You're better off getting their frozen pizzas than visit this Darien location for a pizza - Â expensive and hardly any ingredients on the pizza itself - service was lousy and the bill was expensive with no drinks but water - avoid this place if you want good pizza go to Giordono's on Plainfield Road, Willowbrook and see what you get for $30.00 +.
Review Source:Pizza and beer. Â Casual. Â That's what I described to my in-laws when they asked about hosting a rehearsal dinner. Â Enter: Â Home Run Inn.
Oh, and it was my husband's first job. Â
Anyway, the private party room is big enough to hold 50+ people. Â The in-laws chose the menu, and did a really nice job. Â HRI offers endless appetizers, salad, bread, you just gotta ask. Â The food was hot, and we were served drinks promptly. Â
The only gripe was that there seemed to be only 1 server for our entire party, and he seemed really flustered running back and forth. Â They should've given him a helper.
Who said rehearsal dinners had to be fancy? Â This worked out really well for us.
I do have a few complaints, but the pizza we had was very, very good! I was a little surprised with the prices, which were higher than what I expected. They messed up our order and we waited an extremely long time for our food, but they didn't charge us for our meal and they gave us a free dessert! So bottom line, the food was very good and I wouldn't mind eating here again.
Review Source:Its not good. I normally really like Home Run Inn pizza's but after eating in hear, I think I will save some money and just buy the frozen ones at the store.
First I order a 312 beer for like 5 bucks and it comes in a really small glass that isn't even filled all the way.
Second they don't really have any interesting appetizers. I am with my kids and they of course want the garlic bread. We get this big huge loaf with cheese piled on top of it and junky artificial garlic flavor - really?
Ok then the pizzas. First they are really expensive, like $20 for a 12" with a couple of ingredients. They do give you allot of sausage but to me pizza is not about piling allot of topping, it would be nice if they would use less topping quantity and cut the price.
Pizzas where ok, but I think the frozen are better, how can that be? Crusts where tough/old (there on Friday night so no sense to that), and a little over done.
Based on this experience I will not go back to the Darien location, I probably will go try the city location (haven't been there in years) and hope its better.
Pizza was great, one of my favorites! We also had the potato skins, which were also good. The only problem we had was with the pizza taking too long, the waitress told us there was a problem and she was proactive and gave us a discount. The place is clean and waitress was friendly, overall a nice dinner.
Review Source:Sorry HR, but you better go back to basics, and get your act together..I don't know if you lost your way and don't care or what????The cheese is too thick, zza againand the sauce is non-existent...I really used to like this place..And I must of visited here at least 20 times!.........PLease re-formulate that pizza sauce to that that tasty goodness I fondly remember...add some spices, sweetnes, or have you quite using quality tomatoes??..I wish I knew..I really want to love this pi
Review Source:I was saving this review in the hopes that our next encounter with Home Run Inn would be awesome again and everything would be right in the world. Unfortunately, two junky visits in a row makes me feel a little bit more validated in posting my super long, super no-no review. Our booster horror was just when we ordered out an XL pizza using a coupon. Our pizza was definitely not XL and was super over-cooked, cut into super tiny slices to make it appear "larger", and mostly inedible. Cheese was hot and rock solid/overcooked but sauce was cold? I don't really even know how that happens but it managed to happen to our pizza. Sigh, oh well. Now we know things are changing at Home Run Inn and maybe it's not the same great local business it used it be.
Original Horror Night Review:
What a nightmare our service was last night. What happened Home Run Inn?? I know you're normally excellent, but seriously, I felt like I was on Boiling Point tonight. We were up, we were down, we were back up, and then we sunk way, way, way down...past a point that could be salvaged.
We arrived around 515/530 and were seated immediately with no reservation which was nice on a Saturday evening. Our drink orders were taken quickly and beverages were brought to the table. Good. Sans straws. Bad. Another waiter came over a few minutes later with straws. Good! He threw too few straws on the table and scattered away never to be seen again. Bad. We put in an order for appetizers and pizza probably around 545 and they quickly arrive. Good. The potato skins were made incorrectly but it was easily corrected (we asked two be made without bacon and they brought us a whole tray without bacon). Easy fix!
So we're eating our yummy appetizers and enjoying our company. And then we're waiting. And we're waiting. And waiting. And finally, it's 6:45 and people who came in way after we did are finishing their pizza. So we nicely ask our waitress if she knows when our food will be out. She gets quickly on the defensive and tells us that it takes awhile to cook, at least 25 minutes, so we need to be patient. That's fine and dandy, lady, but we've been sitting here for an hour now with no pizza to show for it. She says she'll go check on the pizza.
We see her come back out of the kitchen and serve two tables their drinks. THEN she comes over to let us know that there was a printer error and our pizzas haven't even STARTED cooking yet and it will be 25 minutes from that point. Wouldn't you want to immediately run over to the table you just royally screwed over and apologize? We'd already been waiting over an hour for our food- now you're telling us it's going to be ANOTHER 25 minutes and you thought we'd be okay to sit tight in limbo wondering where our food was while you served your other tables?
And here's my major problem, what would have happened if we didn't bring it to her attention? When would she have noticed? How long would we have been sitting there? Would we still be there right now? WHO KNOWS! When she realized she was bringing food out to customers who were seated after us, she should have questioned where our order was. It should have never been a noticeable issue. From the time we ordered until the time we received our pizza it was just about 90 MINUTES. Big leap from 25. Â
When the whole thing was said and done, we got a pitcher of beer on the house and they took off one pitcher of beer that we had already ordered. It was a nice gesture, for sure, but this was after we griped a little under our breath. Originally they were just going to knock off an appetizer. We felt like at the minimum, a pizza should have been knocked off our order. Honestly, we felt all three should have been knocked off. We were waiting for 90 minutes before our food was served because of THEIR error, which was only remedied because WE noticed it, not their staff. We would've gladly paid for everything else that came within a reasonable time span. We also were waived from paying the obligatory service fee (aka tip) for larger parties. Gee, thanks.
HRI is in a league of their own. Their buttered thin crust is outstanding. Incredibly unhealthy, but I mean, it's pizza. So who cares?
Their meat lovers is DA BOMB like DONKEY KONG!!! Pepperoni, sausage, and bacon!!! AWHHHHH YEAHHH!!!!!
The service is whatever, I simply love their pizza. The cheese is cooked until nicely browned, the sausage has plenty of fennel, the pepperoni is nicely cured, and the bacon...well...it's bacon. Their crust gets perfectly crisp and is just the right
I believe, they make the best frozen pizza around. It tastes almost identical to a pizza from their restaurant.
HRI is solid pizza and a nice change up from deep dish.
Eh....Home Run Inn just doesn't do it for me. I guess it never really has. There's something about I just don't like. I suppose it starts with the fact that I'm extremely picky when it comes to pizza -- and good pizza at that.
My preggo sister was in town and was craving HRI. So I sucked it up and placed an order for carry-out. I was quoted a time of 20 minutes, so I hopped in the car and headed over. To make a long story short, I didn't get the order until about 50 minutes later. And when I got the 'zas home, they were luke warm. I don't know what happened, but let's just say I'm still fairly cranky about the experience.
As for the food - it's just okay. What I do love is the option for the 8" Pizza Lite which is almost cheese-less and has and abundance of fresh basil, plum tomatoes, diced zucchini/yellow squash mix and mushrooms, Italian seasoning and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. It was pretty tasty - and without all the greasy cheese and meat. ((yuck)). I also had a Strawberry Pecan side salad ((Fresh greens with sliced strawberries and praline pecans, tossed with our raspberry vinaigrette dressing)). It was okay - but I had hoped for more strawberries and pecans. Aside from that, the menu offers your standard appetizers ((motz sticks, garlic bread, tater skins)), a handful of salads, some "fancy" pasta dishes, and your good ol' Italian sammies. Meh.
Needless to say, Home Run Inn didn't score a home run with me. And although it wasn't a complete strike out, they barley squeaked by to first based. Bummer.
It pains to write this review. Â It is like bidding goodbye to a dear friend who has passed. Â You see, I have been a constant customer for over 15 years, buying pizza two or three times a month. Â I have stuck through the numerous price increases because the quality had remained so high. Â Unfortunately, that quality has now changed completely. Â I even spoke with the folks in headquarters before writing this chain off.
Here is the story. Â By the chain's own admission, they changed their cook time as of January 2012. Â We noticed it right away, along with the pizza being about 30% less weight than it had been. Â When we got this "light" pizza home, the flavors were completely different. Â Gone was the rich cheese flavor with just the right amount of sauce. Â In its place was a very, very crisp crust, almost hard. Â And, overall, the pizza was tasteless, compared to what we had always had. Â [I believe they changed both the quality and quantity of the cheese, but the management denies it.] Â We ordered several more times, with the exact same, disappointing, results. Â When we complained to the on site manager, she was very gracious and actually hand built a pizza for us [this time with something she called "thick" crust---not on the menu]. Â We took it home. Â The flavor was still bland, but now we had a THICK, HARD, crust. Â And, even though it had more dough, it still weighed less than the former product. Â Very, very disappointing.
I then complained to the home office, located in south Woodridge.  To their credit, they did call back but really only offered excuses about how they have gone back to the original recipe and crust. I was told they had no complaints about the Darien store, which I found numerous of on this and other sites. I should mention that the person we spoke with did offer to  actually meet us at the restaurant and make us a number of different pizzs to see if we can find something we like.  Nice offer, all we want is the old pizza back with all its splendor and ease of ordering.
I used to always tell everyone I know about this being the best pizza in Chicago. Â No more. Â Yes, still a huge step up from the Hut and other chains. Â Not worth the price if this the quality they are now going to purvey.
Their frozen pizzas are the BEST I'VE EVER HAD...and their fresh ones are just as great, with fresh ingredients, and (I believe) salt-cured pepperoni, which is super...
The ambiance here is similar to an Aurelio's, or any other pizza joint, with video games, and the claw game near the bathroom, and a bar area showing sports when you walk in.
If you do happen to drink, they don't serve Blue Moon. Â The waitress offered Budweiser's version of it...which was awful, but she was kind enough to swap it out with something else for free...
We dined in Home Run Inn once for lunch and we ordered pizzas to go a few times.
I'm not very picky about the type of pizza, and I'm willing to eat all sorts of pizza but I do like Home Run Inn's pizza. Â It tastes good, thin crust style, and after reheating, it still seems to still taste decent.
I've been here a handful of times and have really yet to be blown away by anything. Tried a few different pizzas, appetizers, and their buffet, and have yet to walk out thinking I got what I paid for. I definitely recommend getting the garlic butter crust if you go the pizza route, and if you're in the mood for a fairly inexpensive pizza buffet, skip the franchises and stop here. HRI pizza is fairly unique, but it's hard to say it rises to the level of other South Side pizza joints.
Review Source:Good bye Home Run Inn from a loyal customer of 36 years. We used to enjoy going to the 31st St location when we were kids. We have been going to the Darien location since it opened to dine in and carry out.
Tonight we ordered a 14" sausage w extra cheese. It arrived home in a wet box from a soggy crust with less cheese than your frozen pizza. I had two bites and my wife had a piece before we wisely dumped it in the garbage. Â
This was round two. Â The last time we ordered carry- out here they forgot to make the extra extra cheese pizza we ordered online. Maybe that was a blessing. Â
Bye Bye Home Run Inn.....You have lost your commitment to quality.
Stay away from the spaghetti and meatballs. Seriously dry and wrinkled if there ever is such a thing. I wondered if HRI hired the lunch room kitchen staff from my elementary school days in the 80's. Prepared fresh was not the name of the game during my recent visit. Our server Joy was a sweetheart and she was friendly. I should have known better then to mess with perfection and attempt to order anything else but pizza. Sorry HRI stick to what you do best. You have "not" lost me as a fan, just raising some concerns.
Review Source:Classic and unique. HRI is an authentic Chicago pizza that is unlike any other. It is not deep dish (they do have a deep dish item in their menu) and it's not what I would consider thin crust.
It is excellent. It is one of two primary place we order from or visit, the other being Connies. I like the doughy crust which makes it standout from all others.
The restaurant is typical pizza place with a bar are. They have a great lunch buffer which is a good value and perfect if time is limited.
If you like pizza you need to visit Home Run Inn at least once.
After countless frozen Home Run Inn pizzas, I decided it was time to try the real thing. Â I happened to be in Darien so we stopped in.
Overall, it was pretty damn good. Â We ordered the pizza with the garlic butter crust - couldn't really taste it at all. Â I suppose it just added more calories without any flavor? Â Other than that, the pizza tasted very similar to the frozen variety, but just a little better crust consistency (spongier? bad word to use, I know).
The service was the best service that I have received at a restaurant in a LONG time. Â Maybe I've just gotten used to bad service? Â Our waiter checked on us an appropriate number of times, gave me timely refills on my drink, and was just overall very pleasant. Â
If I'm ever back out in the 'burbs, I'll schedule a pit stop here!
I've been to many pizza places, in Chicago and elsewhere, and this is the best. There's just really no comparison. I've been going since I was a little boy, and the quality has been great for as long as I can remember. I always bring out-of-town friends here when I'm back in Chicago, and they love it too. If you want to have some Chicago-style thin crust pizza, you have to come here.
Oh, and the frozen pizzas are pretty good, too.
For Chicago thin-crust pizza, I haven't had anything better than Home Run Inn. Â We just went there tonight, and I really LOVED the pizza.
The crust was perfectly crispy.
The sauce and cheese were so flavorful.
We had ordered two  pizzas.  One Laura's Favorite and one cheese and onion.  Both were excellent, but I prefer to keep things simple.  The Onion pizza was just bliss...
The service was OK. Â It could be better; for example they need to pay attention to when drinks need to be refilled and so forth. Â But the pizza tasted so good, I don't have the heart to dock points because of that.
Pretty big fan of this pizza chain - I have been here for happy hour as well as lunch and each time has been good. Service is standard.
I didn't enjoy their lunch buffet as much because - as any buffet - Â it's not made fresh to order and served piping hot. There were several types of pizza and pasta to choose from as well as salad and dessert, which is always important in a buffet.
HRI is a great place to visit when you're in the mood for a 'pizza parlor' experience. Â Nice family atmosphere/ambiance, decent service, and terrific pizza.
There are a few pizzerias in Chicagoland that offer Italian beef & giardiniera as a pizza topping, and I have to say that Home Run Inn's is one of the best I've tried. Â Fair warning that it is extremely spicy, but definitely worth a try if you're a fan of the sandwich.
Be prepared to wait for a table if you're planning to arrive after 6:00pm...but it's worth it!
I don't understand the hype. Â It was ok. Â I like their frozen pizza pretty well. And this place replicated their frozen pizza experience completely. Â So stay home and save $20. Â I don't live near Darien, so maybe better places are hard to come by--but try a Nancy's or Beggars if you like thin crust.
Their signature salad was delicious.
i'm going to put this in caps so you can see it
if you are looking for a reasonable lunch buffet, go here, they are awesome. one time me and galvez went, and she wanted to put cookies in my purse and harper said he was going to tell the waitress on us. that was funny, you had to be there. so she wrapped the cookies in a napkin and i put them in my purse, guess what i found three days later, yepp, the cookies.
one time we went and it was a lot of us and we were making the waitress lady mad, she did not want to do our order separately so she was so upset, but we didn't care
I came here with my coworkers for lunch on 2 separate occasions and I enjoyed both times! We all got the buffet which included different types of pizzas, salads, pastas and other entrees from their menu. It was a good selection to choose from. I really enjoyed their spinach and tomato pizza! They also had good fettucine alfredo with broccoli. The stuffed peppers were pretty good as well. The buffet is $9.99 so it's a pretty good deal for the food you get.
Review Source:This place is dangerous! I work nearby and with the lunch buffet in easy reach, it's a dieter's nightmare. But the pizza is so good, I will gladly run an extra mile on the treadmill.
I've noticed the selection on the buffet changes from day to day. If you had to pick a day though, go on Friday. Just trust me. There is more Italian fare to choose from.
This is for carnivores only. Our veggie-lovin' coworker tagged along one day and complained about the lack of non-meat choices. Oh well, more pizza for me. I never trust people who don't eat meat anyway.
If I had to pick any pizzeria in this area, HRI would be it.
I love the taste of their dough. I don't know if it is the water (which is what makes different doughs special for pizza in Italy or bagels in NYC), but it is fantastic.
Hell, I'd pick their frozen pizza over almost anywhere in the area (except Phillies and Papa's, which are both good).
And this place is a restaurant too. Most pizza places fail when they try to add on, but Home Run Inn has great salads and I even like some of their entrees.
I'd recommend this place to anyone.
I've spoken to many people on the subject of pizza. Â It's a personal hobby of mine. Â Many people will generally agree on pizza they like. Â But it always amazes me how people talk about Home Run Inn. Â The general agreement is you either love it or you hate it. Â There is no inbetween. Â Having grown up eating at this place, and spending thousands of dollars on their frozen pizzas, I am a big, BIG fan of this pizza. Â One quick note to some of you - if you have ONLY tried the frozen pizza and think you don't have to visit the restaurant to get the HRI experience...you are wrong. Â The frozen version doesn't taste like the restaurant. Â Similar, yes. Â But you have to try the real thing.
I love this location too. Â They have a few party rooms for kid parties if you want that sort of thing. Â Growing up, I used to play the arcade games that this place has while my parents ordered the pizza. Â Anyway, HRI has great pizza. Â The crust is crispy and the cheese is incredibly flavorful. Â Each slice has the perfect proportions of cheese, sauce and crust. Â If you want to take a few years off your life, try the cheesy garlic bread as an appetizer. Â It's so good you will fight for the last piece. Â Just check your waist line at the door. Â But this is Chicago after all...live a little. Â Trust me, it's worth it.
If you haven't eaten here, try it. Â Chances are you will find yourself here often on the weekends.
Lunch buffet was a big dissapointment. Â Home Run Inn gets a lot of hype.
The lunch buffet consisted of two soups, three salads, bread and four pizza choices. Â The spinach and fresh tomato pizza was room temperature. Â The sausage pizza was a little warmer. Â ALL the crusts were doughy. Â One of their "salads" was a bin of chopped romaine.
Connie's Pizza has a much nicer buffet. Â Connie's crust and toppings are better also.
I grew up on Home Run Inn pizza and had my 11th or 12th birthday party there. It's not as good as my all time favorite, Italian Fiesta, but, it's definitely the 2nd choice. The crust is always crisp, never doughy; the cheese is gooey and delicious. I just wish I lived closer so I didn't have to settle for frozen.
Review Source:A step up from the average kiddie pizza parlor, Home Run Inn has a nicer atmosphere and more gourmet options. (We had sausage and spinach on our pie.) Their loaf of garlic cheesy bread could make a delicious, inexpensive meal for two by itself... which we briefly considered. The pizza was great when the friendly server brought it out, and it was equally tasty when reheated the next day.
TRIVIA: An odd name for a pizza place, "Home Run" was chosen when a mis-hit baseball crashed through the window as the owners sat around trying to choose a name for their newly-opened restaurant!
Not being a Chicago native- all the hype about deep dish pizza is lost on this girl who loves her pizza crust thin and crispy piled high with cheese and toppings. Â Oh sure, now that I've been here awhile- a deep dish pie has its place- but when I want pizza, I want thin crust and Home Run Inn has one of the best!
This family owned business has 8 locations and also sells a frozen version of its famous pizza in 20 states. Â The second I walk into this location, I am transported back to being a child again as the scents, sounds and sights remind me of a restaurant my dad took me to oh so many years ago.
We always have the antipasto salad (so good) and a large, thin crust pizza loaded with lots of cheese and toppings. Â One of my favorite indulgences! Â I went for lunch the other day and tried their strawberry pecan salad that was also quite good but could not take the place of the pizza that's for sure!
Service is always good and some of the hostesses actually remember me between visits!
If you don't like dining with kids- go late as the place is packed with families up until 9 or so. Â And it is loud, loud, LOUD! Â But the pizza? Â Oh that glorious pizza makes it all worth while!
I pity those who don't live near a Home Run Inn location. Even though each location's menu varies, they all pretty much have the basic pizzas. The crust is thin enough to focus on the pizza toppings, but sturdy enough to hold them all up; flaky and buttery but with a bit of crunch. I always get the Strictly Veggie; largest size available, of course, which is topped with cheese, tomatoes, fresh basil, and diced yellow and green zuccini. Â I recommend upgrading to the butter-herb crust for an extra-tasty treat!
Review Source:What irks me the most about Home Run Inn, is that all depending on which particular one you go to, they don't have the same thing on each menu when it comes especially to appetizers, even though a picture of the particular food appears on the menu.  So when we went here, I had my heart set on the amazingly tasty baked ravioli, but kept on telling myself I may not get them.  But thankfully they were on the menu, so we got those (which were delicious as always) and an order of the bruchetta (the garlic bread on which it was served definitely made the difference!)  along with a small pizza with a garlic butter crust, black olives and pepperoni,  The pizza was exceptional as is in any Home Run Inn location, so no complaints were to be had.  I was kind of surprised  when we first pulled in the lot, because usually this place is packed,  But were were there a little too early for the dinner rush, so we were able to really enjoy the meal.  But by the time we left, the place was starting to fill up quickly.
Review Source:I have loved the frozen pizzas for years and always wanted to go to a restaurant. Â I went to Ballydoyle in Downers Grove up the street last Friday. Â (Lemont turns into Main going north.) Â Days before going, I found that my cousins worked there! Â So maybe my review is a tiny bit biased, BUT I loved the pizza (frozen) before I knew they worked there. Â We ordered the Nick's super and my friend asked when we ordered - Who's Nick. Â We just happened to be seated with his picture! Â Nick Perrino - the original owner. Â It was funny. Â The Nick's Super has Sausage, Mushrooms, Onions, and Peppers. Â Excellent - I LOVE their sausage. Â Lots of sauce and toppings perfect! Â Great variety on the menu and would love to try other things like sandwiches and salads, but have no idea HOW I can not order a pizza! Â Really want to try the garlic butter crust sometimes! Â I go to Ballydoyle all the time - probably at least every other month for my Irish bands and I love their food, BUT I can get Irish food anywhere! Â Real NON-frozen Home Run Inn Pizza I can only get there! Â I KNOW we will be back! Â Hopefully soon!
Review Source:
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