Pizza Rustica Italian Bistro & Bar

Went here for the first time. my boyfriend suggested we go! It was great. the ambiance is relaxing. food was delicious except we weren’t that impressed by the lobster ravioli. other than that everything was great! Definitely going back

Relentless class and service. Although I’m proud of my Norwegian heritage, this place makes me wish I was born an Italian.

Pizza Rustica is a true gem in this area!
The restaurant itself is clean and vibrant. They sell art work from local artists on the wall. The art gives the restaurant a charming and unique flare. It can get busy, but it’s never been so busy where I couldn’t walk in and get a seat. I’ve always had engaging, attentive and charismatic servers.
This review is mainly for the Bianca pizza. This pizza is PHENOMENAL! It’s a thin crust pizza with ricotta, mozzarella, spinach, and lemon. The lemon juice squeezed on top gives this pizza a wonderful, unique taste. I’m not quite sure just how to describe it, but the lemon juice gives this pizza an amazing kick. It’s my favorite thin-​crust pizza in the city and ranks with the Chicago deep dish giants in my opinion!
If you are visiting Chicago and are interested in trying exceptional thin-​crust pizza to complement the wide variety of deep dish, Pizza Rustica is a must-​try!

This place is the bomb. They have the best lasagna in town. The pizza is out of this world… definitely not CHICAGO style but that is the point! Can I say Aperol Spritz… just like Venice.

Don’t know why I have taken so long to leave a review! My husband and I recently moved to Chicago and this was one of the first places we tried. So so good! Their putanesca pizza is amazing and all of their pastas are delicious! Also their service has always been great especially when Justine waits on us. We always make sure to ask to be seated in her area! It’s also a plus that it’s a 5 min walk from our apartment. Would definitely recommend.

Had the most bizarre dining experience at Pizza Rustica this weekend. While the food was fine (with the exception of the overly salted foccacia bread and the meh bread pudding), the service was, to put it politely, frustrating. When we arrived, we were quickly seated and waited on by an enthusiastic server. The hostess/​owner stopped by after our meal was delivered to make sure we didn’t need anything. All great things and exactly what you would expect in a neighborhood restaurant. Those great things quickly dissolved into being treated completely unwelcome the moment our table was needed to make room for a party of six who arrived after us. Keep in mind ours was a table made for only two diners. The adjacent table, the only other available table in the restaurant at that time, seats 4. We had not yet finished our meal or the bottle of wine we had ordered when attempt after attempt was made by the waitress (at this point less enthusiastic and more patronizing) to clear our table. When we dared to order dessert, you could feel the owner/​hostess’ anxiety start to bubble over. While I understand wanting to turn tables and make room for diners, isn’t also important to create a dining experience where you want your current diner to return? At the end of our meal, the cook/​owner came out and started yelling at the owner/​hostess about seating arrangements and, I can only hope inadvertently, firmly pushed my boyfriend’s chair into his back as we «finally» got up to leave. No need to return to Pizza Rustica in a city filled with warm and welcoming neighborhood restaurants.

We live in the neighborhood and Pizza Rustica is by far our go-​to restaurant.
The pizzas are great, but you need to order off the blackboard menu! Don’t be an idiot. Order off the blackboard menu.
Thank you Juliana, Stefano and the awesome staff for always welcoming us in!

Very much enjoyed my meal here. It was a busy Saturday night, but our waitress was attentive and friendly. Food and wine were very good and it’s a great atmosphere. I will go back.

This is my favorite local pizza place! Quality food, great atmosphere, and an awesome location. The truffle pizza is literally to die for. My husband and I either go here or order from here almost every weekend.

Seated quickly, then waited 15 minutes to order before we got up and walks out. Not going back.

We stopped here before game 3 of the NLCS on Tuesday night. We ordered a few messy appetizers to share — two quarter pizzas, oysters on the half shell and pork tenderloin topped with tuna. While the food was good, the service was not. We were given utensils but had to ask for plates.
We sat out on the patio. I noticed that the oysters which were sitting on a bed of ice, were draining across the table and onto my bag which was on the ground by my feet. I asked the waitress for an extra napkin to stop the flow of water as I didn’t want to go to the game smelling like oysters. She replied, «It’s just water honey. This is the outdoors.» I could see a pile of napkins at the service area yet she refused to hand me one. Rude. We were someone’s guests and not paying the bill. Otherwise, her tip would’ve reflected the service she gave us.
Bottom line — food is good, service is not.

Food and mozzarella sticks were good but staff was rude and I will not be coming back

We loved the food here. Has a great bottle of Nero as well. Ask which pastas are homemade!!! it was so much better. Pass on spicy mussels special appetizer. Mussels were mealy and lacked flavor.
The worst thing about this place was the manager/​hostess… not really sure what she was. But we wanted to grab a table outside for before Billy Joel. She was SO RUDE!!! Someone else was possibly meeting us and she wouldn’t sit us inside until everyone was there. And that’s fine… but she was like harassing us about it.
So we sat outside, which was fine, but a little cold. So we found out our third was for sure coming. The bus boy pushed together tables for us and set us up for three people. She came over and asked if our third was for sure coming. We said yes and then she asked us again. I MEAN COME ON!!! She was so rude it was frustrating. We almost got up and left. We felt like an inconvenience. Our waiter was nice and we liked the pasta… but we aren’t going out of our way to return. Maybe take out when we are in the area.

In case the 490+ reviews wasn’t enough of a tip, this place is great!
The insides is warm and cozy, the patio is cool and breezy (disclaimer: only on a cool and breezy day). They have a nice selection of salads, soups, pasta and pizzas. In a city that claims to have the best pizza, Pizza Rustica is still tops my list, sorry Giordanos. The Pizza is delicious, great selection of different specialty pizzas, we loved the Sapposa and Pollo Pesto, but the buttery crust is what really sets Pizza Rustica apart. For real, that crust though. Pizza Sizes are half and whole, we split two halfs between three of us, ate very generously and still had some for breakfast the next day!
They do get busy after Cubs games, and the Chef may step outside and ask your table to leave as they have other people waiting… so there is that, but otherwise service was great!

Well since moving out of Chicago I realized I miss a few things…
1. My Friends
2. Running by the lakefront
3. The crew and food at Pizza Rustica
I cannot remember how often I ate there anymore. It blends in for me like being with family. Even when I fly back, I have to visit there at least once. Stefano and Juliana are amazing proprietors, and frankly she crafted the summer time Blueberry Gin Fizz #yum.
Just bug them for a chicken milanese… ha they will hate me but its so good. And order some arancini and mixed greens to start with! And I love that the have DeLoach Pinot Noir. Excellent value!
Also nothing says like a Sunday Funday that grabbing some pizza and wine there before heading off to Lincoln Park or Lakeview… OR sometimes after the funday.
Anyway, regardless they will always accommodate and you won’t be sorry! Looking forward to my next visit when back in Chi-​town.
Till next time Rustica and Chicago… :)

No thank you.
Weird server who could give a shit about giving a recommendation and seemed annoyed to have a dog on the patio? Check
Margherita pizza with sausage that tasted like a 99 cent totino’s pizza? Check
Pasta that was boring, small portion sizes, and was not impressed? Check
A 6^th grader could’ve cooked an equivalent meal and might have even had more dazzle.
Lastly — when your kitchen closes at 9:30 you should put that on your website (it says 10pm) and not be an asshole when a potential customer calls at 9:50pm to ask about pizza delivery. You’d think a business would want to make the extra $ 40.
Ain’t no lie — baby bye bye bye

Just like the name, the ambience is the same, rustic. Nice and comfy patio area
outside that makes you feel at home. We tried a few different pizzas and the flavor was definitely there. We also tried a pasta and that was good as well.
This was a perfect spot to stop after a game at Wrigley with good food and reasonable pricing. Service was good, so if your in the neighborhood, this is a solid, welcoming space!

Really fun find in Lakeview!
Went here last weekend with a group of six on a Saturday night — we were sat instantly and had an amazing meal. Salads and pizzas are delicious and filling. Our server (can’t remember her name) was beyond attentive and engaging. The large pizzas are big enough to share and the wine list is great. Very casual and laid back, but perfect for a last minute meal in the Lakeview area.

This is a great casual Italian with an informal vibe, red brick walls and comfortable seating. The chef here knows his rustic Italian cooking. What he sends out of the kitchen is uniformly delicious – pizzas, pastas, and salads, plus a couple of nightly blackboard specials. Minestrone soup here is the best anywhere. Pizza has a crisp buttery crust and is addictive – you will come back for more. One night I ordered a special, monkfish with spinach. It was delicious but pricey, given the small portion they served. Remember this if you are hungry! There is an excellent bar staff and they make terrific cocktails. There is wine of course and a full list of craft beers.
This is the kind of neighborhood place where they remember you from your last visit. It can get loud after the crowd from Wrigley field arrives so be prepared for that! Locals will continue to flock here and so will outsiders, once they discover it. Phil and I love this place.

Great mussels in a spicy tomato broth for 2 is a perfect starter. The pizza with arugula, tomatoes and truffle oil in a half size is great for 2. Also had the moscato spritzer which had basil in it and to my surprise was a great combination. Will definitely go back to try more.

Pizza Rustica is a place you don’t hear much about and I’m not sure why that is. It’s probably one of the better Italian restaurants in Lakeview. I say Italian and not pizza because it’s just that, an Italian restaurant with really good pizza.
Their Margarita pizza is one of the best I’ve had. Make sure you order it with sausage, you won’t be disappointed. The ingredients are fresh and the pizza is always hot and delicious. The crust is crispy and thin, it’s really a great pizza if you’re looking for something different.
The rest of their menu is basically pasta items and then the blackboard menu. Their pasta is absolutely amazing, probably some of the best in Chicago. Everything is made to order and comes out piping hot. It’s not a huge menu by any means, but you can mix and match items to create your ideal pasta dish. I love their meatballs and Linguini pasta, it’s absolutely amazing.
They used to be BYOB before they move into their new location, that was the best and is why I’m giving them 4-​stars instead of 5. They now have a full bar and it’s actually really great. The restaurant itself is pretty small and has a decent patio out front.
If you’re in the area and looking for pizza/​pasta, definitely check this place out. You won’t be disappointed by the food, that much I know.

This. Place. Is. Amazing.
I have been here several times since moving to the area, and have never been disappointed in the food, or the service. The bartenders and servers are some of the nicest people I have met working at a restaurant, and are always extremely helpful. Cocktails are always on point.
Things you should order:
1. their puttanesca pizza, it’s to die for.
2. arrabbiata pasta, spicy but not too spicy
3. the shrimp risotto special if they have it
FYI closed on Tuesdays.

I went with my friend one day to catch up with him and it was such a cute place. It’s very rustic and intimate. All of the tables are pretty close to each other and then there’s an open kitchen. The staff was very attentive and kind. In regards to the food, my friend got a cheese pizza but he had to squeeze lemon over it. I got one without cheese. It was almost like a light garlic butter bread. I loved mine. It was fresh– you can just tell they used fresh ingredients– and the crust was so crunchy. They put it in a wood oven so that crust blisters, getting those nice air bubbles. I sampled my friend’s too. His was so fresh and light. The portions were big, so I couldn’t finish mine; However, I didn’t feel sluggish after finishing half of my pizza.

Those of you that know me know that I love a good deep dish pizza. This place is NOT for deep dish. Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, this place has become one of our go-​to places for incredibly tasty pizza of the flat-​bread variety. Pizza Rustica is reliable for delivery and a great place to meet friends.
Located on Sheridan, near the Red line, means that it’s easy to get to and so it’s easy to set up a big gathering without too many people worrying about parking. For us, it’s an easy walk (except in winter) and the atmosphere is always pleasant, the staff friendly, and the wine selection excellent.
If you stop by, always remember to check the specials on the wall (it’s on the boards opposite to the bar) or be sure to ask the waiters. If you’re in the mood for a great pizza, try the truffle pizza, it’s our current don’t-wanna-cook-let’s-order-something-instead fall back.