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Wed-Sat. 5:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
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This really was the best thin pizza i've had, made so by the excellent, flavorful crust and a cheese unlike any I've ever had. We had an amusing time at the communal table. Highly recommended. Also loved the desserts from hot chocolate.
**But, luckily, didn't sit next to anyone named Tiffan(i) who apparently budges people in line? Hmm...
Yes- the Alan Richman GQ article made me curious. I have been waiting months to finally experience the supposed Holy Grail of pizza that is Great Lake. Let me first say I was taken by the charm of this simplistic small spot that you would think would be off a roadside in some small rural area. The charm was certainly there. Although, like a superhyped movie you heard was a "not to miss" my expectations were built -the stage was set- could Great Lake REALLY be all that it has been pumped up to be? Let me first say I wanted to like this place I really did. I respect the owners for having a passion for their pizza and for using locally grown fresh ingredients. I get that. I admire that. But as you may have heard or read in the many well written reviews there is a disconnect here. I'll explain- Inviting people into your creation your "dining room" so to speak is serious business. You are essentially asking someone to fork over the hard earned cash (especially now) for a pleasant food experience which does not limit itself to supplying just a good pizza. Its a package experience that I believe if I pay good money for I hope the proprietor agrees with this ideal.
The experience we had yesterday evening was awkward. There were no friendly greetings no smiles nothing that would welcome you and get you excited for what you were about to eat. After all you are at Great Lake! Now, instead you are like saying to yourself-"Self what have I done already to illicit such an ice cold greeting?? I am a friendly gal with a great big heartwarming smile! Then you talk your self down and say "I am an informed yelp consumer I knew that this was going to be like this so lets move on and just eat some good pizza".
We ordered their Tomato basil and also their Cremini pizza. We made friends with a man whom swapped a slice of his chorizo pizza for our Tomato basil. We thought the ingredients were fresh and tasty. However the crust was bland cooked at some points and soggy in others. I think since we were there before 5 and the first people to order I suspect the oven was not hot enough yet. Anyhow during our experience I had showed a video clip on my Blackberry to my friend and yes you could here the sound a bit anyhow the owner came from behind the counter to tell her to turn it off in the rudest of ways. Yes I understand people have strong feelings about cell phone usage so my bad on this one. But it was just the way it was said to a grown woman. My friend felt awful and I felt offer for her. Soon after another friend joined us and I moved a bench about 6 inches over to our table and gave my friend her chair. The wife stormed over and said "We have a way of doing things here" abruptly moved the bench I moved back 6 whole inches and let us wait til she retrieved a folding chair. Well I thought yes you do have a way of doing things here now don't you? At the end of my meal I paid the $60 tab (incl tip for both Pizzas) and actually received a smile from the owner while he was in mid pizza creation and I thought he cant be a bad guy does he get whats not right here? Does he care? As I contemplated that small glitter of almost hospitality I proceeded to thank his wife. Her response was "SURE". SURE! SURE?? No my pleasure- thank you- please come again??? No none of that. So in conclusion I prefer not to tell readers of my reviews to avoid places as you dont want to rob someone of an experience that could otherwise be different for them BUT you want to inform then to prepare them. Will I go back to Great Lake.. Sure....NOT.
My suggestion is travel South on Clark to the new Nella Napoletana (see review) or try Trattoria D.O.C. in Evanston for a much better pizza and better service. Gosh I really wanted to like this place.....
We heard that getting a seat at Great Lake on a Friday night would be an impossibility ... we went anyway. We put our name in and gave them our cell number. The owner suggested that we wander around Andersonville and they'd give us a ring when our table was ready. Sure enough 45 min. later (after a few drinks down the street) we were in and seated.
This place is incredibly unique and the pizza totally rivals that of Spacca Napoli. Though I believe it to be in it's own league altogether. The fresh farm salad was incredible, the pizza blew my mind, the locally made the ice-cream afterwards was delicious and the service was delightful. Go expecting to wait and make a night of it, you won't regret it!
First of all :
THIS IS THE BEST PIZZA IN THE WORLD !
It is not even pizza. You cannot get pizza this good anywhere. It is beyond pizza. This is food for the Gods.
Second of all:
You may have read a review above by a sad and horrible and ugly
( personality ) woman named carolyn. She says nice things about the pizza but complains about the ambiance of the main table. She is so wrong! The main table is so much fun. You meet so many nice people ,except of course,by her own admission, Caolyn. She fumed the whole time she sat with us. The man sitting with us was a gentleman. My boyfriend and I had a very pleasant conversation with this man... And carolyn is so stupid she does not know what she is talking about when she talks about "unauthorized practice of law".
After Alan Richman named this place as his top pizza place in Chicago, I became extremely curious of this unheard of little pizza shop. Granted, Alan Richman also had not placed a single deep dish or stuffed crust Chicago style pizza on his list, so I felt his list was far from perfect. But I still was curious...
Let me tell you, the curiosity that drove me to visit this little semi-modern pizza place was well rewarded. My roommate and I split a fresh mozz, tomato and basil pizza with garlic added on.
Positives: Phenomenally crisp crust with airy interior crust. Fresh and delicious ingredients that pop with each bite leaving you wanting for a little bit more flavor and hoping for more as you bite again. This is a really good pizza....
Negatives: $25 for pizza for two. Definitely higher end on the price, even as gourmet and good as it is, it seems a bit inflated. Also, easily 45+ minutes of waiting for food after ordering. Great since it was a nice evening out for me to chat with my roommate, but a long wait for pizza IMHO. Also, a very small shop limiting the possible options for seating. Unfortunately for me, the person sitting next to me that we had agreed to share a table with had some body odor that made the overall experience less pleasant... but most of that was forgotten with the fragrant smells and flavors of the pizza.
Verdict: This is definitely five star quality pizza, but the experience as a whole (time and cost) unfortunately reduce it to four stars. Some things are worth waiting for, and this pizza definitely is, just come with the appropriate expectations and you'll be fine. We plan to come back with our significant others to try some other flavors, as the smells in this pizza place are amazing.
Sasuage On My Mind.
Wait in Line, Cold Wind and Rain.
Swallowed "Airy" Pleasure.
The King doesn't like to wait.....but the rumors were intoxicating. There were warnings of peril, but whispers of a delicious satisfaction to be had.....could this be mine?
Would the promise of oral bliss be obtained?
I was nervous.....it would be my first time. I wasn't sure if I would know what to do. I was scared but excited. I took a deep breath and it hit me.
It was finally, going to happen. I licked my lips and braced myself...........
Then I went to Great Lake Pizza. I liked the pizza. I was happy to see sausage was an option. The ice cream was tasty, as well. Everyone was real nice and helpful. If you do not mind waiting a little, I would recommend it.
"Yay! I'm a fan."
Soo fantastic. $20 pizzas, $10 salads, corking fees of $3 for bottle of wine/$1 for 16 ounce beers (and if you are feeling brave, remind the proprietors that corking fees are illegal unless they have a liquor license, but I wouldn't because then they might take your pizza privileges away). We were seated immediately at around 5:20 on a Friday evening, so it was not the horrendous wait we were expecting. Great neighborhood, so if there is a wait you can traipse over to In Fine Spirits around the corner on Clark.
First, the food. M and I started with the salad, which sounds boring but was actually very delicious. It comes with a selection of sliced and diced in-season vegetables, including amazingly flavorful green tomatoes with a delightful mustard vinaigrette (there is another choice of dressing, a house-made ranch or something). A great starter to whet your appetite for the fresh ingredients on the pizza.
The pizza comes fresh from the oven, apparently always handmade from crust to toppings by the proprietor. It is well worth the wait, about 40 minutes (though we did get the salad after 20 minutes). There are three choices of pizza, and they all looked delicious--we had the #1. I can't remember all of the ingredients, I just remember a wonderful salty tomatoey fresh mozzarella-ey experience on a paper thin crust.
We finished things off with ice cream, which was good, but next time I'll just get my ice cream kicks at one of the many desert places on Clark that are open late and offer more flavor selections.
So, the food is great. What about everything else? The interior is very small, and sparse, with spartan shelves filled with a few foodstuffs and a table for six and a table for two. We didn't have to wait for a seat, but we were seated at the communal table. As I'm sure everyone knows, there are some risks to the trendy communal dining trend, and we were victims of this well-intentioned setting.
So, if you walk into Great Lake and someone tries to steal your spot, they're probably a bad person and you should take your pizza to-go instead of sitting down with them for a 40 minute wait and devouring of delicious pizza.
The main thing is, the pizza is amazing. Get it in your mouth some way or another.
My trip to Great Lake was one of the most SOCIALLY AWKWARD experiences I have ever had in my life! Good thing the pizza was so good....
Just as a public service announcement I think it is important to note: the people that work here act weird, there is no music to drown out the uncomfortableness, no one seems happy and even the smoothest of customers get nervous here. In short: get your pizza to go!!!!
Here was my plan: this little (read: tiny!) pizza place opens at 5:30pm. So, I thought in order to secure a table that getting there at 5:20pm we might be the first ones in line. Nope! There were a good 15 people in front of us. So then, by the time we got up to the counter all the inside & outside tables had been taken....
We proceed to order and the guy behind the counter says, "Okay, well, you can have a seat at this table here." It was a 6-top and there were 4 people at the table already. Those 4 people looked at me and my husband like, "oh hellllllz no, you aren't gonna sit here at the same table with us, are you?" I turn to the worker at the counter and say, "Um, that's okay, there are people sitting there, I think we'll just get the pizza to go." At which point, the counter guy leans closer to me, yet raises his voice and says, "It's a communal table!" I just started laughing b/c I was so nervous....
So then, once we decided that we were "carryout" people, the counter guy told us the pizza would be ready at 6:15pm. We did what alot of other reviewers did and hung out around Andersonville until time to pick up the pizza. If nothing else, the long waits for the pizza enables everyone to see what an awesome neighborhood Andersonville is!
Yet another awkward encounter as I picked up the pizza and the counter guy said, "Enjoy your pizza." But not in a normal way. It was very sinister, like, "I f-ing DARE you to enjoy your pizza, buddy." It was so weird that everyone in the restaurant turned to look at this lovely exchange between me, the counter guy, and my pizza. Those poor "dine-in" customers looked miserable too: cramped, listening to the sound of the workers making the pizza...everyone just staring at one another. Yikes. I'm glad I got the pizza to-go.
But for the pizza, it was good. I'm not sure if I agree with GQ magazine, but the pizza was good and the crust is spectactular. You can tell all the ingredients are locally grown...the tomatoes were extremely fresh and bonus points for using red + yellow tomatoes. Perhaps the best part is the generous use of olive oil to make the pizza very moist.
I will be back to Great Lake whenever I am in the mood for good pizza, with fresh tomatoes and social awkwardness.
The Dorsia of pizza, in Andersonville. My companion tricked me into going here. Not like I would ever turn down pizza. But he really can't stand waiting at all. So, while despite being ravenous he dragged me to Andersonville just so we could drive by the place. Umm, that's really far trek to go without the guarantee of food. But he said he just wanted to drive by and we could go somewhere else then if it was busy. Maybe he was channeling some kind of telepathic energy because when we arrived at 8 pm there was one small table available at the outdoor patio. He looked at me with puppy dog eyes when the man at the counter informed us of the 45 minute wait for the actual pizza. Fine, fine for the "greatest pizza in the world" I will push aside my hunger pains and wait.
We sat in determination, despite the chilly evening and being dressed totally unprepared in light summer clothing we waited and waited for the infamous pizza creation. We were even treated to a most unusual operatic performance by a panhandler stationed at the corner who shouted and screamed the entire evening, perhaps he was passing a kidney stone? When the pizza arrived it did not last very long. We shared a classic margherita pizza and it was gone in a very short time. The ingredients, especially the Sicilian sea salt were outstanding. The dough is cracker thin in the center and is a thick and crusty bread on the outer edges.
Thank goodness the pizza lived up to it's name because the service did not cut it at all. If you're so bittered by success then don't even bother running a business at all. The guy taking our order at the counter seemed disgruntled by the fact that someone would be *gulp* paying patronage to Great Lake. Give me a break! The counter staff could be replaced by a computer and that would probably provide more pleasant service.
So in short, truly amazing and quality pizza, come here if you have patience and are not looking to be wooed by frills and general pleasantries. To me it's not worth a two hour wait for a table, but if you manage to catch this place at an off time do take advantage and treat yourself to one heck of a pizza.
Contrary to reports - they weren't snotty at all. They were actually very gracious, if a bit harried when they opened, which is when we arrived. We teamed up with four other folks to grab the big table (there's only one) and shared pies and made new friends. If you can get there early, and if you don't mind waiting a bit, you can see and taste one of those rare things - a meal that lives up to all the hype. All of it.
I understand some of the concerns other reviewers have listed here. The kitchen is slow, alright. And if the fawning, undivided attention of your server is a must-have, then you may want to skip this place.
But last night, I had the best pizza I've ever tasted. Ever. I f*cking HATE zucchini, and the pepperoni-zucchini pie we had last night almost made me cry.
Go early. Bring snacks and good wine. Share them with your fellow patrons. Kvetch about the wait. And when your pizza arrives - send a prayer of thanks up to your deity of choice.
It was, unequivocally, great.
First off let me say I never eat anywhere unless I YELP the place. I need to know what I am getting myself into. Secondly while there are many other good pizza places in Chicago (Giordano's cough cough), this is an experience for sure and if you love pizza try it out! After many reviews all good I decided to go to Great Lake. Now let me say I am a foodie, someone who lives to eat not eats to live.
I went with a friend and we arrived at 4:45. We went to get some wine while the nice ladies saved out spot in line. When Great Lake opened at 5:30 we were fourth in line to order and second to sit. Because we arrived early the wait was not as bad. We ordered a garden salad and as my friend commented 'I feel like I am eating the earth'. Nothing but fresh ingredients here! The salad was fresh and the pizza which came 30 minutes after was also amazing. This is a place to try if you love good food.
Well, I would've given 3 stars but Yelp says 3 means "A-OK" and "Meh. I've experienced better" seemed to fit more since I won't be going back.
I went with a couple friends on a Wednesday evening around 6:30pm...the tables were all full at the time, so they took my cell number and gave me a call around 7:10 when they had something for us--which allowed us time to get a pre-dinner snack from Swedish Bakery and visit Jewel for the restroom (since the restaurant doesn't have one--be forewarned: dry/salty pizza + lots of water = restroom break!) and was so much better than one of those buzzing pagers.
Placed our order--one of the standard #1 tomato/mozzarella/fresh herb pizzas and a #3, which that night had Italian sausage and matchstick peppers--and then waited about 45 minutes for the pizza. Again, since we'd stopped by Swedish, we were A-OK on the wait--that's definitely not my complaint here.
My real complaint was with the crust. For me, pizza is mostly about the bread...and theirs was dry, bland, and too charred for my taste. Granted, I thought the taste of the middle portion on the #1 was excellent--unique, salty flavor--but since the crust was always the last bit I tasted in each slice, it really had me disappointed. My friends started skipping the crusts as we continued eating, which was probably a good idea--but if I'm going to order pizza, especially one that costs $20+ each, I'd like to be able to eat the whole thing.
I get that some folks love a dry, charred crust--especially as evidenced by all those who stopped in to get pizza to go (seemed like "regulars")--but for my money, I'll always prefer Spacca Napoli's flavorful, chewy crust with just a hint of charred goodness and the freshest of toppings.
Because of the GQ review, I think everyone should give this place a try--supposedly "best pizza in America" and all--but bring snacks, be prepared for a wait, don't go with too high expectations, and don't even think about taking a picture of anything but YOUR pizza b/c the owner will call you out in front of the entire restaurant and shame you for wanting to snap photos of the inside of their establishment (as he did me).
You gotta want it. You gotta want it real, real bad.
You have to be willing to put up with the downright puzzling decisions of the owners. On a regular week, the hours are strange and shift without warning. Some weeks? They're closed with little or no explanation.
You have to be willing to suffer strange, awkward encounters with the owners and staff. On certain days, they're friendly: they know what you like and remember your name. On those other nights? They'll look at you like you just walked in wearing an astronaut suit covered in chicken feathers. And, unless you want to super-size the awkward, dining in is never EVER recommended.
You have to put up with the hours and hours of waiting. Hit 'em on a relatively calm evening and it's pizza time within about an hour. On busy nights? Closer to two-and-a-half.
Finally, you have to put up with the customers. The famished, snotty, increasingly irate customers idly threatening to cancel their order and head to Calo's while eying you suspiciously lest you somehow secure a pie before they do.
Look, being named the best pizza joint in the country by GQ was probably the worst thing that could have ever happened to this place. What a goddamn curse! Never mind that this is Deep Dish Country and they serve Neapolitan-style pizza; The owners really don't know the first thing about running a business.
But, despite all of this, they make obscenely good pizza. They have a passion and a dedication to craft that puts them ahead of just about every other pizza joint anywhere I've ever been to, save for one or two places. The dough is made by hand and is as close to perfect as I've ever had. The ingredients are always fresh and local and the menu is inspired. They never sacrifice quality for convenience, no matter how impatient you might get. In theory, this is what we all want, but, frankly, this is the sort of place we probably don't deserve.
Hey, you gotta want it. Real, real, real, real bad.
I delayed checking this place out because I was so put-off by the ridiculous lines, the staff's obliviousness to their customers, and the obvious 'tude running rampant. But my friend and I finally bit the bullet and geared up for our nearly 2-hour long wait for what turned out to be possibly the best pizza I have had in Chicago.
Let me clarify that I will never find my favorite pizza in this city (that being a simple, tasty, & cheap thin-crust like you'd find at any corner dive in NYC)...so I have learned to love the shi-shi gourmet thin-crusts that manage to rival Chicago-style deep-dish for popularity here. Great Lake may be the best of that genre I have tried, though I'm not sure if that was my waiting-induced starvation talking or all the gloriously melty butter topping this $20 spectacle.
We ordered the Zucchini pizza, which was a light yet flavorful, airy, buttery paradise perfectly-seasoned and big enough to leave both of us full. It's amazing how such simplicity of ingredients can be so divine. It nearly canceled out the complete lack of service and the inconvenience of the way they run things here. And perhaps I wouldn't change that for anything in the world...this pizza was that yummy!
This is going to be the weirdest 3 star rating I ever give for a restaurant.
After hearing about all the rave reviews about how fantastic the pizza is, I decided to give it a try. After reading about the wait times, I developed a contingency plan.
I went in on a Wednesday night, with the expectation that there would be a wait, and we would walk over to Hopleaf and have a few beers while waiting for our table.
When we walked in... nothing. After standing there for a minute wondering why nobody was saying hi, I looked at my date and leaned over the counter. I heard one guy (who appparently was the owner, Nick Lessins) say to another worker, "Yea, normally douche bags are huge a-holes." Clearly a conversation that was much more important than us silly "customers."
When I finally got the attention of a female employee, it did not get any better. At 7:15, she informed us that it would be a two hour wait for a table. "Oh, did you want to carry out? Our next carry out time is 9:30." The one nice thing is that they will call you when your table is ready, so we went for a few drinks.
When we came back, I had to get the employee's attention again. Now, even though we had just walked in, she asked us if we were ready to order, then giggled at us when we said we were not. While looking at the menu, my date asked if we could add pepperoni to one of the pizzas. It was on another pizza, so they obviously had it. But no, the employee just giggled. Seriously. She did not say a word, but her giggle was enough to let us know no modifications or additions were possible.
We ended up ordering a zucchini and pepperoni pizza, and it was phenomenal. Nick has developed some sort of Rain Man ability to create these works of art. Drizzled with olive oil, with sea salt and pepper to add seasoning, with crust of perfect thickness and crispiness, the little things really make the difference. Having fresh, local ingredients helps a lot too.
Ultimately, I cannot really recommend this because a fair amount of a restaurant experience is how you are treated while you were there. When someone gleefully shits in your mouth, you are less inclined to go back.
Maybe carry out would be better, but I see that people have had nightmares with that too. Even if the pizza is not quite as good, there are quite a few really good pizza places in Chicago (Bricks, Coalfire, Sapori di Napoli, hell, even Homemade Pizza Co.) where they treat you so much better.
It is such a shame that it worked out this way, because with the quality of the pizza they have, they should have a lot more business. It takes a special kind of restaurant to make you love the food and hate everyone that works there.
This is the best pizza I have tasted in my whole life. I like pizza and have sampled pizza from some of the best pizza establishments in the U.S. and in Italy. Before going to Great Lake with friends, I thought that there was little likelihood that this place could live up to the hype. In all honesty, I did not even want to go. I now realize that I was wrong. The pizza at Great Lake was not only as described, but was better. It is simply a harmonious marriage of ingredients and represents the perfect balance of flavors and textures.
It seems as though many reviewers take issue with the service and atmosphere at Great Lake. My experience was that they were friendly but also adeptly managed patrons' expectations as to time. You have to understand going in that you will wait for this pizza. It is worth the wait. Great Lake sets the standard for quality pizza, a quality that is only acheived through laborious preparation and attention to detail. If you want fast, go to a chain. If you want the best, go to Great Lake.
1 star service, I will never dine in again! The attitude is without explanation, really seat us and just let us sit there for 15 mins rather then telling us that we must order at the counter, really? The scowl and attitude in this place is repugnant and unacceptable!!! I could go on and on about the constant lack of attention water and smiles, just understand it was inexcusable I counted 5 employees and like 5 tables, so what is the excuse for the bad service? Notice I am not mentioning the time you might wait for the food, it is what happens before, after and during that wait that sets the scene and attitude...
The food was phenomenal, I mean really exceptional, I could have drank the dressing from the salad bowl; talk about a good salad it was comprised of all these wonderful tidbits of nature none of which were lettuce bravo for a stunning salad performance!!!
The pizza was even more amazing then the salad, we had a vegetarian tomato preparation, it was so light creamy and divine! The sauce was a liquidee pleasure that reminded me of a good cream sauce from a top notch italian restaurant, in-fact the entire pizza was as if I had just been served a fresh italian garden dish and the pasta was switched out for flaky crisp pizza crust!!! Yum!!!
If I were to ever come here again it would need to be take out, in all honesty I probably will not do that because of the repugnant attitudes behind that counter!!! I don't think I can bring myself to even look at the unhappiness that is Great lake Pizza staff-boooooo!
This place is AH-mazing!! They only have a few items on the menu, but they are created to the ultimate perfection. Arrive early if you want to dine-in because it is VERY small!! But oh so good.
The perfect crust. Wonderful fresh toppings. The man is an artist.
You will wait. You will wait a long time time. For us it was 2 hours for pick up. But you know that now, so make preparations. Place your order or put your name in for a table. Now go get a cocktail at one of the places nearby. Come back. Devour.
There is a rotating choice of 3 pies, which depends on what fresh ingredients are available. No, you cannot add sausage (or mushrooms or even anchovies you crazy cat) to that pizza you choose. What chef wants is what you get.
But I tell you that it was well worth any wait. It was well worth trusting the chef with his choices.
Hey, if you are looking to get a warm fuzzy feeling off your waiter, be seated immediately, or even have them remember the wine you brought and left in their fridge during the long wait for a table (there are only 3) you probably shouldn't go here.
On the other hand, if you are a dedicated foodie that just might kill for an amazing meal, this is the place for you. When the pizza came out and I took that first amazing bite I literally started to coo. Their pizza is literally an orgasm for your taste buds. We ordered the white corn, bacon, chive and cream pizza and when we got down to the last piece, I threatened to stab my boyfriends hand if he tried to take it for himself. I can't overemphasize how amazing the pizza is...you just have to put up with a little crap to get it.
First off, I find it amusing that most of these reviews are "WAAAAAAAH. I SHOWED UP LATE TO GREAT LAKE AND I HAD TO WAIT!"
You're more than welcome to go to Dominoes and get pizza from them, k thx.
Anyway, my fiance and I hit the timing just right and didn't have to wait for a table. We sat inside, in a corner. It's a very small restaurant, it can maybe sit 12 on the inside and a few more outside.
We brought a bottle of wine, ordered the Farmers Salad and the #1 Pizza (Basil, cherry tomatoes, goat cheese cream and mozzarella). Yeah, it's a leisurely meal. If you don't want to wait 40 minutes for a pizza, go elsewhere.
The farmers salad is plentiful, and oh so delicious. They put a mustard balsamic dressing on it that was really out of this world. There was mixed greens, arugala, sprouts, pretty purple carrots, radishes, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and regular tomatoes. Now, you could tell while eating the salad that this shit wasn't bought at Costco or Dominicks. It's purchased from local farms. You can taste it.
Oh, then the 'za came.
Bubbling hot, it was covered in cheese, cream, cherry tomatoes, fresh garlic and basil. The crust was thin and airy, the flavors were perfect and I was in pizza heaven.
THE ONLY suggestion I have, is that it would have been nice to have some nice olive oil to dip the crusts in. But hey, I am not complaining.
This place is amazing and I want to eat there everyday. The pizza was $22, the salad was $10 and there's a corkage fee.
Amazing. I will be back again and again and again.
I arrived about 45 minutes before they opened on Friday evening and had pizza in hand for carry out at 6:40, which is exactly when they told me it would be ready. Those that ordered to eat in had gotten their food before me, so if you are hoping to eat in, don't worry about not getting food for 70 minutes.
The crust was delicious and the pizza insanely fresh. If you have reasonable expectations when you arrive, you shouldn't be disappointed. This is like Kuma or Hot Doug's - or even Piece to a certain degree. The food takes some time and the wait is ultimately worth it. But if you have tickets to a game or are worried about being somewhere else at a specific time later, don't go to Great Lake. You will just get yourself and everyone else angry.
The pizza is good; very good. There's a spot in Portland, OR that does pizza the exact same way as they do for $10.00 a pie and $2.00 a topping and it takes less than 2.5 hours for a pie. Oh, they also acknowledge you. (Check out my review of them here on my blog). The pizza, itself, is absolutely identical.
There's a couple of ladies who work here who are nice, but the guys are total jerks. If they're the only ones there, don't expect a nod or hello.
They don't take phone calls for pick-up service (hey, instead of letting your phone ring endlessly, invest in a $10.00 answering machine or pay the extra $2.00 for voicemail from ATT).
They don't take reservations either.
If you don't live nearby, prepare to have a "waiting plan" like pre-dinner drinks. Pick-up on weekday takes about 2.5 hours.
They seem to only be open about 4 days out of the week for 5 hours at a time. I get the feeling sometimes they don't want customers.
For the assholes who think waiting shouldn't affect your review, fuck off and get some Neapolitan pizza somewhere outside of Chicago. SERIOUSLY.
Great Lake pizza doesn't have anything Lucali's, Totonno's, Di Fara's, Give Pizza A Chance, and countless other 5 minute pizzerias can't provide for a fraction of the cost.
This is the slowest service and most expensive pie of this quality you'll ever suffer. Good luck and hope you have a chance to get out of Chicago sometime soon.
It's been over a year since I wrote a review, but after dining at Great Lake last night I couldn't resist.
I heard about this joint via some rag a few months back and was pleased that it's in the hood so I knew sooner or later I would stumble upon it.
I picked up a bottle of wine (BYOB inside only) and my fiance and I made a pact to meet at Great Lake for dinner. We knew the joint was small and were prepared to wait however long needed. Luckily, we got a table right away.
Before sitting we ordered a pizza, one of three choices, and a fresh salad. I eat meat, but my fiance doesn't so we went with a veggie creation (mozzarella, goat cheese cream sauce, garlic, tomatoes, and basil) and I couldn't have been happier with her choice. I do want to try a meat creation, but that is for another time. Anyway, all the ingredients are local and fresh and you can definitely tell by the taste. The salad was delicious and the pizza is the best pizza I have had in the USA. From the toppings to the crust, there is nothing to nit pick. I have never had such an explosion of flavors from a pie in my life.
One pizza, a salad, and a bottle of wine is perfect for 2. I can't wait to go back and try a different pizza. I wish my stomach was big enough to have tried all 3 pizzas on the menu.
Agreed with Jake C.
Seriously, it's like people don't understand they have ONE OVEN that can cook two pizzas at once. They walk in and see there is room for one person to make pizza and one oven, and seating for 16 - and then they expect a place that just got national notoriety to magically be mass producing pizzas. That's not what the place is. It never was, and just because it's now recognized as being great (and nearly all the reviews say the food is great, even when they give it two stars), it's supposed to now have Pizza Hut throughput.
There are hours posted. The place is the size of a shoebox. You really need to do the math and realize it's a tough ticket right now. "The pizza is amazing, BUT I HAVE TO WAIT FOREVER! 1 STAR!" Well, no sh*t. You are going there. Other people have the same idea as you. It's only so big, and only so much staff and oven space. Hot Doug's is just as crazy, but dogs and brats take less time to cook so no one complains about standing in line for an hour for a dog on a bun. If you want a pizza, get there by 6. If you don't, that is your own fault. You know it's going to be a long wait and they try to close by 9:30. If you're getting there at 7 you're kidding yourself.
Those talking about attitudes might need to get their own checked. I've been around Lydia and Nick a lot, and they are wonderful people. Very nice and welcoming. After an entire night of people complaining about not enough tables and wait times (which they themselves are contributing to), you might be a little testy too. What do you people suggest? They're not going to expand, this is their pet project to enjoy themselves and make great pizza.
They aren't taking call-in orders right now because A) they don't have enough oven space for all the in-store customers as it is and B) if they do that, everyone will do that, and they'll just have an empty store front. Which gives bad perception. So, deal with it or go home and leave the place to the people who appreciate it. Those saying they won't make it, you're insane - "they're too busy to serve everyone, but they'll go out of business". Huh? Does not compute. They were doing fine and dandy before GQ, and they'll do fine once the rubberneckers are gone too.
Well people, looks like GQ has spoken - best pizza in the NATION goes to Great Lake. Phew! Hope I… Read more »
Caveat: I travel and I like good, thin crust pizza.
Friday night: treated like shit by a 4 person team of Pizza Nazis.
Seriously, could not have been treated more contemptuously.
Ok folks, maybe you don't get out much. Maybe you have never gotten better than Piece (sad). Some of us have.
This pizza, given the horrible people skills of the staff would have had to be really, really good.
I've been fortunate enough to eat at Di Fara in Brooklyn, Mozza in L.A., Apizza Scholls in Portland...and of course Bianco in Phoenix.
Great Lake is crap.
Better than Domino's I concede. But not worthy of the insane buzz this crappy place has.
All of the above places are busy, all have incredible demand, all make you wait. None shat on my head with such ferocity and glee as the staff at Great Lake.
Want good pie? Head over to Spacca Napoli on Ravenswood and Sunnyside. Busy? Yes! Small? Yes! Hard to get into? Yes!
But they'll apologize, they'll give you wine as you wait, and most importantly, will give you a wide selection of pies that they deliver within 20 minutes that are absolutely delicious, and you'll never feel like someone shat in your mouth for showing up.
Mmmmm. Pizza..... Eh not so superb here. Let me explain using small words....
1. I don't mind crowded places (usually means it's tasty!) However I do mind when it is crowded but the staff behind the counter is all standing around, literally, doing nothing while the cashier is looking past me at the line forming behind me and the large group gathering outside and lazily says "Okay, I'm not seating or serving them" then proceeds to gape past me as if I am not standing there excited to hand her my money! Um, do you want my business? Hmm.... not a good start.
2. Tiny menu, but that's okay! That must mean that they specialize in their 3 pizzas. We decided on the basic red sauce, cheese and mushroom. After a 2 1/2 hr wait.... it's okay because we had fabulous appetizers at a restaurant that rhymes with PIG BONES around the corner (see delicious review to follow) I am pumped to taste this pie! What they hay? Is this salt pizza? It tastes like the creater of the pie threw a hand full of sea salt onto the dough before dressing it with the rest of the toppings. I can read your mind already... "How do you know it wasn't the mushrooms and cheese?" Because I tried a cheese and mushroom forkful only. No Saltiness! Salt, although I love you more than chocolate, you ruined my pie.
3. price. Sorry, not worth $24+ bones for a plain super salty pizza.
summary = too much money for too much salt. don't ask the staff to accommodate or work too hard.....
i hate being harsh. LOVE YOU "PIG BONES"!
Fantastic pizza, with a thin crispy crust and fresh ingredients. I had the pleasure of sitting near the kitchen watching each pizza being carefully prepared with fresh sliced ingredients, and spices. The friendly staff and owners working in this small, quaint storefront add to the charm of Great Lakes.
Last night they had a choice of the traditional sauce and cheese pizza (with the option of pepperoni or mushrooms), the crimini and black pepper pizza, or the mortadella with fresh garlic and cream. I tried the crimini mushroom pizza, which was layered with thinly sliced mushrooms , mona (sheep's milk/cow milk cheese blend) and olive oil, spiced with cracked black pepper. It was outstanding.
Given the time each pie receives, the tiny kitchen and dining area and small staff, expect a long wait unless you arrive early. For those seeking pizza perfection, it is worth it. BYOB policy a plus.
You know ... I really don't know what to think about this place.
Is that what they are going for?
Of course, my party heard of this place via GQ (surprising...), so I'm sure their business has picked up since that little rave. And really what is the rave all about?
They are only open weds-sat ... with a very short window from about 530 to 930. Seriously? It gets a bit worse. Their is seating for about 8-10 people inside and maybe another 8 outside (weather permitting...)
So, if you want to get seated you should probably show up and wait outside starting at 5, because if not you'll have to wait until about 8 or 830 (this goes for take out as well!!!). Luckily, we got there at 5.
That put aside, the food is amazing. There are not many choices; 3 different pizza's and 2 different salads, but I thoroughly enjoyed it all. It's truly delicious. We tried everything.
Great Lake has a great concept with their pizza... but maybe they should think about a more efficient way to make and serve pizza's to more people, faster. And the staff wasn't super friendly; it was like meh across the board.
We went anticipating a long wait, rude staff, and exceptional pizza, and weren't disappointed. We arrived at Great Lake at 5:20, Saturday evening, put our name on the list and finally sat down a little after 8. After waiting at our table for at least half an hour with no acknowledgment from the waitstaff, a server came out and placed plates and utensils in front of us. And then we proceeded to wait for another half hour or so. Later we were told they had forgotten about us. How do you forget about a table when you only have a handful of them? By the time our pizza arrived we were tipsy and ravenous. The first pie - pepperoni and zucchini - was OK. The second pizza - sweet corn, buttermilk, and bacon - was phenomenal. It was the county fair on crust. I wanted to lean over and lick the pan when the last bite was gone. I think I told my friends and boyfriend I wanted to marry that pie and have sweet, buttery corn babies.
Unfortunately, the service left much to be desired. It feels like no one is in charge and no one is happy to be there. Would it kill them to crack a smile once in a while? Check on a table as soon as they notice no one's helped them? I can continue my love affair with pizza at a place where they actually appreciate my business.
My friend and I have been trying to make it to this place before they close for weeks. Being open 20 hours M - F sucks!
Then we made it one day at 8:30 and they wouldn't seat us because they closed at 9. WTF!!! You're open from 5 - 9 and you won't seat a table at 8:30? They wouldn't even make it "to go" and suggested we come back and try again. The tables weren't full. With such a small window, they should specify that their last orders are taken at 8:10.
We have been so intrigued and yet so disappointed several times that I believe it will be one f'ing hell of a pizza to get me to try going back again. I doubt it's THAT good.
When we left empty-bellied with the scent of fresh basil and oregano filling our noses we were so disappointed. They must make too much money to want our measly little business. I guess that's good for them and good for Pizzaria Aroma, which is where we ended up (see my reviews on Aroma).
I went to Great Lake last night with friends, and I was disgusted with the rude, unhelpful staff. One of the party joining us was in a wheelchair and the female Great Lake employee was very put out about it. We tried to get seating outside, no, they couldn't or wouldn't' accommodate us. Given the rudeness of the server, it was impossible to tell whether it was not allowed or she was just being nasty. Is their pizza good? I don't know - we never managed to get that far (after more than an hour of waiting). They were nearly incompetent (and were rude) regarding letting us put a name and cell number on their waiting list. They would not let us put in an order early in anticipation of a seating - over 1 hour to be seated and nearly 1 hour after that for them to make a pizza? We gave up.
Will I ever know if their pizza is good? NO. This is Chicago, home of the best pizza on the planet, and Andersonville is my favorite neighborhood for good food and great service. We went around the corner to Calo Ristorante and salvaged the evening with a lovely server and great pizza. DO NOT REWARD GREAT LAKE FOR BAD SERVICE. The sooner that nasty little hole is of the neighborhood, the better.
We live right down the street and sadly.. never even gave this a second glance until all the mass hysteria from the GQ article. After 3 attempts to call in a pick up order for pizza, them telling us that they were backed up in orders for the night and call back tomorrow-we scored the mortadella pizza. Everything we had hoped for and worth the wait!!! Would be back everyday if we did not care about the size of our thighs or LDL levels. Definately a must try. Everything that is great about Chicago Pizza and more!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!
I cannot review this place since they never answer their phone to let me order one for pick up.
For the record. I am not from the neighborhood, don't know the owners and live 800 miles away.
Also before I begin I truly believe any discussion regarding "best" pizza is usually pointless. It is one of those food items people grown up with and hold dear to their heart. Needless to say opinions vary wildly. Personally I am very open to different styles of pizza and "all food", from Pizzeria Bianco to Di Fara. From Pepe's and Sally's in New Haven to DeLorenzo's in Trenton. I tried them all and comparisons are subjective to personal taste as they are very different styles all holding the title of pizza. My personal favorites are Great Lake and Pizzeria Bianco. But more than anything I wish to address some of what I believe is misinformed information posted here.
1. Alan Richman review. I don't agree with all his opinions. But he is a nationally known critic and would have never gotten to that position if he recklessly gave such unworthy praise.
2. Great Lake owners are making a giant buck off customers since the article. Please!! They have never altered their original concept and many pizzeria owners would have jumped at the opportunity to do so.
Like adding a larger deck oven and hired minimum wage kids to pump out the pies from noon to midnight. Of course quality would tank quickly but that would be riding the publicity wave to the bank as long as possible. They did not, and I admire them greatly for it.
3. Criticizing everything from water cups to the space being taken by the products they sell. Those items are an expression of the owners, and their dream. It adds personality, and soul to their business. Rare among the many soulless profit focused corporate restaurants out there. I love and appreciate their eye for detail and uniqueness.
4. All the suggestions on how to improve and make service faster. Have those people ever worked in the restaurant industry? I have and at some of the very best restaurants in the country. And truth is due to space constriction limit's and the very nature of the product they are making I doubt much can be improved upon without jeopardizing quality. It will never be Pizza Hut and I doubt they want it to be.
5. And likely the most uninformed unrealistic preconceived notion for last. It's only pizza, should be fast, how hard to make.Truth is it may be the very hardest product to make with consistent quality. Don't listen to me but do the math yourself. Thousands of pizzerias in the country and only a dozen or so truly great. Like a mass market of hot house tomatoes in our supermarkets and a generation of people with no idea what a vine ripened tomato taste like.
Great Lake's dough is not out of Food and Wine magazine, it can't be made in a few hours like done so at home or most pizzerias. It takes time and attention to detail. No less so then the kitchen staff do at the French Laundry. If yelp is a place to share opinions then this is mine. All restaurants have bad days, I grant that. But I tend to think many people are walking into Great Lake with preconceived ideas of pizza and maybe even a poor attitude before they even walk in. The owners recognise it as what it is( People thinking they have all the knowledge) and it leads to tension and a poor experience all around. It's human nature!
My advice. With no time limitations and a open mind visit Great Lake. Bring a bottle of wine sit back and let Nick and Lydia do what they do best. You will not only be rewarded with great pizza but one of the best casual meals ever. But the key is keeping an open mind and positive attitude.
Oh, this is good pizza. These guys seem to specialize in sauce-less pizzas.
I have had two of their six or so pizzas, the crimini w/smoked gouda and the one with soppresetta. Both were great. The crimini went really well with a Saumur-Champigny (cabernet franc-Loire Valley) from In Fine Spirts around the corner on clark. The soppresetta went really well with a Saumur rose from Fine Wines on Lincoln.
One might think that the soppresetta would have made the pizza greasy but it didnt. They put it on the pizza only after it is out of the oven. That way the soppresetta actually wilts on top due to the residual heat.
They also make an onion and bacon pizza. The onions are slightly sauteed and the bacon is really smokey. About half way through wolfing it down I realized that this pizza had a lot in common with an Alsatian flatbread topped with lardons and onions called Flammenkuche. This is classically paired with a dry Alsatian white wine like a riesling, gewurztraminer or sylvaner.
http://fr.wikipedia.or...
One thing that I judge a pizza by is the crust. And this pizzaria's crust is really tasty. Just take a bite out of the crust w/o ingredients and you can judge for yourself.
The place is small, only one table and byob. I just call ahead for pick up and take it home. You can see the chef at work and how seriously he takes his job. That is great to see.
They do sell some seemlingly random items on some shelves on one side of the restaurant. Why? I have no idea. Not all of it is actually Italian. They should chuck that and make more room for sitting customers.
As of May 2009, due to increased demand for their great pizzas, they have stopped taking phone orders which is what I always do. They only accept walk-in orders now. I dont know what I would have done in their place but it sure makes it harder for loyal customers to buy their pizzas.
Oh, this is good pizza. These guys seem to specialize in sauce-less pizzas.
I have had two of…
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I enthusiastically gave these guys a couple tries when they first opened, and I cannot argue: the pizza is delicious. Three solid stars.
One star off for covering up the baseball-sized char hole in the middle of my pizza with arugula, and pretending I wouldn't notice.
Another star off for poor customer service. The owners did not seem the least bit interested in having me as a customer. No friendliness, no energy - I didn't even get an apology for having to wait around 35 minutes longer than quoted over the phone. What a ridiculous waste of my time; I haven't been back since.
I've since moved on - to Apart Pizza. No frills, delicious thin crust at a reasonable price, and always ready when I arrive. (It matters when you're trying to get home before the game starts!)
It was just ... ok.
My work friend SWEARS by this place. Saying it was the best pizza she has ever had.
Maybe high expectations made me unfairly rate it.
The price is really high for a pie and my partner and I felt like we could truly make this at home. Yes, the ingredients were really fresh but the combinations were nothing to warrant such a rave.
Also, there is no menu online and they had no menus to take home in the store. How am I supposed to be a returning customer not knowing what to order especially when asked if I can add an ingerdient the answer is "no".
I would eat again but not seek it out.
The GQ article was a little overzealous on naming the best pizza in the U.S., there are too many categories... however, this is excellent gourmet, brick oven pizza and arguably one of the most unique concepts in the U.S. in a nice cozy atmosphere. The distinction of the best in it's category may be more appropriate.
If the wait is too long, GQ is apparently unaware of another BYOB gem north on Clark called Antica Pizzeria 5663 N Clark St (near M Henry's) for their brick oven pizza (like pizza D.O.C., Spacca Napoli etc..). However they ALSO have perfectly authentic tortellini in cream sauce. For those that miss the tortellini in Italy, look no further...
A very small pizza place with odd hours, a long wait and good pizza.
Best pizza in the country? Not sure about that, but it was good. it's a very thin pizza w/o a lot of sauce. Way better than your run of the mill pizza place and very unique. Defiantly worth the experience. I went here once soon after it opened, but I haven't been back. There wasn't anything wrong with it, I guess I just wasn't blown away. It is good pizza though. Pricey. I would suggest checking it out. Very fresh ingredients and it's more like pizza art than anything and like most art, it's made with a touch of love and procession. Be ready to wait.
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