I've been going here since my days living across the street while a student at UIC. Â Their pizza slices are HUGE...and that's an understatement when I say that. Â For just over $3 a slice, you can feed about 3 people with that same slice!
Not the best pizza I've ever had but worth the money especially if you are in the area.
I can only review the steak torta. I actually went in today because I had an obscene craving for churros (which they don't carry) and so instead ordered a steak torta. It was seasoned well, the bread was toasted and yum and the filling was perfect. But the stars of the show were the salsas- the red (orange?) and green that came in teeny tiny little cups in the bottom of the bag-- I could drink those things! I can't believe I've lived here for 5 months and not had it before. Will def be back.
Review Source:The pizza is great! It is spiced differently than most. Â Every time I have friends try Damenzo;s pizza, they often say without me mentioning anything, "This pizza is delicious!"
I would not come here to eat nor bring anyone out to eat, but if you are looking for good carry-out pizza..go here! Â
The customer service is not great as the guys are not friendly. Â But, I will continue to come here for the great pizza!
I love this place
Open late, good prices, good food. Â Atmosphere leaves something to be desired, but thats par for the course in this neighborhood. Â
Their pizza is huge/cheap but not my favorite. Â I get the burritos a few times a week: Â gigantic burrito with tonsss of steak and beans and rice on the side... all for a shade over 8 bucks. Â Â
Guys who work here arn't overly friendly, but pretty decent overall.
Damenzo's used to be the place for pizza, but now they give POOR SERVICE!! If I'm paying $43 for a delivery, then I think bringing it to the porch is only fair! What in the hell do I, a woman look like going to the car to get my order??!! REALLY?!!! And the "manager", Sergio says that drivers don't have to get out of car!! What kind of "delivery" is that??!! All of the drivers from there that have delivered before got out of car, and brought order to porch (and we order all the time), but this time....and to the drivers, I'm sorry you're afraid of the dangers that go with delivery, but if you're that scared, perhaps another line of work is order in!!! You've lost a valued customer Damenzo's!!!
Review Source:I only come here for the jumbo pizza and I've never been disappointed. I think it puts Bacci to shame. The slices are just as big but they have more meat, more sauce, and more flavor.
Drunk or sober this pizza is still delicious. They stay open late so they can enable my bad decision making. I appreciate that, haha.
The people are a little gruff but I'm not there for the ambiance or the personalities, I'm there for amazing pizza and that's what they give me, every time.
i called for a beef combo and they told me to come in 15 min. and so i did, and as i showed up other customers did so also, this is the second time that these poeple made me wait atleast half hour and people that came after me had gone out with their food before me....and ive already paid for my sandwitch, and i was like wdf, so i left with my girlfriend , we were hungry and tired and half hour was enough , and to top it all off ending my day , some pigs come and stop me for failure of makin my stop , and i was parked in the corner...duhhhhhhhh i was  parked in the corner..whats funny is i didnt get my meal, poor service, and i got arrested for some stupid sh.....but the owner was there, and their guys totally forgot i was there waiting on my order..they have not even started it....gee's thanks alot damenzos.....never again
Review Source:I have been coming here for several years now, thanks to the close proximity to my job.. Â This place has become our go to spot when the hospital cafeteria has bored our tastebuds.
When the conversation of giant pizza slices comes up.. this is the first place that comes to my mind... Â What is funny, is that when we mention mexican food in my office, this is probably the first place we think of as well, lol..
How can this be you ask?? well let me tell you that Damenzo's was initially an Italian staple here on Taylor street, offering giant pizza slices, yummy pastas, sandwiches and salads. Â A few years ago, the owner opened up a taco joint around the corner "Papi's Tacos" on Western Ave... Â If I am not mistaken, I think he earned best burrito in chicago honors from one of the local newspapers at one point (don't quote me on that).. Â
Anywho.. a couple of years later, the two restaurants are now merged at the recently remodeled Damenzo's location on Taylor St. Â Now when I dine here, I wrestle over what I want to eat.. Â Do I want a giant slice of sausage pizza or a burrito?? A steak torta or a giant calzone?? Â Good thing is that everything here is pretty damn good, so regardless of my choice, my stomach will thank me!
The owner and staff are very friendly and eager to get your order taken and served. Â Â Â The restaurant is clean, and has plenty of seating in the two dining areas and the outdoor patio. Â
Must have: Â I say try the one fo the giant pizza slices or the giant calzone.. Â Both are very tasty and very big, so keep that in mind. Â You can easily share a calzone between two people and a pizza slice is almost too big for one person. Â Prices are very reasonable, $5 for a slice and a pop, Â About $6 for the calzone.. Â Fugettaboutit!
This is a place that I eat at frequently because of the proximity to my work vendors pick this up and bring it for me & my staff like they are doing me a favor, they think they are getting some secret pizza place only "insiders" in Chicago know about. Not even close G fresh honey suckle. Not at all my favorite pie, they are very nice customer service wise and also the inside of the restaurant is OK.
Their gigantic badonkadonk pizza puff makes me full for 3 weeks when I eat it. I like their cheese, but the crust? Damn yo, work on that crust holmes, the shit is like a cracker, and not the racial epitaph. Talkin straight up saltine style crust on the west side AKA the best side AKA the honey BBQ chicken breast side. Love this hood, but man, Damenzo's step that game up.
Straight cornered the market on hard tack pizza.
The era of pizza places that offer huge single slices is disappearing. So I'm glad places like Damenzo's still exist. My first encounter with a Damenzo's pizza slice will be forever memorable. It was cut up and put on a plate for me and it literally looked like a half a pizza was served. I loved it.
I've also tried their famous pizza puff, but to me, it seemed a tad too big and bready for me. I did love the tomato sauce it came with, it was great for dipping. Everything we ordered seemed fresh and delicious. They get a big thumbs up for their cheese fries, I'd definitely get them again.
Overall, Damenzo's will be my goto spot to scratch my itch for huge pizza slices. It's great for groups and families so definitely give them a try if you haven't already. Bon apetit!
DO NOT ORDER FROM THIS PLACE! If you enjoy quality food delivered to you, DO NOT order from here. My family and I ordered from this place and most of what we got was crap. The Italian beef was good but that was the only thing that was. They gave us a small brown paper bag of fries that was entirely soaked by the grease! And they gave us a large cold greasy slice of pepperoni pizza in a paper bag that was stapled to the other bag! The cheese fries were bland and half cooked. The worst food that has ever been given to me. They are terrible! I will never order from them again!
Review Source:The pizza puff (calzone) is like getting an actual pizza pie. It is HUGE, and so is the flavor. I went half or 1/3 on a sausage pizza puff (delivered) with some co-workers and I was very full... My portion was just enough to get me full and satisfied. Some of my other co-workers got slices of pizza, which were also HUGE. This place is good, and I will return!
Review Source:So the reviews here are good. Â I've avoided this place for almost 2 years and decided to finally give it a go since I had been everywhere on Taylor street. Â I had some warnings from some people, but I figure why not.
First of all, no one knew where to place their order. Â I stood there until someone decided to help me. Â 2 people ended up taking my order. Â I tried to order a fountain drink and the 1st person taking my order said ... "I think you should get the CAN of lemonade." Â So I did. Â I really wanted a pizza puff, but not for $7.99, of which then I found out was a whole calzone, not a pizza puff at all. Â Misleading. Â
I ordered the "Jumbo Burger" with cheese, and an order of small cheese fries. Â I noticed a lot of fries just sitting in the baskets behind the counter looking hardened from the grease from sitting there. Â At this point I was told "It's going to be 15 minutes for the burger." Â It took me a while to decide on that, so I decided to wait it out and burn a large chunk of my lunch hour. Â
Then you walk over to one of two rooms to wait for your food. Â The floors are DIRTY. Â The last room appears to be part of the taco place but they merged. Â Different people kept appearing out the back to bring food out, and also deliver the food to the incorrect tables, making customers very angry. Â I noticed someone waiting for there food when I got there, and when I was done, she was still waiting for her food and very angry. Â The place was not packed, and they seemed very disorganized and out of control. Â One of the people bringing out the food, a customer had addressed a complaint to him. Â I didn't hear what the customer had asked, but loudly the Damenzo's employee said "I'm just trying to do my *explict word* job". Â This set a bad tone... not to mention the show "Cheaters" on the television adding to the negative experience.
First my burger arrived. Â It was large. Â The bun was greasy. Â The burger patty was charred to a crisp. Â I also noticed the lettuce had very little color and was limp (old) and the tomato was old looking as well. Â Hardly any ketchup. Â I bit into the burger, only to experience a charred rubbery "this burger is old and has gone bad so we better over cook the heck out of it" flavor. Â I was very hungry too, but I had to force down what I had. Â 5 minutes later, the plate of fries arrive. Â The small fry was on a large plate and probably was equal to about 4 orders of fries to feed a family. Â The cheese was dumped on top of it - and the cheese was visually unappealing - and a metal fork stabbed into the middle of it standing up. Â I took a bite of a fry with the cheese on it. Â I'm sorry, that's not cheese. Â It didn't taste like cheese. Â It looked off-yellow, but had no flavor and just stuck to my mouth making me panic and grab my can of Brisk lemonade. Â I gave it a go without the sauce and the fry was inedible - it was a miniature grease-trap with potato somewhere in it, and should have not been served. Â I dug in to find a better looking fry and the same thing - a mini grease trap of old grease flavor. Â INEDIBLE.
Not feeling to well as I write this after eating there. Â I've had better food from a food truck/roach coach. Â Service, atmosphere and food get an "F-". Â FAIL.
They do have an award on the wall for "Best Burrito in Chicago" from FOX in 2005. Â Well, it's 2011. Â Based on the old reviews I've read, things have changed.
The west-end of Taylor St. by Western Ave. is a tough spot, but Damenzo's fails to even come up as "safe" or slightly below average.
I've gone past this place a million times and tried the food for the first time last night. Â What have I been missing!? Had the "everything" stuffed pizza. Â AMAZING! I'm a Chicago native and love me some good pizza-- this stands with some of the finest in town. Â Go figure, this unassuming little neighborhood place will surprise you. Â
I can't say anything about the wait, delivery or dining area as I wasn't the person who picked up the food (I was the one lazily waiting at home while my partner picked it up for me!). When it comes to the pizza itself, however, YUM! Two thumbs up!
Damenzo's I feel becomes overshadowed by their competition across the street, Bacci's. Sure they have $5 jumbo slices with "pop". But the quality of Damenzo's pizza is better in my opinion. They also have large size pizzas as well.
Damenzo's also has this one dish, Linguini and Clam sauce. This dish is so flavorful! One order gives you two take out container-fuls. SO MUCH FOOD!
I always end up getting the cheesesteak or the buffalo wings. Great stuff right there.
One gripe I have about this place is that the fresh cut fries are always hit or miss. Either they are perfect and great, or they are soggy or undercut. More times than not, the fries disappoint.
All in all, this place has good quality food, huge portions, and cheap prices.
On my way here for lunch, I thought to myself, I thought; "self, you may want to get two slices instead of one, 'cause you're pretty hungry." Then I saw the slices as I passed through the dining room. Yikes! They are huge. So I ordered a slice of sausage and a coke. Five bucks. The pizza is what I would describe as "deep thin crust" or a cross between thin crust and deep dish. The crust is fairly thick and bready, and on the under-cooked pale side. But good. And the sauce, which is tasty, is also on the heavy side, along with the cheese. Because of its thickness, you can't really fold it like a New York slice. I would recommend bringing your own rolling slicer and cutting in half lengthwise. And maybe some real utensils, because there is no eating it with the teensy plastic fork and knife they give you. SNAP! Â But I enjoyed it and it sure was a good value. I loved the big globs of sausage. Tasty! As it turned out, I couldn't even eat the once slice, along with downing the big Coke.
This is one of those ma and pa Taylor Street places that just has inherent charm and friendliness (and America's Funniest Videos on the TV at lunch time.) It's self-service. You order at the counter with a nice legible menu above you. There is even a dedicated Vegetarian section. Sub sandwiches, pasta, regular Italian entrees, and of course pizza, most items below $10.00. After you order, you wait on a bench, and take your grub to a table in your choice of dining rooms. Wish I had a more informal, inexpensive  Italian like this in my neighborhood. It's just a very comfortable spot.
The pizza here is solid. the prices are good, it feeds a crowd. I had my birthday party in their space last year, and they were great about (I hadn't called ahead and said there would be about 20 people in for over two hours). It wasn't the fastest service, but were there to enjoy.
We also get the burritos here, which are ok, but nothing compared to what you can get down in Pilsen.
If you are ordering take out, call ahead, or else you could wait for a while.
I ordered delivery from Damenzo's Pizza and, as usual, the person I spoke to on the phone rushed me through my order and wasn't very customer friendly. They have good food no doubt, but they should have a more friendly and welcoming person doing their phone orders. In addition to this annoyance, the delivery driver calls me to let me know that he is outside with my order. I go to the door and there he is sitting in his vehicle. This is unacceptable to me considering it cost me $4.50 for delivery. I am under the impression that a delivery driver delivers your food to your doorstep, an thus also earning a tip.
So, here I am outside with my socks and a t-shirt on in the cold paying for my food. I engaged in a discussion with him about my displeasure at having to come outside to get my own food. He was apologetic and cited that they don't get out of their vehicles because of safety concerns. Are you serious? Give me a break. If there is a concern for driver safety, then it would probably be a good idea to not be open until Midnight. Try only allowing delivery hours during the day. I had to laugh as I neglected to provide a tip to this guy. The food is pretty good, but the management and employees are unprofessional morons. Probably the last time I will order from here again. And take note Damenzo's-- I have been a loyal customer there for several years.
3 Stars for the food, -1 for using nothing but disposable Styrofoam and plastic for eat in customers.
The four star rating at this place -- wow -- where does that come from? Â Nostalgia? Â
The pizza was OK, but just OK. Â The crust felt food service--too round, too uniform--although the spinach on top was fresh not frozen.
Let's talk about the Pizza Puff. Â It's $6.99 and it's on the starter menu. Â First, yes, it was tasty but it's basically just a calzone. Â The only difference is that a calzone is typically folded over and looks like a half moon where the pizza puff is a second crust on top of the first -- looks like a full moon. Â
The service was excellent. Â I enjoyed the neighborhood.
I used to get a slice when I would come here, but since the price has gone up I have figured out what will keep my business here instead of Bacci's - the almighty pizza puff.
I know what you're thinking - how can a simple pizza puff be described as "almighty" when it is just a pizza puff? This is no ordinary pizza puff. This is an entire small to medium sized pizza loaded with toppings and then simply folded onto itself. That's right, for $6 you're eating the most cost-effective and delicious pizza puff you've ever strained to carry home.
Sure, a slice is good now and then, the rib tips are large and tasty, and the sandwiches look promising... but how can anyone say no to a pizza puff that feeds like 3 meals? Try it once, I swear you'll go back for more.
I recently decided to do a taste comparison with the local pizzerias in my old hood.
I must say that between the local joints, Damenzo's is the better pizza and the better bargain hands down.
The pizza has a nice "cracker" flavor to it, which blends nicely with the tangy sauce. Â The cheese looks and tastes nice and fresh, and melts beautifully onto the slice.
I remember walking into the restaurant to order a slice, and I would see them preparing a sausage pizza. Â They had a huge mound of freshly mixed sausage stuffing. The cook would grab a hand full at a time and pinch away chunks which were systematically placed all around the pizza. Â I always enjoyed watching the artistry in motion. Â At times I even changed my order to a sausage slice rather then pepperoni.
The only other thing I've ever eaten here is the pizza puff. Â This thing is a monster. Â The first time I ordered one, I actually ordered two. Â The order taker looked at me and said that I think I only want one. Â I asked how big it was and he said one was big enough. Â I agreed and when he charged me $5.50 I freaked out; though once they handed me the heavy pizza box containing my puff I was taken aback. Â This thing weighed a ton! Â I quickly opened the box and could not believe my eyes!!! Â This pizza puff was ginormous!!! Â I finished it all, which is damn impressive.
From that day forward, whenever the guys would get together, we'd all order our pizza puffs. Â I liked the chicken puff myself, but it seemed as if the sausage and pepperoni were equally popular with my boyz. Â In fact, we made it a right of passage and the new guy always had to finish his own puff.
All in all, I'm glad I did the taste test. Â I always knew I favored Damenzo's the most, but I never knew how much better it was. Â And trust me, it is!
I often order delivery with my co-workers, and remind everyone to not order pizza. Â The pizza is very very thin and has no taste. Â When you order please try the pizza puff, (sausage, black olives and mushrooms)it cost about $6.00 and can feed 3 people. Â Â The steak tacos are great also, just tell them to add sour cream and avocado.
Review Source:I don't personally care for the pizza - it's very thin and tastes like cardboard, but it's also very cheap and incredibly oversized so it's perfect for the UIC crowd.
So my review is for the one item I do faithfully order over and over and over again: the pannini.
You see, when it's good it is very, very good.
And when it is not so good, it's still very good.
Sometimes it's the size of my hand; sometimes it's the size of my head.
Sometimes it's the perfect blend of meat, cheese, and veggies; sometimes it's just an oozing mess of dressing and loaded with enough onion to ensure you will never, ever get that first kiss no matter how many years lapse from the time you ate the sandwich to the time you parted your lips in expectant ecstasy.
Regardless, when it is spot on, it is so good that it's worth the risk every time.
I did not discover Damenzo's. Â My friend Matt introduced me to Damenzo about 12(?) years ago when I was visiting him at UIC. Â Damenzo has since been stuffing me with pizza slices and calzones ever since. Â Sure, the prices have gone up a little bit, you can't get a gargantu-slice and pop for $2.50 anymore, but it's still completely cheap for Chicago prices.
Damenzo runs a no-frills, no fuckin' around institution. Â You simply walk in the corner entrance, order your slice or calzone to go and are on your merry way. Â Calzones might take a few minutes, so have a beer while you wait. Â Calzones come with 2 fillings (sausage, mushroom, etc.) and are about the size of a football. Â Basically, it's a medium pizza folded in half. Â $5.50, and it'll feed you for 2-3 meals.
The atmosphere: Â Chicago....and thankfully there are still neighborhoods here, like where Damenzo's is, that are still....like....Chicago.
Damn it. Being around UIC (or any college neighborhood) makes me feel like a decrepit old man, like the kind of guy who plays harmonica for a living, bounces from one SRO hotel to another, and blew his last chance a decade ago. When I look at all those happy, fresh-faced collegiate pukes I feel such animosity, such resentment, such longing for a second chance. In other words, I want to shake the kids who are living it up a bit too much and warn them of the drab workaday realities lying in wait. As for the kids who will be successful, I mainly want to drink their blood, ingest their organs, consume their flesh, devour their souls, etc. Fuckers. Take THAT!
Damenzo's is the great equalizer of UIC, as it adds a weighty dose of tragedy and failure to an area saturated by Good Times (bro). Thanks to its boarded windows, dilapidated patio, surly clientele, careless servers, lack of A/C, and steady flow of meth-craving beggars and legless locals, just about anyone can walk into this joint and feel like a million bucks.
Thank god the pizza is delicious, because I'd feel lame coming down here once a week simply to gawk at all the fuck-ups.
Read the other reviews for needless details of the cheese, the sauce, the toppings (zzz...)
I really really really really liked this pizza. On a Sunday night it was delivered in 40 minutes!
I thought it had enough sauce and flavor - and I am happy to say that this is in the rotation. Â I enjoy thin-crust, and am constantly on a mission to find pizza like what I grew up with in E-Town. Â Oh, Two Brothers. Move to the city!
Anyway, they were a little gruff on the phone, but I can deal with that!
As long as the pizza doesn't start sucking, which seems to be the case whenever I find a place I like, I'm a happy girl.
Damenzo's has been a staple for me since high school. Â Some 15 years now. damn that sucks! anyway i can remember the joys of piling 6 or 7 deep in a tiny nissan pulsar and making the trek from the HS parking lot over to Damenzo's. Â the trip back to the parking lot didn't always happen thus the reason for summer school which appears below. Â back then $2.50 made a kid feel like a king. Â Go ahead and order a slice and an order of fries I dare you to eat it all by yourself and not have to unbutton, and even unzp your pants (a la Al Bundy style).
now on to the food. Â Damenzo's can't be beat with the beef's hands down, Al's down the street is good and so is the other place other yelper's mentioned but come on. Â "give me a jumbo beef with cheese, mushrooms, hot peppers, dipped" mmmmmm, just writing about it makes me want to call and place an order.... So I'm back actually my girlfriend is going to pick one up on the way over tonight! Â Ok getting back to the review.
they've changed the decor within the last few months. Â the front door has been moved but the food is still the same. Â I don't eat there often because I want to be able to walk down the street not waddle but here's a tip... In the summer get a slice or a beef. Â When your finished slide down to mario's and get a lemon ice beverage. Â ah, such memories of high school. Â yeah i know i said summer... so i had to spend 1 year in summer school so what. you wanna make something of it!!
Slice is so big it's bigger than a 12 inch pizza and takes 2 hands to manage, Yes better than bacci, Thee biggest slice in Chicago, As far as taste..... Pronto za is close but I'll pick Damenso's if I had to. And yes the beef is good but not even close to the best, Sloppy too, Bring a fork.
Review Source:This would be the best thin crust in the city, as far as I'm concerned - except for the fact that 90% of the time I order for delivery, it's ALWAYS cold!
The sauce is fantastic, kind of sweet, and the crust is good too. Â You can get meatballs on the 'za if you want them too! Â And their good meatballs.
But it takes forever to get here (we don't live that far away) and it's always cold. Â It's obviously good since I keep ordering from them and put up with warm pizza.
Never tried anything else from the joint, but I may have to order carry out from now on.
Damenzo's, on the west side of W. Taylor street, is a popular neighborhood spot, especially at lunch time.
In addition to pizza, there's a wide selection of Italian specialties such as ravioli, eggplant parmigiana, linguini and clam sauce, and lasagna. Â And as a reflection of the neighborhood's demographics, you can also enjoy tacos, enchiladas, and burritos!
Take-out service is fast and furious at lunch time but for those who have a bit of time to relax, there's an ample dining room.
Hours:
Monday - Thursday   10:00AM - 12:00AM
Friday and Saturday  10:00AM -  1:00AM
Sunday              10:00AM - 12:00AM
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