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I've only been to Vito and Nick's once, over 10 years ago and I wasn't impressed. But I will give it another try. I've learned all too well that sometimes a place can be off it's A game and should be given another chance, especially if bad service comes into play, and certainly if it's a GNR.


Marie's is not usually oversauced, and the crust is almost never floppy when I go there, but one thing I have had at Marie's in inconsistency. I went two weeks ago for lunch with my dad and we were very disappointed. Even though I ordered thin, it wasn't super thin as I love it and despite being no more than a millimeter thicker, it ruined it. I went back last week and it was perfect.

I've also learned that certain pizzerias have to be tweaked the way you like it. Some places need extra sauce ordered, some need to be well done, some extra thin, and so on. You'll be happily surprised that by slightly rocking the boat and get it the way you want, the pizza will be excellent.

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You've got to be kidding. No pizza place can consistently make crusts to within a one millimeter in tolerance.

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What if the Hokey Pokey really IS what it's all about?

I know, and I'm not technically measuring the pizzas so I retract my millimeter comment, but I am telling you that Marie's doesn't work as it gets marginally thicker. Now they do have the thicker crust on the menu (which is still very thin compared to most places thick crust) but I've never cared for it.

But I will say that I have been to a handful of joints that do consistently make pizzas the right "thinness" everytime (Wells Brothers, Judy's in Highland Park, Bill's in Mundelein to name just a few) and Marie's sadly doesn't. So I'm going to ask for extra thin when I go there.

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LADIES - Please check out my girlfriend's clothing site that might be of use to someone you know PM me for coupon

Tried V & N for the first time tonight, going to the Chicago location. We ordered the standard combo: Sausage, mushroom, green peppers, onions. I was really looking forward to a thin, cripy crust. While the pizza tasted very good, the crust was pretty incosistent. On one side it was crispy and firm, but as you moved across the pizza the crust got thicker and soggy. I can understand that the center might be different than the edges, but there's no excuse for one edge being crispy and the opposite edge being thick and soggy. It was a poorly made crust. The place was packed however for a Monday night, with a lot of large family tables being filled.

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John Danza

John: I have never experienced that problem on the crust.

Can also be attributed to too many toppings IMO.

give little franks a try. --> Link

Little Frank's Pizza
6355 W 79 st
Burbank, IL
708-598-8660

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philw bbq cbj for kcbs &M.I.M. carolina pit masters

On the way home from the crawfish boil @ Toons yesterday a return visit to Vito and Nick's seemed like a good idea. I have been wanting to give them another chance after the less than stellar first vist i had late last year.

Vito and Nicks was on last night. Sausage and mushroom pizza was really good, crisp thin crust, perfect sauce to cheese to topping ratio, and piping hot. Service was great as well. Night and day vs my first visit where none of the above were true.



Not quite my favorite pizza in Chicago, that honor goes to Coalfire, but right up there with Marie's as my 2nd favorite.

I also noticed a few steak and lemonade places as we cruised down 87th street to get to the Dany Ryan, Ill need to check my gang affiliation & life insurance and hit a few of these places for a Chicago style philly.

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I got a real good mind.

Before Cotton was King: http://www.grubseeker.blogspot.com

To each his own on Vito & Nicks. I say still the BEST.

Try Ciao Napoli @ 2607 Milwaukee. Logan Square. We had a Reginella and a Rustica.
You will quickly forget Coal Fire as well as Spacci Napoli. Iv'e been to both.
Also requested, on the side, sliced tomatoes, Parm. chese, oregano and extra olive oil. This was no charge.
Be careful on wine, if you order a bottle, any unleft, can't go home. As of last week they did not have the necessary stuff to cap the wine.

I've eaten several Vito & Nick's frozen pizzas I bought at Fair Share grocery store on Roosevelt in Oak Park and have to say they are the best frozen pizzas I've ever eaten. I was surprised to see them trying the frozen pizza market, but wow, they are good for those nights when you have no time to prepare food at home.

I agree Check here.

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=22523&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=90

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Why does man kill? He kills for food. And not only food: frequently there must be a beverage.
Woody Allen

Stop # 4 was Vito and Nicks,

This was my 3rd visit to V & N since late November 2009. First vist was mediocre, 2nd visit in May was great, and todays visit was just as good as the last. I subscribe to the thought that any place can have a bad night, and/or have the "b" team working.

I was worried going on the day after a holiday like the ill fated day after Thanksgiving visit we had, but we soldiered on. plus i wanted to allow V & N to redeem themselves in my wifes eyes(as much as i was disappointd in our first visit she hated it).

Place was pretty busy, and only one server working, still service was ok, and I enjoyed a $1 Old Style light pint. We ordered a Large 1/2 cheese and 1/2 sausage pizza. Pizza came out perfect, crisp crust, brown cheese, just a great pizza.

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I got a real good mind.

Before Cotton was King: http://www.grubseeker.blogspot.com

I picked the wife up at Midway today so we used the opportunity to hit Vito & Nick's for lunch.

We had a sausage and egg pizza which was damn near perfect. Great crust, well done cheese, tasty sausage. My only complaint was that the egg was a bit more "well done" than the last time I had this pizza. The whole thing is truly transcendent when the egg is a little runny. Still, though, a great pizza.

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-Josh

I've started blogging about the Stuff I Eat

Went to the chicago location for the first time. I had high expectations. I walked in with a lady friend. There were people at the bar, but we were the first table for dinner. Ordered a large sausage x-tra crispy(no white goopy cheese in the middle). It was very thin crust, but it was soggy. There was a TON of sausage on the pie. I was surprised at the amount. I liked the taste of the pizza, but the texture was off. I will give the kitchen another shot. It was Monday and possibly oven heat on the low side. I want to like it more. I am hoping for the future.

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Always finish your drink, there are sober kids in India......

We were there on Saturday afternoon and ordered a "well-done" pizza which had a nice crispy crust, no sogginess anywhere. Give it another try!

Vito and Nick's is good, but not as good as Villa Nova on Pershing Rd., in Stickney, IL. Vito and Nick's gets all the media attention, but everybody I know that grew up around the Midway area, Berwyn, Cicero, Stickney, Lyons, Riverside, Brookfield, etc. swears by Villa Nova. And I agree. This is the best Chicago style thin crust pizza. Their homemade Italian sausage is the best sausage I've ever had on a thin crust pizza. They also make the largest sausage chunks I've ever seen on a pizza. The cheese is always perfect, too.

Check out the web page Slice Serious Eats and look up Daniel Zemans review of Villa Nova pizza. Nice pictures, too. While you're on Slice Serious Eats, also look up the United States of Pizza Chicago Edition. 3 places for thin crust are mentioned- Vito and Nick's, Pat's, and Villa Nova. Vito and Nick's may get all the media attention, but Villa Nova, along with Pat's on Lincoln Ave. on the North Side, are the two best examples of Chicago style thin crust pizza with homemade Italian sausage.

Oddly, this is the neighborhood I grew up in and currently live (Archer Heights, to be exact), and I had never made the trek down to Villa Nova until yesterday. Vito & Nicks, Chesdan's, Falco's, and Palermo's were the usual choices for my friends and family. I'm definitely a Vito & Nick's partisan.

So how did the Villa Nova pizza compare, in my opinion? Very well, but I'm still firmly in the Vito & Nick's camp. The sausage on the Villa Nova pizza may be perhaps the best sausage I've had on a Chicago thin crust. I didn't notice the sausage pieces being unusually large (there were two almost-quarter-sized chunks per slice). Their crust was thinner and more crackery than Vito & Nick's. It also had no color to it on the underside--perhaps I should ask for them to do it well next time. I prefer the Vito & Nick's crust. But, otherwise, it's a toss-up. Solid pizza. Would be curious to try it back-to-back with a Vito & Nick's pie.

It has been a good food week for me. This week we made the trek to Villa Nova too.

Some very good pie for the area! All the ingredients were very good from the crust (crisp towards the edge and soft in the center) to the sausage to the sauce and the touch of parmesan along with the cheese. All in all very well liked by the group.


Villa Nova Sausage and Cheese. Note the sausage chunk per piece. Cute!



Now the comparison to Vito and Nick's.


Vito and Nick's Sausage and Cheese

We like the consistently crispy crust, the overabundance of sausage and the better caramelization of the cheese at V&N's more. Atmosphere? Nod to V&N's by a wide margin. They both had the cheese sliding smoothly lubed by the tasty grease from the sausage.

Both are awesome representations of the style! I would kick neither out of bed on a cold night.

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"Make Lunch, Not War" ~ Anon

Our 6-year old son chose Vito and Nick's for his birthday dinner on Friday (he loves the pizza but is particularly intrigued by the carpet on the walls) and we were not disappointed. We ordered a large pepperoni and green olive and it was delicious -- minimal cheese (just like I like it), well-caramelized, fragrant tomato sauce, thin, not-quite-crackery crust, pieces in the center well-done enough to hold their own.

The real surprise of the evening was the hamburger my daughter ordered. She claims not to like tomato sauce, so she got a burger, which was much better than it had to be. Obviously hand-formed patty, loosely packed, nicely seasoned, buttered and grilled bun, accompanied by tasty (handcut?) fries.

The bill for the four of us came to $33.00, including four Schlitz darks. The only caveat --anyone taking kids is well-advised to take some sort of game/coloring book/distraction, because the pizzas take a while to come out, particularly on a busy weekend night.

great photo as always John, if I wasnt cooking supper Id be hard pressed to not head straight down to V & N's right now.

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I got a real good mind.

Before Cotton was King: http://www.grubseeker.blogspot.com

Those are some great pictures of a classic Chicago style thin crust Villa Nova cheese and sausage pizza. Their sausage is truly the best.

I've been stalking this thread for a while and haven't yet been able to make it to Vito & Nick's, but after some grocery shopping this weekend I was pretty excited to come across Vito and Nick's II Frozen Pizza's. I'm sure there's no comparison to the real deal at the restaurant, but I had to buy one anyhow. I haven't tried it yet. Anyone seen/had one of these?

I used to buy them out of the freezer case at V & N II on 95th and Roberts Road. Back then, there was no fancy box. They were packaged in the same delivery bag you would get if you picked up a hot pizza. While no frozen pizza can compete with one just made and fresh from the high temp deck oven, these were surprisingly good for a frozen item. IIRC, they suggested cooking them directly on the oven rack without the use of a pan of any type to insure crispness.

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

From The Original V&N's website...
http://www.vitoandnick.com/

Vito & Nick's II is "NOT AFFILIATED OR ASSOCIATED WITH VITO AND NICKS II IN MOKENA IL OR ANY LICENSEE OR FRANCHISEE"

There's a huge difference between the two.

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Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Spaghetti and Meatballs! (Beauregard Burnside III)

Perhaps there is a huge difference, but that difference is probably of the familial sort. The Vito and Nick's II on Roberts Road produces a very similar pizza that, if it's on, isn't far off from the original in quality, and better than the occasionally off pie from the original. Also, the Roberts Road location features an equally "dees, dems, and dos" crowd.

In perusing the website, however, I noticed there's a possible family/rift connection with the Barraco's pizza places--a very similar pizza in appearance, though much saltier and with inferior sauce, but a more consistently well-done, browned crust.

I love all the information here, but one thing is wrong.

The place is called Nick and Vito's, not Vito and Nick's.

Thanks for the clarification, dishesextra.

Huh?

Hmmm.

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Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Spaghetti and Meatballs! (Beauregard Burnside III)

http://www.vitoandnick.com/

Somebody better tell them. Of course www.nickandvito.com will take you to the same place