I love pizza. Â Love. Â If I were going to be executed, it would be my last meal.
But if I had to have HomeMade Pizza Company as my last meal, I'd rather go to the electric chair hungry.
We called this location around 6 on a Sunday night. Â They told us the wait would be 30 minutes.
30 minutes? Â To do what? Â Roll out dough, add sauce and throw on some cheese?
It takes deep dish places 40 minutes to make your pie and they actually cook the blasted thing.
Whatever. Â I was willing to chalk it up to a busy(?) Sunday night.
We walk to the place and step to the counter. Â Three employees were working. Â "Be with you in a minute," said the guy.
So we waited. Â And waited. Â And waited. Â An off-duty employee showed up and started chatting with the three people working.
I kept thinking, "Look, dudes, just hand me my wad of dough and cheese and I'll be gone." Â It took forever for them to reach into a fridge and hand us the uncooked pie.
We got home and fired up the oven. Â The cheese bread was bland. Â The four-cheese and wild mushroom pizzas were also tasteless. Â There's virtually zero sauce on these things.
So what's the big deal? Â You pay to cook a tasteless pizza at home? Â Who cares? Â Be a real Chicagoan and order Lou Malnati's. Â Or select *any* frozen pizza. Â It will taste just as good.
I'm not kidding.
We waited almost one hour for our order to be prepared. Â The dough was fresh, but the toppings were scarce. Â I think they forgot that a key ingredient to a pizza is cheese, because ours literally did not have any.
Perhaps we caught them on a bad day and they were short staffed. Â Regardless, we will not be trying them again.
Nice to get a custom pizza made with ingredients that I don't typically have at home, and what am I going to do with a large jar of olives, when I only eat them on a pizza every so often.
They now have gluten free crusts. Â This is a very difficult thing to come by, and when you want to make your own food or on a restrictive diet, obtaining a crust like this is so helpful. Â I came into a situation recently where I had tons of pizza toppings in the house, but no crust to put them on, so I went to HPC, hoping to purchase just a crust...
I was severely disappointed when I learned that they wouldn't sell me just the crust. Â The bare minimum that I could get was a crust + cheese + sauce (a cheese pizza). Â I'm not sure why this is their policy, but it is certainly unfortunate.
This is right next to my apartment and I walk by it on the way home from work. Â I can order online while I'm at work and set the pick-up time for a half hour away...just in time for me to grab it during the walk home from the bus. Â I really liked it when they had their mid-week deal on pizza, but occasionally they have coupons too. Â My personal favorite is the Wild Mushroom, but that's because I'm a sucker for any and all mushrooms. Â Their Quattro Stagioni is also very interesting to try. Â And I love ordering a side of *FREE* anchovies (although I know even the thought of eating anchovies will make some people cringe). Â Also, I usually order the pizza on whole wheat crust as well (which I believe is free now?) in hopes of being a LITTLE healthier :)
Review Source:I walked past this place about a bajillion times and took no notice until the $3 or $5 Salads Mon, Tue, Wed deal they advertised for the summer. It caught my eye because of this hair brained scheme of mine to have salads for lunch and dinner with the idea of dropping a few pounds for summer. I'd been on a kick of Mediterranean/Greek type salads so I first tried their Seasonal Salad - the Corfu with tomatoes and onions and feta cheese and Klamata olives and a tub (or two tubs if you get the Large salad for $5) of FLAVORFUL Greek Vinaigrette dressing. Holy Smokes was it great! Next I tried the Cobb - and substituted the Bleu Cheese for Feta (I'm not a bleu cheese fan) and had it with the Creamy Garlic dressing - ANOTHER HIT! I stuck with those two for most of the summer - quite satisfied with myself for losing about 15 lbs (so far) and having amazing delicious salads for lunch & dinner! I've been into the Cabo salad - it was their seasonal salad from last year that was so popular it's back this year - it's regular romaine lettuce with a bed of spinach leaves on top - then there's tomatoes and avocado and red peppers and onions and they give you these amazing crunchy strips on top - and I recommend the honey lime dressing - it's a perfect match.
The staff here is SUPER friendly - and I go so frequently they know me by name. They also have a "frequent flier" program - they give you a card that you run thru every time you purchase - your 11th item (for me it's a salad...I think if you buy pizzas too you can buy 10 pizzas and get the 11th for free). So far this summer I've gotten 3 free salads!
Anyway - if you're on a budget and looking to trim the 'ol waistline I would check this place out. The pizzas look delish but I've yet to try one. They also have an online ordering service - so you can order in advance and save your past orders to re-order again...I've not tried it yet but I think it's fantastic.
Interesting concept. Fresh, different pizza ingredients that you will allow pick up or delivery so your clients can "do the work" of cooking the food. While I'd like to see the price be a wee tad lower for my willingness to provide the labor in this arrangement, I am very happy to try different combinations of toppings (which are very fresh) and sometimes take a needed walk to pick up my food. If they weren't located so close to my home, I would probably use them less. I've stopped in on the way home a few times for a relatively quick pick up (no phone ahead). I will wait maybe 10 minutes for them to assemble my pie on the spot and I'm on my way.
Side note (would this qualify as a "tip"?): do not be a fool like me and my sister and purposely under cook the cookie dessert. It WILL make you sick. Cookie dough..... yummy but risky
This place is  a gem, you must try it.  Years ago, when I first heard of it, I thought it sound ridiculous and I was wrong.  I love to make pizza at home and I could not understand this concept of this.  The fact is that they do all the hard work for you and it is less expensive than if you bought all the ingredients and made it yourself.  The staff is always wonderful and they are very fast.
Review Source:We ordered homemade for pickup this past saturday night and enjoyed the food so much. Â The staff was very friendly and the service was phenomenal! Â The ingredients were so fresh and we'd recommend it to anyone craving a great Homemade pizza. Â The sausage and caramelized onion pizza is the <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fbomb.com&s=bb4f996415a9c2f21137e27cfb68f439a48cec2652b53e9b50dd7e766dbe177e" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://bomb.com</a>!!!!!
Review Source:I've aten from this location several times, as it has always been near my various apartments in the neighborhood. The staff is always very friendly and remembers me by name.
The pizza's are great and not the expensive if you stick to the basics. But adding lots of toppings and premium stuff will add up quickly if you decide. If you are looking for a quick snack for one -- take home one of their small pizza's for next to nothing.
They also have a really great date-night idea as well. They sell whats called the 'Cutie Pie Kit' which is meant for kids. The kit comes with a ton of toppings, cheese, sauces, aprons and chef hats. I got this kit for myself and the guy I was dating at the time and we had a blast doing this together.
I had Homemade Pizza Co. for the first time tonight and thought it was pretty overpriced for what you get - especially since what you get is basically something you could make at home for $4.00.
I had whole wheat crust pizza with spinach, goat cheese and caramelized onions and thought it was decent but nothing to write home about. Â I wouldn't be against getting it again if friends wanted it but I also wouldn't go back there on my own volition.
If you hate to cook, this is a good option but I didn't like this as much as the homemade pizza I can make on my own and it was a poor substitute for typical restaurant pizza.
I avoided this place for the longest time, not understanding why people would be willing to pay $20 for a pizza that they still had to run home and cook.
We were at a nearby bar needing food and we called an order in before we were ready to go home. Â They said it would be 10 minutes, perfect. Â We drank a drink and lollygagged, then walked over. Â We arrived, they asked "oh, you just called it in a minute ago?" as if we had literally just hung up the phone... We ended up waiting about 20 minutes longer.
I think the people who work here must seriously do a lot of drugs. Â They were the slowest workers ever. Â If they weren't doing mushrooms or smoking weed out back, I seriously feel bad for them. Â They did appear to be doing something the whole time, what I'm not sure. Â While we waited, not a single pizza from another order went out. Â There were 3 (maybe 4?) people working on a random weekday night. Â So that's 20 full minutes to make at least our order, which is a raw pizza? Â Inexcusable. Â Then we had to go home and still wait for the oven to preheat and another 15 minutes to cook... Â Could've just ordered delivery for the exact same price (actually, probably less) and with less wait time involved; or the pre-made pizzas at whole foods are better and a lot cheaper (about half the price of this place on Wednesday nights...).
Secondly, the price is really insane. Â We paid about $30 for a single pizza, salad, and cookie. Â And this was a promotion. Â Though the promotion is illy-worded. Â They say it's another $5 for a small salad and cookie, "or get a large salad for $5" ... My assumption was that the other option to the promotion was getting only a salad for $5 more, no cookie. Â What they mean is "get a large salad and cookie for $10" ...Together these two items are priced at $13, and that's only because the stupid cookie is $5 (which is also unbaked, you have to bake). Â Not much of a deal at all.
Then the pizza... they have two sizes... one is very small, the other is your average "medium" sized pizza, which they call large. We got large. Â We ordered one of their suggested toppings but then added Prosciutto. Â They charged $4.50 to add Prosciutto because it's somehow a premium ingredient (they charge double for these...), and there wasn't hardly any on it.
The pizza itself... it was OK. Â Not blow your mind, especially given the very steep price, I can make better 'homemade' pizza myself.
Also, they claim "all natural" ingredients, but nowhere do they mention more in detail what this means. Â In the food world, all natural means very little. Â It does not mean it's organic, it does not even indicate that the ingredients are any higher quality than the rest. Â It does not indicate the meat is free range or hormone free, or anything really. Â I'm fairly sure Pizza Hut makes the same all natural ingredients claim.
I can see how this concept would work for some if it was quick and super convenient, but calling an order in and then still having to wait 20 minutes beyond the 10 quoted is completely ridiculous (to the point that I'm inclined to e-mail their management to complain). This is clearly a service business model and their service is lacking at best.
I had a free coupon from Summerfest and finally decided to use it for any 12 or 14 inch pizza. Since I am relatively new to HMPC, I didn't know what to get. The fellow at the register helped me with my selection as I asked him what would he recommend. His recommendation was the Spinach Pie which included spinach, sun dried tomatoes, feta cheese and pine nuts.
Took it home and popped it in the oven....Nice!
They also deliver
i'll admit it. i was totally against the very principle of homemade pizza company for a long time. i always thought to myself - wow, what a ridiculous idea. why would i buy a pizza i need to cook additionally at home? if i want to do that, why not buy a frozen one for $5? or why not order one from a restaurant that actually cooks it before they come to your door?
...and then, i tried it. and i wish i would have tried it sooner. homemade pizza company is good. very good. from the quality of the ingredients to the wheat crust (i'm not even a crust person) to the flavor combinations - choose their preselected combinations, create your own or try the pizza of the day - i found myself begrudgingly admitting that... i liked it!
to the complaints that this place is too expensive, i disagree. i found it to be fairly comparable to my go-to delivery place.
How do you make a pizza grow?
You pound and you pull and you stretch the dough
And throw in tomatoes and oregano.
Pizza platter for twenty-two
Pour on the oil and soak it through.
Pizza slices for forty-four,
Chop up onions, make some more.
Pizza pie for sixty-six
With mozzarella cheese that melts and sticks.
Pizza, pizza for ninety-nine
With pepperoni sausage ground-up fine.
Pizza, pizza stretch the dough.
Pizza, pizza make it grow.
And if you don't feel like making your own pizza well this place will do quite nice!
Let's be honest; I love pizza. Â I've never tried but I'm pretty sure I could eat pizza every day and never get sick of it. Â As such, my search for the perfect pizza is never-ending. Â I'm always on the lookout for inventive and tasty pizza creations. Â But alas lately I've fallen into a slump and just continue ordering my standby pizza from the same place. Enter Homemade Pizza Co. Â
Okay so it's not the best pizza I've ever tried. Â It's not even the most traditional. Â But the fresh ingredients, the creative options, wheat crust, and cooking it yourself to get the crust just the way you like it is what makes this place awesome.
Some people complain about the cost but the way I see it, by the time I order pizza from any other place, wait an hour for them to deliver, tip the driver, and get that food in my mouth it all evens out to the same thing. Â Maybe I'm just lucky that Homemade is right around the corner so it's easy for me to pick it up and get it home and cooked faster than any delivery I've experienced in Chicago. Â Plus like I said, the fresh options and choices of topping and crust are a huge bonus.
First time out I tried the Savory Pie which was fantastic. I also had a spinach salad which was also great and good choice for me to start with so that I could refrain from eating the entire pizza all at once. Â Leftover pizza right out of the fridge is one of the best things in life. Â Enjoy!
Ordered from Homemade on a lark - I wanted to cook but had nothing to make. Â It wasn't ready when I came to pick it up - making me wait when I have to go home and prepare the food further is quite uncool. Â When I did get it home, the instructions were easy and it came out beautiful. Â It wasn't the best pizza I've ever had, but it was very tasty. Â This place may be the reason I buy a pizza cutter...
Review Source:By far the best pizza I have ever had! However it's probably not the best thing for my waistline being that I cannot seem to get enough! Although they do have that "guilt free" wheat crust that I am told is just as delicious. The pizza's are a bit pricey but soooo well worth it when it comes to fresh veggies and other ingredients. I definitely recommend this place. There is no other pizza around that compares.
Review Source:I was extremely skeptical at first with a drill that goes something like this: Walk over to the pizza place, place an order, pay $20, wait while the food is prepared and then....and then....TAKE HOME THE PIZZA AND COOK IT!
What?!?!? That's un-American! Surely, after all that, you can't expect me to do extra work. This involves preheating the oven and figuring out how to get the pizza in without burning the skin off of my arms (a behavior that I am occasionally prone to while cooking).
Ok, so, the pizza....was pretty freaking delicious! As if $20 and 30 mins. wasn't enough, that extra effort that I put forth to cook the darn thing gave me an extra little stake in the pie...which I think added some additional utility.
Seriously, though...great pizza! Whole wheat crust is an option! Lots of toppings available...but the downside is that the whole experience is a little too expensive for my tastes, which explains the one fewer star than I would have liked to give the co.
How about this, HPC --- let's make a deal: I give you one more star and you do one of three things 1) knock 5 bucks off the food 2) cook my pizza for me 3) give me HPC branded arm protectors to help prepare myself for kitchen combat. Deal?