Calabruzzi's Cafe is a place that I have passed by many times. Â I had been curious about their food but never had the opportunity to stop in. Â On the days I wanted to, they were closed. Â So much for my timing!
On Facebook, I belong to a group that posts about all things Bridgeport and the topic came up about what pizza place serves the best  "pie" and so, I had to weigh in.  I voted Phil's Pizza on 35th and then, the discussion continued and Calabruzzi's Cafe came up. Â
I had tried another place in the neighborhood recently and I lamented that the pizza had very little sausage. Â Calabruzzi's had posted a picture of one of their creations and I could see that the amount of sausage was generous and it looked to be cooked to perfection. Â So, I had that in the back of my mind to try. Â
Last week, my friend and I decided to have ourselves a treat and since I had Calabruzzi's on my mind. Â We went for it and I have to say that I am extremely glad we did. Â
First, I got some valuable feedback from my nephew. Â He mentioned that their Sopressata (a spicy sausage) was awesome. Â Homemade by the owner, Angelo, and top quality stuff. Â So, when I spoke to the owner's daughter on the phone, she gave me more details and I was sold. Â I ordered the spicy sausage with onion and double dough (asked for it to be cooked "crispy"). Â
Rosanna was the person I connected with through the Facebook group page. Â Let me tell you, she was personality plus! Â Down-to-earth and friendly. Â I feel like I knew her for years and it was a blast. Â She made my order a breeze and I felt appreciated as a customer. Â
I told Rosanna that I would be totally fair in my assessment. Â She knew that I was a Phil's fan. Â I told her that the "food fight" would begin and that round one would commence when we received that pizza. Â
Her father, Angelo, delivered the pizza and it came within the time specified. Â Hot, fresh and ready to be devoured. Â I thanked Angelo and mentioned to him that his daughter was awesome. Â He probably through I was crazy because I was so excited at the arrival of the pizza! Â :)
The pizza looked like Heaven. Â My phone camera did not take the best picture but let me tell you, I didn't give it much of a chance to get a second or third try. Â I wanted to taste it and find out if it was going to give Phil's a run for the money. Â
This pizza was really good. Â The spicy sausage really added a nice kick to the party of taste and the sauce and cheese were just right. Â A very generous amount of sausage and onion and the crust was cooked crispy to perfection. Â To be fair, I should have ordered a regular think crust to truly compare to Phil's but regardless, I have to say that I was extremely pleased with my taking a chance and trying (that last experience I had with another neighborhood place did nothing to ease my taste for a good pizza etc). Â
Rosanna included a cannoli with the order and that was tasty as oh hell. Â Seriously did not want to eat it that night because we were stuffed. Â Then, because my "treat day" was technically over, I did not eat it the next day either. Â Two days later, I realized I had a treat waiting for me in the fridge. Â I went for it. Â It was light,delicately flavored and oh so good. Â I wanted to collapse in a ball of gooey happiness. Â Yes. Â I love my treats!
As I mentioned, I was very pleased with the service. Â I can't imagine Rosanna being any less friendly with anyone that calls in (since she did not know who I was at first and was still friendly). Â Also, I was very pleased that they took debit cards. Â I mention this because Phil's (which was really the place I was comparing this too) does not. Â What's great about this is that it certainly makes it easier for an "impulse buy" type situation. Â Sometimes, I find myself just absolutely starving and not wanting to commit to cooking. Â Phil's is so close to me but I don't want to stop at an ATM outside at night in order to order a pizza. Â Also, it was cold and icy out that night. Â I wouldn't have wanted to walk out in order to do that. Â Yes. Â This is a point of convenience and facilitating commerce! Â :)
Comparing the two pizzas that are my heart's desire, I have to say that Phil's is still a bit more generous but that could be based on the fact that I technically had a "specialty" ingredient in the spicy sausage. Â To really fairly compare, I should get a regular sausage pizza. Â With all that being taken into account for, I thoroughly enjoyed the toppings and it was certainly enough to make us happy! Â
The ultimate determination for me was to consult my inner critic and ask the question - "Would I order another pizza from them again?" Â Since my last experience with a neighborhood place was to "skip it." Â I was pretty happy to report that I am CERTAINLY going to try it again AND, I felt satiated in my desire for wanting a pizza. Â
I am thoroughly excited by Calabruzzi's and this round was a draw. Â Looking forward to "Round 2!"
don't bother. they served us salad with pieces of ice still in it, wine with parts of the cork in it, bread that was still frozen in the middle. I don't think I need to go on. The only redeeming quality was the waitress, who took our complaints with grace and adjusted our bill accordingly.
Review Source:I ordered take out once from Calabruzzi's last year when a craving for pasta hit & the cafe had just opened up. The pasta was excellent, but I kept passing this great establishment up for other neighborhood hang outs of sheer forgetfulness on my part.
So, the pasta-craving hit again, but I did not feel like going out to a local BYOB Italian joint. I walked a couple blocks over to Calabruzzi's & was greeted, seated, & served a nice, cold Peroni within mere minutes.
I ordered a "create your own pasta" dish... I had penne with an amazing vodka sauce.
My waitress was friendly & we even chatted a bit.
When I left Calabruzzi's, I had forgotten my umbrella. One of the kind fellows in the cafe actually chased me almost a block down Halsted Street to hand it back to me!
I went back a couple days later to just sit at Calabruzzi's bar & have a couple more tasty Peroni beer. I was very fortunate to meet the owner & talk for a while over my drinks.
I really think that this hidden little Italian gem on South Halsted Street is often over-looked... I am guilty of it! No longer; I will be back again & again when I have the craving for friendly, Bridgeport neighborhood service, a cold drink, or some excellent pasta.
P.S. Also treated myself to a 1/2 dozen of their baked clams after reading other Yelper's reviews... Â the clams were AMAZING!!!
When you are driving south on Halsted, it might look like the place isn't open yet. Â IT IS! Â GO IN!. Â The corner is part of the building that the owner plans on expanding in. Â Went with my two kids for lunch. Â First time in. Â Very nice and comfortable inside. Â Warm bread, very good. Â I had the potato pizza. Â Very tasty and plenty of it. Â Will eat the other half for dinner. Â My son had linguini with marinara. Â No complaints from him. Â He'll eat the rest of his for dinner too :) Â Owner was very friendly to my kids and to me. Â Will definitely go back and bring more people with me.
Review Source:1 star is for the drinks that I had, I wish I could give 0 stars because even my pepsi tasted water downed.
As for the food..... well I didn't have ANY? I Â bet your wondering why. The service sucks ass in here.
Walked in here with my mom, saw 2 other tables, a bartender and this dude that came out of the kitchen, wasn't greeted or even acknowledged by anyone. Sat down ourselves. Noone even came over for a good 5 minutes to take our drink orders. I was telling my mom, I'm gonna count to 10 and if noone comes then I'm getting the fuck outta here. So the  lady, which I think is the owner also finally comes takes our drink orders and brings it back and then dissapears again to go talk to this one table that was there. 15 minutes passed and she never comes back to take our food orders. I've had enough, threw $5 bucks on the table and finally got up and left.
Screw this place, their a dime a dozen, with this kind of service, you won't last much longer in Bridgeport.
I'm very jaded when it comes to pizza as I have already proclaimed my favorites in pretty much every category. Â However, being the pizza-holic that I am, I will always try a new place and I am so happy that I tried the pizza at Calabruzzi's Cafe! Â This is now one of my new favorite thin crust pizzas in the City. Â Nice and crunchy, a really nice flavor to it, the cheese is so delicious! Â I would choose this place over almost any place on the south side hands down! Â I am ashamed to say that I even had to sneak a piece when I got home before bed because I couldn't get it out of my mind. Â
I got only veggies on my side, my BF got veggies and spicy sausage on his side - he couldn't stop raving about that sausage. Â Well, the next day when I reheated the pizza I accidentally had a slice of sausage, I must say it was really tasty and had a really nice kick! Â I normally detest sausage on a pizza, but I may have to venture to the dark side and try this spicy sausage next time I stop by Calabruzzi's for a pizza...because I will DEFINITELY be heading back there very soon!
I have stopped by a few times. I enjoy the location and the fact that there is parking in the back. I ordered their pizza with cheese and spicy italian sausage. It was great! They made me a cucumber salad. Didnt see it on the menu but when I told them I didnt want what they had the owner went and gave me the cucumber salad. It was GREAT! I agree that they are trying to do too much but I assume they are learning as they go. The place is nice if you want to be in a nice,cozey, around the corner place. Nice place.
Review Source:Calabruzzi's is a nice Italian restaurant in the heart of Bridgeport. Â The food is very good, prices are fair, service and atmosphere are good. Â The owner is a Bridgeport native and true Italian Chicagoan...if that makes sense. Â I like the joint and the people who run it and good people always make a difference.
Review Source:Tried it twice because I really wanted to like it. Â Living in the neighborhood, I was excited about a new restaurant opening up. Â It was pretty crowded on our first visit, the week it opened up. Â Food was just ok. Â Tried it again a few months later. Â When my kids complained about the food, I realized it wasn't just me. Â They normally will eat anything. Â The pizza was not that good, the clams tasted like they were right out of a can. Â They were pretty slow in getting our food to us even though we were the only ones there.
Review Source:We went here for dinner. Â The place is very nicely re-hab'd, I wanted so much to like it. Â The food was alright. Â I do have to say that the fried ravioli were delicious as well as the homemade marinara sauce; the meatballs on the other hand not so much. Â
As for customer service, they need a greeter. Â When we walked in no one said anything, then the bartender said sit where you like. Â Well we would if someone bussed the tables. Â Everyone was confused. Â I think they need to work out some kinks in the customer service department.
I like to drink soda pop. And If I order it at a restaurant I'm the kind of person who scours the menu to see if they have free refills. So, looking at this menu I saw that I could either order a pitcher of pop and share it with my wife, or order a single glass and then be charged every time to get it filled. The pitcher sounded like the best way to get the most bang for my buck. Wrong. Their pitcher didn't even give my wife and I one full cup of pop for our first go round. Quite annoying and just a little thing that began the bad visit. The food was dissapoining and sad really. The lasagna was pitiful. It was generic, bland, and tasted like it was made days before and then microwaved before it got to my table. I've had better lasagna anywhere and so have you. Think of a restuarant. It's better than this place. My wife got their potato pizza. Yes. Potato pizza. We were somewhat hesitant about ordering it but the server told us it was great with its simple ingredients of olive oil, garlic, parmesan, potatoes, and crust. The server was wrong. The garlic and cheese were so subtle they were almost non-existent and the pizza actually tasted better once the potatoes were taken off the pie. So our potato pizza just became crust with a dash of oil, cheese, and garlic. Pretty sad we had to eliminate the main ingredient of potato pizza so we can enjoy potato pizza. We did get a larger size pie on the house because they messed up in the kitchen, so that was fun, but we didn't even want to take home the left overs. The service was okay. I do think it was funny that in another review it was mentioned that their server hung around the bar a lot talking and laughing with other employees and our server did the same. She was attentive enough to check on us once or twice but we did on a few occasions have to interrupt her conversations to get some water refills and even our bill. I wanted this place to be good just because they're an italian restaurant and we don't have too many choices of italian fare in this neighborhood. But sadly it wasn't good and I have no longing to return.
Review Source:I stopped in recently, after reading a fairly negative review by the Sun-Times:
<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.suntimes.com%2Fentertainment%2Fdining%2F5588559-452%2Fstory.html&s=d10d0972ae76d1a5e0d39f8c2d676bcfe7d98e642165d1b07e529fca43b26d07" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.suntimes.com/…</a>
If they focus on being a pizza place, I think they'll be successful. Â The pizza is good but, beyond that, Pat Bruno was right. Â They're trying to do too much, so the quality is inconsistent from dish to dish. Â You can't be all things to all people. Â Another downside of a large menu is that I overheard multiple patrons being told that an order was not available because they ran out of a main ingredient.
It's also a mistake to market themselves as authentic Italian. Â The pizza, for example, is quite Americanized, as it probably should be for this sort of place. Â It's still good but not remotely "authentic Italian." Â Another example, the bruschetta contains no bruschetta (grilled bread), but rather is simply a large bowl of Caprese salad. Â It's a good salad, but why use an incorrect menu description (accompanied by an incorrect pronunciation by the waitress)?
My husband and I have eaten here twice and so far, it's been great. Â I had the sliders both times and they are super tasty. Â They come on pretzel rolls and whatever seasonings they use on the burger meat... heavenly. Â They almost taste like italian sausage. Â Warm bread is served with olive oil - which is always nice to nibble on before your meal. Â Our server was attentive, but it was slow when we were there. Â The only bad thing....both times we've gone, it has been super cold in the restaurant. Â Like, so cold I wore my jacket through the meal. Â Other than that, we love Calabruzzi's :)
Review Source:Meh...I was so excited to see this restaurant was opening. I've tried it three times now, and my experience has been lackluster each time.
#1: Ordered pizza, which was still doughy in the middle. Not great. Also, the service was terrible. Everyone seemed completely lost. They were out of paper menus to take home. They had just opened in the last few days, so I forgave this visit and decided to try again in a couple weeks.
#2: Ordered another pizza for pick-up. We got a large pizza for two of us, thinking we'd have leftovers. Their large is actually a small, as they have weird sizes like large, extra large, and family size. That's just confusing. The pizza was good this time, though!
#3: Ordered pasta with vodka sauce, and I can't remember what my boyfriend got. I think he got another small ("large") pizza. It was pretty good, but what you'd expect from an "Italian" chain restaurant. I happen to like Italian chains, so it worked for me.
I'm glad to have an Italian addition to the neighborhood, but it just wasn't as good as I had expected.
Wow, our neighborhood needed this.Sadly, the location has been vacant for so long that some may not even think to look there. Calabruzzi's has awesome homemade sausage, caprese salad, and french fries were awesome. I love that the prices were consistent for the area. Around here we have many old staples but hopefully people will give them a try- it's well worth it.
Review Source:Went here on a Sunday night a few weeks ago with my brother. I have never felt the need to write a review on Yelp (or anywhere, for that matter) - so that ought to tell you how strongly I feel about this place.
It was maybe 1/3 full when we walked in. Still, the waitress took her time bringing our drinks and taking our order. Some other waitress brought our food - big messy Italian sandwiches - and since for some reason this place only gives you a spoon and fork and these sandwiches were huge, we immediately asked her for a knife. She said sure and promptly disappeared into the kitchen for five minutes . . . ten minutes.
Meanwhile, our waitress didn't come to check on us and our food either, for five minutes . . . ten minutes. Reluctant to dive into our oversized sandwiches without at least cutting them in half, we waited in vain, trying to catch the eye of anyone on staff. But no, they were all congregated near the bar, laughing and joking and obviously having one big happy family of a time.
Finally, we flagged down a busboy who brought us a knife. Meanwhile, my brother's pepsi had been empty for five minutes, but it would be another ten minutes before our waitress would bother stopping by, at which point we were basically done with our food.
Which brings me to our food - overpriced, completely unspecial Italian sandwiches. I got the Italian sausage and my brother got the Italian beef. The buns were clearly not fresh, the "homemade" Italian sausage tasted no better than the Bob Evans variety, and the tomato sauce was bleh. You can get a much better sandwich from Freddie's or Maxwell's or any number of places. Plus, they nickel-and-dime you for everything. Have fun being charged $2.50 to add mushrooms to your pasta (really?), or $2 to add cheese. And of course there aren't free refills, which on fountain drinks is just so incredibly stingy.
Bad service, blah overpriced food, better places nearby. Bridgeport needs more businesses and more good places to eat, but I hope this place is gone before the year is up.
I went in with some friends after the home opener.
I ordered the chicken parm, my friend the seafood pasta and the other chicken alfredo.
we did order the baked clams to start.
the baked clams were really good. I'm not a clam person but the sever suggested them and I thought why not. I did enjoy them.
I really enjoyed my chicken parm, and my two friends loved their food.
One of my friends said her pasta was a little underdone but besides that she enjoyed it.
we each had a beer. I enjoyed the music.
One thing I will say is the server needs to learn the menu. I ordered two things she said they didn't have that was clearly on the menu.....
Don't let a server ruin our experience!
I met my husband and friend here today after the Sox home opener (win). They had already finished their meal, so I quickly ordered a meatball sandwich and a Peroni from their simple but effective menu (mainly pizzas and sandwiches with some pastas).
Once I ordered I had a chance to take the place in. It's a wonderful size for a semi-casual dinner or pre-game venue. The rehab of the space was very tastefully done, with some exposed brick, faux tin ceiling tiles, a beautiful full bar, and a semi-open kitchen where you can watch the action behind the glass. The thing I appreciated about the place right off the bat was that there was no BS, you knew what you were there for: Italian-American food.
Maps of Italy and nice amateur artwork featuring different Italian landmarks covered the walls (it seemed like someone in the family had traveled to Italy and were sharing the art they created there with their customers). The music was the mix you expected - rat pack and soundtrack songs from The Godfather. This may sound hokey, but it was exactly what needed to be there. No attempt to be 'cooler' or more metro than what it was, just solid, no-nonsense Italian-American food for people from the neighborhood.
The sandwich came, and it was delicious. I was asked if I wanted sweet or hot, or on the side, and I said both on the side - I used up both cups of peppers. In the end, I still don't know what my preference was - both were equally tasty (pre-made giardinera, and sweet peppers that seemed to have been roasted freshly). The sauce on the sandwich was great - not too sweet, but just a little sweetness. My only suggestion would be that I would LOVE the mozzarella cheese to be fresh on the sandwich, rather than a glob of melted shredded cheese. Don't get me wrong, it was tasty, but the fresh stuff, added at the end, and kind of melty, maybe with some fresh basil, would be killer. Also of note were the excellent hand-cut fries - we ate these with the olive oil, parm, and pepper provided on the table to go with the basket of bread (yum).
I didn't witness my companions' food, but they were equally happy. Everything I saw served looked and smelled great. The next test is to try the pizza - hopefully it's on the same level. I overheard another waitress talking about a seafood pizza and was intrigued. I also really want to try their baked clams; they smelled amazing.
Best part? The three of us ate and had beers for under $40 - not bad!
I will absolutely be back - this place is a serious contender for pre-game snacks, as well as somewhere we'd walk over to have a meal when there aren't Sox fans around to entertain.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
