Flo & Santos

I would not recommend this restaurant for the following reasons:  We made reservations 2 weeks in advance (and re-confirmed) to make sure the restaurant would be able to accommodate our party size of 11 people (not an unusually large party for a pizza establishment).  The staff was so disorganized.  Several times during our meal, we had to get up and go find our waitress to ask for drinks, to place our order and to have plates removed (which we cleared some of the dishes ourselves).  We asked for water at least 5 times, which for some reason she refused to bring to us.  We finally asked another waitress for water; who promptly brought 2 small pitchers - but not enough for the size of our party.  At the end of this disastrous meal, we begged for our bill.  While we waited (again), we noticed our waitress was off chatting with her friends at another table and eating.  We decided to approach the manager to tell her we weren't paying the full 18% tip charged to large parties (but please note I was still going to give her a portion of the tip even though she didn't deserve it).  She grabbed the bill from my hand to make an adjustment and slammed the bill back down on the counter and walked away.

One year later and we are bona fide regulars of Flo & Santos. I've even brought my Polish-born mother in a few times and she completely verifies the authenticity of the pierogis. Meanwhile, as a neighborhood spot, it can't be beat- we bring out-of-town friends and family to dine with us at this little extension of our home and when we don't feel like cooking for ourselves, their delicious thin crust is right down the block. I also love the revolving list of specials, the panzanella salad, the aforementioned pizza, the grilled chicken and of course, the bar. Flo & Santos had a great outdoor area and then this past fall, they expanded upon it as well as their back area. We love coming and enjoying nice weather with our dog. They are super dog friendly, which is much appreciated. The combination of two such staple cuisines (Italian and Polish) of Chicago is sheer genius and I would recommend this place for just about any occasion. The only time I don't really go out in the neighborhood is on Bears game days, for obvious reasons. There is nothing not to like about this true mom and pop spot.

House special pizza -- excellent.  Cheese pizza excellent.  Leftovers excellent.  Salad and beer very good.