Review of 'Uno Pizzeria and Grill'
“Uno” is an historic landmark in Chicago, preporting to be the “birthplace of the original deep dish pizza” in 1943. We could not pass up a visit to this institution so decided to make a pilgrimage early on a Saturday evening. It was just as well we were early as there were already people waiting for tables in this small restaurant on the corner of East Ohio Street and North Walbash Avenue, just a few blocks west of Michigan Avenue.
The main seating areas are located just below street level with a large room around a bar just as you enter then towards the back, near the kitchen door, a smaller room with 6-7 tables. The only table available for us was right beside the kitchen door in this smaller room. The first thing that struck us is the rather dark green walls that made it a bit gloomy inside. The walls are decorated with historic pictures of the city and the tiled floors give it a bit of a personality.
The menu is quite varied with Uno serving not only pizza but many other restaurant favourites such as steak, seafood, chicken, pasta, burgers and salad dishes. We were here for one thing only: Their pizza. We ordered a small (10“ regular) Chicago deep dish “Numero Uno” ($19.99; “Sausage, pepperoni, onions, peppers, mushrooms, Uno's own chunky vine-ripened tomato sauce, mozzarella and romano”) which was on our table within 20 minutes of ordering.
The pizza was absolutely delicious - a no-fuss, basic pizza, with a simple tomato sauce but with heaps of fresh mushrooms, green peppers and onions none of which were overcooked. The sausage here was a revelation (not being used to Chicago-style) as it was in the form of large thin patties throughout the pizza toppings. We were easily able to devour this amongst the two of us not having had any starters…
The restaurant did not really have a warm, friendly, vibe, it just felt like a place you went to eat and left rather than somewhere to really linger. Service was a bit mixed with our first server introducing herself and being quite personable but when she introduced her replacement later in the meal, this replacement talked very little and showed up only seldom. At just under $30 for the two of us including two soft drinks (but without tip), the meal was quite a bargain. Though not my favourite deep-dish pizza (for now it would have to be Giordano's) it would be good to come back and try some more items on the menu.
Rating: “It is OK but I have some issues”
Review Date: 2020-02-22
Cuisine: Pizza
Address: 29 East Ohio Ave Chicago, IL 60611 USA
Public Transport: 
Grand
Location: Chicago (USA) - River North
Map:
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Telephone: +1 (312) 321-1000