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Mon., Wed-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.
Sun. 1:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
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If you're near Oak Lawn or on the south side of Chicago and are craving Italian food, make a stop at Palermo's. I've been going to Palermo's for about 7 years and I'm sad I don't go to school on the south side anymore because I don't go here as often as I would like. The decor is very classic Italian and simple. Paper line each table for convenience and efficiency for cleaning. Palermo's is a restaurant for the young, the old and the in between and that's exactly who you see when you dine here. It's definitely a family restaurant, as well as a place you can feel comfortable taking a date. The waitresses are pleasant and high school bus boys (from Brother Rice?) work very hard cleaning tables.
I enjoy the pitcher of water that is placed on the table when you first sit down. The restaurant can get quite busy and with a pitcher of water, you don't have to hail down a waitress or bus boy. The complimentary bread is some of the best I have had at an Italian restaurant. It's WARM first of all, and they give you an entire jar of Parmesan and a bottle of olive oil for dipping. I always like a lot of Parmesan and olive oil and at Palermo's I can use as much as I want without a waiter looking at me like I have been deprived of Parmesan and olive oil my whole life.
Now, there is something about the pizza at Palermo's and I think it's the sauce. The sauce is unlike any other. It's both sweet and savory; it's a perfect balance. I believe that it is the sauce that makes the pizzas here DELICIOUS! The pastas are great as well. The tortellini is scrumptious; all pastas come in big portions and you also get a choice of soup or salad with entrees. The minestrone is great; although I have never experienced a bad minestrone.
For dessert, the Pizelle al Gelato is a must try. A generous portion of wafer cookies, fresh cut strawberries, vanilla gelato drizzled with berry liqueur is to die for. Honestly, I am not a dessert person and normally don't order dessert, but I usually order this.
The only downsides are that it can be very busy and noisy on the weekends with large families/groups and lots of teenagers. They are also closed on Tuesdays, but any other day, give Palermo's a try.
This is a split review, because for me nothing but nothing beats a Palermo's pizza. Either pickup or delivery, this is the stuff of dreams.
However, I ma seeing a diference in what I experience in the dining room.
My last two in-house dining experiences were within the past 30 days. One was a table for 3, walked right in for early dinner. Took forever for the waitress to take a drink order, and an eternity for her to deliver them. Ordered apps and dinner, and the food was just wonderful. I always enjoy their pastas and specials. However, the waitress didn't check on us, didn't take more drink orders and I finally asked a busboy to get me a soda. Service was poor. Unattentive. Careless, and with a fairly surly demeanor. I was pretty surprised.
About a week ago, went there with a friend. We called ahead and were seated fairly quickly. However, I have to say I was really surprised by the host's appearance. He had the most wrinkled pants and shirt, as if he had been napping before we appeared. Set the tone for the night. We sat for at least 10 minutes before our waitress came to take our soft drink orders. Another 2 tables were seated after us, with cocktail orders that were filled while we waited, and waited. Finally she appears with the drinks. Again, my pasta was superb but my friend's pizza tasted "off", as if the crust was old or something. We brought it up to the waitress who sent old wrinkly-trousers to us. He argued that the cardboard under the pizza makes the pizza taste weird sometimes. Uh, no. I get pizza on a cardboard when you deliver and it's delish. He disappeared, then we waited 20 minutes (a very long time when you just want to leave already) for our check to arrive with the pizza not charged.
Service is slipping, my beloved Palermo's. Please check yourself.
I have been here numerous times over the years. Consistent is a good term. The pizza is good as well as the rest of the menu. But Palermos is all about the ZA. The other consistent thing is the service, good grief its bad. I went with a group and we were seated right away, then we ordered drinks and our waitress came back and had 3 drinks then poof gone. Excuse me there are 7 of us, she finally returned with the rest. Now the pizza comes and I start to take a piece and the waitress reaches over me to give a beer to someone else at the table. I asked if I was in the way she said nothing. Once is bad but when she did it the second time no excuse, she still had no clue. This was just our waitress the one serving the table behind us was just as bad she bumped into me 3 times and not until I turned and made a remark did she apologize. As the dinner progressed the service did not improve. Good food bad service.
The best thin crust pizza in Chicago. I recommend the thin and crispy version. I usually request the pizza well done as I like the cheese to be golden brown. You won't be disappointed! My only complaint is that they are closed on Tuesday! Never understood that.
My husband grew up in Oak Lawn, and he still swears by Palermo's. It's high-quality food with huge portions and great service.
He will also swear to you that the Oak Lawn Palermo's is way better than any of the other locations, since the guy who owns this one is ... better somehow, I don't know.
On our first visit, I had the cappelini Christina, which was super-delicious. Angelhair pasta, garlic, olive oil, tomato and fresh mozzarella make me happy. Had a bit of my husband's pizza, and a lot of that delicious bread.
The atmosphere is nice, although it was pretty crowded the night we went (well, it *was* the Saturday before Mother's Day). The owner came and talked to us -- he sorta knows my father-in-law -- and was very friendly and cheerful. He even gave the 3-year-old at our table a ball of pizza dough to play with.
On our second visit, I had spinach-filled gnocchi with alfredo sauce, which was truly awesome. I'm a sucker for gnocchi, and this was superb. I actually ate almost all of it (oof).
Great stuff. Zero complaints. Love to go when we're in the area.
The pizza is good but the service is terrible during peak times. Go at an off-hour or get takeout . . . or just go to a better restaurant, like Vito & Nick's or the Palermo's on 63rd St.
Example of bad service:
You'll note that Yelp says they take reservations. They'll tell you that too, if you call and ask to make a reservation. Last time we did this, we arrived on time to a crowded restaurant. The 300 lb. hostess told us to take a seat in the waiting area, where there were no available seats. I asked how long we should expect to wait, as there are a few other perfectly good alternatives nearby. She said 30-40 minutes. I reminded her that we were on time for our reservation. She confirmed this fact and even admitted that she was the person who took the call, but then "explained" that they don't really honor reservations. The reservation just gives you a spot in the queue AFTER you show up. She called it "a reservation to wait" or something equally stupid.
I USED to love this place. Emphasis on USED to. Growing up, we would always order pizza from Palermo's, delivery. Suddenly, they expand, get fancy, and it's ridiculously packed. They are TERRIBLE about taking and keeping reservations. There is NO reason we had to wait 20 mins for a table for 5 at NINE PM (after an 8th grade graduation). We were told that "someone was sitting at our table, they've been here for over two hours and we can't kick them out". What does that mean? You don't have other tables? In a service industry, that is absolutely unacceptable. Places like this are a dime a dozen, especially on the southside. You want some thin crust 'za? Go to Vito and Nicks on Pulaski. Pasta? Baroccos or Papa Joe's on Oak Lawn. "Real" Italian food? Trek up to Taylor street. More than disappointed with my last experience here, and probably won't be going back.
According to my friend Lori - lover of all things Italian - I can make this exclamation about my feelings about Palermo's food in two ways:
Scopilo alla morte! (as a sophisticated Italian from the north) OR
Fotto alla morte! (as a skanky Italian from the south)
Either way, let it be known that this is some of THE best Italian food I have ever had. My friend Rhonda - diehard "Soutsider" and break-your-balls Sox fan - has been badgering this Northsider to go to Palermo's for the five years I have known her. I finally made it there with her last night and now I am kicking myself in the ass for not going sooner.
It is a good sign that when you get there on a Thursday night at 7:30 pm in 10 degree weather it MUST be good. And, oh man, was it ever!
We started with a HUGE portion of fried calamari that was fresh, lightly battered and so tasty - not one bit chewy. Though I really wanted pasta, I also was dying to try the thin crust pizza that R loves so much. Why, what the hell - let's order BOTH! We ordered a small Canadian Bacon, mushroom and onion pizza and, per R, "with extra sauce & well done."
This pizza was the freaking best pizza since, well, since the pizza I had at I Monelli's last week. But keep in mind here - I am not a pizza lover. I like it - once in a blue moon I crave one - but it is NOT on my Death Row Food list as it is my mom's. I mean, if she couldn't have pizza again, she would want to be shot, even though she really should NOT be having pizza as her heart surgeon told her after her quad-bypass ("Jean, the two worst things for your heart that you can possibly eat are pizza and hot dogs.")
But I am here to proclaim loudly that this pizza was just orgasmic - the crust was perfection - not too thin, not too thick. And the sauce, with its hint of sweetness....again, fotto alla morte!
For me to like a pizza sauce this much is a big deal because I am not a huge red sauce fan - of any kind. I prefer artery clogging creamy sauces, or pesto or oil and garlic, etc. I think I am going to dream about this pizza for days.........
On to pasta. We ordered:
Cappalinni Christina - juicy diced tomatoes and fresh-picked basil, Sauteed in olive oil and fresh garlic, tossed with angel hair pasta and laced with fresh mozzarella cheese; and
Macaroni Carina- curly tubed macaroni pasta, strips of sauteed chicken, peas, mushrooms and broccoli, served in a rich pink tomato sauce.
Both of these were huge fabulous scrumptious dishes! Dinners also come with a salad or soup - we both ordered the Pasta e Fagioli soup which was thick and hearty.
After pigging out on the calamari, the dense wonderful bread and two pieces each of the Death Row pizza, we had to take home nearly all of the rest of the aforementioned dishes. I will now have Italian food for days......
But were we done? "HELL NO!" as R would say. We had coffee and split a cannoli, but not just any cannoli - a near perfect cannoli - a cannoli that was minus the stupid tacky green pistachio crap you find elsewhere. A crunchy cannoli that had just the right amount of chocolate chips in it - a cannoli that featured a few cherries on it and whose cream would make even Catherine de' Medici weep. HOOOORAH!
But were we done? Hell, yes - whaddaya think we are - porkers? I can't wait to take my Michigander mom here next time she visits. For the pizza of her life.
My friend took me here when I came to Chicago to visit. His friend's father is the business owner. I got a chance to meet him too. Crazy but cute kid, drives a bit on the crazy side, loves White Castle.
Anyway, the Pizza here was so amazing, I was reluctant to leave. I've seriously considered moving to Chicago for that reason alone. I'm a pizza fanatic and I have to say, pizza makes me do crazy shit.
Thank you Palermo's.
I really like getting food from here. I've never eaten in here, but have always received carry out from here. While their carry-out menu is smaller, if you ask nicely, they'll pack up your favorite entree for you! I really love their stuffed peppers here. MMM!!! Check this place out if you make it out this way!
PS--the sister restaurant Red Ivy, was sadly disappointing. See my previous review...
Came here and got the Palermo's Special which was hand tossed. The sauce was a bit on the sweet side. At first it was ok ,but after awhile it was too much. I did like how the dough was crispy and not burnt. The crust was a bit dry though.
I love the pizza here,the chicken and broccoli Alfredo was tasty.The LaSagna was very good. Sometimes ,there's a significant wait.
Once,we ordered carry out and when we got home we had someone elses order..We called them and whoever answered the phone said ,they would credit us another pizza
However,when we went there , a few weeks later , they had amnesia..
My ex-boyfriend did too.He didn't remember who he had spoken too...
Hope he forgets me too. Dummy
I am completely and truly addicted to their radiatore pasta with vodka sauce. Seriously, this is my substance abuse problem. The portions are so big, but I find myself digging into the leftovers as soon as I get home because I just cannot stop eating this vodka sauce. Even writing about it makes me salivate. Thanks, Palermo's!
Mental note: If I'm ever going to get married in Chicago I will not do it during the summer. It was hot and humid when I got off the plane and that was around 10pm. I did not realize how nasty it was going to be until I left the hotel at high noon to get a pizza at Palermo's. I was going to be wearing a tux and cumberband later. Yikes.
As my friends and I brought our huge pizza back to the air conditioned hotel, all that heat and humidity was forgotten. Great sauce, great crust, a magnificent sausage and mushroom pie. The restaurant seemed pretty old school and from what I've been told it's an institution. Unfortunately a takeout order doesn't make a great review. Next time I'm in the area and have more time I'll definintely make it out here for a proper dinner.
AH Palermo's.......How I used to adore this place in highschool. Ah the bread, Ah the tortellini, Ah the wonderful pitchers of water they bring to your table.
Its been almost 6yrs since I started going to Palermo's, and although my taste buds have changed since I was 16 I still enjoy Palermo's for good ole fashioned (and inexpensive) pasta and pizza in a casual atmosphere.
*Dont go on Saturday night- its filled with Oak Lawn teenagers going on first dates, who can be adorable, but also a tad annoying.
If you're ever in the area, you must go to Palermo's.
I'd definitely recommend making a reservation, even though it seems like you have to wait anyway (but not as long). That's the one complaint I have about Palermo's: they are not efficient in seating people at all (hence 4 stars). We always stare into the dining room, and there are always a bunch of open tables. Not fun when you're hungry. I think they like making people wait.
I had the chicken scaloppini during my last trip, and it was absolutely delicious! Mushrooms, cream sauce, mmm...
Their thin crust pizza (which is what I order every other time) is the best in the Chicagoland area. We love pizza and have tried a lot of pizza, but their pizza is absolutely the best. The pizza comes out elevated on a rack, so it stays crispy the entire time. Their sauce is sweet and delicious! Perfect amount of cheese and toppings!
Don't take any substitutes, the Red Ivy in Wrigleyville does not serve the same pizza. I believe the two owners are relatives, but the Palermo's pizza can't be duplicated, no matter how hard they try. Red Ivy pizza is OK for north side thin crust, but it has more sauce and cheese than the original perfect Palermo's.
My Boyfriend swears the food at Palermo's is the best Italian and pizza he has ever had and talks about it constantly. I finally had a chance to try it yesterday. Go early as that it gets very crowded for dinner.
The portions are huge here. We got a thin crust pizza as an appetizer. It was big enough to be our meal. It was very very good and it had a very sweet, unique sauce. I had the pasta Cappalinni Christina for my meal, it was also HUGE. Didn't eat a forth of eat before I was stuffed. I really enjoyed it. I am looking forward to eating my left overs the rest of the week.
Palmermo's gives an authentic, Italian family dinner experience. It's definitely worth the trip to Oak Lawn. While you are there make sure you stop by Premos for Ice Cream.
Okay - this place is 40 miles from my house and I make special trips there at least twice a year for their pizza. I know - you are thinking - FOR PIZZA??? Yes!!!! This is the most unbelieveable pizza I have ever had in my life. The sauce is sweet (which I absolutely love) the crust is cracker thin, the meat is fresh and the veggies are crisp.
Good Lord I am drooling just thinking about it.
I have dragged many friends here and they all agree - so far, this is the best in the city -
My boyfriend and I had a southside pizza war and I won with Palermo's thin crust cheese.
His family grew up with Vito & Nick's pizza, which is fantastic and greasy, but doesnt have that same sharp cheese and tangy sauce as Palermo's.
I wish they would deliver all the way uptown.
Palermo's is my 2nd favorite southside pizza joint, behind only Aurelio's. The sauce has a delicious sweetness and the crust is perfectly crisp.
There are a lot of things lacking on the South Side, and it is difficult to "defend" it against the North Side because, as of this writing, they are two very different places. That said, in the battle for thin crust pizza superiority, the decision goes to the South Side. No contest. It's not even close, and Palermo's is a major reason for SS dominance.
Order the "thin and crispy" crust and find that it is crispy all the way through, covered with a noticeably sweet sauce and toppings that are all equally impressive in their own right. For example, the sausage is homemade and a spinach topping is not just spinach leaves but a delicious combination of spinach and ricotta cheese (I think). Long story short, the quality of the toppings is excellent, and the pizza comes to you looking the way it should: loaded with stuff, hot, and properly browned on top. Portion size is overly generous. We usually get it delivered, but I have been to the restaurant and had a recommendable experience. You won't be blown away by special ambiance, but you will feel like exactly where you are: In an Italian restaurant, on the South Side, eating some of the best authentic thin crust pizza in (OK, near) the city.
This place is good and it gets packed! The pizza is delicious (thin crust), calamari was fresh and not overly breaded, and they have a fun and tasty martini list. My husband tried the hazelnut chocolate one and it was delicous (be careful).
They serve you with fresh made rustic loafs of warm bread that is delicous. You know the one...a bit crunchy on the outside when you break it and soft within with a bit of steam coming out. Aaaaah.
I haven't tried the pasta yet, but it looks very good from the other tables. We had the tiramisu which was good but it needed a bit more espresso in it. Very nice service and reasonable prices.
For over 35 years, Palermo's Italian Cuisine on 95th Street has been well-known among the South Side locals for its service, its atmosphere, and, most of all, its thin-crust pizza. Hungry customers pour into the comfy interior with a family feel and an Old World ambiance (old-fashioned dcor, brick arches, food and wine posters, and beautiful paintings), all looking for the dishes Palermo's has become renown for.
Each and every recipe is a first-generation Italian tradition, having been brought straight from "the old country." I like to start my culinary memoirs with the stuffed banana peppers: tender and juicy, they're stuffed with Italian sausage and just the right amount of spice. The traditional antipasto plate is also a wonderful nod to authentic Italian cuisine, full of old-school meats, cheeses, and relishes. As far as entrees, the lake perch is lightly coated and sauted in a special lemon sauce and served alongside a bed of delectable pasta. Fans of Portabella mushrooms will fall over themselves for the penne portabello, sauted in fresh basil, garlic, and olive oil, and topped with freshly grated Parmigiano cheese. But most people will tell you that they're there for the thin-crust pizza.
Palermo's has four different kinds of pizza: a regular crust, a deep dish, a Chicago-style deep dish, and the thin and crispy. All of them incorporate the restaurant's impeccable sauce, which has just a hint of sweetness. You can actually observe and point out the layers of your topping choices, but most importantly, you can taste all those layers with just a bit of crunch from the crisp crust to finish the mouthful. The toppings are piled on in a traditionally Chicago way: underneath a piping hot bed of cheese.
If you have any room left, try a dessert. You can stick with something traditional like the tiramisu or crme brulee, or try a bite of Nina's cassata cake: layers of Italian cake filled with custard pudding, topped off with freshly toasted almond pieces.
When you see co-owner Anthony Calderone mingling around the room, be sure to say grazie! He'll probably grace your table with a charming smile and a joke or two... that I can't repeat here.
I absolutely love their pizza here, but I can't say the same for the other food. The atmosphere is old school Italy. Crowd tends to be on the older side. Great for family Dining. Long waits for the dinner crowd unless your two people or made a reservation. It is true, the sauce is what makes this pizza the best.
It's been a couple of years since I've had it. Maybe even 4 or 5. I got a large sausage pizza today. Excellent!! Having had the 63rd Street Palermo's two weeks ago, I've come to realize that the two are almost nothing alike. This sauce is not as sweet. Hell, it's not really sweet at all. But it is rich and tasty. Kind of Aurelio's, but heartier. Pizza was ready for pick-up when they said. It was MADE exactly as I requested.Medium crust , great sausage, thick cheese. No complaints, lots of love.
Holy shit Palermo's is in the top five best thin crust pizzas to ever exist. I've been getting pizza from this place for pretty much as long as I've been alive and it has never, ever disappointed. The crust is juuuuuuuuust right, never too much sauce, great pepperoni, and golden cheese. If you don't want pizza then there's a huge selection of other Italian food to soothe you over. The non-pizza stuff on the menu can be kind of pricey so be warned, but seriously, you don't need anything else.
Delicious thin crust pizza! I believe Red Ivy in Wrigleyville now serves their pizza, which eliminates a trek to the south side!
This pizza is heavenly. Well worth every calorie. The sauce is a little sweet and the taste blends nicely with tons of cheese and delicious crust. When I moved to the "North Side" I always said "The only thing I miss about the South Side is Palermo's". Then I found out that Red Ivy serves and delivers Palermo's pizza!! I honestly think I shed a tear of joy.
I've never actually had the pizza here, only dinner menu dine-in. I usually come here with the family and have the pasta and whatnot. The dining room is faux-old world, and once in a while you'll see the corpulent owner meandering the room, shaking hands and laughing like a loon. I reccomend the ciopinno and the swordfish, but I've also heard the portabella penne is quite nice as well.
Only got carry out from there and it was as good as the hype that surrounds this place. When I think of a flawless thin crust sausage, I think of this place (besides Salerno's & Freddie's which is up for debate) I also had their calamari which despite being in the car for a hour, was great.
My favorite Italian from San Francisco to DC and all points in between. The thin crust Italian sausage pizza, superb. Great sauce, great cheese, exactly what other pizzas desire to be. Outstanding pasta and of course the sauce carries thru. If you get within 10 miles of the place, def worth the detour. I am from VA and hit Palermo's at least once a year as I pass thru Chicago. Not to miss pizza nirvana!
Having grown up eating their pizza, I already know that it's good! But for the first time, I had something besides pizza and saw more of the building than just the carry out section. Went here for lunch the other day, and left stuffed and very happy. I had a cup of the minestrone soup (good but nothing too spectacular), but the grilled chicken over tortellini with garlic and olive oil was outstanding. It was the smaller lunch portion, but it was more than enough! The service was quick and marginally friendly, and the restaurant itself was less than half full, so it was easy to carry on a conversation. And carrying on my obsession with public bathrooms: The bathroom here was bordering on sterile; you could perform surgery on the floor if you had to! Only problem was that the automatic paper towel dispenser would not shut off, so there was a pile of paper towels laying on the ground. This is definitely a place I'm going to have to hit back again for a lunch or dinner. They also offer banquet services and rooms for parties of 15 or more.
Lemont, IL
Category: Painters
Neighborhood: West Lawn
Category: Pizza
Neighborhood: Mount Greenwood
Category: Burgers
Hickory Hills, IL
Category: American (Traditional)
Neighborhood: Beverly
Category: Breakfast & Brunch
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