chicago pizza & oven grinder company

my chicago visit would have been incomplete if i would have missed out on this place. so during my research about the city,i had come across this restaurant's name multiple times,and obviously my curiosity got the better of me and eventually wanted to badly check this place out (and it was a very good decision).

first of all, starting with the location, its like 10 mins walk from lincoln park zoo. when my 2 friends and i reached there for dinner around 4 pm ,we were greeted by this huge crowd of people waiting to get inside,with a glass of beer or other drinks in their hands. we somehow managed to enter inside and saw another tiny queue of people. it took us some time to figure out that we need to speak to the manager first and tell him the number of people for the table. it was fascinating to see that the manager remembered the faces of the people waiting,the number of people accompanying and the amount of time they've waited,without taking a note of it anywhere! such an awesome memory. so he later told us that we have to wait atleast an hour and 15 minutes for a table. we were tempted to give up and move to other nearby restaurants,but my curiosity kept me going and i somehow convinced my friends to stay put and wait. finally after like 1.5 hr of sheer boredom and what felt like eternity ,the manager called us inside and took us to our table.

so the restaurant is pretty dingy and really congested (for a second i felt as if i am in some restaurant in mumbai). the place is not very decked up, minimal decor,but that should be least of the concerns. so finally the menu arrived,my friends and i shamelessly peeped onto other tables nearby and asked the waiter (who was this really good looking guy) as to what the people were eating. so we ordered for the mediterranean bread first, then for one pounder pizza pot pie. the bread took around 15 mins to arrive,we were already dying due to hunger by then, but the size of the bread amazed us (and it was really delicious, very buttery and soft,like some kind of naan with cilantro). we were confused whether to go for 3 half pounders or one full pounder,because we didn't have any idea regarding the size,but one pounder seemed to be more logical because the bread was pretty big too. the pot pie pizza took half an hr to be made,but trust me,its totally worth the wait. so the waiter explained how the pie was made and later demonstrated how to serve it and i can't really explain as to how mesmerizing the procedure looked (complete with melted cheese falling on the top of the pie,just like the fast food advertisements). when he left,we didn't waste a moment and just dug in, and that moment we felt infinite xd it tasted like something i can't explain in words,you have to eat it to know the feeling.

we were pretty content and were on the verge to leave,but as usual, my dinner is never complete without a dessert, so we ordered for the only dessert option which they had 'tortoni'. it took another 20 minutes to arrive,and its one of the most heavenly ice creams i've had. it had a rich taste of rum (which isn't real,but just a flavouring) and condensed milk (basically like kulfi rasmalai with rum). it's a dark horse which isn't very talked about since the restaurant is popular for its pot pie,but do try it,you won't regret it :) so finally after eating so much,the bill was for around 60$ (carry cash with you,since they don't accept cards).

we finally left the place around 8:30, fat and content. do not miss it!

great hidden spot in the heart of lincoln park. very small, not for the claustrophobic type. the host/maybe owner refuses to write names down. when you ask him how he knows the order of who got there first he simply says, "i remember you". expect to wait 50 minutes minimum at peak hours. eye contact with the host throughout your wait is key. once seated, the food is great. remember cash only!

this is a cute little place on north clark....................... ambience is cosy...................the mediterranean bread and pot pizzas are superb. i am a chicago pizza expert must have tried most of the joints in the city. this one is among the better ones.

a friend took me to this place. this was an amazing experience to dine at this place.
the restaurant is located in the lincoln park. the place doesnt have much seating.
so we had to wait for 40 mins to get our table. the food was worth the wait.
they have a limited menu.
we ordered a pizza pot pie, mediterranean bread and the tortini dessert.
the pot pie they call it is a pizza dish cooked in a pot unlike the traditional flat pizzas. the sight of this pot pie being served is a trick to watch. the pie is quite different with a lot of gooey cheese with the meaty ingredients inside.  they also customize the ingredients on request.
the best dish for me was the mediterranean bread. this is a huge bread with mediterranean seasoning in generous amounts over the olive oil smeared on the bread. the bread is big and overflows from the plate it served on. this is one dish you dont want to miss out.
the frozen ice cream dessert called tortini was quite yummy and helped us finish off the meal.
they give a small chocolate with the check, which is quite nice.

how can a pizza pot pie go wrong?  well, at this place it absolutely doesn't.  this was my second trip here and certainly not my last.  your pizza pot pie is brought to the table and flipped upside down onto your plate.  i chose  a half pounder with the red sauce with meat and the fillings were ample and perfectly balanced.  the serving size was perfect for dinner to satisfy but not overstuff, and the mediterranean bread was huge (and amazing).  two things that, while i appreciate the old school approach, need to be reconsidered.  there is always a crowd (which is the sign of a good place) but there is no real semblance of any order there when it comes to seating and it was very clear we were forgotten in favor of a group or two that came in after us.  also, remember that it is cash only...maybe time to grow out of that.

so my recommendation is to go, understand that there will be a wait so plan accordingly, and enjoy a true chicago treasure.

pizza pot pie. just the perfect pot pie

amazing. honestly a must try while in chi town, it ain't the traditional pizza but hey everything doesn't need to be similar ,half pounder is more than enough to put ya in a cheese coma. med bread excellent, salads fresh and perfect size for sharing. cold drafts, a table of six of us went in and the bill was 200, would a been cheaper but us canadians slammed 4 pints each lol

pizza pot pie. the best pizza you will ever have!


-----10 dec, 2014-----

this is by far the best pizza in the world!. this pizza is unique to this restaurant and the place is so old fashion, like you are back in time to the old days of chicago. simply a must place to visit and eat while in chicago and its not far from the cubs park, lincoln park, downtown area, the lake front etc...once you eat here, you will always want to come back. this place is awesome!!

this is by far the best pizza in the world!. this pizza is unique to this restaurant and the place is so old fashion, like you are back in time to the old days of chicago. simply a must place to visit and eat while in chicago and its not far from the cubs park, lincoln park, downtown area, the lake front etc...once you eat here, you will always want to come back. this place is awesome!!

omg...i died and went to pot pie heaven!. this place all around is fantastic from the fresh humongous salad with dressing and herb toppers to that delish pizza pot pie they are known for. our waitress was awesome and the manager/owner(very nice little italian guy) was supper friendly and hospitable. it is in this really old brownstone and the inside has all dark wood and low lighting so it is very cozy. i would go to chicago just for this pot pie because it was that good! there is a lot of history in the building as well as the area being right across from the st. valentine’s day massacre site so it was entertaining in that fact as well. what a great visit...we will be back!

yum. was in town for a convention. i had seen this place on a tv show and knew we had to go. the tv show did not do it justice. if you go to chicago and don't eat the pizza pot pie you are missing out

pizza pot pie? well, why not?!. whaddayamean they don’t serve pizza? it says it right there on the sign – “chicago pizza oven and grinder company”!

as andy griffith might have said, “what it was, was a pizza pot pie...”

yep, that’s probably everyone’s first response when they open the two-page menu that features just one pizza-“like” offering – in “half-pounder” and “one-pounder” sizes- and a handful of hot sandwiches, known here as “grinders”.

since 1972, this place has been serving what i would call an “inverted pizza”; a steaming, bubbling caldron of pizza ingredients-in-a-cup, brought tableside on ceramic plates dating to the paleolithic era, and masterfully flipped by the waiter into a bowl of dense dough.

billed as “made from scratch”, this pizza-in-a-bread bowl features a chewy dough and mild tomato sauce seasoned with olive oil, fresh garlic, onions and green peppers. the pot pie, once turned upside down, is capped with a thick cheese covering that requires deft knife skills to pry open.

a “half-pounder” is certainly enough for the average person, especially when you trick it out with the only two options offered; sausage and/or mushrooms. sorry, no pepperoni, sausage or anchovies – kinda like ketchup on a chicago hot dog, so don’t even ask. and at $11.75 a bowl, it’s a deal – the full-pounder is priced at $23.50.

the grinder sandwiches are also massive, arriving on 10-inch loaves of crusty bread and packed, tip-to-tail with filling options including; italian ham, meatballs, sausage and, my favorite, the vegetarian which arrives by fork lift and is loaded with onions, olives, mushrooms, red and green peppers, romano cheese, garlic oil and spices, all topped with a massive brick of melty swiss cheese and bubbling tomato sauce. cut it once, cut it twice, this is a cuppa-two, or tree person sandwich.

also worth noting are their humongous salads which are truly the size of newborn infants. you can easily feed four adults, or an entire pee-wee soccer team, with just one of these tomato-wrapped cornucopias of veggies and meat. choose from the country french, the classic greek and the great american, from $13- $25.

the place is almost always packed after 5pm, and the traffic pattern is very dis-feng shui – basically a one-way route down a long and narrow, 1970’s wood-sided corridor of booths to the left and larger tables to the right. hunker-in for the wait, but don’t be tempted to wander across the street and visit the other pizza/italian joint that’s visibly empty while you stand out in the cold – you’ll be very disappointed.

pizza pot pie is one of the best things you'll ever eat.......really!!! :)

user reviews. the pizza pot pie that i ordered was amazing. i got white bread and sausage. the service was great and the atmosphere was family friendly. i loved the medditerranean bread. it was like flatbread with seasoning, but better. the pizza and ovengrinder was fabulous. but be prepared to wait awhile!

amazing. was about a 20-30 minute wait, but the food was worth every second. had the mediterranean bread and the pizza pot pie, and it was all incredible. highly, highly recommend.