Address: | 2121 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614, USA |
Phone: | +1 773-248-2570 |
Site: | chicagopizzaandovengrinder.com |
Rating: | 4.5 |
Working: | 4–11PM 4–11PM 4–11PM 4–11PM 4PM–12AM 11:30AM–12AM 11:30AM–11PM |
MA
Mark Nickel
I will say that this place is certainly an experience. Before I start if you are looking for a place to be seated quickly and arent there when they open expect to wait for 45- 90 mins to be seated aaaand it is CASH ONLY but there is an ATM available. As you walk in you will note a a distinctive characteristic for a older establishment, it is tight in there. You will meet the host who will take a look at you and ask how many then give you your wait time. As he moves onto the next party to take their size you will realize that you did not give him your name but worry not as he will not forget you. We stood by the entrance to keep track of who came in after us and for sure he did keep mental order of all without writing down names or party sizes. I cannot speak to whether or not this is a local staple since although we are natives of the area we got to speaking with all the guests and found out of 10 parties around us on a saturday night none had been there before. Some were from out of town and other locals to the area on their first trip. After being seated we decided to try their mediterranean bread as the menu said we should not pass on it. We figured that we were hungry enough to have that and a pizza bowl but when it came this thing was huge. I would say for a party of four there might still be some leftovers. It seemed like a very large, war, pita bread with a large amount of seasoning. If you like pita bread you would probably enjoy this. Now down to business, we got two half pounders, one with meat sauce and one all vegi. It certainly was an interesting taste with a large amount of cheese and filling(toppings) so you will not leave hungry with this. I would say it wasnt the worlds best pizza, but sure was tasty enough to maybe someday give it a chance again. Overall we had a good experience but the length of time we waited it seemed to put a slight damper on the evening. If you are from out of town and are looking for a fun story to tell about a night out this would be a good stop. If you are looking for something real "Chicago like" this may not be what you are looking for. Happy eating!
PE
Pedro Samarripa
Ive lived in the area for ten years and Ive never gone here before. I walk past and theres always a crowd of people outside so it must be fantastic right? This place is right in the middle of the road. Ever have someone tell you about a guy or girl that is so super hot and when you meet them, theyre handsome or pretty but they wouldnt turn your head if they were walking down the street? Thats what this place is like after reading the gushing reviews. I was xpecting to have my socks knocked off, but they werent. After waiting 45 minutes outside on a 85 degree day I ordered a Sprite. What I got was a wine glass size soda filled to the brim with ice. Only after I drank it did the waiter tell me that they charged for refills. This is a pet peeve of mine so take it for what its worth to you. The pizza pot pie is good but Id describe it as a lasanga pot pie with a bread crust instead of pasta. The sausage tastes like unseasoned ground beef and though its tasty it was more like spaghetti meat-sauce than pizza sauce. The sausage grinder I ordered came out as a meatball grinder, but I didnt complain or send it back. It was knife and fork big and was good. Nothing against the servers, this place is just super cramped inside. Its so crowded and noisey that you have to really speak up to be heard by the person across the table from you. If you get sat towards the rear, be prepared to get a constant view of kitchen and bathroom smell. 40 bucks, not including the tip, for two sodas without refills, a small @6"-7" diameter potpie and one grinder. Overall he food was good but unless youre from out of town and think Papa Johns is the cats @ss you could do yourself a favor and go to Lou Malnattis, Genos East, Pequods of any other number of the other pizza places within a five minute cab ride that have a better product, better bang for your buck, with better service and more elbow room. Oh, and actual pizza. But who knows you might be the other half of the 50/50 perspective that all the other reviws show.
CA
Car Reg
My visit to the Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder was an anti-climactic end to an otherwise great vacation. I waited 1.5 hours and wasnt pleased with what I got. It was a unique idea i.e. pizza pot pie but really just tasted like warm bread with bolognese sauce on it and melted cheese. Nothing special, the two full mushrooms underneath didnt add much flavor-wise either. It tasted bland and uninspired. Then, I went to pay and apparently its cash only. There are no signs visible on the outside that this is the case (I didnt see one inside either). This would have been nice to know so I could make arrangements during the endless wait. Instead, I found out right as I was going to pay and by then, I was in a rush and found this out. They asked me to use the ATM in the place, which wouldnt take my credit card (even though its never had any issues at any other place). They told me Id have to walk down the street and find a bank ATM to pay. I did, and that cost me $3.50 in ATM fees and a whole lot of stress rushing back to the restaurant to try to rush back to my next event. It was an absolutely ridiculous experience. Good food is worth waiting for, but I didnt find it at Oven Grinder. In addition, its hard to believe that in 2017 patrons are expected to pay cash only. Most people dont carry cash any more. This establishment really made it as inconvenient as possible to eat there. At the very least, have other payment options, and an ATM that actually works. I really didnt appreciate my ATM fees or the hassle. This place needs to at least have clear signage up that says Cash Only. This is the only bad restaurant experience I had in Chicago over the course of a week. I highly recommend Lou Malnatis for a delicious experience and great customer service. I will definitely not be revisiting this place and would advise people to avoid this chaos.
A
A Private User
So Ive lived in Chicago for about 3 years now and have heard from numerous people what an experience this place is and how its a Chicago mainstay. The first time I went to the restaurant was on a Monday night and I left quickly when I was told there was an hour and a half wait for a table. Well the second time around, I had family in town and they wanted to eat at a "Chicago" restaurant so I got to the restaurant an hour before we wanted to eat. I was told there was an hour wait. Well we were seated almost exactly one hour after I arrived and it was well worth the wait. There were 7 of us and the bill with tip was about $160 (barely over $20 per person). Everything we ordered was delicious. I recommend the pizza pot pie, which looked and tasted like nothing I had ever eaten before. The salads were huge and very good and the subs were also enormous. Go with a group as the food is ideal for sharing. Like I said, you WILL wait for a table and you will wait for a long time but if you have the time and the patience its worth it. The service was good and our waiter was very knowledgeable about the menu and when I asked what beers they had he recited a list of about 20 varieties off the top of his head. I would say they probably wont be sympathetic if you keep asking how much longer until youre seated, but why should they care? There are 50 people outside who will gladly take your spot. Im originally from Florida so I prefer thin (foldable) pizza to deep dish but this pizza "pot pie" was not only unique, it tasted great as well. I will definitely go again, I will have to get there at least an hour early, but I will wait as long as it takes because the food and experience is that good.