Coalfire is easily one of the, if not the best places in Chicago to get pizza. I don't really reccomend taking it out--it loses something, but I love going here and dining on a piping hot pizza straight out of the oven. Their ingredients are very fresh, and it shows--very high quality meats and cheses. I'm also a big fan of their ceasar salad. But the pizza really is where it's at..love the prosciutto. Also, the staff is wonderful.
Review Source:Our pizza was burnt yet under cooked at the same time. Service was mediocre at beat. No beer on tap and don't sit by the door in the winter unless you like being frozen. The $7.50 Caesar salad left a lot to be desired.
I was really hoping it would be a good place because it is so close to where we live, but nope :(
I've been eating pizza since about the time that I could walk. Â Even worked in a couple growing up. Â Coalfire Pizza has the best pizza I have ever eaten. Â Perfect combination between toppings and sauce and a spongy bursting with flavor crust. Â Chicago style pizza was my slice of choice until I had Coalfire Pizza...I won't have my slice any other way!
Review Source:I'm not sure if I've ever been to a place I wanted to love as much as Coalfire. The ambiance is laid back and home-y and the service was super friendly. I loved the casual, friendly charm of our waitress and I really felt like I was making a new best friend throughout the meal. The pizza, it was good. In a bit of a hard style to describe they call it an "American spin on a Neapolitan" and I felt that as a Neapolitan pie is crust-centric. Coalfire's is appropriately cooked up in a coal-fired oven, one of the only in Chicago, ramped up to 800 degrees. They make their crust a little thinner than a typical Neapolitan and the coal oven puts a nice char on it. The result is a crust that is less spongy than is true to Neapolitan style and a little more crisp (although definitely not a cracker crust). I liked the crust, as it had great flavor but wish that the flavor was a little easier to grasp by sticking truer to a thicker, spongier crust. The standout topping was the oven roasted garlic (delish) but I found the sauce and cheese underwhelming for a pie that demands great sauce and cheese. I think Coalfire is worth trying if only to see what pizza is like when subjected to a coal burning oven plus it's always nice to dine with nice folks.
Review Source:my favorite thin crust, neapolitan style pizza in  Chicago!!  You don't even have to ask for it to be well done to be crispy!  The flavors are amazing food all around.  I wish they were still byo.  I think the price is a bit expensive for the uber casual dining room and the location, but I keep coming back for the pizza.  Service is very friendly and quirky.
Review Source:Good grief, people. This place does not serve "thin crust" pizza. It ABSOLUTELY doesn't serve "cracker crust" pizza. When was the last time you folded a cracker in half before eating it?
Coalfire, just like other greats Spacca Napoli and Great Lake, serves Neapolitan pizza. Â Neapolitan - Naples - The Italian countryside...I can picture it now!
Any other name does not do this pizza justice - the amount of time spent on the dough and the high quality toppings puts it among the very best in the city.
Super friendly staff, usually not crazy busy (unlike Spacca Napoli or Great Lake), and decent amount of street parking makes it really enjoyable to stop by here for a pizza.
I haven't been real recently and I understand the place is under new ownership, and the menu has been revamped to be a little more exotic and interesting, in terms of toppings. My only minor quibble was that their topps were all pretty standard - now it sounds like that has changed, and I am super excited to go back.
If you want thin crust, go to Vito and Nick's. If you want deep dish, go to Malnati's or Pequods. Coalfire and their Neapolitan pizzas are an entirely different animal...a tasty, tasty animal.
Incredible pizza, I can't get enough of this stuff! Â Whenever my wife and I go here we always get 2 pizzas so we have leftovers. Â You can't go wrong with the flavors as they are all good. Â They used to be even better when they were BYOB however, but they have good enough selection of beer's/wines to compliment your pies.
Go there with confidence
Great  dinner date place for under $35.
One of the best places in the city for cracker crust/ or thin pizza. Pizza isn't necessarily healthy, but this is one of the healthier pizza options. I have been here at least 5 times and their food and service is consistent every time- no matter if it is a full house or only two tables.
I first heard about this place when a close-up of their margarita pizza graced the covers of a summer 2010 Time-Out magazine with a feature story of best pizza places in Chicago. The picture had me drooling to give the place a try, and when I did, it was fantastic.
Best margarita pizza in the city, fresh mozzarella, fresh large leaf basil, light on the sauce. Â You can taste and appreciate the simple but beautifully married combinations of what a margarita pizza is all about- pizza crust, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and basil. Also, I have had it with sausage (homemade) on top that is also nice if you want more protein in your meal.
Note that this is a thin/ cracker crust place, opposite of Chicago deep dish so if you are hungry, order two pizzas.
Caeser salad is also one of the best in the city, I think their croutons are made in-house.  One order is good  for two people to share.
Decent sized import and domestic bottle beer menu. Sometimes they have half price for bottled import beers on weekdays.
Amazing pizza. Fast service.
PIZZA: Once you order, start the clock. It will be to you within 10 minutes, and sometimes even 6. This is a great place to go if you're starving, because they'll get you fed, and fast. Not to mention how delicious their food is. Sometimes, though, if you order something with basil on it, they just put big leaves of basil on there, which makes it hard to eat and very difficult to experience the flavor in each bite. I've started just asking for "the ___ pizza with chopped basil," just to be sure.
SERVICE: Like I said, they're super fast. Also very friendly, and the guy who seems to be managing the restaurant is always very excited to see us and seems to recognize us (which could have to do with my fiance being 6 foot 7, but still).
COST: Man, this pizza is good, but I'm just not convinced that I should have to pay that much for a pizza. It ends up being 15-20 per person without alcohol, which seems like a lot for pizza. So, I wish they were a bit cheaper, but I'm obviously still a semi regular, so it's not impeding my visits too much.
Tip: After you leave, stop at The Twisted Spoke for a drink. They have a much better selection.
I've been hearing a lot of buzz about Coalfire, specifically that it's on a short list of best pizza joints in Chicago. While I can't say I agree, I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed the experience here.
Caesar salad ($7.50) is slightly small for a shareable salad, and is frankly fairly average, as it doesn't have the assertive anchovy flavor I like from Caesar salads, but the croutons are good and it's not overdressed for dinner. As far as the main event, Fiorentino pizza ($16.5), topped with mozzarella, calabrese salami, and sweet peppers, is pretty delicious and a perfect size for two people to share. The crust is very thin, but manages to be chewy rather than crackery like other super-thin pizzas. I can't say I've had crust like this before, and while it did not blow me away on first bite, the flavor and texture definitely grew on me as I kept eating it. Apart from the calabrese salami, which is deliciously salty and just greasy enough, the toppings and sauce are slightly above average.
Pricing is fair, and on this visit, our waitress was appropriately attentive, and was awkward but in an endearing way. I like this kind of service, because she acted like some people that I know (namely, myself). All in all, Coalfire does not crack into the Chicago pizza pantheon, but it represents a highly serviceable, unique, reasonably priced and delicious dining option within 2 miles of the loop, which is surprisingly difficult to find. I'll definitely be back!
By far the best pizza I've ever had. Hands down. And I've tried a lot!! I don't know what took me so long to discover this place but after dining there with my husband and parents recently, we had already planned when we would come back and what we would get. The crust is so perfect and the fresh mozzarella really makes the pie. They have so many different options with some fantastic meat choices, or you can make your own. Â Most recently we got pizza with egg on it. This is not to be missed!! My mouth is watering as I write this even thinking about this place. I've dined in and carried out- both were wonderful experiences. The service is spectacular. Â I can't see myself ever getting pizza anywhere else!
Review Source:Coalfire Pizza is the BEST pizza in town. We order a pizza from here about once a week. We always get the goatcheese and proscuitto pizza with a caprese salad. The crust is perfect! The caprese is one of the best I've had. It's perfection and you don't feel overly stuff after, like some pizzas make you feel.
Every staff member is SO nice! They greet me by name and are always so polite and kind. It blows me away every time.
Love, Love, Love this place!
First my credentials: I am a pizza connoisseur(one who understands the details, technique, or principles of an art and is competent to act as a critical judge). Pizza making is an art, I believe that. I have forever been in search of the perfect pie. I read books, I literally travel the world, and I EAT - all to get closer to what I consider perfection.
Coalfire stands out of the crowd. They deliver excellent, excellent crust. That is what is important here. The perfect combination of a chewy, crisp, satisfying crust. Along with cheeses and toppings that compliment and combine textures oh so well. In today's pizza society, you need to be inventive with your toppings or risk being average. I'm a sucker for Margherita, but toppings like ricotta cheese are what continue to impress.
The staff was excellent, I was personally greeted and welcomed a man who seemed to be the owner, either J. Spillane or Bill Carroll I would guess. Even more impressive, is the fact that they saw me with my DSLR camera and invited me to step into the cooking area to get the pizzaiola at work! SCORE! So at any rate, I've got a few shots from inside the kitchen are to accompany this review.
Overall great experience, I would stop at this Napoletana pizza joint any day over the Chicago-Style-Deep-Dish joints that everyone has heard of. Can't wait to go back!
This place is absolutely amazing. From the incredibly delicious and flavorful thin crust pizzas, to the world class service, we were definitely impressed. We were visiting Chicago for a few days and wanted to hit up all the "top" pizza spots and this was definitely the best place by far (we visited Giordano's, Lou Malnati, PIquots, etc), and this is definitely by far the best.
The manager there was a very very nice gentleman (I regret not getting his name). He gave me a quick tour of the back explaining why coal fire was great for the thin crust bread, and superior to regular fire ovens. He also helped us choose the right beers/pizzas/desserts.
Overall I am very very happy with this establishment. Worldclass.
I would give Coalfire 6 stars if possible! This is the first restaurant where I have been overly satisfied in every single aspect of this meal.
Chicago is known for its deep-dish pizzas, yet after trying so many places, I was sorely disappointed, so I decided to try a thin-crust pizza at Coalfire.
Coalfire is exactly how their pizzas are cooked - in an oven with coal, not gas. Apparently, temperatures could reach up to 1,200 degrees with coal, compared to only 800 degrees with propane.
Sadly, the flavor of the coals was not transferred to our pizza, but that did not change how amazing the pizza tasted. My friend and I shared a Sausage pizza. WOW. It was the BEST thin-crust pizza I have EVER tasted, and I am not exaggerating. The cheese was oozing and gooey, the sausage chunks were thick and flavorful, the red onions were sharp and the crust was crunchy. *droooool*
For dessert, we had their Red Velvet and Motherlode cupcakes. The Red Velvet was soft and not too sweet and the crust on the bottom was delicious. The Motherlode cupcake was also great. The cupcakes are actually from a food truck called Chicago's Cupcakes.
Service was spectacular. Everyone was so nice, generous and helpful. The owner of the establishment knows exactly how to run a great restaurant. 6 stars for the pizza, dessert and everyone who works there. Thank you for making this Chicago trip memorable. We will come back to visit!
After hearing about their Nduja pizza, I knew I had to try this place and so glad I did. Â First off, they carry 3F's Gumballhead, which always makes me a happy camper. Â It wasn't even listed on their beer list, but luckily we saw an empty bottle on one of their shelves and asked.
Since they cook their pizzas in a blazing hot coal fire oven, it's a matter of minutes before an order is ready. Â I love their thin crust - crisp with a right amount of chewyness - just like it should be.
The Nduja pizza is pretty new on their menu, as I didn't see it listed on their website or take-out menus. Â It's basically a margherita pizza, with the addition of some spicy calabrian pork sausage from Publican Quality Meats. Â The soft slices of sausage oozes red chili oil, which packs tons of flavor with every bite. Â We also tried the White pizza, which was good, but paled in comparison.
Great service and tasty pizza. Â Looking forward to trying their other toppings next time.
FIrst off, let me say that the service was OUTSTANDING! When that's the first thing that comes to mind about a place, it says a lot about how much they care. It was attentive without being overbearing. The waitress was friendly, helpful, prompt, pleasant, and even tolerated my joking around. She brought our beers right away (extra points!) and was a masterful server. Just like bad service can ruin an experience, good service leaves such an "I wanna go back" feeling. This is such a place.
But let's talk about the food. I've wanted to try coal fired pizza for some time now so I was delighted to go along with this recommendation. Great Yelp reviews added to my excitement. I was NOT disappointed! This pizza is remarkable. I love thin crust pizza and the coal fired oven cooks them in just a couple of minutes at a very high temperature. The result is amazing.
We ordered two pizzas for the four of us - the Nduja pizza with the superb sausage was a giant hit. Thin, crispy (not burnt), great sauce, was a pure delight. We also went the "build your own" option and it was loaded with red onions, spinach and sausage. Man, it was to die for! While this isn't a big place, it's comfortable enough. And the pizza? Don't wait. Don't hesitate. This is the way pizza is meant to be! Awesome!
If delicious, Roman-style thin crust pizza is something that makes you happy, you should be coming to Coalfire.
I've mentioned in my reviews before how I've eaten in Rome, and it's true, and the pizza here is the closest I've found to the pizza in the brick-oven lunch place down the block from the Hotel San Marco. The ingredients are fresh, the dough has a great texture, the meats are high quality and the red sauce is the right balance of sweet and tangy.
I've been twice and tried four different pizzas, each of them as good as the next.
The space is neat, open and well managed and you can see the entire operation, including and perhaps especially the oven, which is neat.
The service, well, that's another thing altogether.
If it's possible, the service is as good, or perhaps even better than the food.
The owner is quick with a handshake and very welcoming. The waitstaff are well versed in the menu and pleasantly quirky and sweet.
This place is the perfect combination of downtown quality food and neighborhood service.
While it's not your typical Chicago pizza joint, it doesn't need to be. It's doing well enough being a quick trip to Rome, sans the jet lag.
Mangia!
p.s. The Chicago Cupcake Truck makes deliveries there, so ask about the selection.
Was psyched to try some thin crust pizza in Chicago and Yelp let me to Coalfire. Â When I arrived I was promptly seated and decided on the sausage pizza since I had an amazing sausage slice two nights before at the Boiler Room. Â Unfortunately when it arrived, it was a little soggy and not as crisp as I would have liked. Â It might be because the sausage was juicy but overall the ingredients didn't have that pop of flavor that I was hoping for and tasted a little bland. Â It wasn't bad, but I decent but I was hoping for something amazing! Â Nice staff and chill little spot though!
Review Source:Fantastic! Thin-crust pizza with plentiful flavors and good ingredients. Had a prosciutto pizza with a Caprese salad.
I didn't really enjoy the caprese salad as I thought there was way too much olive oil but the pizza--fantastic pizza. The prosciutto was a bit stringy but altogether had a good cured ham taste, and the cheese was excellent, tie-together cheese. Atmosphere was nice and loud although not overwhelming and service was fast.
Only thing I didn't appreciate was the server pushing us to order drinks/desserts, but they have to keep in business I suppose.
mmm mmm mmm!!!!
Coalfire 100% lives up to expectations! The thin crust is the perfect mix of crispy and doughy. The owner could not be more friendly! Shakes your hand when you walk in and walk out. Really outgoing!
The waitress was really sweet too! Gave us a red sauce to try with our white pizza on the side. Cute atmosphere. Reasonable. Great relaxed weekday date or just a good pizza to pick up with friends. Half priced wine on tuesday!!!
Looking forward to building my own pizza next time...
I lived in Manhattan for 11 years, and while Chicago has many incredible restaurants and an amazing foodie scene...that "Thing" that Chicagoans assume is New York pizza does not even come close. Â A cracker with some sauce and cheese does NOT a New York pizza make.
Enter Coalfire.
This place reminds me of Brooklyn's Grimaldi's. Â Brick-oven style, nice char with yummy tangy sauce and just the right amount of toppings. Â The crust is thin but not cracker-thin; it has some chew and is bendable (read: doesn't break when it's folded). Â Toppings are fresh, and sit atop a lovely sauce and cheese combo that pairs well with both veggies and meat.
Friendly service, pretty good beer selection and eclectic decor (empty cans of tomato sauce to hold the piping hot pizzas is a stroke of utilitarian brilliance) all provide a lovely dining experience.
The verdict? Â Some of the best pizza I've EVER had - regardless of location. Â I've been back several times, and plan to go again very soon. Â And very often.
This is my favorite pizza in the city. Â We went a couple of weeks ago with family in town from Tennessee. Â We got there early on a Thursday afternoon and were one of three tables. Â Our server was fantastic. Â She was accommodating and friendly, even with the confusion of a massive stroller and a few stressed out folks.
The margherita earned the title of best pizza in Chicago. Â It's really the best pizza I've had here. Â We had that, something with salami and red peppers, meats, white, and some other random something. Â There was a pizza for each of the five adults dining. Â We left with the equivalent of one pizza. Â It's really that awesome.
Excellent thin crust! Â I used to live right down the street and this was my thin crust go to spot. Service has always been great dine in or carry out and I've never had too long of a wait for either.
They have a good menu selection but I prefer to make my own with fresh tomatoes, fresh garlic, pepperoni and a little basil. Â Delish!
Coalfire, I lurv you. I lurv you so much.
Coming from an italian family, im not easily impressed when it comes to restaurant pizza but coalfire has done it. Â Â My favorite pizza, hands down, is the margherita. They actually give you a side of fresh basil as opposed to cooking it. Excellent. Chewy but crispy crust and carboned up in all the right places. I've also had the meat and prosciutto pizza. Both are perfect.
I love the staff too. They're very friendly and super vigilant about making sure you get your pizza right when it comes out so it's maximally fresh.
Recommend always and 4 eva!!
Went here on a Saturday evening. We were in mood of pizza but we wanted to try a different kind of pizza and Coalfire caught our eye. We got to pick our table, and our server came quickly. We ordered some beers and then we decided to go for the Margherita pizza. Within five minutes we had the pizza on our table. The pizza was delicious, nice and crispy and thin! So good! The restaurant itself is small but it has a great feel to it. Our server was very attentive and friendly, however at the end she didn't come by to say thank you for coming or have a good night, she just basically took the bill and never came back.
It's truly a place to check out for thin crust pizza!!
Most definitely a unique pizza experience for those who are wanting to try something new! Â The pizzas come out fast and are crispity crunchity crackery thin! Â We enjoyed a margarita pizza and were glad we did. Â The interior of this place is darling. Â The restaurant is not big which keeps it feeling nice and intimate. Â Great friendly staff also! Â
I would recommend this place to anyone willing to try something new!
Well, Chicago Deep Dish pizza? Â Not here. Â Really good thin crust pizza? Â It's here.
Very nice people. Â Small dining room but great service. Â The pizza comes out quick. Â Hot, fresh, great topping including homemade sausage from Bari (another Ralphe favorite down the street). Â The pizza is thin crust, the sauce is just right...not too sweet, and all the ingredients are fresh.
had the Margarita and Sausage and Mushroom. Â Both were outstanding. Â On street parking was a breeze, and no metered in that area. Â The owners came out and introduced them selves. Â Pretty impressive. Â They seem to care about their customers.
Really good, coal fired thin crust pizza.
The place is just off Grand and Ogden. Â Street parking ain't bad and the inside is high ceilinged drywall and wood floors. Â Tables are typical wooden cafe type tables of a pizza cafe type of place. Â
The pizza here is great. Â It's coal-fired thin crust. Â Which means it's very thin, not CRISPY, but NOT soggy. Â Just a nice medium in-betweener. Â The ingredients are fresh. Â The sauce is good and applied in the right qty, and the cheese is fantastic. Â They also do a Napolitano; which is just cheese and anchovies. Â This is absolutely terrific.
I'm a big atmosphere/setting type of person. Â It's the first thing you notice when you walk in, and it's the last thing you notice before you leave. Â It sets the tone for the meal and is a constant as food, drinks, and servers come and go. Â Yes..it's that important. Â This place is LOUD. Â Very LOUD. Â From dishes clanging in the kitchen to just the overall acoustics of the place. Even if the place is half-filled it's loud. Â And that might be ok for you as it was mostly fine for me. Â Just be advised.
Service couldn't have been nicer. Â Our waitress was prompt, polite and accurate. Â The trifecta of service! Â
I would go again, and I'd kill to have this place within a couple blocks of me. Â Because there's nothing like walking into a coal fired pizza place in the dead of winter to be greeted by good friendly people and the warm smell of pizza dough to take the sting out of the winter. Â Soild A-OK place.
Now I usually don't write reviews, however after my experience tonight, I feel as though I am obligated. Here's what happened:
After a previous visit to Coalfire, my girlfriend and I decided that we needed some more. Â I unintelligently placed an order for pick-up (they don't deliver) around 5:15ish (middle of rush hour). To make a long story short, it took us a good 45 minutes to get to Coalfire. Once I arrived, I went inside to pick up my pie (Meat Pizza - sausage, pepperoni, and sopressata). The manager (Nikolai - quite possibly once of the nicest individuals currently working in the service industry) told me that my pizza was ready an hour ago, and that it was cold. Â He then INSISTED that he make us another free of charge; his reason, he couldn't bear serving us a pie that wasn't perfect. Â Best of all, he let us keep the original cold pizza (my lunch/dinner for tomorrow) AND gave me a free beer while I wait for my new fresh pizza, hot out of the the beautiful coal-fired oven.
It is safe to say that after this experience, Coalfire Pizza has gain a lifelong loyal customer in me. Â I will never order another thin-crust pizza from anywhere else. Â It also helps that everything that they serve is absolutely delicious and made from fresh ingredients. Â The service industry as a whole should take a note from Nikolai and the rest of the crew at Coalfire. Â This is the way it should be done.
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