Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Co.: User Reviews
Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Co.
2121 N. Clark St. - Chicago773-248-2570
I've been going to this restaurant since I was little. My family loves this little spot. We've never really gone for the pizza, although we do occasionally order one to share. We LOVE the Greek salad (the dressings are amazing) and flat bread. Four of us share the large salad and flat bread, don't spend much, and still leave with a doggy bag. And we usually buy the dressings to take out and repeat the salad another time at home.
There's ALWAYS a huge wait if you go at prime times. Try going early. And don't be surprised when they don't take your name...I think this is actually the second generation of hosts that can keep everyone straight in their mind. It's part of the charm. And, if you forget that it's cash only, I believe there's a cash station in the lobby.
- Ambiance:
- Food:
- Service:
- Value:
I have been going here for at least 9 years and I still love it. No it's not "normal" pizza. It's a pizza pot pie. Start with one of the huge salads and mix all the dressings together. Then get the mediterranean sp? bread and split a pizza pot pie. You wont be sorry. Cash only!!!
- Ambiance:
- Food:
- Service:
- Value:
I have been everywhere....From Weiner's Circle in the middle of the night to fancy dinners at the Ritz Carlton Chicago. I love food, I love to eat out. It makes me happy. But can I just say that the first time I had Chicago Pizza & Oven Grinder, it changed my life. Wow, the pizza pot pie is TO DIE FOR!
They don't have a fancy glowing sign with a grand entryway (this place is so easy to miss if you are not looking for it, I think I drove by it 6 million times before even realizing it existed) The waiting area is small and uncomfortable, the restaurant is made up mostly tight wooden booths, there's barely room for 2 people to pass in any aisle, the washrooms are individual and buried in the back, the bar is small and limited, the menu is simple, the prices are low, its cash only and the waitstaff is straightforward but it all doesn't matter because the food is OUTSTANDING! And that's all that matters!
CPOG don't change a thing! Just stay focused on that food!
If you judge this place based on its ambiance (may be intimidating for some) then you don't have a real appreciation for outstanding culinary creations!
Even if this place was 1/2 the size, twice as crowded, and triple the prices I WOULD GO BACK!
From Lombardi's Pizza in New York City to Anthony's Grotto in San Diego, accross these United States of America, CPOG is truly a hidden gem!
- Ambiance:
- Food:
- Service:
- Value:
A friend of mine who was in town heard of this place, so we decided to try it. The Mediterranean flatbread is amazing. We also had a chef salad and a pizza pot pie. The hour long wait was definitely worth it! The music is vocal jazz from back in the day which goes well with the ambiance. Great selection of wine. Low lights for a romantic atmosphere if you want that. Also a lot of families. VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: IT IS CASH ONLY!!! I will be frequenting this place.
- Ambiance:
- Food:
- Service:
- Value:
Visited from out of town, waste of time!
By KeithG from Grand Rapids, MI, August 13, 2008
- Overall rating:
In a city known for pizza, this place was mediocre at best but the management are snobby, as though they were seating you in a five star restaurant. The "grinder" was a lump of melted mozerella with a tiny dolup of sauce and a bland pastry over the top. They flip it over on your plate to make something that resembles a pizza. I was not impressed. I would not eat here again!!!
- Ambiance:
- Food:
- Service:
- Value:
OK, the "Pizza" part of the title gets 1 star (2 stars for originality on trying to reinvent the pizza) If you're craving a pizza you will not like this unconventional one for either presentation, value or taste. The next day after I was still craving a "pizza".
The Grinder part gets 2 1/2 to 3 stars and should be in FRONT of the title. (Chicago Grinders and Pizza)
The ambiance gets 2 to 2 1/2 stars it's either cramped or cozy depending on the individual taste.
Read on for details:
We went to this self named pizza place because of the raving reviews on this website and others. I particularly wanted to go here to try something new and mainly because it was close to Lincoln Park Zoo and the lake front as the family and myself were in the city for some summer fun. I've lived downtown in the past but moved a while back when I found I could buy a house with a yard in the burbs for less than I was paying for rent in the city center. I am familiar with the city and it's many and varied restaurants. Now to all the raving 5 star reviews on this site about Chicago Pizza and Grinders I have to wonder A. What are these people smoking or B. These people wouldn't know good food if it fell out of the sky and did a little dance on their nose or C. Every employee of the place is required to write a 5 star review.
I am Italian American by decent. I know good pizza. My mother was a cook in a (highly acclaimed at it's time), Italian Restaurant and I learned how to cook pretty well myself. CP&G must be a place that is a great little gathering spot for the clueless Young Urban Professional crowd. I'm just trying to understand the plethora of 5 star reviews here.
To start my critical review from top to bottom. The place could be called "cozy" by some or just claustrophobic by this reviewer. Yes because of the high price of square footage in the city's trendy neighborhoods this is common but this place has a cramped feel, not cozy. You cannot move to your table or a trip to the bathrooms without bumping into someone (I was told the womens bathroom was "disgusting"). The "majestic" pine benches as I've read them described, are very tight and small and little comfort for your aching glutes, but I do grant that they are high enough to keep your booth isolated from the other seats so I guess it could be called cozy (to a "glass half full" kind of person).
The appetizer we had was the Mediterranean Bread. It is nothing but a flat, very thin almost pizza crust ( but floppy) with some herbs sprinkled on it. It comes draped over a small plate then plunked on your table overhanging this small plate and laying on the table top and the waitress says "This is finger food no utensils necessary". We were thinking (out loud), "I hope this table has been professionally cleaned after the last guest sat in it because our "finger food" is laying all over it. " I would prefer my Mediterranean Bread on a platter that was big enough for the food, like a common pizza tray. It was just ordinary in taste.
The Pizza Pot Pie was overpriced for being so small, and one of the most unsatisfying resolutions to a "pizza crave" in my recent experience. You can only order a half pound ($11) or a full pound portion ($22). The half pound order split between the two small children left them scraping the plate for some more. The pizza pot pie (half pound) is nothing more than a very small crust of dough shaped into a small pot, and filled with a gobby mess of melted cheese, red sauce, a little meat and a couple of mushy mushrooms (or you can order it without the mushy mushrooms). The red sauce is not very pizza like tasting and would almost taste better on a pasta, but even then it would need a lot of tweaking. I could think of 25 other places to get a better pizza experience. SKIP the pizza unless your clueless then eat it and rave about it to all your other clueless friends.
The Grinder part of the title should go in FRONT of the Pizza part of this restaurant. My fia
- Ambiance:
- Food:
- Service:
- Value:
My fiance and I came here after seeing it featured on Rachel Ray. Although the wait was long, and we were a little concerned about being seated since the host does not take your names, we were so glad we decided to stick it out! After watching Mediteranean Breads being delivered to people already seated, we knew we had to try it - amazing! The pizza pot pies were great, too. I highly recommend CP&OG!
- Ambiance:
- Food:
- Service:
- Value:
My date and I expected a pizza pot pie that was out of this world, but it tasted more like something we could made ourselves. First, you can only pick from two different fillings, sausage or veggie. The flavors were extremely bland, nothing special. The wait was long and the beers and food were overpriced. Not going back.
- Ambiance:
- Food:
- Service:
- Value:
Eek, for having been reviewed on the history channel this place surely doesn't live up to any hype. While the pizza pot pies are an interesting concept, they kinda suck. The sauce was watery, I'd rather carryout a $5 premade pizza from Little Ceasars. The wait was long, however the ambiance was cool considering the history of the joint (Capone's old hangout)- the only reason worth going. Its worth trying, perhaps at the lunch hour when the wait is less than 90 minutes!
- Ambiance:
- Food:
- Service:
- Value:
I found the food was average at very best, service was rushed and the wait awful. I would recommend going right at noon on Saturday or Sunday. Otherwise I hope you enjoy waiting.
- Ambiance:
- Food:
- Service:
- Value:
Review Summary
The following scores represent the average rating submitted by 55 users:
- Overall user rating:
- Ambiance
- Food
- Service
- Value
