coalfire

with all of these thin crust pizza reviews of late, it's pretty easy for me to rank a new place. i gave an order of my favorites recently. the strengths of coalfire were the quality toppings and burnt crust flavor, but a lot of that came across a little muddled. i'd say coalfire would rank in between la madia and sono wood fired. the service and atmosphere were nice touches as well. i'm giving them 3.5 out of 5 pearls.

just so, so

... decided on finding a restaurant featuring neapolitan style pies.  coalfire does so, but with their own signature twist.  rather than using wood, they fire their oven with coals.  

my favorite pizza in chicago.

great neighborhood spot with amazing thin crust, coal fired pizza. quick friendly service. good wine list. line moves fast if you have to wait.

pretty good for an airport. had to wait. ur it was quick. so was the dinner. in and out in 45. food was hot and tasty. meditteranean pasta was flavorful and hot. slightly dry. the pulled pork sandwich had nice lean pork which had lots of very tangy bbq sauce on it. overall it was a good choice and beat going to the food court!

the best pizza in chicago. i've had plenty of neapolitan oven pizza - usually wood fired - but this place eats them all. the crust is crispy all the way to the center and it has the perfect char. good salads too and the grand avenue location only served wine and beer. great selection and really good wine! try to beat the crowds by getting there before seven.

i haven't eaten inside the restaurant, but we've gotten takeout from here many times. could not possibly give it anything other than 5 stars. the crust is paper thin, so when they say no more than 3 toppings, they mean it. we love the 'nduja pizza, which was a spicy, spreadable sausage that blew our minds. for takeout, they gave us a cup of basil to put on at home, and the combination of the sweet basil, spicy sausage, and tangy sauce was unreal. the pepperoni and ricotta is also fabulous. i cannot wait to take my family to this restaurant and to try more!

the menu is simple and small featuring specialty and make-your-own pizzas, calzones and salads. we started out with a couple bottles of beer and the house salad. the salad featured chopped romaine covered in freshly sliced mushrooms, onions and tomatoes. i enjoyed the light homemade vinaigrette and you could definitely tell the vegetables were fresh. the salad itself was gigantic and big enough to share with a group.

coalfire makes a delicious margherita pizza for $14.50: tomato sauce; topped with fresh mozzarella; a little grated romano; a splash of olive oil; finished with fresh basil. simple fresh ingredients on a thin-crust base cooked in a coal-fired oven, just the right amount of sauce and cheese ratio, crispy perfection, served by friendly staff. recommended. filed under: american , chicago eats & drinks , eat

the white pizza is my favorite - definitely start with the ceasar salad

great unique light pizza. 'why would you put your pizza over coals?' was my first thought. i found out. the pizzas are a little on the dainty side, so it's great for a date night or before going downtown. very delicious crispy thin crust with high quality sauce, cheese and toppings. the selection of pizza covers a different look on the classics (cheese, sausage, etc.) while giving a slightly off-beat selection--everything i tasted was great. the service was down-to-earth, friendly and attentive. i would go again for sure.

great place for authentic coal fire pizzza bar none!

good margherita pizza. it is exactly what you would expect when you order a pizza. nice atmosphere and friendly staff.

since we arrived with the pizza tour, a variety of pizzas were brought out, and everyone had the opportunity to sample a few creations. we started with the margherita pizza:

windy city pizza club visits coal fire. i went to coalfire pizza along with the windy city pizza club. i had read reviews from chicago magazine before coming on sunday night and those reviews were mostly right. the pizza is amazing. the best part: the crust! the crust was burnt, but not overly burnt...just right.

at coalfire, they find the right amount of cheese, and fresh ingredients and put it together so that nothing is over bearing on the taste buds. not only was the pizza good, the service was awesome. our waitress, amy (i think that was her name) was on top of her game and the owners were nice. the atmosphere, though did not have any tv's, was cool with a lot of sweet artwork.

if i had to change anything, i would not charge extra for fresh mozzarella and probably not let people take out because of the high moisture content of the pizza. you really need to come into coalfire and experience it first hand out of the oven to get the real experience and of course, great service.