Pompei

Thank god they CLOSED, see YA!!!

Sadly, this location is now closed.
They did not get a lease renewal from the management company that owns the property.
My summer nights after work will not be the same without the occasional Pompei dinner. I sure hope they open another location in the area.

I had the best customer service from here the other day! He was the cashier and I was being indecisive about which salad to get. He let me know that I can request field greens instead of romaine lettuce and if I want a different dressing I could get that too. He was just really nice and I let his manager know that I highly appreciated his great service since it’s hard to get nowadays. I usually order the chopped chicken salad, but this time I ordered a grilled vegetable salad. It was really delicious! I like the actual grilled taste on the veggies. I will definitely come back to this location again and again!

This is a great place! I joke and call it the «Panera meets Olive Garden». It’s a more upscale Italian version of Panera. Good sandwiches, pizza, pasta. It’s almost like getting a full restaurant meal in an «upscale» fast food type environment. Plus, they have an outdoor patio, which is nice in the warmer weather. I think the prices are pretty fair since the food is good and places like Panera can run a little more «expensive» too. I don’t think I’ve paid more than about $ 10 here. I wish there was a location closer to where I live but this is a nice place to meet with my friends from Oak Park and nearby neighborhoods in Chicago. This is a good place! I had forgotten about it, but now have a craving to go there!

Food was just ok, but the service was absolutely terrible! there was no ice in the soda fountain, no silverware, and every table was dirty, some with plates still needing to be bussed. And when we let the girl at the front know of all these she just continues to talk to her friend that was visiting. In no rush to eat here again.

Pompei has a good solid selection of Italian food. You can get pizzas, sandwiches, pastas, soups and salads. With a menu as large as theirs, you can most likely find something for everyone. The portions aren’t huge for the price, but the food is always good quality.

It was ok. Big selection of items. Nothing ooohhh– ahhh. I was expecting so much more.

We ate here while condo searching a few weeks back and now that we have found a place in Oak Park, I know we will be back. My husband is especially excited that they have red cream soda. Being the pizza lovers that we are, I know we will be here often. I can’t complain, because they sell it by the slice and I will be able to get my veggies which I am normally deprived of.

I wanted to review Pompei because I just gave poor reviews to two other restaurants and I don’t want to be overly negative.
I am pretty fussy about my Italian food since my Mom is from the old country and I have traveled there several times.
Pompei NEVER disappointed me or my fiancé in the 30 or more times we have been there. It’s not flashy but it is very reasonable… always fresh… very comfortable… and incredibly consistent. I am talking about the Taylor St. location since that is the only one I have tried.
The menu is good solid Italian food with a large variety. My favorite is the Mediterranean salad that has green beans, yellow peppers, feta cheese, olives, etc. I usually that salad with the All-​Veggie Pizza. It’s a good healthy combo and will set you back far less than 20 bucks.
The service is quick and efficient… the place is really clean… the price is right and the food is really solid… what’s not to like?
It’s not really a romantic date type of place but if you’re jonesing for a quality Italian meal within a budget you can’t go wrong here.

You always run that risk having never eaten at some place. Our flight was leaving in 4 hours though and the alternatives were overpriced and universally substandard chow at O’Hare or a long flight home on an empty stomach thanks to the airlines not even serving peanuts (thanks American). So that particular risk I am talking about is over-​ordering. Wow. This was a lot more food than I was expecting. Thankfully my son was hungry too and helped with one of my two slices of pizza and some of the cheesy garlic bread. I also had a salad,. .. and yes, red cream soda. .. and subsequently no room for dessert. That all did the trick though. Loved the family history in the hallway to the back door.

Awful.
I wouldn’t say it deserves ‘zero” stars, because it appeared to have clean facilities and a fairly neat look. Well, until one employee joked quite loudly while handling food, «HAHA! Maybe I should wash my hands, neh?»
I got a small soup of the day which was fagioli and the pasta of the day, mostaccioli with bell peppers and tomatoes and grilled chicken. Sounds decent, right?
The soup was tasteless and I might as well as have bought a can of white beans and boiled that with some salt. The pasta? Even worse. The pasta was overcooked so squishy and flavorless. And it’s like they opened up a can of sliced peppers and peeled tomatoes and boiled those in the pasta too pot too. Really over cooked and flavorless. I’m not even sure if they salted my dish. The bottom of the serving dish was an enormous puddle of water and oil. This was disgusting. I ate my three bites of chicken, which is all they gave, and then left. All that pasta in there was just too disgusting. Even after not touching much of my pasta, I was left with a really nasty oil coating in my mouth that only comes with overly oily food. Not only crappy tasting but also unhealthy.
Oh, but the bread that came with the meal was downright tasty. There we go. I wonder if they just sell their bread without all the shitty pasta and soup.
As for the service? Well, the cash register employee gave me a look that made me feel like I was intruding on her uneventful day of pacing between the water fountain to sip and to spin in circles behind the counter examining all of the sample food. At least my server was polite.
I’m never going back here again. Of all shops to remain open in this neighborhood, why does this crappy pasta place have to be here? Why can’t there be the awesome pancake house be in its place? God, I’d even appreciate it if Starbucks moved and took this location over.

Best friend Baby and I had our date after school at Pompei. We had eaten at this location once before, but I had forgotten to Unilocal about it.
The food here is a great healthy alternative to fast food and other options in the area. I love their variety, and the service here is impeccable.
The cashier on duty seriously has got to be one of the nicest and friendliest that I have ever encountered. She and my little one hit it off like old friends and she was sweet enough to check on whether he was happy with what he had chosen later during our meal. Our actual server was a saint. BFB wanted to eat outside, and changed his mind because it became chilly. Our server had absolutely no issue with that and assisted in bringing all of our food inside. I had also ordered a poorboy to go for my hubby’s lunch the next day. They actually timed our meal and brought it foil wrapped piping hot for when we were ready to leave!
Portions are large. The cashier was caring enough to recommend that we order half portions, and she was dead on. We couldn’t even finish those!
I love their heart healthy pizza… no sauce, just spinach and mushrooms, their fruit salad, chocolate cake, calamari, and assorted salads.
I do not care for their chicken Alfredo… too bland or their meatballs. I’m a purist when it comes to Italian meatballs and these were too dry, flavorless, and the consistency was off. It tasted more like an overcooked hamburger.

I’m a fan of the turkey stuffing sandwich and the chicken wrap with roasted red tomatoes and artichokes (though you only get a few chunks of chicken). the service can be kind of slow so I don’t recommend this place if you’re in a hurry. I’ve only had one pasta dish and it was pretty good. This place is great for «I don’t know what I want to eat» moments because it’s not too pricey and you don’t feel so bad about eating it (like most fast food)

Fantastic fast-​food Italian. The staff was incredibly friendly, and the huge display case full of most of the menu’s items gave us a good idea of the size and deliciousness of the dish we were about to order.
We ordered two stuffed sandwiches (Chicken Parmesan and BBQ Beef) and shared a side of Italian fries for only $ 13. The Italian fries, by the way, are basically freshly fried potato chips, cut just a bit thicker than your average Lay’s.
Located in the heart of downtown Oak Park, Pompei makes a great stop during an afternoon of shopping.
P. S. Very clean bathrooms!

I just don’t get people’s love for this place. The food is fair, the line to order huge. If they had more cashiers it would improve the wait considerably.
the first time I went, I ordered a meatball sandwich and received a meatball in a bowl. No bread. The last time, we ordered cheesecake and after a loooong wait found out they had forgotten to bring it. To make up for that… they gave us raspberry sauce for a topping. Gee thanks. Like that makes up for a 20 minute wait for something that’s premade.

This was a rare occasion in which I was glad to see its local predecessor clear out (Pronto Roma, a place I tolerated for the sake of satisfying the cravings of work friends I joined for lunch) and the expanding chain move in.
Comparing it to Pronto Roma, the food is a vast improvement. There’s a lot to choose from, it will satisfy dieters, vegetarians and the psychotically hungry. The staff are much better too. I’ve eaten at the Oakbrook restaurant a few times and this location is much smaller and more appealing, so if I come back, it will be to Harlem/​Lake.
The other day I had the chicken ravioli with lemonade to drink — it ran me $ 11 – 12 for carry-​out. It was tasty but you can get better quality italian for a little less at Mancini’s just east of here.

I almost forgot I just went to this place about a week ago.
I must say I was impressed… the décor is nice, friendly service, and I didn’t think the prices were that bad. Our food arrived fairly quickly after placing the order.
The food was good. .the ceasar salad could have been a little better, but not bad.
When we were there, there was a girl walking around with cheesecake samples… very nice.

I like Pompei a lot — but I was particularly impressed with the Pompei in River Forest —
the food is always good: pastas (cavatelli is deelish), soups could be a little better, salads are great — and it’s a great place to go with kids.
I met friends with their kids at this River Forest location and parking is bitch in that plaza — but if you are in the area and hungry — definitely stop in — the service is so awesome.
Looks like the workers actually like their job — friendly faces, helpful — and one of the girls came by our table to offer free tasting of their brownies — and she was generous with the brownies — given that there were a bunch of kids.
It was nice… amazing what a little attention to detail and customer service will do.

What would you call someplace that isn’t fast food but not really a restaurant? Well I’m not sure exactly, but the food here really wasn’t that bad… and they certainly have a lot to choose from. I had the chicken ravioli which had a nice flavor and everything came out fast too, which was a plus since we were trying to make an appointment. I’d go back for sure.

Another local fave!!! Really enjoy the salads and the huge selection of daily special pizzas. The baked Minestrone is great too! Great fresh food that is not typical of chain restaurants. We go at least once a month and try something different, even though it is tempting to stick with a MeleVerde salad and a slice of the fresh tomato or four cheese pizza! Good stuff that does not cost a fortune.