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Bacino's of Lincoln Park
Categories: Restaurants Pizza Restaurants Italian Pizza, Italian [Edit]
2204 N Lincoln Ave(between Geneva Ter & Webster Ave)
Chicago, IL 60614
Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
(773) 472-7400
- Nearest Transit:
-
Fullerton (Brown Line, Purple Line, Red Line)
Armitage (Brown Line, Purple Line)
- Hours:
Mon 11 am - 9 pm
Tue-Thu 11 am - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 11 am - 11 pm
- Parking:
- Street
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
164 reviews for Bacino's of Lincoln Park
Review Highlights
"Second favorite deep dish is the city."
(in 65 reviews)
"Thin crust here is amazing and definitely well worth it."
(in 45 reviews)
"The pizza itself is heart healthy."
(in 14 reviews)
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164 reviews in English
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Review from Jason L.
Portland, OR
11/19/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I can't speak to Bacino's as an authority on Chicago-style pizza, because I'm not local and haven't been able to compare it to the rest of the places around town.
However, I can speak to my own lifelong relationship with pizza, which is both passionate and extra-dirty-filthy.
Bacino's deep dish tickled me in a way that would have been inappropriate were it not for the fact that it was a food that did the tickling. -
Review from Neil A.
Chicago, IL
2/4/2012
I give this review based on customer service. When I ordered my x-large pizza I told them I wanted half cheese and half spinach. Also, I said I wanted it cut into PIE SLICES! Upon picking up my pizza I was charged $21.70 which is the price of a spinach supreme instead of the $15.95 for cheese. I thought it would've been a few extra dollars to add an ingredient.
The problem here is NO ONE told me and confirmed the price when I called. My fault for not asking before I hung up but I was in a rush and didn't think much about it. When I picked up the pizza they cut it into squares as opposed to slices. When speaking with the manager he said "i don't see slices on your receipt". That's BS. I'm not in charge of what the person puts on the receipt but if you want to pull the phone records you would hear it.
The pizza was good but I will most likely not be going back for POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE. Business owners should realize the CUSTOMER IS FIRST! -
Review from Todd W.
Chicago, IL
11/17/2011
If you're looking for the best Chicago styled pizza, look no further than Bacinos. My favorite and I think soon to be yours. Their Spinach Pizza is really one of the most delicious meals I've ever had. Though to be fair, it say's heart healthy...it's definitely a meal you cannot have too often due to the amount of cheese and carbs. The other deep dishes are very good as well. You cannot go wrong with their pizza.
As far as pricing, it seems fair for the quality. It does take about 45 minutes to prepare a deep dish so don't expect quick take out or dine in.
Overall, this place is one of my favorite restaurants in Chicago. I think you'll enjoy their deep dish pizza! (I've had Lou Malnattis, Giordanos) -
Review from Bob B.
Chicago, IL
1/31/2012
They need to figure out their slice situation . I stopped in in a rainstorm to buy a slice, but, they were going to make me eat it outside, in the rain, even though there were only a couple other people in the restaurant. I could understand if it were a busy time, and the trouble of maybe having different prices for service, or per slice, but they lost a sale, customer, etc. for no reason, IMHO.
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Review from Imrickjamesbc h.
Chicago, IL
Love their Point 2012 Black Ale on tap from WI (black, fizzy, slightly sweet, nice caramel -will seek this one out next time I'm at Binny's. 2nd time here at Bacino's. Tried their thin crust since I didn't want to get too stuffed/full this evening for some reason. Flavorful toppings, enjoyed their sauce. Thin crust is just as good as the stuffed pizza here. Recommended.
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Review from Mike W.
Chicago, IL
Updated - 12/21/2011
Not a huge fan of Chicago style pizza (I am a Detroit guy) but this place is damn good. Out of all of the Deep dish style places I have eaten at, this place takes the cake. Good crust, good cheese, the sauce is excellent, not too sweet, not watery, etc.
Cheers.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/18/2011
Since moving to Chicago, I have been searching for new pizza. I am more of a pan pizza guy but… Read more »
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Review from Teri P.
Crystal Lake, IL
12/17/2011
Bacino's is, hands down, the best Chicago style pizza out there. I've been to all the ones that usually get mentioned (Lou Malnati's, Giordano's, Uno/Due, etc) and they pale in comparison to Bacino's. The crust here is that perfect buttery flaky/crunchy texture, and there's not too much of it. The pizza is perfectly stuffed--thin crust, like pie, on the bottom, cheese and toppings, then sauce on the top.
The spinach with mushrooms is the best pizza I have ever had in my entire life, and I've been eating Chicago style pizza for over a decade now. As a bonus, you can pretend it's good for you, because it says "heart healthy" on the menu! Never mind the many pounds of cheese that must go on every pizza--it has vegetables! But whether it's heart healthy or not, it will be healthy for your spirit. It has that perfect blend of spices and spinach and cheese. mmmmm.
They even make personal sized chicago style pizza. It's not my favorite way to go, because the ratio of outer crust to inner gooey goodness is not the same in the personal size, but it's a good way to please everyone if other people in your group refuse to get the spinach pizza.
I don't recommend the thin crust pizza here--it's average. Go for the stuffed chicago style. Though if you have meat, be aware that the amount of meat and cheese in one of those pizzas can lead to a greasy experience simply because, well, meat and cheese are both greasy, and there's a lot of both in the pie!
The space itself in the Lincoln Park restaurant is average pizza joint-esque--there's a bar, some booths, and a few tables. Downstairs there's more seating, but it's dark and a little dingy. The bathrooms (also downstairs) are a little sketchy, but the pizza makes it all worth it. The downtown location (Bella Bacino's, 75 E Wacker) is fancier/nicer looking but with essentially the same menu. -
Review from Stuart B.
Chicago, IL
12/21/2011
What can I say? There's a reason that this pizza is always one of the best sellers at Taste of Chicago.
I grew up about a block away, so I have been coming here for almost 32 years now. Bacino's has, in my opinion, the best stuffed pizza of any in town. It blows Giordano's out of the water, and is clearly better than Nancy's and Edwardo's and numerous other competitors with similar offerings. If you don't agree, try the pizzas side by side (you'll see that Giordano's tastes like a watered down clone of what Bacino's is selling). Bacino's is fresher and better tasting than its competitors, every time. The stuffed spinach is the signature dish and the best in town (always ask for mushrooms - they're free), and you won't go wrong with any of the other pizza offerings on the menu. A stuffed sausage, pepperoni and giardeniera is a beautiful alternative, and it works great as a thin pizza as well...
As for the location, it's not the most beautiful space, although they have done a decent job remodeling. The ability to open the windows in summer makes it a great location to sit at a table, drink a few beers, and take it all in as you watch the world pass by.
Finally If you're concerned about temperature, as some of these reviewers are, I recommend picking up, rather than having it delivered - show up about 5 minutes before the estimate they give you on the phone, and you're set. Fresh out of the oven, and even with the drive home, it's still piping hot when you eat. -
Review from Alma P.
8/22/2011
So I tried Bacino's famous spinach deep dish after hearing about it and it was good but I was very underwhelmed by their sauce. I like my sauce chunky with pieces of tomato and super flavorful. I felt like their's was really lackluster...kind of bland and thin.
On a good note, the spinach and cheese filling was really delicious and the crust was very good.. much better than a few other places I've tried, but for me the sauce makes the pizza and it just didn't do it for me. -
Review from Cheryl C.
Chicago, IL
8/14/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Behold the power of Groupon.
I got sucked in by the amazing deal last year, and I got hooked.
The stuffed crust is otherworldly, mostly due to their divine cheese, with a nod to their tangy, chunky tomato sauce and their crunchy, flavorful crust.
They even do individual stuffed crust pizzas for around $6.
Pretty sure I'd be at least two pounds lighter right this second if not for Bacino's. Damn you, delicious Bacino's. -
Review from Craig Z.
6/14/2011
Carried out.
Been here before, and to all the others, and the deep dish Hawaiian I had last night may have been the best pizza I ever had. Also, very much enjoyed the pear salad, even if it was a little expensive. -
Review from sandra t.
Chicago, IL
This place reminds of my youth. One of my favorite pizza parlors I used to frequent when I was a teen. My fellow cheerleader friends and I would go to after a weekend game. We would get our pizza, a picture of root beer and some fries and have a blast. There was a juke box (5 plays for quarter) that played some awesome tunes.
Back to reality, my date and I ordered a deep dish with spinach, which happened to be their specialty. The pizza was well made with fresh ingredients. We had wine, it was decent. Finally, dessert which was tiramisu and it was very good. The server and host were very helpful and friendly. I had a pleasant experience here. -
Review from Brent W.
4/17/2011
Of the 5 critical pizza criteria (crust, cheese, sauce, ingredient quality and balance/ratio of each) Bacino's gets a 3 out of 5.
Crust: We got the thin and it's a pretty substantial thin crust, so much so I asked if it was the thin when she brought it out. Someone completely nailed it in its description: too floury and saltine cracker-esque.
Cheese: Good but, again, as someone below has stated, they don't cook it long enough and it comes out just melted enough...come on, you need to get that nice caramelized, well done golden cheese going, it's pizza ffs.
Sauce: 5/5, it's fantastic and really a major reason this place gets an extra star...semi sweet and made the experience.
Ingredient quality: 4/5, we got the Bacino's special w Sausage (great) Mushroom (great), Green Peppers (good) and Onion (good).
Balance/Ratio of the whole pie: 4/5, really pretty good, made the lackluster crust and cheese sort of an after thought. -
Review from Alex M.
Chicago, IL
6/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
I know a lot of people love and praise this place, but to me it came off like every other Americanized pizza joint. Typical menu and flavors. I thought the pizza was ok, but I've had better. Maybe I'm too picky, but if I wanted pizza, this isn't a spot I'd be rushing off to.
I think Bacino's is ideal for those who don't want any kind of fancy or "old world" kind of pizza or Italian. It's the place to go if you want Americanized Italian food. Heaps of pasta with sauce, big thick greasy pizza, beer, etc.
Not my thing, but I'm sure the Lincoln Park bar crowd would love this spot. -
Review from Rogelio M.
Chicago, IL
10/23/2011
I ordered my pizza at 612pm, finally arrived at 730pm, cold. First and last time ordering from this place.
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Review from caosmith S.
El Paso, TX
4/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
After reading the reviews and seeing photos of the supreme spinach deep dish pizza, we went to Bacino's for dinner. There's a cute, little dinning area off to the left after entrance. We ordered fried calamari for appetizer and a small supreme spinach deep dish pizza. The food came out in 35 minutes. Calamari was a little greasy. Pizza was good, but hubby said all deep dish pizzas taste the same, maybe it did.
Ambience was comfortable with TV and people talking. It was a nice dinner.
Note: their special 1/2 off appetizers on Mon and Wed is no longer active. Also, if you order a drink, it's free refill, but if they see you let others have a taste...there won't be any refill. Ridiculous!!! -
Review from Flix F.
Chicago, IL
10/24/2011
Their stuffed spinach pizza is the best stuffed spinach pizza of all stuffed spinach pizzas in the history of stuffed spinach pizza.
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Review from Kevin D.
Chicago, IL
8/28/2011
Their deep dish is some of the best in Chicago, I especially love the Bacino's Special! But get it to go, the atmosphere in the restaurant is the best.
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Review from Andrea D.
Chicago, IL
12/10/2010
What's better than waiting 1 hr 45 min to have your pizza delivered (when you were quoted an hour)?
I'll tell you: Waiting 1 hr 45 min to have your pizza delivered, in need of re-heating...with part of your order missing.
*Expletive. Expletive.*
In fairness, when I called 1 1/2 hours into said wait time, manager took 1/2 off my bill. Gesture appreciated...until I realized our salad was missing. The more even-tempered (hey, I get really worked up about my food) fiance pointed out: "What are you going to do? You already got half off the food. Are you going to wait another hour for them to bring back your salad?"
He was right. Bacino's had made an effort to compensate for their initial mistake (which I appreciate and applaud their effort), but was I really going to wait around and eat a salad after my pizza? No. (But that doesn't mean I can't sulk about it. I mean, really. How often do I crave salad!? This seems like a missed opportunity to me.)
We very much enjoy Bacino's cheesy thin crust pizza (which itself is worthy of 4 stars), cut in squares thankyouverymuch, but we will definitely be thinking twice about ordering from them in the future.Listed in: Lincoln Ave, Lincoln Park Grub, Obligatory Pizza List, Rant-page
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Review from Lee P.
Chicago, IL
5/24/2011
In all of Chicago I think Bacino's gets it right for both stuffed pizza and thin crust. They pile-on the cheese, which for me is a top priority. That's true of both thin and thick pies. All of the ingredients are tops. Great sauce. And for dining-in they have an obsession with great craft beers.
This place is indispensable. -
Review from Karen R.
Chicago, IL
2/6/2011 1 photo
I first fell in love with Bacino's at the taste. I went here yesterday for my sister's bday. The restaurant was kind of empty, We got the spinach and mushroom deep dish. It was delicious as usual. The hostess and waiter were both friendly. I liked where they sat our group. Everyone else ordered the bambino pizza's and one person ordered a sandwich. Everyone said everything was good. Over all a good dining experience and yummy pizza.
The negatives were that my deep dish pizza came out kind of on the warmish side and not piping hot. The waiter told us they were closing at 9:30, when they never mentioned that before. I wasn't ready to leave at 9:30 so we still stayed till 10ish. The person who ordered a sandwich didn't get soup or salad, I didn't realize that until later. I was pretty sure sandwiches came with one. -
Review from Johnny L.
Los Angeles, CA
9/6/2010 1 photo
The pizza here is so pure and clean tasting, I am very happy that the Food Tour I took brought us here, even though it was a long walk away.
The thin crust and deep layers of toppings was a pizza revelation to me! The mildness of the cheese did well to keep itself from overpowering the spinach which tends to have a mellow flavor as well. -
Review from Norman R.
Chicago, IL
6/26/2011
alex M you dont know jack! . NOT everything has to be from greece. half the time you dont know what your talking about. plus, you sound lame and ladylike as usual ... go back and play with your sheep... and let the adults review here..
Bacino's of Lincoln park..is an excellent pizza establishment...this is chicago pizza at its finest..
sure, some of their dishes lack a culinary flair.(some of their pasta dishes) but when you come here... its all about the pizza... this place reminds me of my youth..when i used to live a few blocks away from this place..we would always get carry out from this place...and its still the same as it always was fantastic. sure there are other pizza places in chicago..but this place is aces. no wonder they always have a huge line every weekend.
chicago pizza is an art form and Bacino's is a master at the craft. -
Review from Amanda C.
12/6/2010
Holy cheese. They put sooo much of it on their pizzas which I found to be pretty average. We ordered the Bacino's Special on thin crust, which is actually pretty thick so you don't have to eat an entire pizza to be full. The cheese is everywhere but seems pretty flavorless, although it isn't super greasy. They do a great job of baking their toppings into the cheese, whereas some places just dump the toppings on at the end. The sauce was really good.
They have a ton of beers on tap and a lot of local and unusual ones which is cool. Our server accidentally put in our two pizza orders as smalls when we had wanted mediums, and gave us a free medium to make up for it which was really nice. The atmosphere is a little pizza-hut-ish but they have a cute downstairs loungey area. You can also walk in a grab a slice. -
Review from Robert C.
9/3/2010
Last time I was in Chicago I sadly left withouth eating any deep dish. That was not gonna lrt that happen this time. My friend took me here as we walked down the street of his Lincoln Park pad.
The pizza did not disappoint. The Bianci's special which includes sausage, onion, mushroom and peppers was simple yet perfect. I was glad to see this place gets some best of Chicago pizza reviews. I understand why.
Cheesy, good crust consistency and quality toppings.
They also have a decent beer selection.Listed in: ChiTown
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Review from Chris C.
7/22/2010
3 things you should know about me before reading this review:
1) I am a native New Yorker and lifetime resident
2) I am a former fat kid, so every calorie matters to me
3) I am lactose intolerant. Cheese is a commitment.
Bacino's Pizza was the last stop on the Food Tour. I came fully prepared with lactaid in hand. Before this, I hadn't had a slice of pizza in over 2 years.
I'm not going to even get into that stupid NY v. Chi pizza debate. As far as that goes, T-Ball rules apply. Everybody wins, especially when the pizza is a good as what I had at Bacino's.
The thin crust reminds me of a pizza I had in New Haven, CT once - a very favorable comparison. The crust is a fairly even combination of crispiness and chewiness. Being a stuffed pizza, there was enough cheese, spinach and tomatoes to make a quiche. The ingredients all had their own identity and all were able to play together nicely to give a uniformity of flavor.
Sometimes, when you've got good ingredients in your food, you need to back off and let Nature take a bow. Bacino's, much to their credit, seems to get this. I would happily come back for a slice, hopefully sooner than 2 years.Listed in: My Kind of Town...
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Review from molly w.
Chicago, IL
12/31/2010
If you've ever eaten thin crust at Chicago's pizza on Sheffield, then you know exactly what Bacino's tastes like. I swear they must have the exact same recipe, and both places don't cook their pizzas long enough so the cheese comes out barely melted and white. The crust was floury and undercooked as well, very unappetizing.
We ordered the spinach garlic bread as an appetizer, which on the menu stated it was garlic bread with a spinach and herb topping with marinara on the side. We received a dish that was basically small slices of nasty garlic bread with spinach/artichoke dip in the middle, very heavy/creamy, not at all how it was described on the menu. As I write this I'm realizing that our waiter probably brought us spinach/artichoke dip instead of what we ordered, which just solidifies my 2 star rating.
Definitely not worth a trip to Lincoln Park. -
Review from Jimie D.
Boulder, CO
12/30/2010
Obsessed! Best stuffed cheese pizza in Chicago. Delivery time is 1 hour or longer.. Rome wasn't built in a day. Plan ahead and order before you're hungry.
I've also eaten inside the restaurant and the owner and all the staff are super friendly. I asked about a type of bottled beer I've never had before, which tells you how varied their beer menu is, and the waiter promptly gave me samples until I found one I loved! -
Review from Ruthie B.
Chicago, IL
11/15/2011
The stuffed portabello's were UH-mazing! The best I've had in a long time! Unfortunately, they butchered the caprese salad. How does one butcher a caprese salad you ask? Easily. The tomatoes had no flavor. The mozzarella was old. The basil was brown, and the balsamic vinaigrette was less a liquid and more a solid. No joke. Totally solid. Had I ordered the caprese first, I wouldn't have eaten the portabellos. The quality of such a simple dish was really disturbing. Never going back.
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Review from Maggie K.
Chicago, IL
8/16/2011
We went on a Sunday afternoon. It was so hot in there we were sticking to the booth seats. There was no air circulation. Pizza took an extremely long time to come out and there was only one other table needing service. We had to request the Parmesan cheese - duh, that goes on pizza. The drinks were not offered to be refilled and the pizza just ended up being 'okay'. I am not returning here and am bummed about my experience.
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Review from Toni D.
4/3/2011
I worked for Bacinos at the Taste of Chicago 2 summers in a row. This is where it all started for me. I'm also a native Chicagoan, so yes I love deep dish pizza. This is in my top 5 places to go for deep dish pizza. Bacino's has both awesome deep dish and thin crust. Lots of cheese and a tasty pizza sauce. My favorite is the deep dish spinach pizza!
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Review from raheela k.
Los Angeles, CA
8/2/2010 2 photos
I am truly, truly sad right now because as I write this review I know it'll be months before the spinach supreme can grace this mouth again.
One unassuming Friday morning my friends and I departed from LAX, having no idea of the wonders that lay ahead. Amidst all the hassle in ensuring that we made our flight, we all neglected to eat breakfast. Several hours later we arrived at O'Hare, with the weakest of the bunch ready to pass out from the hunger pangs. "Please!" he cried, wanting anything from any number of the places we passed in the airport. Too bad for him, I run a tight ship and nobody shall be subjected to airport food when we were so close to getting out. So with promises of sustenance, I ushered everyone to the rental car shuttle and we were off - with me busily trying to find us some Chicago pizza deliciousness on my handy dandy Yelp for iPhone app.
Eventually, I settled on Bacino's as a result of the reviews and relative proximity to our hotel on Michigan Ave (apparently 5 miles in Chicago is a lot more than 5 miles in LA.)
We ordered the large Spinach Supreme and an order of the breaded mushrooms. We figured it would be enough for the 3 ravenous fools. Well, we were right. We had that pizza around 4 in the afternoon, despite the fact that I was starving I was only able to have 1 slice. After eating to our hearts' content, we still had half the pizza left (which worked out perfectly for post Rush Street noshing.)
The Spinach Supreme left me happier than Popeye could have ever been and I felt just as rejuvenated. -
Review from Marisol C.
San Diego, CA
6/26/2009 4 photos
As I'm typing my review and sitting on the bed eating a slice of Bacino's stuffed pizza, my friend turns the channel to Oprah telling overweight kids- "You are not alone..."
Nice.
Anywho, called in a dine in order for a medium stuffed pizza
-half Spinach Surpreme (spinach with bacino's special blend of cheeses herbs and spices - fresh mushrooms optional at no additional charge)
-half Bacino's Special (italian sausage, fresh mushrooms, green peppers and onions)
Upon arrival, we ordered a pitcher of soda ($4.95) and I decided to try their Friday $5 mojito...but they were out of lime *wompwompwomp*
I asked Lizette (our server) what she'd recommend and she said some sort of martini (it says on the bill 1 Xrated Flirtini, but I don't think that's what it was).
My take on the food:
-I normally eat the crust first (to get the worst out of the way) but the crust was actually good.
-There were 3 of us and after one slice we were stuffed (no pun intended)
-Martini was too sour/bitter. I only finished half of it (I dunno if it's supposed to be that way since it was my first martini ever. At least it looked pretty)
It was my friend's birthday, and they comped a Tiramisu with a lit candle on top
Cool place- except for the sketch restroom (with the sensor paper towel dispenser that tricks you into thinking it will work but doesn't)
Highly recommended :) -
Review from Lola T.
Chicago, IL
3/27/2009
Best stuffed pizza in the city...Any of the Bacino chains are hands down my favorite pizza in the city. Their stuffed spinach supreme with fresh mushrooms (optional) is to die for. I love the flavorful crust and fresh tomato sauce. All of the i
I have yet to find a stuffed pizza that beats Bacino's taste and quality.
My friend and I ordered delivery from this location a few weeks ago. The pizza arrived in a timely fashion and met all of my expectations.Listed in: I'm a pizza connoisseur
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Review from Kevin L.
12/19/2007 7 photos
I've said it before and I'll say it again. The thing I miss most about not living in Chicagoland anymore is the deep dish pizza. And places like Bacino's just bring back to me all of the reasons why I miss it so much.
Walking into this place, there's clearly no pretension here. It's not that Bacino's is dumpy, it's that it's comfortable. It's not chic or suave or sassy - it's just simple and earthy and natural. It says, "We're down with who we are, and we have no need or desire to be like anyone else" with the modest conviction of a humble rock star.
The ambiance is just the beginning. As other Yelpers have already mentioned, the spinach special stuffed pizza is crazy delicious. It was good the first time. It was still good as leftover breakfast the next morning. We also got a stuffed Bacino's special (sausage, bell peppers, mushrooms, and more). Between six big eaters, those two large pizzas were way more than we could finish off - in fact, we had a half a pizza left over in the end!
As we were waiting on our pizzas (which took about half an hour to cook up - pretty standard for deep dish), one of the operating partners, John, stopped by to talk with us about beer. It's apparent that he's got a great passion on the subject. Apparently Bacino's is one of the biggest buyers of Rogue Ales in the Chicagoland area.
Briefly after John left us to our own devices, he stopped by to share two little tasting glasses of one of the Rogues: the Santa's Private Reserve. It was a truly generous, unexpected gesture and it was some really interesting beer! One of our dining companions ended up getting a glass of it. I, of course, was already feeling pretty darn good from the one beer I'd had already, so I passed. Frigging yellow genes (grumble, mumble). Otherwise, I'd totally have gone for it.
If I still lived in the Chicago area, Bacino's would definitely be on my short list of "locals." Great brew, great service, and even better deep dish. Thankfully, I'm an out-of-towner now, or I'd probably be a couple dozen pounds fatter than I already am!Listed in: Chicagoland Food
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Review from Valerie M.
Matteson, IL
6/18/2011
I get this whenever I'm at the taste it's the first restaurant when you leave the ticket booth. Oh my gosh the sausage and spinach is so good.
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Review from Thomas W.
1/9/2009
Those of you who read my review of Hot Lips Pizza in Portland, OR know that I used to live in Chicago, and that the one thing I really, REALLY miss is Chicago pizza. I can't even specify deep-dish anymore, because truth be told, I haven't even had a decent slice of thin crust since moving to the West Coast. Call me pretentious all you like, but ChiTown is the ONLY town for the best pie. And the best of the best?
Bacino's, hands down. (Where does that phrase even come from? Guess I have some Wiki surfing to do after I type this up...anyway...)
I could go on and on about the fresh, aromatic dough that forms the light-yet-crisp crust, the 100% natural gooey, plentiful and creamy mozarella, thick, spicy pepperonis, and (oh good LORD, the things I miss the most...) rich, cooked-to-perfection sauce. (To all Chicagoans reading this review: you have NO idea what atrocities are utilized as sauce out here! I swear to you, one place actually uses stewed tomatoes!)
This is the pinnacle of pizza perfection - and any stuffings that you can think of are of similar quality and VAST quantity - biting into a Bacino's deep dish is like biting into an edible treasure chest, all of the flavors are balanced so perfectly that you can taste each, and yet somehow they exist as one single entity of flavor. How is a mystery, but one that I am more than willing to let go - just please please please keep it going...and maybe open a joint out here in PDX so I can finally show the natives what pizza is meant to be?
I have to wrap this up...I'm jonesing for that which I cannot have, and it is actually starting to depress me. Chicagoans, you truly are blessed by the pizza gods. -
Review from Johnny T.
9/7/2009
Ok. O-KAY, Chicago. You win. All deep-dish isn't the food of the devil, fit only to feed the likes of those "The Hills" dimwits (the blond ones; you know who I am talking about). I have spent five years gagging, avoiding and bad-mouthing Chicago stuffed pizza. And, then I came to Bacino's and had the stuffed Spinach.
"Mmm. Pretty tasty. I haven't had to gag yet. Wait...no, false alarm." I was even able to eat two bites without chasing it with a mouthful of beer. For me, for stuffed pizza, that's a huge deal.
I am not going to eschew (haha) thin crust, BUT if I have to eat stuffed pizza, I know where to go. My only remaining question - why does it take longer to get a stuffed spinach pizza than it does to get the filet mignon at Gibson's? On second thought, I might be back to being afraid of stuffed pizza again.Listed in: Lincoln Park!, Pizza zig-a-zig-ahh
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Review from Liza B.
Chicago, IL
7/3/2008
After many years of eating pizza from the Bacino's stand at the Taste, I have finally visited the actual restaurant. It was empty when I walked in and the vibe was so mellow. The music that they played, the waitress's voice wasn't irritating...I don't know how this place could be so perfect.
I felt like I was at home....no scratch that, it was way more serene than being at home. It was like I was at a spa and the pizza was masseuse. I ordered the thin crust cheese pizza as usual. So good. The garlic bread with mozzarella cheese on top was delicious and the lasagna was pretty good as well.
Let me tell you the truth now before you're misleaded, Giordano's, Italian Fiesta, and definitely Uno's and Gino's do not stand a chance against Bacino's. The service was great, the pizza was great, the waitress was great, and the seats felt soft and comfortable. After being there for two hours and crying when I had to leave, I decided that I will eventually return to eat at Bacino's again.
And please do not waste your time trying to get a seat at Bella Bacino's on Michigan and Wacker in the summertime, it's crowded as hell.Listed in: Top Restaurants
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Review from Justin B.
Chicago, IL
8/1/2007
The search for the perfect thin crust has ended! I can't give my normal AFA, but for takeout, here we go:
FOOD: This pizza takes the cake. I used to be a purist: only deep dish for me. Well after co-occupying space with a thin cruster, I've learned to appreciate the pizza. We first tried this place while at Taste of Chicago -- their stuffed-spinach pizza is worth trying for sure. We had a taste for pizza one night and ordered. And we are quite thankful we did.
Like other posters have said, the crust, sauce, cheese and toppings are the perfect blend of sweet, savory, crunchy and just plain goodness. I think what separates this place from other pizza joints is the crust. Too many places can't get the crust right, but this place seems to have dough that has just the right amount of salt and they bake it just the right amount of time to get the crust perfectly flaky and crunchy throughout. If you can get the crust right on a thin crust, well, you've got a helluva start.
To date, I've had the stuffed spinach, a stuffed spinach and sausage, thin crust sausage, thin crust pepperoni, and plain cheese. My top would definitely be the stuffed spinach and sausage. Wowsa!
These guys even deliver north of Belmont for those of you in Lake View, which isn't always a given with places south of Fullerton. In any event, give this place a try, especially if you haven't found your "to die for" place yet!
