Great food, friendly service and good suggestions from our server (Israel) for a beer selection to go with our deep-dish pizza. BTW - The deep-dish pizza is excellent and worth the wait (about 30-45 minutes, depending on the size of the pizza). I also like the fact that they have a really great selection of items on their menu, but I was a little disappointed that they could not make one of the pasta dished vegetarian, and the selection of local beers on-tap. When we are in Chicago, we try to make at least one trip to Edwardo's, but this alternative was within a block of the hotel we were staying in (the Hard Rock). We prefer the whole wheat crust at Edwardo's, but the quality of the pizza and better menu selection here make it a better alternative. Look forward to returning to Chicago and maybe eating here again, if it is convenient to where we decide to stay.
Review Source:Hello Chicago deep-dish. If you were to say to me the UNOs is Chicago pizza, I will probably slap you back to grandmas house on Sundays so she can slap you back to reality. Â Giordano's IS Chicago style pizza. Â I know the owners won't see this, but can we get a gluten free menu so I can eat here again? Okay, thanks =]
Review Source:The pizza was great. Â The service was slow, but we knew that going in so we planned on a couple pitchers of beer. Â The two of us split a medium and it was perfect. Â Well, perfect in the sense that we thought we were going to explode.
For my first true Chicago pizza, it was great. Â I can't wait to go back.
If only I didn't have Lou Malnati's first....
Giordano's and Lou Malnati's are basically competing for best deep dish pizza chain in Chicago. However, don't let the chain label throw y'all off, the food is definitely top notch.
So we all basically know what pizza tastes like, but just imagine fresh oven baked pizza with thick layers of crust topped with juicy tomato sauce embedded with delicious pieces of toppings.
I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. Seeing as how it's pretty much identical to Lou's, I have to give the edge to my first deep dish experience.
Everyone remembers their first time better right?
A friend was in town from Springfield and had never been to Chicago much less Giordano's. Â (Gasp, I know). Â What's a girl to do? Â Take him to Portillo's and make him eat stuffed pizza.
Of course he was not disappointed. Â I had a gluten free pizza and it was awesome. Â
The only downside is the wait for the pizza but all good things come to those who wait!
I came here twice: once for the Chicago Italian Beef "Southside" sandwich and then again for their stuffed pizza pie. The sandwich itself was flavorless and the only thing giving it flavor was the side of grilled veggies. I felt like I wasted money on this thing. They did redeem themselves with their stuffed pizza. Very uniquely made, especially the crust. It was super crispy and not too thick. The sauce was ok but gave the impression it was created from canned tomatoes (aka very watery). Other than that, nothing too much to rave about. However, I am glad that the medium was more than enough for two people.
The service was impressive and the takeout service was also very quick = a star for that.
I ordered the lunch special personal size deep dish stuffed pizza. Pepperoni. (There were only 4 options: pepperoni, cheese, spinach, and sausage). It looks small, but it's very filling and very good. My first bite was ooey gooey cheesy deliciousness. Â The cheese kept stretchin' and stretchin'. Good sign of a good pizza. The crust...my my my. I usually don't eat pizza crusts unless Im super hungry or it's really soft. I don't really like the crust, but this crust was unlike any other pizza crust I've ever had. It was flaky and light. Not dense like normal pizzas. You just have to eat it to know what I'm talking about. I was thoroughly happy with my first experience with Chicago pizza!!!
The lemonade was good too! It wasn't too sour nor too sweet like most lemonades. The service was just as good as well! :)
Giordano's is known for it's classic deep dish, so the first thing I did when I arrived downtown, was to check this place out. Â My only comparison is Gino's, which I have had on several occasions and continue to enjoy. Â Overall, I was impressed. Â I'm usually a sauce dude. Â If I'm feeling the pizza, it's because of the sauce. Â Surprisingly, this wasn't the case with Giordano's: it was the crust! Â The crust is absolutely perfect. Â This great combo of an appropriately crispy exterior with a soft delicious inside lining simply made it for me. Â Combine this with loads of cheese and veggies, with an ample amount of crushed red peppers to appease the Brown in me, and I was sold. Â
The service was solid as I sat at the bar on a very quiet Monday afternoon. Â Do note to those not familiar with deep dish, it takes time to cook these pies. Â So don't come barging in here expecting dinner in under 15 minutes. Â It ain't going to happen. Â Budget your time and be understanding of this. Â My only critique would be the price. Â Slightly jacked up given the location/reputation etc etc, but nonetheless worth it given the circumstances.
My first experience with Chicago Style pizza and I must say it was really good.
There was a bit of a wait, but they let you pre-order your pizza because they take a while to cook.
We ordered garlic parmesan fries as an app which came out quickly and were delicious.
When the pizza finally came out, the server was kind enough to serve us each a slice and we dug in.
It was really good, but I don't think that I could eat it all of the time!
Was on a 4 hr layover at O'hare and decided to explore the city for a bit. And thought I am in Chicago why not try some pizza. Everyone that we asked for the best pizza said this was the place. And they were right, this place was easy to get to on the blue line. The service was so friendly and quick, maybe they knew we were from out of town due to us lugging all of our luggage lol.
If you have a few hours take the blue line from O'Hare to Washington, say your Blues Brothers quotes as you walk by  Daley Plaza and just up Randolph Dr.  You wont be sorry!
I LOVE pizza, so when i heard Chicago's deep dish pie is THE BEST i had to do my research on the most talked about pizza joints in ChiTown.. My mom, partner, and I headed out to Giardano's..I was a bit nervous because they aren't big pizza fans and i ordered a SMALL (6slices). Well, to my surprise they LOVED it..and so did i. Deep, tasty and CHEEEEESSSYYYYYY!!!!! unfortunately, I was only able to eat two slices, LoL, but glad they enjoyed it and glad i got to try it out myself! Chicago beats NY pizza ANYTIME!!!! CHECK IT OUT!
Good prices, Good Service, GREAT FOOD!
My wife and I had guests from out of town visiting us for the weekend and we decided to treat them to Giordano's since it's one of the best pizzas. Well, for us locals, this was the 2nd time visiting Giordanos but we went to a different location downtown. So this was the first visit to this location.
From the first time at Giordano's it seems that they removed an appetizer we loved...the combo platter that came with cheesesticks, mushrooms, and something else. I don't remember what it was called exactly but that was the jist. Anyways, it wasn't at this location. So we weren't that happy about that. Then once we sat down we noticed a smell that was throughout the place...it was summer and the place was packed...so was it BO from people or was it the kitchen? Our seats weren't clean properly and the table smelled of wet cloth. Right off the beginning, our guests weren't that impressed and since we bigged up this place so much, we looked bad. Once the food came out, it was still Giordano's and still tasty. The service was average. We had to wait long periods of time for someone to bring our drinks out. She had forgotten our drinks and the food was already out. Anyways, we didn't like this location. Too packed, too much of a lineup, and bad service. Sorry. Wouldn't go back to this location.
Hidden amongst tall business buildings, an unlikely place for a pizza joint. I ordered the lunch pizza express (Monday-Friday, until 3). All individual sized 6-inch stuffed pizza in 15 minutes or less. You get a choice of cheese, sausage, pepperoni, or spinach.
I chose sausage. Our waitress was extreme lackluster, and my Sierra Mist was almost purely seltzer water with basically no syrup. Vanessa, however, redeemed herself by bringing me a new one.
I'm very much a thin crust kind of girl, but the crust was pretty flaky and delicious. Other than the crust, my pizza was iffy. The sauce tasted canned, the cheese was nice and stringy but had no significant taste, and there was barely any sausage in my pizza.
My mom had a chicken ciabatta which she enjoyed, but the garlic cheese fries were literally the worst i've ever had.
But all that food? Under $20. You just can't beat that. The cheapest meal I've had in Chicago thus far.
My first Chicago deep dish experience was at Giordano's...and it was uhhhh-mazing!! Â
I stopped in on a weekday right after the lunch special ended. Â I was a little bummed because they offer a personal size deep-dish. Â Since I was intent on trying a deep-dish, I ordered a small super veggie for myself. Â I was hungry. Â I thought I might be able to at least eat half. Â I was wrong!
After 2 slices of cheesey-veggie goodness, I was so full that I was dreading the walk back to my hotel several blocks away! Â I asked the server to box up my leftovers so I could take them back with me to Houston later that day. Â I couldn't believe how heavy the box was when he handed it to me!
I flew back to Houston that night and actually heated up a slice for dinner that night...and it was still uhhhh-mazingly delicious! Â I took the leftovers to work the next day and my co-workers were fighting over the pieces - it was still that good! Â
I knocked off one star becaus I thought the service was a little slow. Â I get that the pizza takes about 40 minutes to bake. Â But that doesn't mean you only stop by the table once every 15 minutes to fill up my diet coke.
We were here in July 2012 and wrote this entry over the phone, but never published it....so here goes:
Slow service, but there's no rush because you're here waiting approx 45 mins for your world famous pizza anyway. Â Waiter brought wrong appetizer and drink orders to our table...which made me nervous about his getting the toppings on our split pizza right.
And we were right to worry....who comes to a world famous stuffed pizza place for a thin crust pizza?!?! Well, that's what we got...after already logging in about 40 mins of our wait time!!! Â Our wait count started over because our waiter now has to place our correct order for the world famous stuffed pizza...he gave us the thin crust for free, which totally killed our hunger and appetite for pizza we actually came here for. Â
The stuffed pizza did not disappoint...but I could only finish one slice. Â Delicious food, but come with good company so your wait time flies by! Â :)
HI: great food
LO: bad service
Everything is fine and dandy when eat at the restaurant. I love the deep dish and thin pizza although I prefer the deep.... Wings are delish (we ended up ordering two orders last time). Salads are good & I would say just about anything you get here will be satisfying.
They lose a star big time. I ordered delivery and my pizza was late, stone cold, & they did not deliver the Pepsi I ordered. Both my husband and daughter heard me order it, but I guess she didn't put it in and when I called the delivery guy all he said to me was you didn't order it. It's not on the receipt. Ummmmm ok.
I've never been a fan of having pizza delivered but we were lazy. $27 for a pizza I expect it nice and hot. Wasn't happy but I can't down Giordano's because their dine in food is amazing.
Note to self and others eating alone - there is a size smaller than small - get it, these pizzas are fricking huge and super filling.
Last few hours in Chicago, no better thing to eat than some Chicago style pizza right?
It's amazing the level of debate you can have with an average Chicagoite about what the best pizza is, I heard Art of Pizza a few times, friends from Seattle said Lou Malnatis, but the general consensus among those I was with in Chicago was Gieordano's, so I had to go there.
Started with a small salad - This was good, but a bad idea - I should've saved more room for pizza, because DAMN a small pizza is still huge.
The pizza arrived - A Chicago special, and it sure looked pretty (And tasted quite the same).
I'm of the mind that pizza is a hand food - and prior to this pizza I hadn't let one best me into using a fork on it. Â This pizza needed forkage. Â I admit it, picking that pizza up to eat it any other way didn't make any sense - its not even a pizza, its a full blown sauce cheese toppings pie, and that requires a fork.
I'd go back again, but try another location not in the heart of touristville where even at 1:30 you have to wait 45 minutes for a table.
All around tasty times.
We were looking for some carbs and Deep dish pizza prior to the marathon. With so many positive reviews, we went to Giordano's and were greeted by a loooong line of people waiting for tables....but they had a system in place to reduce the wait which worked well........after getting your name in, you could look at the menu and place your order (pizzas take about 45 minutes) so while waiting for a table, your pizza was being prepared and the wait overall not too bad.
The place is big but they were completely swamped with local patrons and many runners with the same interest in fueling on carbs. We started with some beers and tomato bruschetta which was fresh, drizzled with a balsamic reduction, and very very good. We then got our medium pizza which was way way way too much for 2 people....but it was very tasty.
I mean, what am I going to say that hasn't already been said? This place has 524 reviews, for pete's sake!
Ate here yesterday for some post-beer fest carb-binging, and it totally hit the spot for our little group. Unfortunately, it hit the spot for just about everyone else in Chicago's little group, too. The place was packed at 4:30 and we were told a 45 minute wait time. No big deal, we'll head to the bar. Oh, it's packed too? Can't even get a bartenders attention? Boooooooooooooooooooooooo.
Thankfully by the time we pre-ordered our pizza and stood around for 10 minutes they sat us. We waited about 45 minutes at our table and had a drink before we saw our pizza, but it was definitely worth the wait. I'll be ordering the veggie supreme (or whatever it's called) from now on. So great!
I mean, long story short, the food is what you expect- yummy pizza. We didn't see much of our waitress or get red carpet service, but that's because this location is packed to the walls.
One of my best girlfriends from college was in town for the weekend and wanted some deep dish pizza. Â This location was close to her hotel so we walked over.
The place was still pretty crowded on a Sunday night, but then again, it is located in the Loop. Â You could order pizza while you wait, but she had questions with the menu so we waited until we sat down at our table to order. Â The wait time for a table wasn't too bad.
We ordered the cheesy bread for our appetizer. Â It was served with marina sauce and tasted great. Â We ordered a small deep dish pizza with pepperoni and Italian sausage. Â The wait time for the pizza was OK - it takes about 40 to 45 minutes to make deep dish pizza.
The pizza tasted great, Â but I prefer it from another Chicago deep dish pizza place that will remain nameless. Â The crust was OK, but too big and I did not like that it was salty. Â My girlfriend enjoyed her pizza. Â
The small had about 8 pieces and we only ate a piece each. Â So, stick to a small if only two of you are eating it.
Our server was efficient and friendly. Â Overall, good experience and I'd eat there again.
First time to Chicago... must try Chicago Deep-dish. The wait was around an hour and a half on a Saturday night, so friends and I spent some time at the bean and just walked around.
We ordered 4 deep dish pizzas in total: 2 of the specials and 2 with an assortment of toppings. The cheese on all the pizzas was perfectly oozy and melty and there was ample amount of tomato sauce on each pizza to add a good amount of tang. The crust is where the pizza as a whole fell short. The crust was obnoxiously hard and thick. It makes each bite of the pizza too hard and chewy and when you you are just left with the crust, it makes eating it a chore. It feels like a stale breadstick.
Other than that, I really enjoyed my first taste of deep dish pizza in Chicago. So Little Star back in CA still gets my vote as best deep dish ever. Until next time Chicago...
Okay it was good deep dish Chicago style pizza. Less sauce than most which for me was great. VERY reasonably priced. We split a medium pizza, each ordered a glass of wine, and made it out for under $40.
However, be prepared to wait. My group (3 people) came in on a rainy Friday night and were told 45 minutes and placed our order ahead of time as suggested. We were seated 60 minutes later expecting to eat right away but had to wait another 30 minutes. Â Our waitress was very busy and hard to get ahold of for drink refills and later for the check.
All that said I would probably come back for the over all experience, but prepare myself and my guests for a wait.
Delicious pizza. Fast service. Friendly staff.
We ordered a Stuffed Chicago Classic which was cheese, sauce, mushrooms, pepperoni, onions and green peppers. We added sausage.
Savory sauce flavored with oregano, basil and pecorino. The crust was crisp on the sides and chewy on the bottom. It was not in any way soggy or under cooked. Plentiful amounts of meat and vegetables. Incredible amount of cheese, thought I'm not complaining. I love cheese.
Delicious. No complaints at all.
I'll have to round this one up from 4.5 on the strength of the pizza. Â I'll get the bad news out of the way first as there was some confusion upon seating my friend and I initially and it did take the waiter a little bit to initially help us, but after that, he was on the ball no problem.
Pizza was THAT good, I was floored. Â I struggled to get 3 pieces down on an empty stomach (course a few beers beforehand didn't help). Â Great, great flavor, could have been a bit more sausage in there, but that's okay, I can give that a pass.
It's a lengthy experience as they do take their time making the pizzas, so give yourself some extra time just in case.
We were in Chicago for a wedding and opted to do Chicago-y things while we were there, hitting up Michigan Ave and Navy Pier. Â We stopped in Giordano's for lunch because it's a classic Chicago meal. Â It was just ok. Â We waited for about 15 minutes for a table which wasn't bad, and we had to wait about 35 minutes for the pizza, but understandably that's because they have to bake it.
The toppings were skimped on, but it was good. Â It just wasn't great and something I have to rave about. Â I mean, I like cheese and all. Â Being from Milwaukee, we get a bad rap about putting cheese on everything. Â For the record, we did NOT come up with pizza stuffed with an extra two pounds of cheese.
After about 30 minutes to an hour, the extra couple pounds of cheese you consumed will catch up with you in some unpleasant form...the least of which is requiring a nap, the middle version is a cheese rock in your stomach, the worst of which I won't discuss here.
So, go to Giordano's, because it's a classic place to go. Â Don't go for the best pizza you've ever had. Â Plan a couple hours afterwards for a nap.
Believe the hype. Â This place is UH-MAZING! Â We were soooo lucky to waltz right in and get a table at 6:30 on a Tuesday. Â The pizza was SOOOOO GOOOD! Â We had the cheese and the supreme. Â Both were delicious. Â
The only tip I've got is Don't Come Here Starving. Â The pizza takes up to 40 minutes, so factor that in. Â You can order a salad or something light, or eat an hour or so before. Â However, this pizza is worth the wait!!
Pretty good food. Super slow service. I felt bad for our server/bartender. We sat at the bar to avoid the hour or so wait to get seated. Wasn't the greatest choice as those trying to get a drink like to shove in all around you.
There was only one bartender for a busy night whom also has to attend to the servers requests. They REALLY need someone additional there. It was terribly hard to get a drink. He forgot my Diet Pepsi the first go round. 20 min. later re-asked for it and all was well with the world.
Salads - good stuff. Enough for 2 people at the very least.
Chicago style pizza....also very good. The crust was so-so, but all the gooey cheese and toppings were great. Good decent food overall.
Everyone knows when you are in Chicago, you have to try the famous deep-dish pizza. While shopping and sightseeing on Michigan Ave., we were advised to go to Giordano's by a friendly local. When we arrived at Giordano's, they told us our wait would be about 30 minutes, but that we could order our pizza because it would take about the same amount of time to make. The waiting list actually made us hungrier and more appreciative that this place must be one of THE places to go to for the famous Chicago treat.
My friend and I ordered a small deep dish and it was quite impressive when it was delivered to our table. I ordered my standard - sausage, mushroom and black olives and was pleasantly surprised on how much I liked the pie. I'm normally a thin-crust, New York-style pizza kind of gal, but I have to say, I could be swayed with this deep-dish version on occasion. The crust was nice and thick, and not a bit greasy like fast-food chain deep-dish pizzas. The sauce and cheese were evenly layered with absolutely no sogginess. I have to admit, the pizza was utterly de-lish, but I'm ashamed to say that I actually ate two monstrous pieces.
My friend also wanted to try the small Shrimp Toscano (pasta). In my opinion, the large shrimps were cooked perfectly, moist and sweet, while the pasta and sauce lacked seasoning. I happily went back to working on my second piece of pie.
At the end of the meal, we were still left with half of the pizza, which we ended up taking with us back to the hotel. My only regret was that we didn't have time to eat any of the leftovers.
I'll definitely come to Giordano's on my next visit to Chi-town.
Restaurant: Giordano's
Cuisine: Pizza
Location: Downtown (Chicago)
Address: 135 East Lake Street
Price Range: $10~15
1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very Good 5: Excellent
Food: 4
Service: 3
Ambiance: 3
Overall: 3.5
Extra information:
* Franchise
* <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fgiordanos.com&s=28f670a281f2b54b04d3a3fc1262b1783b424e81c8ff6d7fffb84ac452f7b047" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://giordanos.com</a>
* Open for lunch and dinner
Think about Chicago, think about food...what comes to mind? that one obvious dish? It's Chicago style deep dish Pizza. There was no doubt I wanted to try Chicago style deep dish pizza once I was there and this turned out to be the only restaurant I did some research on before going on my trip.
Giordano's seemed to be pretty popular throughout the city and after talking to a friend who visited Chicago few weeks before I did, did enough convincing for me. This location happened to be the closest one to where I was staying and we only waited for about 15 minutes once we arrived.
Restaurant was filled with bunch of tourists and people taking lunch breaks. Once I walked in, I was sort of disappointed at how franchise'y the restaurant felt. Sure, they are doing well and there are handful of locations throughout, but I do prefer more of a personal-authentic style restaurants.
There was no doubt what we were going to order- and seeing the sizes of pizza on other people's table truly scared me. I knew American portions were ridiculous, but I've never been so scared to see a pizza.
Ordered: Spinach Artichoke Dip 3/5
* Famous spinach artichoke dip served with toasted Italian bread for $6.25
* My friend and I have this thing about spinach & artichoke dips
* When we were roommates back in New York, I was the one to introduce her to it for the first time and she thought it was one of the greatest things ever
* So we had to order this...even though we knew we were in for trouble with the pizza we ordered as a main
* Dip was super rich and thick, with lots of artichoke pieces
* What was disappointing is the bread that came with it
* Bread was dry and there were only 5 small pieces of it
* We ran out of bread with 80% of the dip still left
* Also gives you some soup crackers on the side
* For $6.25 it's pretty good deal
* Maybe too rich of an appetizer to order when going for pizza after
Ordered: 10" Small Cheese with 2 ingredients 4/5
* 10" serves 1-2 people, picked pepperoni and mushroom for $17.25
* This was my first time trying Chicago style deep dish pizza so I wasn't sure what to expect
* Basically a regular pizza but with 5 times more cheese
* Crust is more so crunchy and has a consistency of short bread cookie instead of regular doughy bread
* Cheese was fresh and very stretchy
* Most of the filler was cheese, and lots of it
* We ended up having 2 pieces each and couldn't even touch another
* I am glad I tried it but don't think I will ever have special cravings for them
Summary: If you've never tried Chicago style deep dish pizza, give it a go and you will be surprised by how much cheese you can eat. I didn't feel as gross as I thought I would after eating it and that's only because the pizza was fresh and it wasn't too oily. Service is mediocre since it was a busy lunch hour but if you are a tourist, what do you expect?
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
