Pizzeria Via Stato

There are a ton of pizza places in Chicago, and honestly most are good. This is no exception. However, to stand out, each place has got to have its own claim to fame. Does Via Stato "state" its claim?ATMOSPHERE/ARCHITECTURE: 7/10Definitely has an intimate night vibe to it that makes it good to go to as a late night visit type of place, and I like it for that. SERVICE: 8/10Servers were friendly and I felt pretty comfortable here with the staff.FOOD: 9/10Thin Crust Margherita - 9/10 - Okay, moment of truth. This pizza did stand out. There are many good deep dish Chicago style places and classic American style pizza places, but here, they offered a really Italian classic that I felt was done right! Probably better than Eataly which is overhyped anyways.VALUE: 8/10Fair deal.PROBABILITY OF RETURN: 8/10I would return here.TO EAT OR NOT TO EAT: Bon appetit!OVERALL: 8/10

HASTA LA PIZZA, BABYWarm up with a delicious thin crust at this intimate restaurant on the Near North Side.Located inside the Embassy Suites on north State St, Pizzeria Via Stato is tucked within Osteria Via Stato. Their specialties are Roman-style thin crust pizzas but they've also got a great variety of Italian appetizers and an extensive wine listing.We were seated around 7pm on 11/4/19 by a hostess who was downright delightful. She was upbeat and held a brief but pleasant conversation with us (the greeter at Rosemont's Bub City could learn a thing or two from the charming hostess here). Not long after, we placed drink orders.My cocktail of choice was their Farmer's Mule ($13) made with vodka, fresh pear, ginger beer and cinnamon. My fiancée enjoyed her Stella Rosa ($12), which had tequila, muddled strawberry, prosecco and thyme. There was no free bread service here, but I'm willing to cut them a break.She absolutely loved the burrata ($13) that came in a pool of olive oil with buttered crostini. The caprese salad ($13) had roasted tomatoes along with the usual fresh mozzarella and basil. It was expensive, and worse still, we spotted a small black hair hiding between the slices of mozza. Ooohhh no thanks.On the other hand, their pepperoni thin crust ($15) was one of the best pizzas we've had in a while. The red sauce was great and the small slices of 'roni had the perfect amount of spicy kick to them. It was really delicious and a pretty fair price.The 'prosciutto americano' ($18) was just as good. It had arugula, aged balsamic, and shaved grana (similar to parmesan). It was also excellent and we easily polished off the entire thing. I liked that it was more of a flatbread in nature and less of a "pan style" pizza, which meant we could eat more slices and not feel stuffed to the brink.Bread = 4.5Circuses = 4Our server did a fine job and took solid care of us during dinner. The atmosphere inside was perfect for an impromptu date night and the dining room was tidy. I didn't realize this place was part of Rich Melman's vast Lettuce Entertain You empire, until the check came asking for LEYE points. How 'bout that?* TL;DR *It's tough to stand out amid the deluge of deep dish that seemingly dominates the Windy City. Finding a worthwhile thin crust is no small feat, but Pizzeria Via Stato is up to the challenge.The food and service was fine but finding a short black hair in our antipasti tells me that someone in the kitchen needs to wear a hat. That's an automatic 1/2 star deduction (sorry guys!)I'd nevertheless recommend this place to friends and family seeking a pizza that won't put them in a food coma.

First time here - we were here for the pizza.The menu is pretty sparse; I was in the mood for some calamari, which is (what I thought) an Italian restaurant staple. Alas, we arrived during the "brunch" menu time, so even the featured grilled octopus wasn't available. The brunch menu, on the weekends, goes until 230pm.A little long for a brunch menu, yeah?Anyway.Drinks were good, pizza was delish (thin crust pizza is my jam) and the service was spectacular! Our drinks were never empty and our server was so nice.Not sure if we will be back, but it's good to know a place like this exists. Thanks!

Love this place. White Sangria, beet salad, sausage pizza & chocolate gelato were all wonderful.

Opening another pizza restaurant in Chicago is only slightly less redundant than opening another steakhouse. But Lettuce Entertain You rarely miscalculates, and this place is another winner.If you like thin crust--and by thin, I mean wafer thin--pizza, then Pizzeria Via Stato is the place to go. This relatively small, casual but nice restaurant is making some of the best pizza in River North. The crispy pepperoni with fresh basil was excellent, with a cracker crisp crust, and an excellent tomato sauce, and lots of (not actually all that crispy) pepperoni, and generous fresh basil.I also really liked the "celery" Caesar salad, which was a normal Caesar with lots of tasty croutons and an extra crunch imparted by celery. Although served on a small plate, it was a deceptively large mound, ample for sharing.Service was professional, and there are interesting beer and cocktail selections.

The restaurant is nestled adjacent to the lobby of an Embassy Suites. The place has a Tavern feel to it. Pro tip: During Happy hour, drinks and apps are half off! Unfortunately it took a while to be served. The staff Seemed a bit all over the place. And because i had so much time to observe, they just have a poor customer flow. So many confused customers not knowing where to check in with a host. After i ate, it took a while to get my check. I started with the Roasted Garlic. It was so savory and sweet, so smooth, and the sourdough bread was so warm and fluffy. I had a cheese Pizza. It was light and crisp, and the basil was really fragrant and fresh. the sweetness of crushed tomatoes was also nice. Next time I go, I'd prolly just do take out.

Stumbled upon this place as we were walking around in River North. This is a great place to eat if you're looking for something casual and quick. The staff was very friendly and we were able to get served very quickly.We ordered the margarita pizza on the four cheese pizza. Both were fantastic with thin crust. One thing I really appreciated was that the waiter brought us some extra cheese without asking. I am a huge cheese lovers so this absolutely made my day.This is located downtown so the parking situation is not the greatest. I would catch a cab, train, blue line or walk here. This is located in the hubbub of downtown so it's very close to everything. If you're into nightlife, you can walk down to the clubs nearby or hit up the bar scene a couple streets down.Be aware that this place is very informal and there is only one bathroom, yes, one bathroom for both men and women so the line can get pretty long.

Wonderful cozy atmosphere (but with ambiance room for improvement)!My mom and sister and I made a reservation here on a Tuesday night for a girls night full of apps and small plates. This did just the trick. It's fantastic for grazers, and I wasn't blown away (negatively) by the prices, either.For starters, we had the roasted garlic, antipasta tray and caprese. Caprese - SKIP! Tomatoes were mush and the mozzarella was hard and cold. My guess is they make these ahead of time and store in the fridge. Wasn't worth it. With that exception, everything else was fantastic - especially the foccacia served with the meat & cheese board. We had three in our party and were served two pieces so we requested one more - and were served two more. It's the little things!The arugala salad was delicious...dates, arugala and bacon? How could it get better?The pizza was great (we ordered veggie and quattro formaggio) - but one small odd part to me, was they cut in squares. I'm so used to pizza of this style being sliced like a pie! That way you get pieces with everything (gooey center, toppings, and crispy.For three appetizers, a salad, two pizzas and two drinks, our total was around $90. Not bad at all in my book. Room for improvements - we were stuck right by the ordering station/computer, so we were constantly hearing an update on order status. One of the servers must have been new, so ours was training her - so we could hear him tell her when he was going to ask certain questions, why, etc. We were also closer to the one-stall bathroom, so a lot of folks would squeeze around our table to get there. Lastly - this is connecting to an Embassy Suites, so there were a lot of people coming and going (from my view) and just staring in the restaurant. Not ideal, but not deal breakers, either.

Came in for Sunday lunch. Quiet ambiance and good lunch deals! Chase was our server and he was very prompt.The lunch deal is great. For about $12, you can get the daily soup, a choice of pizza, and a small chocolate tart.Great deals, great service, and great food, you can't go wrong!

Did not have high expectations going in but still disappointed. Pizza was soft/uncooked in the center. Veal meatballs came to me cold. Not just not hot, not even warm. Cold. And once re-served to us hot, they were mediocre at best. Roasted caprese salad is hardly roasted at all, name is totally misleading. Restaurant does not have properly protected entrance so cold inside on a day with 12 degree wind chill. Our server was the exception, gave him large tip! This us a perfect example why we have not been to a Lettuce Entertain You establishment in years. Thought they deserved another look. Looked and done, they failed the test. Fortunately there are so many other amazing options in Chicago, so to those we go!