Pizzeria Aroma

Day 286: Pizzeria Aroma: A thoroughly decent, if unexceptional Pizzeria. Got a large thin-​crust mushroom pizza and, since meatballs were not available as a topping, an order of meatballs for us to cut up ourselves, as well as a slice of key lime pie. The pizza was a little greasy, but tasty enough. Would give extra consideration for the quick delivery, but take away said consideration for the blandness of the tiny key lime slice.

Ok, I love this place.
While my taste buds generally begs for a piping hot Chicago stuffed pizza my body says, «biotch, watch yo’self and cut down on the cheese, grease and carbs!» Thankfully Pizzeria Aroma has my favorite happy medium — the upgrade known as ‘thick crust’.
YES! A crust that is thin enough to avoid carb and dairy overload but thick enough not to require a fork, knife or fold. Nothing makes me more sad than greasy floppy pizza whose cheese and toppings descend off the crust like a waterfall onto the plate, your face or, worse, your lap, as you try to take a bite. Neither Pizza Face nor Pizza Pants are flattering on anyone. My staple is the pepperoni and sausage with the thick crust. The toppings are always plentiful and whatever the seasoning they use on their pizza, it’s a great touch. I am a huge fan of the sauce, too. Again, whatever the recipe, #nailedit.
This place is SUPER fast. Granted, I always pick up my pizza so if it’s not piping hot it’s my (or Chicago’s ridiculous traffic and traffic light situation and constant construction and constant shrinking roads due to cones and barrels when no one is actually working on the roads) fault. My order is always ready in roughly 15 minutes, even during peak times. Nobody puts baby in a corner and nobody is worth waiting hours for when your pizza craving hits.
Tons of daily specials, but even their regular menu prices are super competitive. When you want a moderate amount of carbs and a ton of flavor, say it kids: Pizzeria Aroma.

I’ve lived in the neighborhood for just over a year and a half… and every time I walk by I tell myself, «you might as well try this place since the ratings are good». So, I went in and ordered a Mediterranean salad with chicken. It was good, but not exceptional. I did get the feeling, though, that this might be the sort of place where the the salads aren’t what gives the place good ratings. So, next time, perhaps when it gets cooler, I’ll go back and try the pizza… and I’ll likely try the pasta eventually, too.
So, my rating might go up if those staples impress my palate.
I should note that the young man who took my order and the other one who brought out my food were both as sweet and pleasant as can be.
:-)

I’m super impressed with this place. Our food came in 35 minutes
I got a pesto dish with asparagus and mushrooms which was literally perfect
Calamari was delicious
My husband got a calzone that he said was delicious
And the portions were HUGE. Like I have food for a few days now.
I rarely write reviews but this place deserved 5 starts in my opinion.

This place has served the goodness ever since I found it some years ago. Their linguini with clams is par excellence, their teriyaki wings are tasty, their flava fries have, well, flavor, and it always gets to you hot and tasty. The space isn’t that big, but it’s clean and cozy. Delivery is usually very fast as well. The meat sauce is a bit flavorless, but what they do well outweighs what they don’t.

To be honest, Pizzeria Aroma has and would continue to elude me were it not for having a work-​related meeting there. To be even more honest, I wouldn’t have shed any tears had I not been pulled in here, but that is not to say that the food wasn’t good. It was adequate as was everything else about Pizzeria Aroma. I have no real complaints about the restaurant, but it just fell short in comparison to many other go-​to lunch spots or dinner venues, especially those that offer pizza and the like.
Perhaps if I’d ordered the pizza I’d be more satisfied but I can only say that in hindsight. The truth is, they have so many goddamn items on their menu that it makes it hard to choose what to get. Sure, it can be a good thing to have several food items, but not when it causes choice paralysis. I just about stood there for 10 minutes deciding until I finally narrowed it down to either the Chicken Teriyaki pasta or the Chicago pasta. I wish I’d ordered the Chicken Teriyaki pasta but instead I ordered the latter which had Italian beef and Italian sausage mixed in with the rotini. It was a good dish with lots of meat in it so you know you’ll get your money’s worth… it just didn’t have that wow factor.
However, since I went here for lunch I got my meal for a reduced price and it came with both garlic bread and a side salad with your choice of dressing. For all the food I got there I couldn’t have gotten it for a better price. You know you got a good deal when you have enough food to last you through two or three meals and that’s what you’ll get here — at least with the pasta dishes.
Although the man at the register seemed a bit inpatient with my indecision (which is the menu’s fault, not mine) he seemed willing enough to answer my questions. Yes, he seemed a little brash, but it didn’t take away from the service he provided. The service did confuse me at times because I couldn’t tell if I was being chastised or if it was his personality, but in the end it didn’t matter too much.
If ever I went back I’d try their pizza or the Chicken Teriyaki dish but I’m afraid I wouldn’t get pulled back their out of my own volition for any other reason.

Fantastic service both at the storefront and delivery. My wife always gets a thin crust and I always do the gluten free and both pizzas rock. I adore the guys who take the orders. Super sweet always!

Really good food.
Pizza is so phenomenal, very filling. I am one to get loads of toppings, you can’t really go wrong with all that extra flavor.
Pasta selection below pizza standard, but still good.
Salads are fresh and delicious.

Disclaimer: I didn’t try the pizza. Take this review with a grain of salt.
Growing up in Chicago, and knowing where all the best pizza spots are, I never had much interest in trying Aroma. Ten years ago I stopped in for a Caesar salad and remember not being impressed. Nothing has changed.
Gf and I had a craving for calamari. Tedinos, for some stupid reason, doesn’t serve it so I got the bright idea to order from Aroma. Looking over the menu, their six or seven versions of French fries caught my eye so I decided to get the Chi-​style poutine in addition to the calamari. Big mistake.
The fries were basically the store bought crinkle cut variety, soaked in a bland jus with cheese melted on top. Stupid. Could’ve done that myself. Not to mention the jackasses packed it sideways so the jus was all over the bag. Fries were soggy as shit when I got home.
The calamari was the most over cooked I’ve had in my life. Honestly had no idea it could get this bad. Did I eat it? Yeah, but you should’ve seen my face.
I’m sorry but after this experience I have zero interest in trying anything else on the their menu.
I know, who orders fries from a pizza joint? Well they made a point of making it sound like a specialty, of sorts. In any case, the calamari was a calamity and completely unacceptable. Shame on you Aroma.

I can’t believe I’m really going to do this…
Ok. I am finally going to reveal a selfish secret I have kept for years. But I owe it to this place. So here goes:
Pizzeria Aroma is THE best Italian delivery/​carry-​out place on the North Side. I’ve been ordering Italian carry out in and around the North Side since 1993. I’ve tried nearly everything. Once upon a day, Leona’s central HQ on Sheffield was the gold standard for Italian delivery/​carry-​out. Oh, how I miss that place. But Pizzeria Aroma is fantastic, top-​notch, and now best-​in-​class. And I’ll give you 5 reasons why:
* # 1: They have a HUGE menu. They have dozens of pastas of all varieties — and not just the simple noodles and sauce with a piece of meat variety. Wonderful, complex, loaded-​with-​veggies, or meat (or both), and any-​kind-​of-​sauce-​you-​want pastas. They have pizza, calzones, sandwiches, entrees — everything.
* # 2: Everything I’ve tried (and man, I have tried a lot of that menu) has been fresh and delicious. My kids like the pizza as well. The pastas, especially, are outstanding.
* # 3: Their delivery/​carry-​out ordering process is great. I’m talking about the phone-​in variety. They are courteous, professional, and accurate. And this is over 10 years and probably something close to 100 orders. In all of that time, we’ve probably had 2 total experiences which were not top notch — and instead of being defensive or being jerks about it, they made it right, and they did so quickly.
* # 4: They have a huge delivery zone. They are tucked away up in Edgewater near Uptown, but no worries, if you’re on the North Side, they can probably get it to you. Just give them a call.
* # 5: (here’s the real secret part) Repeat after me: Have It Your Way. Really. I’m not kidding. You like one of the pastas but you don’t want the green pepper? No problem. You want tomato cream instead of marinara? Can do. You want to add tomatoes and onions? Got it. Chicken or Sausage instead of whatever? Yep. You want it on fettuccini instead of penne? Your wish is their command. With their huge list of ingredients, it will quickly dawn on you that this is pasta paradise. Pasta as a delicious, nutritious (if you want it to be), meal, made to order. Note: I have only ordered the customized stuff via telephone. I find that online services tend to mess this up royally. Chalk it up to cooks not liking to read a paragraph of notes on an order vs. hearing it verbally in their ear.
I also find their prices to be reasonable, but that’s just my opinion. You can look up their menu and decide for yourself. The dine-​in experience is so-​so. The place is not glamorous and my recollection is that the space is 75% kitchen in there.
But make no mistake — Pizzeria Aroma is a priceless gem of a delivery/​carry-​out place. If you are tired of repetitive pasta menus, unimaginative fare, and lousy or even inconsistent delivery service, you owe to yourself to give this place a try. It’ll become a once-​a-​month favorite, I assure you.
I give it five stars because delivery/​carry-​out is critical in any city, and these guys are the best at it when it comes to Italian.
Now if my wait time for delivery goes up thanks to this review, I’m going to kick myself…

Just ordered delivery from here. While the guy on the phone was friendly and the delivery was fast, the food was mediocre at best. I have no idea what all the hype is about. The crust was super bland and very soggy in the center. They charged an extra $ 2.00 for pepperoni and there was like 8 pepperonis on the whole pizza, ridiculous. The pizza was bland. Also, we ordered fries which weren’t even hot and were disgusting. Overall super disappointed. I might have well thrown that $ 30 straight in the garbage. BEWARE: for anyone that enjoys GOOD pizza, stay away from this place!!!

I’m a New Yorker born and bred. Pizzeria aroma has the best thin crust I’ve found in Chicago –and I’ve kissed a lot of frogs before this pizza. Ingredients are fresh and plentiful. Crust is always thin and crispy. Highly recommend you pay the extra money for the special herb mixture under the sauce baked into the crust. Takes it from a 9.5 to a ¹⁰⁄₁₀ pizza. Thanks pizzeria aroma for curing my homesickness!

Food — A Plus — 5 Stars
Service — 5 Stars Service with a smile
Locations — 5 Stars near everything and across from Jewel easy to kill dinner and groceries in one trip
Parking — Full FREE Parking Lot Amazing in this area
Daily and text specials — YEAH!!! 10in pizza for $ 5.99 through rest of year is the text special — OMG yeah that’s my lunch for the next week. Cheap! and Good! Delivery is a little slow to my office, well over an hour sometimes but its in Buena Park so I guess I have that coming.
Visit at least once or twice a week, exceptional food and really low prices.
Dining room is small but a table is usually available for 2 – 4 people. Not meant for a large crowd without warning them. We call in our order for dine, and they are waiting for us when we arrive. Brian is the best, but all staff has been there a long time — they know there stuff.
Best options — Full fresh thin Crust Pizza #1 (not the slice), Calzone #2, Flavor Fries Greek style #3, Wings #4, Any pasta is fantastic must be meat sauce!
Only draw back wish bathroom was a little cleaner (one bathroom for everyone, feels like the janitors closet — pretty gross) Would be happy if they just offered a clean sink to wash my hands when I arrived off the train in a open area, where I do not bother the staff or the wall antibacterial things you see in hospitals and the mall. The large antibacterial bottle in the front has been there so long I am sure it does not kill any bacteria anymore. Just my thoughts.
Overall — I hope Aroma is around forever — oh and try their sister store down the street — Dessert and Coffee spot so goooodd! Waffles yumm!

The food was very good, the delivery was quick and they really are expert packagers
I ordered the Italian sausage sandwich and a calzone with chicken and bacon. Everything was delicious and I’m very happy that I’ve finally found a calzone place by me

Solid food — I’ve done both dine-​in and carry out, but never delivery. Dining in is typical fast-​casual experience, though you can BYOB too. I wouldn’t consider it a destination place or a date-​worthy environment — but if you’re looking for something quick or before/​after hopping on the train then dining in at Pizzeria Aroma is a great option. Carry out was always quick and orders were accurate. A huge plus.
The food is great — I’ve tried numerous things from salads, to sandwiches, to pizza and dessert. All have been tasty and seem to be home made with fresh ingredients. Highly recommend the thin crust over the thick. Pizzeria Aroma is a great local small business that has been around awhile and fits well into the Edgewater neighborhood and you can tell the owner and staff cares. I hope they stick around for many more years to come.

Always tasty pizza, and great pasta dishes… friendly staff and nice lunch specials.
The menu selection is huge for such a small place,

Nice thick crust slice for my first check in at this extremely conveniently located Italian fare place. I would have liked a bit more sauce but dough was excellent. You cant judge a pizza place by its slices I know, so I will load up with one of their special pies next time. I will have to try and dive deeper into the appealing menu as well on my next visit but overall found the place clean and very well run.
Management appears to keep tight reins on the place and not along excessive cell phone usage or crazy sound notiifcation of phones. Dine in looks like not the way to enjoy their fine fare however, looks to be more of a take out haute.

I’ve lived in this neighborhood for several years, but this place never stuck out to me. Maybe it’s the generic name? «Pizzeria Aroma» doesn’t scream authentic or interesting. But hey, I was wrong! I’ve gotten takeout from this place twice in the last couple of months. Both times have been great. Goat cheese on pizza is my new go-​to. Seriously, if you like goat cheese, you’ve gotta try it.
Their pizza is thin, but not too thin. Cut in squares. I will be a repeat customer for sure. Love how close it is to the red line Berwyn stop!

Pizzeria Aroma is a convenient and enjoyable place to eat. The food is great. The atmosphere is comfortable. The staff is friendly and competent. I really enjoy coming here for an order of wings or the Cajun pasta; my girlfriend I can split these and be satisfied. The only problem is that the owner is a cold and unfriendly jerk. He is curt and pretty much impolite when interacting with guests, and I’ve seen him be belittling and borderline abusive to his staff. He is professional but not courteous. Everything else about this restaurant is fantastic aside from the fact that I dread being in the dining room when the owner is around. Wish he was a little more courteous and friendly. 8÷10− frequent patron.

Pretty good thin-​crust pizza, but they consistently fail to deliver hot food in a reasonable amount of time.
I seriously think they might want to consider switching to a «bake your own pizza» model, as food that gets delivered needs to be re-​heated for 10 minutes anyway.