Giordano's review

"I would say that I love pizza so much that sometimes I eat pizza while I'm eating pizza. Like, I'm so content with myself with how it's going that I'm like, 'I should do this more,' not realizing that the mouth is full. I'm just cramming pizza into my mouth."

                                                                                  -Mike Birbiglia

 Giordano’s Pizzeria

By: Morgan Erickson and Calvin Pickup

When deciding what business we both wanted to review, we decided to do one of Chicago's best pizza places simply because of our love for pizza. We reviewed Giordano's based on the service we received, the atmosphere of the restaurant, the pricing, how it compares to other pizza places in the Joliet area, the location of the business, and the variety of the menu. 

The Service: The minute we walked in we were greeted by the host, and taken to a lovely little two person table in the center of the dining room. He then offered us a booth too sit in if we were not happy with the table, but my friend Calvin and I declined his offer and sat down at our table. Our waitress happily greeted us moments after getting situated and asked us what she could get us to drink. After bringing us our drinks, she gave us a good amount of time to figure out what we wanted to eat (and of course we had to try their famous stuffed pizza!). Our waitress was very good because she gave us space and did not ask us if we needed anything every three seconds. She always made sure our drinks were topped off and that the food was good. When the pizza was brought to our table she even served us our pizza and put a slice on our plates for us!  After we paid our check and made our way too the door, the host and another woman both said goodnight to us. They treated you just as you should be treated at a restaurant. Overall everyone there was very polite! 

The Atmosphere: The dining room was filled with pictures and signs, while many of the tables surrounding ours were filled with couples and families. The televisions played the football game that was on that evening, but not many people were watching. The lighting in the building was pretty dim, but we were still able to see the menu just fine. The table was fairly small, but we did not mind. But when the pizza was brought out, they put it on a stand so then it was hard to see each other and have a conversation from across the table.  All of our dishes and silverware were very clean as well as our table. The dining hall was actually pretty cold though, which we did not like at all. The restrooms were warmer than any other room in the restaurant!

Pricing: We ordered a large stuffed pizza with cheese and sausage, and it came out to be almost thirty dollars. We thought this was a pretty fair price for one of their famous stuffed pizzas (and it also made for good left overs the next day!). We would definitely recommend everyone to go try their famous stuffed pizzas. Although, we did notice on the menu some of the pasta dishes and others were pretty pricey.

How does it compare to other pizza places in the area? : On their menu, Giordanos shares with us that over the past forty years, “hundreds of critics announced Giordano’s as the city’s best stuffed pizza. Giordano’s has been acclaimed Chicago’s best pizza by NBC, CBS Chicago, New York Times, Chicago Magazine, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Eater, Home and Garden Magazine, Concierge Preferred and many more”. This business blows all of its competitors out of the water. Having tried other pizzerias, such as Aurelio’s, Rosati’s, 2-fers, Cemeno’s, and many others, Giordano’s would have to be the best go to place for pizza.

How is the location? : Giordano’s has forty-eight restaurant locations in the Chicagoland area. The one we went to was on route thirty in Mokena, Illinois. They had a very bright sign outside that looked very vintage and classic. This helped grab our attention and made it easy to find when looking for the restaurant. The roads leading to the business are very busy which will help the business grow. The parking lot was not very big but the night we went it was very open and there were many spots available, so parking was not an issue at all. Gio’s was located at the end of a long plaza, filled with other good businesses, so I believe this was a perfect location for their business. 

How was the variety of the menu?: Giordano’s is mainly famous for its pizzas, so right when you open the menu the first page you see is all about their famous stuffed pizza. But when looking at other dishes on the menu you will see that they have many different kinds of appetizers such as fried calamari, chicken tenders, mozzarella sticks, and many more. They also offer many different kinds of salads if you’re boring like that. On the next page of the menu lists all the sandwiches they have in case you are not craving pizza that night! They say their beef sandwiches are very popular as well as their meatball subs. And did you also know, one of the pages on the menu they have gave you a option to ship a stuffed pizza all the way to another state anywhere in America? I thought that was genius. You can enjoy a delicious stuffed pizza from Giordano’s in Chicago while your relaxing in sunny Florida! No pizza you ever get down south will ever compare to a pizza from Chicago. Finally they end their menu with four different kinds of desserts (including a S’mores pizza!).

 

Overall, My partner and I enjoyed our dinner at Giordano’s pizzeria and suggests everyone go there and try their delicious meals!