. First, the sausage, which is house-made and fantastic - wonderful blend of spices, served in big meaty chunks. I don't order vegetables, other than maybe onions, from Pete's, because they don't do such a good job on that front (the limp, floppy stale green peppers Petes uses, for example, are abominable). The other primary reason I continue ordering from Pete's is the tomato sauce, which has a spicy, almost "mustardy" flavor and is not too sweet (over-sugared tomato sauce being one of my pet peeves). The crust is typical Chicago-style (i.e., with shortening), and neither a mark for nor against the pizza; it just is what it is. They use decent quality cheese, although some would probably think they use too much (sometimes I ask them to go light on the cheese). From a practical standpoint, Pete's has a highly efficient order-taking and delivery system, and they have some good regular "deals" and coupons to sweeten the pot. (Also, some of Pete's non-pizza offerings are quite good. They make a really good braciolle, for example, and it's nice being able to get a dinner like that delivered.)

Try Porretta's, 3656 N. Central at Waveland, 736-1429 for pizza. My parents have lived 5 houses away for 30 years, and I still haven't gotten tired of eating it. They also have a sit down restaurant (not to be confused with the banquet hall) Trattoria Porretta with some really outstanding entrees--I love the grilled seafood platter with garlic and spinach. The same family has owned the place the whole time, and is very friendly. Anna