Pizzeria Bianco

11/08/08

THE BEST PIZZA IN THE WORLD!!!

by Tedd4Green at Citysearch

I LOVE this place!!! This is my favorite place to eat, period! Chris is a super hardworking guy, making masterpieces, that make my mouth very happy! I live in Chicago, where there are some fantastic places to eat, but Pizzeria Bianco is the best. I was skeptical at first, but I've been there three or four times, and it's always way better than my wildest imagination could possibly remember it being. The last time we were there, we arrived at 4:20 PM, and were lucky enough to get in as the first 45 people being seated, otherwise we would have had a two hour wait. We've waited two hours in each of our past visits, waiting seems to fly by, as you go next door to have wine & delish appetizers (goat cheese, stuffed olives, & the like), and everyone is so excited with anticipation. I, honestly, cannot believe anyone would not love this place and the best pizza, ever! And that's coming from a Chicagoan, we have good pizza in Chicago. The crust is light & airy, with a smoky flavor, never burnt. The margharita pizza, with fresh basil, is to die for. My favorite is the Rosa, with pestaccios on top, sooo good. Everytime I'm there I take extra time to thank Chris for his out of this world creation and to thank my server Dave for his extra special care & great service.

04/08/08

You'll either love it--or you won't

by haywood11 at Citysearch

I don't normally submit such reviews. However, I feel compelled to counter some negative and (by now, at least) inaccurate statements.

The maitresse d' was incredibly genial. Waiters and bartenders were all cheery and efficient. Yes, the wait was long. The first night, we showed up at 8:30 and were seated at 9:45. The second night, we put in our names when they opened at 5. They said we'd be seated between 9:30 and 9:50. Checking back by phone every hour, we were finally seated at 8:30.

This pizza is not like your corner pizza joint. The Neopolitan influence means a very thin and tender crust. It would not travel well in a delivery box. The first night, my wife ordered a pizza Margherita. Exceptional. An incredibly bright tomato sauce. The homemade mozzerella was perfect. For mine, I opted for Chris Bianco to do as he pleased. An idea I recommend. It came as a white pizza with roasted red onions and pancetta. Exquisite. We accompanied that with a Titus Zinfandel that was truly enjoyable. The second night, we had the Sonny Boy (tomato sauce, mozzarella, salami, olives) and the Wiseguy (roasted onion, smoked mozzarella, fennel sausage). Both were excellent, and possibly even better than the previous night. (One can infer that earlier in the evening may be even better, before both the chef and the oven have begun to slow down.)

Believe the hype or don't. Love it or hate it. Invariably, when anyplace has been given as much hype as Pizzeria Bianco (The #1 pizza in America?), there are going to be detractors waiting to revel in trashing the joint. One woman herein gave it a one-star review, decrying the "paper thin" crust. Hey, that's how a Neopolitan pizza is made.

Hype aside, one fact remains: This place is obviously a labor of love for Chris Bianco, who's there every night making the pizza himself. That is the one simple fact that will seperate pizzaeria Bianco from just about every place else with aspirations of greatness.

03/18/08

Wonderful Experience

by aurory13 at Citysearch

I'm shocked that others have expressed views to Avoid this restaurant. I have been to Pizzeria Bianco on numerous occasions and have never had problems finding a parking spot. There is an entire public parking garage within a very short block. This is a very quaint restaurant that uses fresh ingredients. If you are looking to create your own menu or need little things to be changed or certain ingredients in your food this is probably not the place for you, nor is any restaurant in Italy for that matter. The pizza is definitely the best I've ever tasted! I was bummed when I saw it in Oprah because I knew the wait times would just get worse. Can't keep something so great a secret for too long. You can order bread on the side for $2 if you want, I've never had a problem doing that. It is true that they don't like you to sit around and drink a few cups of coffee after dinner, but that is only because there are always people waiting to be sat, whether they are standing outside or next door in the cute wine bar. The restaurant is very small so turnover is important, although I've never felt rushed there before. Overall this little Pizza House and the Wine Bar next door are absolutely wonderful. Enjoy the experience, and definitely do not avoid it!

• Pros: Excellent Food, great Wine Bar next door while you wait
• Cons: Waiting can be a long time, but worth it!

03/02/08

Always perfect

by atomicgirl07 at Citysearch

After reading some of the negative reviews I decided to stand up for one of our most favorite spots on earth. My husband and I have been going to PB for years and the service and quality have always been no less than perfect. It's our decompression chamber. We actually look forward to the wait...grab a bottle of wine, sit on the porch and let our stress float away. Granted, there's a wait so you have to plan to make an evening of it. It's so worth it. I find some of the reviews regarding the hostess unbalievable as I've never seen her be anything but polite. She will stand her ground if someone becomes belligerent with her but has always treated us and everyone we know with friendliness and respect. Our food has always arrived very quckly and is perfectly consistent. Dave (our server) knows our favorites by heart and we always get a floury wave and smile from Chris...It just feels like coming home. If you want some big, greasy, overly cheesy thing with shaker cheese and a 32oz. diet pepsi,go elsewhere. Pizzaria Bianco is about the wine and very special food. The whiners ruin the whole experience of a great place for themselves. VIVA BIANCO!!!

• Pros: every little bit of it
• Cons: nothing really, don't go if you don't want to actually dine

05/26/07

Pizza prepared with heart and soul

by jlastaples at Citysearch

My husband and I absolutely loved this place. The owner really does put his heart into this precious establishment. The service was outstanding. The pizza was simple and delicious. The tomato basil salad was the best. His tomatoes red sweet and juicey. Mozarella was creamy and delicate. And the prices were great. The prices were comparable to CPK. Loved it. Loved it. Loved it.

07/15/06

Excellence is worth the wait

by meganb52 at Citysearch

I ate at Pizzeria Bianco last night. Wow! Simply thee best pizza I have ever eaten. Perfection. Each ingredient spoke for itself and formed a perfect combination. The organic greens salad was amazing, the bread to die for. The staff were very accomodating, friendly and professional. The reviewer that said he waited a long time for his pizza probably has

ADD. Our service was prompt despite the crowd. Chris was very friendly and our waiter was fabulous. I will be a frequent, repeat patron. Amazing!!!

• Pros: Perfect pizza, great service, ambience.
• Cons: None.

06/22/06

Best little Pizza place in town!!

by cynron at Citysearch

This quaint little restaurant is a real treasure. Yes, there is a wait, but it is worth it. You can have cocktails next door, reasonably priced $4.00 beers (local brews)/$6-8 glass of wine (good wines). After cocktails (1 to 2 hours), we were seated and the staff is extremely friendly and efficient. You can plainly see they are extremely busy but still very courteous!! Our waiter couldn't have been nicer....he made recommendations, explained menu items, and served everything quickly. The procuttio plate is scrumptious! The sauce and cheese on the Marguerita pizza is a little slice of heaven. The fennel sausage and salami are to die for! We were seated at the bar and could see Chris tossing pizzas and tending his fire brick oven. It was inspirational to watch someone truly enjoy his work. He said hello and exchanged words with almost every patron that walked in! How people can be disappointed by this place is unbelieveable. I really believe they are people that are never satisfied with anything or anyplace!! Please go and judge for yourself.

• Pros: food, service, ambiance
• Cons: none

05/01/06

Great Pizza!

by chefjer at Citysearch

Chris Bianco demonstrates why fresh is best. He knows exactly what he puts in every pizza, because he makes the sauce, he makes the cheese, he makes the dough and he makes every pizza that is served himself. What could be better? The tomatoes seem like they haven't been canned. They don't have that tinny flavor. I wouldn't be surprized if they peel and seed the tomatoes at the restaurant. Also, I noticed that he made his employees feel important and impowered.

Most importantly, my wife now knows about my quest for the for the perfect pizza. I've been studying pizza throughout my entire culinary career and this is one of the best!

• Pros: Great Pizza, Service, Inexpensive
• Cons: 2-3 Hour Wait

04/19/06

Delicious!!!!!!!

by courtney602 at Citysearch

I was dying to try the famous PB, knowing that there would be some bit of a wait. The hostess was very nice and honest about the time it would take before we were seated. We waited for 2 hours and were served immediately. The service was great, and our bill, excluding drinks, was less than $30.00 for two. i would highly recommend dining at this famous Pizzeria Bianco!!!!!

• Pros: atmosphere, food, owner
• Cons: wait

03/07/06

Best Pizza In The USA

by huskyduck at Citysearch

If there is a better pizza to be found in the USA, I haven't found it. The crust was ultra thin but soft, not crispy and had a delicious smoky hint to it. The cheese is made on the premises and is what makes this pizza stand out from others. Great sauce and fresh basil add to the harmonius perfection.

A must get is the tomato and mozzarella salad. Absolutely phenomenal.

• Pros: best pizza in usa, the cheese!, casual vibe
• Cons: very long wait!