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Chicago (Red)
Mon-Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
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The staff is nice, the food is CONSISTENT, and I just think their deep dish has a little something different than some of their competitors. No need to get all technical and go crazy with detail. You're going there for the pizza and it is GOOD and never disappoints.
I don't know why I can't give them 5 stars - but they are a solid 4.
Yeah, Giordano's is a Chicago legend. Yeah, I need to always take out-of-towners here. Yeah, I don't really like deep dish or stuffed pizza much. Yeah, I need to always announce to them that Giordano's is not deep dish, but rather stuffed pizza, another Chicago classic.
That being said, I much prefer the Loop location! This one is too touristy, too loud, the service isn't good at all (I wish they did made a little more of an attempt to be nice to out-of-towners). The wait here is often more insane, the place itself is loud and crazy.
So given that Giordano's cannot be avoided, I pick the Loop location over the River North location!
I was SO excited to try my first real chicago deep dish and the food certainly delivered! The pizza was great! We ordered a small with broccoli, pepperoni and green peppers - it was great!
BUT (could you tell there was a but coming?) the service was terrible. We arrived and the host was nice, told us to order the pizza while we were waiting for the table - bartender was ok but once we got to our table, the waitress came over after about 15 minutes, seriously! 15 minutes sitting at a table? how did she know we weren't waiting for an appetizer? I was so pissed. Once she came over, she was very unfriendly, didn't introduce herself and wasn't so helpful at all.
I try to give the benefit of the doubt to waitstaff (having waited tables for years, i know how the game works) but she was pretty terrible. Once we left, the manager was at the door and didn't even say thanks for coming. I wouldn't rush back here.
I like thin crust pizza. But before I get Yelp rocks thrown at me, I am proud to say I dove in whole heartedly into a famous deep dish with no signs of slowing. We got a stuffed cheese and sausage pizza and it was divine. The crust was amazing (like a pie crust and dinner roll) and it was a perfect compliment to the ooey gooeyness of the cheese.
The spaghetti and meatballs should also be noted. Yes, I ate that too. In the same sitting. We went at 3:30p and didn't have to wait very long to get seated, served or to dig in.
As far as deep dish pizza goes, Giordano's is absolute tops. The flavors are outstanding, with a great crust and sauce that compliments the flavor well. Portions are perfect, with not too much sauce or too much cheese, its nice when you're not being smacked over the head by an overdose of a particular flavor.
The service at Giordano's is significantly better than the other big pizza chains. Even when its really busy, as it always is, it seems like we're well attended to and treated very well.
The biggest problem with Giordano's is that there is always a wait of at least an hour or more, unless you get there for lunch right when they open. They won't take reservations, so you have to wait around all night for it, so its not something I frequent. But if you want the best deep dish pizza around, Giordano's is the place to go, if you can stand the wait.
OK, so two stuffed pizza places in two nights may mean I never make it back to my wife alive, but hey, what ya gonna do, it's Chicago babay. After many varied recommendations by former Chicagoans we headed here just to try ad compare the original, tha real deal.
Bunch of us split a spinach stuffed and yes it was damn tasty, nice crunchy crust that held together, solid layers of natural goodness in the middle. The place is a little more tacky/touristy than say Due was but it's much bigger and feels like a large pizza place that's been around a while. Have to say this place made good pie but also made me realize that Zach's is actually pretty hard to beat in Cali.
Prefer Due for atmosphere and much cooler/friendlier staff but the pie is def worth a visit here.
Probably the second best Chicago pizza I have had after Lou Malnati's.
Its a little thicker and cheesier, and the crust isn't as good (I think the crust is the key at Lou's), but it is still an excellent example of Chicago deep dish. I would probably give it a 5, but I have gotten orders where the cheese was sometimes just too overwhelming. It doesn't seem to be the most consistent place.
Giordano's at one time was a decent Chicago pizza, today it's always different and always changing. Not a favorite of mine or even a place I send tourists to. It's a pizza hype. Their pizza is average.
This location's best is that its in the city, its busy and that's it.
I did not enjoy Chicago's deep dish pizza at all.
Love the city, not the pizza.
I ordered the individual personal pan pizza with mushrooms and it was pretty awful. The crust dominated the flavor and taste of the pizza and overwhelmed the cheese and mushrooms. The waitress was nice, but she was neglectful at times. I had the clam chowder and it was nice and hearty soup. The wait is the hardest part about this place. I had to wait 30 mins for a table because I was interested in trying a taste of Chicago. I guess you live and you learn. I don't think I will be ordering a stuffed pizza ever again when I'm in Chicago.
Besides the 45 minute wait, Giordano was a pretty awesome Chicago pizza experience. Piping hot deep crust with fresh veggies, sausage, and tons of gooey mozzarella. Crust is crisp on the outside and warm and soft inside. It was so good I actually ate half of an XL which has to be at least 5000 calories. I then inevitably passed out on the subway to Wrigley, succumbing to the food coma.
My boyfriend and I went to lunch here today, to take a break from eating at our regular pizzeria, Lou Malnati's on Wells St, and afterwards, we decided to never take a break from going to Lou's again! The service at this Giordano's was lousy, our waiter was not friendly at all, and he hardly paid attention to us. My boyfriend practically had to wave his arms in the air at the waiter to get another bottle of beer! We got seated at 11:10am, and didn't leave until a little after 1:00pm. We waited nearly 40 minutes for a SMALL STUFFED SAUSAGE AND PEPPERONI PIZZA. Seriously, people?? WTF?! This place is so overrated and undeserving of its praise for having good "Chicago stuffed pizza". Tourists don't realize they are wasting their time waiting in line to eat at this place. A total disappointment. Shape up, Giordano's! You gotta represent Chicago properly!
The service here is horrible! We were soo excited to eat here bc of the awesome reviews...I am sitting at the table still in the restaurant and it has been over an hr since we gave 'preordered' our pizzas. Our waitress was not friendly whatsoever! After asking her if our pizza is ready after waiting 40+ minutes, she said it's not ready wo even going to check on it. 20+ min later she comes up to us and tells us they had forgot to make 2 of our 3 pizzas. Ugh...ok...so she brings out the one pizza that was made and it was cold. Cold. We told her and she asked if we want it heated up. Omg...are u freakin serious??? U have got to be kidding me...they r making our pizzas 'as fast as possible'...it's been over 30 minutes already. Sooo frustrating...
Chicago pizza just isnt my thing, and Giordanos is not even one of the better chicago pizzas. Too much everything. Too much crust, too much sauce, and just smothered (strangled really) with WAY too much cheese, and im someone who has never said the words "too much cheese" in one sentence before.
I'll pass.
Oh, the ooey gooey goodness of steaming hot cheese! I ordered a small special that included, crumbled sausage, mushrooms, green peppers, and sweet onions. The pie is presented on a riser set at eye level just for you to marvel at this simple, yet perfect culinary creation. As I am being served the first slice I am getting excited about what is in store for my tastebuds.The slightly tart smelling sauce teased my senses. I take my first bite and close my eyes savoring the explosion of flavors filling my mouth. The best part was the crispy crust. It had a hint of cornmeal and light taste of olive oil. The staff was very friendly and helpful. My only waning is it takes 45 mins for you ZA so don't order the deep dish if you are in a hurry.
The best Chicago pizza in the world. Nothing more to say, it's perfect.
This place currently has a yelp average of 4 stars... Which leads me to believe that either only idiots, or people who don't know what good pizza taste like are reviewing it.
Really? Really????????? You people truly believe that this place is what deep dish is about? If I were to Yelp Chicago, you would all lose a star for even having this place open.
Basically, if you like large layers of flour encrusted cheese with marinara on top, then I think this is your place. But if you like REAL pizza then please stray far from this tourist trap. I was a tourist coming here... so I should know. Especially after talking to natives who laughed at me for even going to this joke of a pizza place.
Anyways... it wasn't the worst pizza ever... but my god... I can't believe they haven't been sued for causing a million heart attacks. And to be honest... i can melt my own cheese in flour with marinara on top.
Did I mention that there is usually a 30 minute to hour long wait? And BTW, they are ALL tourists. No true native would ever wait for this shit.
And one more thing... I am pretty sure that I will never eat a deep dish pizza again after experiencing this crap. It has ruined me. Wayyyy to heavy, wayyyy to much cheese, and wayyyy lacking on quality.
Jesus Christ... you guys are making a killing off of first timers huh?
Well... I'll be straight up... your deep dish blows, and your lack of quality in the ingredients shows.
On the plus side, the service was pretty good and everyone was nice. The atmosphere is good, and you are obviously staying open for some reason.
Anyways, sorry... but you really were the worst ever. Oh and thanks for making me have gas for a week. Yikes.
Cause you're sweeter than apple pie
Everything that you want you got
Girl you know that you need to stop
Most beautiful thing in sight...at GIORDANO's PIZZERIA! - Colby o' Donis (What you got)
This is the very first thing we ate when we came to Chicago. It was on my list of places to try and it was conveniently located two blocks from our hotel. The waiting time for this place in the afternoon was crazy! They let you order your pizza before you even sit down (which is kinda neat because it saves you time since it takes 30 mins+ to make) but it didn't really seem like we saved much time because we probably waited for 45 mins+ on a non-weekend lunch and even after sitting, it took another 15 mins for the pizza to come. Either way, we couldn't wait for true chicago-style pizza and after the hour wait...it probably wasn't worth it.
We were extremely hungry and if you're extremely hungry, almost anything tastes AT LEAST good. Maybe chicago pizza isn't my thing either, it has alot of cheese and you eat it like a pie. I do have to compliment the crust because it was delicious but i wish i found out how good it was by itself before the end of the meal. (towards the end when i was getting full i just pealed off the pie crust and ate that)
All in all, its really filling and if you look around at the tables around you, almost no one finishes their pizza so whatever you think you'll be able to eat, order 1 size smaller than that and you'll be good. At least I got to say i've had chicago style pizza - you silly silly food.
Food: 3 stars --- Service: 3 stars --- Atmosphere: 3 stars --- Price: 3.5 stars
"It was good, but it wasn't like omigawddd good".
-TW
Long wait yet efficient in that the restaurant allows you to pre-order you pizza while you wait. Downside: cold pizza :/
I ordered a pizza split into 2 choices: combination & Hawaiian. These pizzas are filled and gushing out CHEESE!!! But what about the marinara sauce? The sauce department was lacking big time.
Service was weak sauce. Har har!
This is what Chicago pizza is all about.
On more than one occasion, I have found myself compelled to order takeout from this place, and I live an hour away from their nearest location.
Yes, I have in fact, crossed the state line to get this pizza. Definitely not something I would want to eat every day - or even every month. No, I prefer my arteries unclogged, but man, whenever I'm in the mood for Chicago-style pizza, there really is no other choice.
The biggest drawback is the wait. There have been several times where I have been in the area and thought "Hey! Let's get Giordano's to bring home" but unless you've got an hour to just sit around, that's really not an option because it takes that long to bake. So, after years of trial and error, usually what we do is get in the car, begin the drive to IL and call on the way. The pizza is done by the time we get there and we just warm it up a little when we get back home. The whole process takes some planning, but it's well worth it! This is a 2-3 times per year ordeal but we just don't have ANYTHING that comes close to this level of pizza-y goodness where I live.
Yes, I was a tourist.
No, I had never had "real" deep dish Chicago pizza.
Did I like it? Not really. The ingredients just didn't taste like quality for me. The small size was more than enough for 2 people to share...the bf and I had one slice left over and at the thought of eating it later, we didn't even want to take it home (a major shock for us!)
I won't return here, and I wouldn't recommend it to other people.
Great deep-dish pizza. Be prepared for a long wait. First you order and then you are seated an then your pizza is served about an hour later. But yum.
This is the one and only Giordano's I've been to.
I went with high expectations after hearing about their famed Chicago-style deep dish pizza, but was disappointed and found it quite pedestrian.
Next time I'm in Chicago, I'd rather try the original Uno's.
This is Chicago pizza.
If you are looking for the best pizza in town - this is it!
The End.
After walking around downtown Chicago for an eternity searching for this place, we finally found it. It was to be my first taste of Chicago style pizza.
We had to wait for a table but we got to pre-order the pizza so we wouldn't have to wait long. or so we thought. After about 15 minutes we were seated. It was almost another hour before the pizza finally came out.
I was not that impressed with the pizza. It was ok. I thought the crust was aiiiite. We asked for ranch and the waitress asked "For your crust?" No biatch, its for the whole damn pizza cause thats how us Californians roll!
Pizza like this is not worth waiting an hour for, even if the company was okat best. JK, Bella!
When it comes to Chicago-style deep dish pizza, there are a handful of famous names that are tried and true. Many of them (including Uno, Gino's, and Malnati's) are well-known far beyond the city limits. Another powerhouse in the Chicago pizza scene is Giordano's.
There are 13 locations in the city and twice as many in the suburbs. Each of them look a little bit different from the rest, but you can usually expect to find red-and-white checkered tablecloths, wood-backed chairs, silver-topped red-pepper and parmesan shakers, and exposed brick. The Rush Street location (just off Michigan Avenue) has two floors and is a popular tourist destination. Admittedly though, it's been quite a while since I've actually been to a Giordano's restaurant, because I usually just order in.
A surprising rarity among pizzerias, both the thin-crust and deep-dish are excellent here. The thin crusts are cut into squares (none of that New-York triangle business) and come with plenty of cheese. The deep dishes are the heavyweight champs and take a little over a half-hour to bake. And remember, these 'pies' are thick and heavy, so it's not likely you will get through more than one or two slices. Be sure to bring plenty of friends, or you'll be taking home plenty of leftovers. Not that that's a bad thing.
I saw this place on the Travel Channel and initially didn't plan on eating here. But when we came across the restaurant while exploring downtown, I went crazy and coerced my brother and cousins to eat!
We all planned on trying the famous Chicago deep dish pizza and for some reason we ordered the vegetarian deep dish. I'm not completely sure why we did that, but it didnt' matter! The 2.5 inch thick PIE was so full of vegetables that midway through the pizza my brother asked: "oh shoot, there's no meat in this huh... why am I so full?" After two slices each we still had a fourth of the pizza left and found ourselves in a complete 'food-coma.' Poor waiter, had to put up with our consistent 'can I have more ice?' for nearly 45 minutes after we finished eating! Haha...
Personally I'm a thin-crust pizza kind of girl, not that I'm watching my weight I just like that crisp-crust-crunch but this pizza was eye-opening!
So overall, DELICIOUS!!!
Went here for a late night bite after a cocktail reception for some "real food." It was really good. The staff was very friendly and accomodating to our large group (11 people).
The food was really good. It was my first time trying Chicago style pizza and it was really good. I had cheese stuffed with pepperonii, sausage and jalapenos. Not too expensive, with a couple pitchers of beer it came to $13 a person.
I'd go back if I was in the area again.
When I told people that I was stopping in Chicago for the night while on my road trip, I was told to make sure I ate a deep dish pizza. I have never had a deep dish pizza, let alone see one in person, so I was intrigued. Giordano's was one of the places that was suggested so I thought I would check it out since I was in the neighborhood. The place was packed, people waiting outside and at the bar inside. I was told it would be a 45 minute wait but I could order my pizza while I waited so that I wouldn't have to wait so long once I got my table. I thought this idea was genius because I was already pretty hungry was wondering if I should go somewhere else where the wait wasn't so long. I'm glad I stayed.
After a few drinks, we got our table where the waitress took our order for bread sticks and the Greek salad. The atmosphere was great. There was all sorts of photos of famous people from Chicago and the place was still pretty popping. Our Greek salad was tasty. Nice creamy feta and real anchovies on top too. Our pizza arrived not too long after.
We ordered the special which had sausage, onions, green peppers and pepperoni. I thought it was amazing! The crust didn't taste like the regular pizza crust I was used to. It had a different texture too. I like how it was still cheese in the middle but wasn't soggy and actually held it's shape when it was on my plate, like a piece of pie.
We ordered the 10-in and that seemed to be perfect size for three people, especially if you get bread sticks and salad before. I can't wait to visit Chicago again so I can try other types of deep dish pizza!
I am glad to have crossed this off my "Things to do while in Chicago" list!
No reservations. We arrived on a Saturday afternoon =( Bad idea, unless you like 2 hr waits. I suggest coming after the rush like 3pm-5pm.
The pizza was huge and super cheesy!! we got the stuffed supreme and i loved the tomato sauce on top. but unfortunately it didn't do it for me. I think I'm a die hard Zachary's fan (Berkeley, Ca).
but I would most definitely come back here when I return to Chi-town.
I'm not a big deep-dish pizza fan so take that into account when reading my review but the pizza was fine. We ate at the bar since the wait was 40-50 minutes which when added to the 40 minute wait to cook the pizza makes for too long of a wait!
It's not a pie that I would order all the time but maybe every once in awhile.
This is possibly my most ambiguous review ever. Nothing really excited me here, nor did anything turn me off.
We had Giordano's. The next day we got some eating tips from a Chicago restaurant insider telling us that Uno's is better. Darn.
Not that Giordano's was bad. The pizza was decent. I would've liked a bit more red sauce on my pizza, but otherwise tasty.
The wait was long, but shorter than expected. I'll explain: We got there on a Saturday night at about 730. They said the wait was about 1 hour 15 minutes for the 2 of us. But in the end, we were seated at about the 35 minute mark.
You order your while you wait for your seat. The pizza itself is said to take about 35 minutes to cook. So if they time things right, you have a hot pizza ready as you are seated. Interesting system. Doesn't really add or detract from the experience.
Our service was mediocre too. Not bad.
Generally, everything was ok. Nothing notable, for better or worse.
My first time trying deep dish in Chicago and it was delicious. We got the special, sausage, pepperoni, peppers, and olives. Plus the table cloth matched my shirt!
Giordano's embodies the word, "excess." I can't say that their pizza is a perfectly contrived masterpiece. In fact, all of the constituents of the pizza are rather generic. There's no denying that having a few bites can be very pleasurable, but the excessive cheese overflowing from the sides and the expansive feeling of the dough in your stomach makes you feel gross. I think it's a decent place to take some kids who really want to indulge in cheese-like fantasies, but serious adult pizza eaters will find the pizza excessive and silly.
Ironically, the pizza was the best part. Did you know that if you get a super-veggie pizza and say, "no mushrooms," they will charge you more? I kid you not. I have never heard of anything so ridiculous in my life. Not only that, all the employees had a serious attitude problem. I can see why. If you're there in the middle of the Near North Side and you have hordes of hungry tourists to keep your business running, you have no reason to treat the customers well. They're not looking to keep regulars, they're looking to feed ravenous and naive tourists. To top everything off, I had to wait for the 40 minute pizza twice. The first time, the mouth-breathing food runner gave my food to a group of Indians who decided to take our food despite the fact that they ordered something completely different. At least the managers did comp the pizza, if they hadn't done that, I would be furious. I wasted most of my night sitting and waiting for a second pizza which was mediocre at best. I wouldn't recommend anyone to come here because you will leave feeling like a complete douche bag for wasting your time and money there.
I was looking for the Chicago pizza experience and got just that with Giordano's. The wait for a table is usually very long, it was about 45 minutes for us, so we got our pizza to go. The pizza was very tasty but also very very filling. Without a doubt the best deep dish pizza I've had. Of the popular Chicago pizzerias this was the only one I was able to try, so I can't yet compare to Gino's East or Lou Malnati's.
Classic traditional Chicago pizza spot. Pretty good deep dish. 3.75 stars.
Cost to worth it ratio: 3 ($20 for small)
Highlights:
- Deep dish special: fresh tomatoes on too with hidden sausage, green peppers and onions within. Comes with mushrooms too but we skipped those. Working your way to the bottom you'll find a thick layer of cheese and a pastry base. If that's not enough dough, you still have the über thick crust which manages to be crispy and chewy at the same time.
- Bar area: crowded section to wait in. They have some fun cocktails like the Italian screwdriver (vodka, amaretto, grapefruit and orange juice). Bring ids to the bar, as they card everyone.
- Ordering process: put your name in, order your pizza at the counter, and wait for your name to be called. Streamlines the process a bit--when you sit down your pizza is not far behind.
Lowlights:
- A bet there are better pies. This one was good, but didn't knock my socks off.
Good start to our Chicago eating tour--we'll be looking around town for more pizza eats.
Delicioussssss.
Ordered a small stuffed pizza with a greek salad, but the salad was not greek... it came with some sort of vinaigrette and real anchovies... Odd.
Everyone in the group loved it!!! We waited forever for our food, even though we placed our food order right after we put our names in. That was a cool way of ordering. Their Chicago style deep dish was amazing. Real cheesy, but amazing. At this point though, we were just so freakin hungry we probably would've given anything they brought 5 stars!
Still, I'm really glad I took our group here. Good choice.
What can I say, it is the heaviest pizza that you'll ever consume. You'll be hungry as hell when it arrives because it takes 30-60 minutes for them to cook the pie for you. So, maybe you should go here with 3-5 people and get yourself an appetizer. Normal people should be ok with an appetizer and a small pizza to split for three people. If you like the american giant meal, make that a medium pizza and you'll probably end up with left over crust.
This is a hard place to eat if you are eating alone. If you do go alone expect to have at least an extra slice or two to take home with you to eat for breakfast or lunch the next day.
Another shock for some people eating this type of pizza for the first time is the price, your smallest pie will run you 20+ bucks, that's normal, and lets face it with a pound of cheese on that pie...what do you expect?
wuts the hype? wheres the taste? i poured oregano and parmesian, and of course tabasco, but couldnt get taste out of the fat bread covered in stuff. it wasnt bad but like i said, wuts the hype? it is a chicago staple to try though, the experience was kind of cool, waiting in line for 45 minutes. i had my first chicago 312 brew here while i waited though.
You can't go wrong with a pizza that's an inch thick made of cheese and sausage.
As an out-of-towner, I had to go. World-famous pizza. Great antipasto. Big Cokes. It won't let ya down.
Only reason it isn't 5 stars is because I haven't been to Pizzeria Uno or Lou Malnati's, so I can't directly compare. YET.
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