Himmel's [was Pizza DOC - same chef-owner]

I am convinced that Pizza DOC on Lawrence (Lincoln Square) just might be the all around best Italian restaurant in the city for the money.

Hi Convivial Bob,

I am convinced that Pizza DOC on Lawrence (Lincoln Square) just might be the all around best Italian restaurant in the city for the money.

Care to offer us a few particulars as to why?

Pizza DOC is our neighbohood pizza joint - we live quite close by, so we go there often. We've had wonderful meals there - and then some indifferent ones. I think it depends on how crowded they are. The pizzas are good - I want to try Spacca Napoli for comparision, though. One of my favorite dishes at DOC is the gnocchi in gorgonzolla sauce - very rich and delicious.

Hi Katy K and friends,
Particulars.... hmmm... well for starters the wine selection has a great deal of depth and variety for its size and the markup is about the lowest I have ever seen. Plus, their willingness of consistently pour Barolo, Brunello and Amarone by the glass wins my admiration. The pizza (in my opinion) is a good bit better than Spacca's, though they have a nice pizza too. I cannot recall but I think at least some of the pasta is homemade; the wait staff is very well versed on the ingredients, preparation methods, and wine parings. Several of the cooks and wait staff are DOC (i.e. from Italy) - the baker is from Sardegna. The sisters that run the place put such care into their endeavor - the love shows in each dish I have had at Pizza DOC. Ciao.

You raise some good points about the place, particularly the wines by the glass. I do think that DOC remains close to an authentic corner trattoria in Italy, though not a particularly good one (that is, by the standards over there -- which is no means a major or even relevant criticism seeing as we're in Chicago and not Italy). Pastas are simple and well prepared. Atmosphere is frenetic and service spotty; decor strange. I disagree vehemently regarding the pizza as compared to SN, but to each his own. The pizza at DOC is very good, though.

I agree the pizzas at DOC are quite wonderful. But to call this the best Italian in the city (for the money) is an enormous stretch for me..

I tried a veal dish a few months ago (can't even recall if it was a marsala or what..put it out of my mind)....but it was pretty bad...the quality of the veal was fine, but the sauce was the most flat, one-dimensional thing I've ever seen thrown on my favorite baby meat dish...

I had been wanting to try Boca Della Verita (am I spelling this right?) down the street on Lincoln for some time...but after this experience (and since I understand these are the same owners) just can't justify it..

And another thing! Called recently to order a couple of carry out pizzas....asked them to leave artichokes off of one (was told NO..cant do it and was advised to order an alternate that we DID NOT WANT)....Ok fine then.... can you please cut it into slices for us as we'll be sharing with several people ("NO...that will ruin the flavor")...perhaps, perhaps not....but my goodness is it all that difficult to give us what we want? Hung up and ordered Thai food instead...

Can't really see going back any time soon..too much effort...

With Apart delivering for free and Spacca offering a better take-out pizza, I see little reason to ever go back to DOC.

Park, La Boca della Verita is still worth a try, in my humble opinion. I haven't eaten there in roughly a year (so many new places to try) but the hulking chunks of bacon in the carbonara I ordered still tempt me to this day--crispy yet tender, flavorfull and everything you dream that bacon can be. Just a thought!

Y'know..I too dream of bacon...that does sound good

If I decide to give them another shot (hell, they're literally right across the alley from home), that's what I'm ordering!

http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t= ... =pizza+doc

http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t= ... =pizza+doc

A word of dissent on Spacca. I love thin crust pizza like this but I had a less than satisfactory experience there. I chalked it up to being a new place when I went there but other people I know had similar experiences. I like DOC better.

I keep wanting to go to Apart but my girlfriend does not like pizza as much as I do. I live six blocks away and have never had it.

Any details? Burnt bubbles and damp center?

I love DOC if only for the reason that they serve Amarone by the glass!

JeffB wrote:Any details? Burnt bubbles and damp center?

The service was off. We were in the room away from the oven and kinda forgotten about a few times. The center was a bit soupy but that is forgiven in that kind of pizza.

I think the appetizers was expensive for the amount/quality of what I got.

My friends also have complained about the service.

The owners of La Bocca were initial investors in Pizza DOC but how active they were is unclear. My understanding is that they extricated themselves from involvement during one of Pizza DOC's down phases.

I recently ate pizza at Pizza DOC as the guest of neighbors of mine for whom I'd done some favors. The place was full by 7 p.m. (Friday night) and it was a good "neighborhood" mix of young singles and families with children. I wish I could join-in the comments of people who like th eplace, but I won't be going back for the pizza; I found that what I got from Domino's was superior. By the way, the room was freezing cold - to the point where a jacket would have been helpful, and when the staff was queried on the matter (which nearby diners also complained) the complaints were met with disinterest. I also found it to be a bit overpriced for my taste -given the poor quality pizzas our table received (3 different pizzas - all sub-par in comparison to just about any other place I've eaten pizza).

Hi, went to Pizza DOC for the first time tonight, despite living in the Lincoln Square/Albany Park area for 17 years. I should have gone long ago! I really liked this place. Very family friendly, although I wasn't with my kids. Great thin crust pizza (had Pizza Napoli - with Anchovies), a salad with goat cheese, spring greens & mushrooms, and another appetizer with artichokes, tomatoes, and thin sliced cheese. Very good service, friendly and professional. I highly recommend it if you haven't been there.

I've been to Pizza DOC a few times lately. I like their pizza. It's not as good a Spacca Napoli, but I'd definitely say it's above average. I honestly haven't tried much other than the pizza, so I can't speak to the rest of the menu. For me a big part of their appeal is that they're extremely kid-friendly. They don't have a separate kids menu, but what kid doesn't like pizza and pasta? They also bring crayons to let kids color on the paper over the tables, which is a BIG hit with my daughter.

I like Pizza DOC. I've had a number of their pizzas and a few pasta selections over the past few years, ranging from slightly above-average to excellent. They do seem to be somewhat heavy-handed with the toppings at times — I prefer the more spartan nature of a Coalfire slice — but I've enjoyed the pizza I've had there.

My family has also found Pizza DOC very kid-friendly, a factor not to be discounted, IMO, when one wants something other than fast food or other lowest common denominators.

It has been almost 5 years since I left the Lincoln Square, but I always thought that Pizza D.O.C. was a good value for the money. Not the best in the city by far, but a nice place to have in the neighborhood. The thing that bothered me most about it was that they kept the wine on the wall near the ovens, and I regularly received warm glasses of wine.

I had the single worst pizza in memory at this place tonight. It's hardly worth describing, but this disgusting thing had a ritz-cracker-sweet crust with zero textural interest or char, and about a pound of low quality, food-service mozzarella cheese. I haven't felt this disgusted with myself for giving in to a restaurant choice in years. We were surprised to find Spacca Napoli closed for vacation, and I failed to convince my companion to drive a little further to Pizza Art. A tragic mistake.

Kennyz wrote:We were surprised to find Spacca Napoli closed for vacation, and I failed to convince my companion to drive a little further to Pizza Art. A tragic mistake.

Really?! It's only about half a mile from DOC to Art. If it were two or three miles, I could understand it. I know traffic on Lawrence sucks right now with the construction, but it's fairly simple to get around it. Sorry that your pizza sucked.

jaybo wrote:

Kennyz wrote:We were surprised to find Spacca Napoli closed for vacation, and I failed to convince my companion to drive a little further to Pizza Art. A tragic mistake.

Really?! It's only about half a mile from DOC to Art. If it were two or three miles, I could understand it. I know traffic on Lawrence sucks right now with the construction, but it's fairly simple to get around it. Sorry that your pizza sucked.

Yes, I know. To make matters worse, Pizza Art is actually right on our way home! As I said, tragic mistake.

Wow, it's been awhile since anyone reported on Pizza DOC.

Rich and I stopped in last week for a quick bite and were pleasantly surprised.

Fried calamari was hot, tender, and nicely breaded. Although, I admit we were a bit jealous of the tables in the know - - it seemed everyone ordered the arancini, which at six for $6 seemed to be quite a deal.

We also shared two pizzas, one with anchovies and one with sausage and mushrooms. We ordered them well done, and they arrived just right, nice char on the bottom and golden brown on top. While nothing about the pizza was earth-shattering, I enjoyed it much more than some of the neighborhood competition (such as Spacca Napoli and Apart). In addition to the calamari, we only managed to eat the equivalent of one pizza. So while they're advertised as personal pizzas, an appetizer and a pizza should make a nice dinner for two.

As good as the pizza was, the service was even better. Our server, while stretched quite thin with many tables, didn't miss a beat. Our food arrived hot and she made sure the pizza was sufficiently well done. And she checked in at just the right times.

We look forward to returning soon.

Ronna

Pizza DOC
2251 W. Lawrence
Chicago
(773) 784-8777
http://www.mypizzadoc.com

REB wrote:Wow, it's been awhile since anyone reported on Pizza DOC.

Rich and I stopped in last week for a quick bite and were pleasantly surprised.

Fried calamari was hot, tender, and nicely breaded. Although, I admit we were a bit jealous of the tables in the know - - it seemed everyone ordered the arancini, which at six for $6 seemed to be quite a deal.

We also shared two pizzas, one with anchovies and one with sausage and mushrooms. We ordered them well done, and they arrived just right, nice char on the bottom and golden brown on top. While nothing about the pizza was earth-shattering, I enjoyed it much more than some of the neighborhood competition (such as Spacca Napoli and Apart). In addition to the calamari, we only managed to eat the equivalent of one pizza. So while they're advertised as personal pizzas, an appetizer and a pizza should make a nice dinner for two.

As good as the pizza was, the service was even better. Our server, while stretched quite thin with many tables, didn't miss a beat. Our food arrived hot and she made sure the pizza was sufficiently well done. And she checked in at just the right times.

We look forward to returning soon.

Ronna

I'm very encouraged by your post Ronna. When I first moved to Lincoln Square about seven years ago, I was a big fan of Pizza DOC. But something happened a few years ago, or at least on a couple of my visits, where the pizza was truly awful (other items fared no better) and I haven't returned since then. I might just be willing to give them another try soon.

I've had the same experience as BR, it was very good then really dropped off. I agree its great news to hear things have improved. I also like Tratorria D. O. C. in Evanston, they used to be affiliated with the Lawrence avenue location, but there appears to have been a falling out in the family. The Evanston location has a wood burning oven which elevates the pizza in my opinion. I'll have to try the Lawrence location again, maybe it's like Candlelight good for a time and then when the kitchen staff or managers change, it goes south.

Also nice to hear the service was good, the last time I was there I had a very, very unhappy waitress and she let us know it.

Thanks Ronna - Happy to report that I finally made it back to Pizza DOC last week and my experience reminded me of DOC well before I stopped going there. I was with friends, shared several pizzas, and was quite pleased with most of them. Although one crust lacked sufficient char, all others featured very nice crusts, nice charred spots and plenty of flavor. Also, very nice toppings and distribution of toppings. It won't replace Coalfire or Great Lake when I'm looking for really great thin crust pizza, but I certainly found it well worth return visits and on par with the very positive experiences that I remember having at DOC when I first moved to Lincoln Square. Also, service was quite good - never a bad thing.

I have never been impressed with DOC, while Spacca, where I ate Saturday night, is consistently very good. I think it's better than Coalfire and rivaled the short-lived Nella's Francesca (or whatever the exact name was). In fact, for my money, Spacca is the best pizza of its type in the area, though I read about Nella's reopening on Fullerton and have been eager to try it out. But, though I'm off-topic now, I think that all-around Due's (and not Uno's) is by far the best pizza in Chicago and the best I have ever had anywhere ... and it has been a bit unsettling to be at Due's lately and see that the place is half-empty. It's under-promoted and under-appreciated in my view. In any event, with the info gleaned from these postings I'll give DOC another try.

The Himmel sisters, who own Pizza D.O.C., have changed the name of the restaurant to Himmel's, and changed the cuisine to more German / European bistro, although they will keep pizza on the menu.

http://lincolnsquare.patch.com/articles ... e-776af476

New website has an updated menu: http://himmelschicago.com/

Himmel's
2251 West Lawrence Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
(773)784-8777