Romano's Chicago Pizzeria

Twice we have gone out of our way to eat at this Romanos. A return visit for our family means the first experience was pretty darn good. So, could they do it again?Here are the dishes that raised our eyebrows, in a good way:Fettuccine Capriccioso pasta, a very interesting, flavorful, thick noodle pasta that included a complex, creamy pink sauce and chunks of good tasting meats. It was a very large serving that held its own even as leftovers. It got passed around the table of 6, and got enthusiastic thumbs ups by the 4 adults.Their crispy Calamari was so good, we ended up getting two orders. Everyone, but especially the two children at our table, were serious about this appetizer. And even though one order was a huge portion compared to other places, the two orders vanished. Delicious!!!! The cup of Marinara that came with it was eye rollingly magnificent. This is a reminder to myself to get dishes featuring their marinara.The Antipasto salad was quite a vision. Not only was it huge and topped with lots of deli meats, the presentation was unique. I loved how they placed filled rolls of meat and tomato attractively around the edge of the salad bowl making them resemble Japanese hand rolls. My only complaint was the creamy Italian dressing. This was its Achilles heel, not very good. I would have much preferred a different dressing, say an herbal Italian oil and vinegar. I recall them saying they did not have an oil and vinegar dressing substitute.On our second visit, we had a very simple Fettucini Alfredo, substituting angel hair pasta for the usual thicker noodles. The Alfredo sauce was super thick, maybe a bit too much so, but still very delicious. The next day, Mr B's solution was to thin out the leftovers with a touch of cream, and it was even better. He ended up making 3 meals out of this one entree.The items we were not as enthusiastic over included theMinestrone soup. Not so great, it was a thin vegetable soup lacking in flavor. Also, the thin crust Margarite pizza, usually a favorite of ours, was underwhelming. I've had better.In hindsight, we were pleased overall, and intend to keep this place in mind when travelling through the area. Lets give it a happy 4.5 star rating.

Thursday, July 18, 2024: We had our office working lunch here and we're a party of twelve.The place was bigger than it appeared, nothing fancy, felt cavernous, and had the sports bar vibe. We were at a table by the a stage. It appears they have live bands perform here.Sorry, I didn't take a lot of photos due to our discussions. They had reasonably priced lunch specials which ranged from $9.00 to $11.00. I opted for their spaghetti bolognese and found it to be delicious! I know everyone else liked their food.Our server was friendly enough but could've been more attentive.I felt this was a good choice for our working lunch because it was spacious & quiet serving up affordable delicious food. Wouldn't mind returning to try their other lunch specials

Love their thin crust pizza. The bar area is spacious and hidden in the back. We might plan a private party here

Very very very good pizza it was amazing the BBQ wings where the best actually everything was delicious

The location worked well for its sports bar pizza shop vibe. The server seemed to be attentive and gave us suggestions that were helpful in making decisions on what to order. I was excited to have Chicago deep dish pizza that I have been craving but was sadly disappointed. The pizza had the appearance of a deep dish but lacked the depth of flavor or texture. The crust was doughy like as if it was undercooked and the cheese visually was absent.

If you like deep dish pizza this is the place foryou. The pizza is very filling and I always have leftovers to take home and eat later. It's the closest I can find to Chicago pizza around here. Sauce has a nice flavor, and love the crust.I also really like their cheese bread.

This is our first time to this location. We used to go to the one in Creekside. For some reason it closed down. They said it was new owners who purchased the shopping center raised the rents. That's very possible.This location is extremely similar. It has a bar area along with a stage in the back and a small dining area in the front.The service was good, and everybody was pretty friendly. We ordered a stuffed pizza with mushrooms, pepperoni, and black olives. Like normal it takes about 35 minutes to get to your table so order right away. It came out hot and fresh and was spectacular.While we were waiting, we ordered antipasta salad. It was a little different in its presentation. It had bruschetta wrapped in mozzarella cheese around the outside of the salad. It wasn't too bad. We also ordered cheese bread, which was outstanding.It's unfortunate that they keep closing down locations. I know these are extremely tough times for businesses. Hopefully this one sticks around.

So nice to have a nearby Italian restaurant with full bar. There's a restaurant side if you have kids. Food is bomb!!!!!

I'm done! I gave this place three chances only out of loyalty. All three times we had a long wait, over 30 minutes, to be seated (even with empty tables available), a long wait to get service, a long wait to be serviced. The kicker was the customer service, inattentive, inconsiderate, and even rude. It sucks. This place used to be great!

We drove all the way out here to watch Zepidemic a Led Zeppelin tribute band. They have a good size section where the bands can play on an elevated stage plus plenty of standing room to watch the band. I sat at the bar and the service was great and my bartender was very attentive. I did not order any food so I'm not sure if it's any good or not.