Old Chicago Pizza

[Fingolfin269]

So we have one of these opening in my town in the next few months and I'm looking for some info they didn't have in the paper. They mention the place will have over 100 beers but I'm wondering how many they usually have on tap? How's the pizza? How's the atmosphere?

I'm pretty excited as any new night spot in this town is always welcome. Looking forward to some (hopefully) good reviews!

 

[zerocool84]

Never even heard of it.

 

[DAGTA]

I've been to a few in Phoenix. It's decent. I don't think many people will say it's as good as authentic Chicago pizza, but it's ok.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

It looks like a typical Pizzeria Uno type chain place.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

it's decent for what it is

 

[Born2bwire]

In terms of being deep dish pizza, it's an absolute travesty. To even try to associate the city of Chicago with it is an insult.

 

[gorcorps]

Originally posted by: Fingolfin269
So we have one of these opening in my town in the next few months and I'm looking for some info they didn't have in the paper. They mention the place will have over 100 beers but I'm wondering how many they usually have on tap? How's the pizza? How's the atmosphere?

I'm pretty excited as any new night spot in this town is always welcome. Looking forward to some (hopefully) good reviews!

It has quite a lot of beers on tap at most places. I couldn't even give you a rough number but it's quite a lot.

I for one love their pizza. Don't expect real deep dish chicago style, but it's deeper than 'standard' pizza chains and quite tasty regardless.

 

[shubh09]

Old Chicago pizza excels with it's cheese and proportions of toppings. Many will be happy to see a softer deep dish crust that isn't crispy in the corners with grease. My main dissatisfaction with OC was the toppings. Traditional pizeria toppings remind me of grade school soccer games - yes, even when being served in the parlor of a former house of ill repute.

 

[Fingolfin269]

Sounds good. To be honest I care a lot more about the beer selection than the pizza quality. I'd end up getting the thin crust anyway so the chicago style quality is kind of moot. For those who have been after 10, is it the kind of place that usually has live entertainment? What about things to do such as pool/darts/golden tee?

 

[Fingolfin269]

Bump for the day crowd

 

[Lamont Burns]

go for the lunch buffet, that's the best deal imo. it's not made like authentic deep dish but it still tastes good. i'm a chicago native and i like it. they do have a shitload of beers but not much special on tap, mostly bottle imports.

the one i have gone too is more restaurant than bar. the bar area did have a golden tee with no room to really play it if you wanted to. i do not think they have live entertainment.

 

[vi edit]

The happy hour $1.50 personal pan pizza is about the best $1.50 you'll spend with food. If you don't have many restuarants/bars that cater to the microbrew/import beer market then it will be a big hit for your area. They do carry a very nice beer list. Beer prices are a little on the high side but they are usually pretty good about mixing things up with great seasonal brews.

 

[CrackRabbit]

Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats
it's decent for what it is

Yep, the food is pretty good and they do have a large beer selection.
It is a bit on the expensive side from what I remember.

 

[ViviTheMage]

It's like Applebees, Greenmill, etc.

It's all mediocre imo. I go though, I get some nice coupons there.

 

[Proprioceptive]

My wife and I used to hit them up because it was her favorite place to eat, but they went out of business here, and I would recommend that if you care anything about real pizza, do not waste your time or money.

 

[d4mo]

Terrible. Food is terrible. Service is some of the worst. and they "say" they have that many beers but they are always conveniently out of 75% of them.

 

[gorcorps]

Originally posted by: Fingolfin269
Sounds good. To be honest I care a lot more about the beer selection than the pizza quality. I'd end up getting the thin crust anyway so the chicago style quality is kind of moot. For those who have been after 10, is it the kind of place that usually has live entertainment? What about things to do such as pool/darts/golden tee?

No live entertainment. It's not a bar so much as a restaurant with a lot of beer. It's one of the more popular family restaurants around here.

But there are always pool tables and golden tee in the bar area.

 

[Izzo]

I like the place. Pizza isn't anything outstanding, just decent. But the rest of the menu is pretty good. Never had any problem with the beers being out or crappy service as others have mentioned. My experiences in Denver, Lansing, and Grand Rapids have been nice.

The beer tour is a gimmick and is kinda expensive. But still it's a little fun to try all of their beers if you have the spare cash. The mini tours are where it's at. Every other month or so they host a mini-tour kickoff (usually related to the nearest holiday) and they have a free food buffet. Not just appetizers, but nice meals. Steak and chicken fajitas for cinco de mayo...turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes for the winter holiday mini tour. Overall, it is a B/B+ type chain restaurant.

edit: also forgot to mention that several of the restaurants in Michigan have live trivia one or two days each week. Depending on how popular live trivia is in your region, maybe your new one will be joining the trend. BTW, where is the new one located. Just moved out to Cali and and I don't think there are very many (if any) in the state.

And the one in Lansing, MI had a beer pong table, golden tee, and a pool table or two. No live entertainment though (besides the trivia mentioned above)

 

[Fingolfin269]

This new one will be located in Murfreesboro, TN. Basically a booming area just outside of Nashville. In terms of trivia, are you referring to the live variety or the NTN television based? I like both but a location with a ton of micros/imports would be pretty appealing especially on the NTN front.

 

[ebaycj]

Originally posted by: Born2bwire
In terms of being deep dish pizza, it's an absolute travesty. To even try to associate the city of Chicago with it is an insult.

Yep

 

[Gooberlx2]

I think the pizza is decent. Just don't actually associate it with Chicago.

They definitely don't have 100 beers on tap. And they have several different beers from the same breweries, not 100 different breweries.

 

[bloodugly]

Is it real Chicago Pizza? No. Do they make some yummy stuff? Yes. I worked for them cooking for a summer up in Ft. Collins, CO. Well run company that treats their staff well. Try the Spinach Artichoke dip, its my favorite thing there. The meat lasagna is good also, as is the cheesecake if they're still making it. The sauces, dough, dips, and cheesecake, etc are all made in house.

Edit: Don't miss the beer selection. Sign up for a card for the beer tour (can't remember exactly what the catchy name was). If you go there from time to time, you'll get gift certificates and such. Kinda just a plus if you really like trying out tons of beer. Working there one summer is what changed my whole perspective on what beer really is and is supposed to tasted like. Young's Double Chocolate Stout is still my favorite after being gone from there for years.

 

[Izzo]

Yeah, definitely not a 100 on tap, but possibly 100 if you include their bottled beers.

The ones in Michigan have live trivia where it is hosted by a trivia company and a moderator asks questions and your table competes with others in the bar, usually for gift certificates and various beer shirts and swag. This is only on certain nights per week and is hosted by a couple of trivia companies in Michigan, so YMMV.

All of the ones I've been to also have the electronic TV trivia that you find in a lot of bars.

 

[Fingolfin269]

Originally posted by: Izzo
Yeah, definitely not a 100 on tap, but possibly 100 if you include their bottled beers.

The ones in Michigan have live trivia where it is hosted by a trivia company and a moderator asks questions and your table competes with others in the bar, usually for gift certificates and various beer shirts and swag. This is only on certain nights per week and is hosted by a couple of trivia companies in Michigan, so YMMV.

All of the ones I've been to also have the electronic TV trivia that you find in a lot of bars.

Awesome. I usually play live trivia at a wild wings in town once a week but have been looking for a place with a good beer selection that has NTN.

Thanks for all of the info everyone!

 

[miketheidiot]

decent enough place, the local one (fargo) has about 20-25 beers on tap i think, tons of bottles. Not the best pizzaria in the area, but pretty good nonetheless