Nero's Pizza and Pub

Reviews & Tips

• 0

  I love their thin crust pizza! The atmosphere is definitely lacking. This isn't really a place you'd want to bring your family, unless there's room away from the bar. It's definitely a "local" joint. But if you're just ordering pizza to go, we usually get thin crust with pepperoni and/or the BLT pizza. Both are quite yummy!

  Review Source:

  Posted on 04.05.13 Jen J.

  • Report
• 0

  In the far Northwestern suburbs of Chicago, Algonquin is a sleepy burg, with its share of housing divisions and strip malls. In one such mall, on Algonquin Road, you'll find Nero's Pizza and Pub , a full menu restaurant and bar, open from 11AM daily.
  
  On the Monday nite following Superbowl, we expected to find the joint deserted, but the bar was busy with the local regulars, and the restaurant had several tables taken as well.
  
  Our waitress was friendly and helpful.
  
  My guest went with an Italian Beef/Sausage combo (2nd foto below), accompanied by fries and slaw.   It was excellent.   I went with the thin crust pizza, sausage and pepperoni, also excellent.   There was a slight char on the crust, which didn't put me off.
  
  The tomato sauce was a bit sweeter than East Side Joey's, down the road,  but nice nevertheless.
  
  While I would say I preferred Joey's toppings,  either pie is worth going to if you are in the NW burbs.

  Review Source:

  Posted on 02.05.13 Peter T.

  • Report
• 0

  Pizza always sounds like a good idea to me, and when the craving grabs hold, it usually doesn't let go until I satisfy it.  This time, when I heard the pizza call, the hubs and I decided to give Nero's a try.  Seeing as I was already  in pajamas (at 5 in the afternoon, thank you very much), my hungrier half decided he could swing by and pick up a carryout order on his way home from work.
  
  For about $31, we got a large (18") 1 topping thin crust pizza, a huge order of fries and an order of chicken wings (hey, don't judge; we like a lot of leftovers).  Everything was ready to go in 20 mins, and it was all piping hot when we opened it all up.  
  
  I thought it was sort of weird that the chicken wings came naked, with the wing sauce on the side, but it made for a crispier chicken wing that was much appreciated.  The sauce was standard wing sauce, although it did have a nice spiciness and vinegar kick to it, which was much appreciated.
  
  The fries were nice & hot, a good mixture of soggy and crispy ones to accommodate varying tastes in french fry crispness (this is a good thing in our house, since I tend to pick out all the mushy ones and eat them first, while the husband prefers the crunch of a crispy fry.).  This order of fries definitely kept the peace in the house.
  
  The pizza was decent.  While it's not a "choir of angels" good type pizza, it wasn't greasy, the toppings were ample, and it was well cooked (crust was crispy without being overcooked).  The squares are huge, so unless you're a 13 year old boy or a linebacker, I'd start loading up your plate modestly and go back for seconds.
  
  While I don't have much experience with the restaurant's patrons, I will have to say that I feel like we got a decent meal (or 5) at a price that's good enough to keep Nero's on the short list of local pizza places that we will go back to again.

  Review Source:

  Posted on 01.10.13 Dorothy P.

  • Report
• 0

  I have lived in Algonquin my entire life and have driven by Nero's hundreds of time's however l have never set foot in here. However, I went to check out a band they had there in which I knew a few members. I went into the bar and immediately I was not impressed. The crowd was very rowdy and it seemed to be a bunch of college kids out there to drink. I waited at the bar for 15 minutes before a bartender even acknowledged my presence. After, I got a beer. I went out on the patio to get out of the loud environment indoors and it was no different out there except that I was walking into a cloud of cigarette smoke. This definitely did not comply with the law that tells an establishment that it's smokers must remain 15 feet from the door. When I went back inside to hear the band start up. Many of the crowd members were very intoxicated. I went back to the bar to order a mixed drink and the drink was ridiculously strong and not mixed properly. I continued to watch the band as the intoxicated crowd danced. A guy was standing in front of me and was so intoxicated that he lost his balance and spilled his drink all over me. I immediately left and will never return to Nero's

  Review Source:

  Posted on 08.26.12 Keviin R.

  • Report
• 0

  Definitely not the greatest pizza in town. Fun to go to if you want to get seriously hammered with kids in their early twenties. The popcorn machine looks like it has never been cleaned... EVER. Would definitely stay away from that.
  
  Drinks are pretty stiff and the deck area is fun... but otherwise I would definitely find a different place to go to. It's one of those bars where you always regret going to the next day. Ugh. Food isn't that great. I have a friend who ends up getting sick.. while we are there.. every time he eats. Ha.
  
  Fish fry was decent. Pizza.. meh. Better to go to Riverview or Nick's Pizza.

  Review Source:

  Posted on 08.05.12 Kelly M.

  • Report
• 0

  Update:   We wont go here again.  The food quality has declined significantly and we were completely aghast at our last venture here.

  Review Source:

  Posted on 07.19.12 Thomas C.

  • Report
• 0

  I've been to Nero's a number of times over the past five years or so, usually with one of my kids' sports teams.  I would never go there by choice.  
  
  I just got back from there (with another sports team).  We pre-ordered our pizzas about 20 minutes before we arrived to ensure we didn't have to wait too long with a bunch of hungry 10 year olds.  Well, the person taking the phone orders apparently forgot to put our pre-order in.  Oops!  Understandable, though, because as it turns out, she was also the only waitress on duty tonight.  I felt very sorry for her--and it was not her fault that the service was slow because they were so short-handed.  I'd say she did an amazing job under the circumstances.  But it's just poor management to have only one server on duty by herself and making her take phone orders, too.   On the night of a Blackhawks game when they were pretty busy.
  
  We waited about 40 minutes for crappy, overpriced pizza that was barely even melted.  Seriously--no browning of the cheese or crust at all!  The sauce tastes canned and very heavy on the oregano.  The cheese was pretty flavorless.  The crust was soggy.  I think they rushed the pizza because we had been waiting so long.  I would have rather they had just waited a few minutes and given us some properly cooked pizzas.   Very disappointing.
  
  If this had been my first time at Nero's having lackluster food and slow service, I wouldn't be writing this review.  But I have given them at least five chances and my opinion remains the same.  
  
  I will say one positive thing--their chicken strips ARE indeed very good.  Your mileage may vary, but in my opinion you'd have to have put in some serious time bellied up to the bar to truly enjoy the pizza.

  Review Source:

  Posted on 04.09.12 Laurin G.

  • Report
• 0

  Really like the thin crust pizza. Also the jalapeno Burger is pretty good. Cole slaw very tasty. But the soda, diet or regular always taste funny. The service is hit or miss.

  Review Source:

  Posted on 04.05.12 Garry K.

  • Report
• 0

  The initial impression is kind of dumpy, but don't let that scare you.  The staff are super friendly and the food is delicious.  The wooden benches and hanging memorabilia give the place a fun atmosphere while the TVs and arcade games allow for some entertainment while you wait for your food.  There is also a bar if you are looking for a drink.

  Review Source:

  Posted on 03.07.12 Danielle S.

  • Report
• 0

  I walked in and waited about 10 min for the waitress. We ordered but couldnt stand the place so we cancelled and walked out. Music was too loud and place looked trashy.

  Review Source:

  Posted on 02.09.12 Mari V.

  • Report
• 0

  East side townie hangout.
  This is a place for Eastside townie drunks( in their early twenties) to learn how to get drunk in a bar before they graduate to TOB down the street or get brave enough to drunk drive to the west side .... and beyond.
  
  The place is guaranteed to:
  have horrible service
  be a sausage fest,
  be 3/4 empty,
  the girls that are here are total trash bags.
  1 trash bag for very five guys (good luck!)
  
  Redeeming qualities:
  It's never crowed late at night
  THE DECK IS AWESOME!

  Review Source:

  Posted on 12.26.11 Zack A.

  • Report
• 0

  This was my third visit.  Went on a Sunday afternoon.  
  
  Great homemade chips & green salsa.  Good thin crust 'ZA.  Got a great deal with <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a>.  Service is friendlly.

  Review Source:

  Posted on 10.17.11 Stef M.

  • Report
• 0

  Relatively poor service with adequate food. I discovered this place on <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a> because it is relatively far away. I was expecting a sports bar like atmosphere, but was instead greeted by a dimly lit dining room with a large, ugly wall in the middle. The service is subpar even if it is empty. The pizza is A-OK, though.

  Review Source:

  Posted on 07.03.11 Nick K.

  • Report
• 0

  I have eaten there 3x and will not go back. Their Chicago-Style deep dish pizza was terrible! Runny sauce, cold in the middle, and not put together properly. The cheese was all on the bottom and ingredients were piled on top and were cold. There are a lot of regulars who go there to drink and play bags outside and if that is what you want definitely go there. Service was poor and servers seemed more content to hang out with the regulars than do their job. It took us 15 minutes to finally get a server to get to the table and when she did, she was very rude and frank with us. We tried joking around to make her smile to no avail.

  Review Source:

  Posted on 07.16.10 Colleen F.

  • Report
• 0

  Big portions of bar food served in a cozy atmosphere or an outdoor deck. On Yelp 3 stars means "A-OK" and that's exactly what this place is. End of story.
  
  But then again, the place really could use some fixing up. As an example, we ate at a table with a big gouge in it. And by gouge I mean a 2" by 1" by .25" deep crater where the wood was gouged out. But come on, you didn't come here for the fine decor, did you? No. You came here to eat big portions of bar food served in a cozy atmosphere or an outdoor deck. Sometimes that just hits the spot.

  Review Source:

  Posted on 06.15.10 Marc B.

  • Report
• 0

  Good stuff! The pizza here I would truthfully say is your typical good "pub pizza", however the wraps there are phenominal. When I go I most often get the chicken ranch wrap.

  Review Source:

  Posted on 11.30.09 Scott H.

  • Report
• 0

  This place USED to be my favorite area pizza place, but after the change in ownership it seems the pizza changed in quality.  I can't quite sense the same taste out of the pizza that I used to, the crust is now different.  It's still good, but not what I fell in love with.  Going to try the other crust options to see if it's closer to what it used to be.
  
  Otherwise the place has gotten nicer, they've expanded and redone the bar area and added more TVs to watch the games on.  They have a bags game setup on the patio.
  
  They also are very good with accommodating large groups of people, our neighborhood used to have monthly outings here in the past and they never batted an eye about us calling ahead.
  
  The help is very hit or miss, last time we were there the waitress would disappear to the bar for a long period of time and never come to refill our drinks.  Other times it's been very fast, so it depends on who you get.  I haven't seen the same employees in there more than once.

  Review Source:

  Posted on 10.07.08 Patrick M.

  • Report
• 0

  I see that Tracy wrote this place is "nothing fancy" I suppose this is true but check this out.  I have been going to this place for about 3 years through the original owner and the current one.  There is'nt a cooler place around Algonquin to relax and have cocktails and meet great people.  The owners (Ken and Tracy-who are awesome people) have changed several of the menu items and recipes.  Forget the fact the food was never that bad...now its excellent.  They have Kareoke on Fridays and Saturdays which draw a lot of regulars and are a blast even if you dont partake.  I personally invite anyone in the McHenry county area who wants to have cocktails, get some great food, and meet some really kool people to check it out.

  Review Source:

  Posted on 09.06.07 jason j.

  • Report
• 0

  There's nothing fancy here, but they've got solid food and its a decent place to hang out with a group of people.
  
  The thin crust pizza is good, and they've got good fried appetizers if you're looking for some grease.  They also keep baskets of peanuts out and you can toss the shells on the floor.  Joy!
  
  They've got a deck for warmer weather dining and also a bar inside, which I have yet to check out.  
  
  Staff has been hit or miss here, mostly high school kids.

  Review Source:

  Posted on 01.27.07 Tracy K.

  • Report