Parma John’s Pizzeria and Italian Bistro

I tried going here last week and I’m pretty sure it is closed. Too bad.

This little place is a block off Rt 45 (Lake St) in Mundelein just behind McD’s. There are two owners sharing the space so for breakfast/​lunch it’s a french place called A Taste of Paris with pastries, quiche and etc. and in the evenings it’s Parma John’s.
On my first visit we ordered the pizza which is excellent. Thin crust but with a different texture. Not cracker crisp but really good. Similar to Home Run Inn but thinner. I can’t describe it accurately but my grandson ate the whole piece of pizza (12 of them in fact) including the crust and I’ve never seen him do that before. Fresh ingredients and plenty of cheese on top. If you’re in a hurry you should know service is sloooooooow. It’s hard to fault them for this because the owner is there working his tail off and keeping the conversation going. Really nice guy. Plus the bread is yummy.
On today’s visit we ordered meatballs and fried mushrooms for appetizers. The meatballs (3) were very good and flavorful in a bath of tangy sauce. The mushrooms looked like any other fried mushrooms but the coating was especially good. We couldn’t figure out why and they had steamed up in the container on the way home so the crust was falling off a bit but still they were the best I’ve ever had and that’s saying something. Until now I thought they were pretty much all the same. NOTE: The mushrooms came with a red sauce instead of ranch which is what I’m used to but they were so good I ate them plain.
For entrees we chose the Lasagna Florentine. My daughter loves her some baby spinach and nervously took a bite. She had gone to pick up the order and chatted up the owner a bit so she really wanted it to be good. And it was! She closed her eyes, smiled as she chewed and said «It’s everything I thought it would be.» We like food.
I ordered the Chicken Vesuvio. I’ve never had this before but it sounded good. I would’ve liked a few more potatoes but I think we ordered so late they may have been running short. Besides that the sauce was delicious. So it was a boneless breast and some quartered, skin on, red potato’s swimming in a sauce that I sopped up every single drop of with the baguette they included with our order.
Both entrees came with a tiny but tasty salad. The balsamic dressing was fantastic. The ranch was good too.
I have to say that the customer service alone is worth a coupla stars. I had a coupon both times and both times it was honored but returned to me for future use. They also have daily specials.
There’s a great park across the street and outdoor seating.