My Top 8 Restaurants in Chicago!
Let me start by saying that the people of Chicago are great! Given that they and I know how to put up with all kinds of weather elements and personalities, we can adapt to almost any given situation. The city itself is known for its long history and beautiful skyscrapers. But when it comes to food, pizza is what attracts tourists.
Deep-dish and thin-crust pizzas from
Chicago is the most famous. They have brought great joy to many people's food choices in the windy city. When the cheese is melted, the crust is crispy, and the sauce is flavorful all at once, you know you have a great pizza that causes your taste buds to do the happy dance.
So, if you're not from here but want to visit, imagine that you flew to Chicago to visit, landed at Midway International Airport, and grew hungry but didn't know where to eat. So allow me to share my honest review of five well-known pizza restaurants nearby in that area. And as a bonus, at the end of this article, I also reviewed two taco places.
So here are the top eight restaurants I've reviewed, the majority of which are on Chicago's south side.
Pizza Nova. Founded in 1963.
Pizza Nova has developed a great local reputation on the south side for the quality of their pizza and its name. Everyone in my family grew up eating their pizza whenever we wanted takeout, and it's a tradition that has been passed down to my generation since the 1960s.
January 4th, 2023,
As soon as I walked into the restaurant, I could smell the pizza baking. The service was good because the staff did greet me and took my order. As part of their combo deal, I only paid $3.75 for a slice of pizza and a 16-ounce soda. When I sat down, I could see that the place had a good theme and a friendly atmosphere. The dining area, though, was too spacious and open for my taste.
The pizza now... I'll say it was good. I think the slice I had might need a bit more sauce, though. Perhaps I'm simply the kind of guy who likes a lot of tomato sauce on his pizza. Even though the cheese tasted a little stiff, it wasn't so stiff that I couldn't eat it, because I did manage to eat the whole slice. So, here is my honest review of this place: I give it a 6/10 because it was alright, and the price was fair for what I got.
Giordano's. Founded in 1974.
January 6th, 2023,
I went to the restaurant with my brother. And we were given seats right away, which was
great. The staff seemed friendly and greeted us with a smile and a warm greeting. The restaurant had a nice feel that went with the theme. TV and music were on in the background, making the place feel more alive. Although, I get the impression that the
establishment is slowly aging, as seen by the seats, carpets, tables, etc., that are progressively becoming worn.
The wings were wonderful! The meat had a fresh taste! The buffalo sauce was tasty!
The pizza…tasted…GREAT! I like every single bite. The crust, the sauce, and the cheese all had a fresh taste. I really liked how melted and cheesy the cheese was. This pizza place gets a 9/10 from me. I'd say the price of $45.30 was "fair."
Home Run Inn. Founded in 1947.
January 10th, 2023,
I went out with a friend, who also happens to be the voice narrator for my book. We got there early and were seated right away. Again, the staff greeted us and made us feel welcome. We were probably the first ones there, so they took our order right away. The place looks likeit'ss
been well-maintained and has a family-like atmosphere. I find it strange that the restaurant still looks good after all these years. It was the same place I went to for my 8th-grade graduation, and I was surprised to see that it was still good when I went back as an adult.
The pizza was delicious. My favorite part of a pizza is the crust, which tastes like cheese and goes well with the melted, tasty cheese on top. The amount of sauce was enough to satisfy my need for sauce. It tastes so good that it makes your mouth water. When you bite into it, it tastes like heaven.
The boneless wings tasted great and had a good flavor with the sauce. The meat was soft and full of juices. I gave this place a score of 10/10!
Oh yeah, we did, in fact, ask for a salad. Which was, well, it tasted like a salad, so 10/10 for keeping me healthy!
Paisans Pizzeria. Founded in 1985.
January 30, 2023,
This spot is new and was built not too long ago. It's near where I live. While waiting for the bus, I became hungry and decided to eat there by myself.
The hostesses and servers welcomed me with open arms. And they took my order quickly, which was a plus. The environment itself was lovely, and it looked very new. I really liked the building's theme, which was a mix of mechanics, bikers, and edginess while still being a family-oriented place. Again, I like their designs a lot.
And the pizza...I don't think I like it as much, to be honest. Specifically, I got a pepperoni pizza for one and some cheese sticks. The cheese sticks were good and well-fried. When I took my first bite of pizza, that said, I found that the pizza itself failed to excite me. The pizza just tastes, it needs more flavoring or seasoning. It wasn't bad because I ate the whole thing, and it didn't meet my standards for a pizza I like. So, I gave this place 5/10. And their prince was too expensive for one person to pay $37.93 for just two items and a drink. Still, I love their design.
And the pizza...I don't think I like it as much, to be honest. Specifically, I got a pepperoni pizza for one and some cheese sticks. The cheese sticks were good and well-fried. When I took my first bite of pizza, that said, I found that the pizza itself failed to excite me.
The pizza just tastes, it needs more flavoring or seasoning. It wasn't bad because I ate the whole thing, and it didn't met my standards for a pizza I like. So, I gave this place 5/10. And their prince was too expensive for one person to pay $37.93 for just two items and a drink. Still, I love their design.
UNO Pizza & Grill. Founded in 1943.
February 5, 2023
So, I went to this restaurant with my colleagues for a get-together (...which they were the stars of my school's theater club, and I was completely star-struck while eating with the school celebrities!). And this pizza joint is in the city, close to my campus. We went there and ordered only a deep dish. It was pepperoni. The staff was friendly and welcomed us with open arms. When we walked in with five people, we were seated right away, which is impressive because I used to be a server and know how hard it can be to seat a big group at once.
(I was so starstruck by the theater club celebrities that my hands were shaking, so please don't judge the quality of the photo too much.)
When our deep-dish pizza was brought to us, there were streams coming off of it, which showed that it was fresh. Me and my colleagues were digging in, and to be honest, it was pretty good! The sauce was perfect, and the cheese was cheesy. I liked how the crust was golden and crispy. The price wasn't too bad either. I don't know the price because I didn't pay the bill, but my colleague Yasmine (God bless her soul) said it was a fair price. So I gave this place an 8/10 just because the place was a bit small and cramped.
Last but not least, these are my two new favorite taco places that were yummy to my tummy!
Las Picosas.
I actually went here by myself after getting hungry while studying in the library. When I walked in, I saw that the area was somewhat small up front, but I later learned that there was really a second dining room that I had missed to check out. I was able to sit wherever I wanted instead of being told to sit by them, which I love because it gives me the freedom to sit wherever I want. The nice waitress came to my table with a friendly attitude and brought me chips and salsa as an appetizer.
The theme of their restaurant was red and black, but they added cut-out hearts to the walls as decorations since it was Valentine's month. I like the theme and the way they decorated it, they did a great job!
I ordered a steak taco with only melted cheese and a steak torta. The food was pretty great, too. The bread in the torta tasted like it had been toasted well with butter, and the steak was very juicy and tender. I absolutely love it. I really enjoyed the taco. The meat was crispy, and the cheese melted on top. However, it was a little bit greasy for my taste, but it was good overall.
So I give this taco spot a 9/10. The food is delicious; it makes my stomach happy. The price was only $17.41, which was cheap for one thing, and it also made my wallet happy!
(Many applauses!)
(Many applauses!)
El Indio Cocina Mexicana.
When I was in high school, I would come here to eat with most of my team. I was out and about when I got hungry again, so I decided to go to a restaurant by myself and chose this one. When I walked into the restaurant, it seemed old, but it was quiet and peaceful, which was good. Friendly waitresses only brought salsa and deep-fried jalapenos. Not the chip,
though. So I was a little bit disappointed when I asked for some and was told I had to pay extra, which I did. No biggies!
I ordered two steak and chorizo tacos. And a trio of quesadillas, stuffed with flower tortillas and a steak filling. I know, I'm giving myself a big order, right? The food came out fast—in less than 10 minutes—and it was delicious. The tacos had a fresh taste like they had just been taken off the grill and I love that they put cheese slices under the taco meat; It's a really nice touch.
The quesadillas tasted good with cheese melted inside, with well-toasted tortillas.
I really respect this place. But I do think they need to do some remodeling, which doesn't mean that their food isn't good. It was great! So I'll give this a score of 9/10 as well. The price was $21.10, which was fair since my order, for a skinny guy like me, was big.
Thank you for reading my first food critic article! Or read it if you haven't!
Congrats! 🎉You made it to the end of my first article about me being a food critic. I appreciate everyone who has read this far, whether they've actually read every word or just skimmed through it.
This piece took me anywhere from a week to a month to write by myself. I say I spent 6–8 hours working on this piece while also doing my homework.
This article, which is on my website, really showed me how much hard work it is to do journalism as a writer. Not even realizing how much work it takes to write a whole journalistic article because you have to experience the event, write it down that takes long hours to do, and add pictures to make the article more appealing.
If you haven't already, please read this article or skim through it or give that click on my website for traffic to show some love and support to a Latino/Mexicano writer from the south-side Chicago here. That will mean the world to me! Best wishes, and thank you 4 reading!
— Signing out,
Michael David Melero
Read all three articles and was very entertained. My fave 2 are the cop interview and the food reviews. The cop interview game me great insight, even on things I never considered... and I once had a cop for a roommate for years - but yeah she didn't talk much about the job. The pizza reviews stirred all kinds of memories for me which is definitely a good sign of writing! Great job!