Lou Malnati's Pizzeria
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089 (847) 215-7100
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Alcohol: Full Bar
14 Reviews for Lou Malnati's Pizzeria
I've been a customer of Malnati's for many years. However, this is my first venture to their Buffalo Grove location. I was invited for a small party and was unpleasantly surprised.
We were located in a smallish room with several other groups. Seating was scrunched and I believe the only windows in the room were fakes using mirrors. The room was loud and service was average. Where's our server? Manuvering through the restaurant is tight.
The pizza tasted different than I am used to from their other locations. Someone at my table noticed that as well. The pizza was good, but it was not the same.
Well, as I say, Lou Malnati's would be my last meal on earth. YUM YUM YUM!
So I guess the sausage is a classic Chicago style, but my favorites are with veggies. The "Lou" is particularly good. If you come here with a big group, it's nice to order the family portion of a salad since the pizzas take awhile. It is well worth the wait though, let me tell you. I'm only able to get through maybe 2-2.5 slices before I'm stuffed.
Now that I live in California, nothing compares. However, we just ordered from Tastes of Chicago (http://www.tastesofchi... 4 frozen Malnati pizzas for $75, including shipping. I am so excited to try these out- now I can get my Lou fix anywhere in the country!
I love Lou Malnati's. I am not a huge pizza fan, but if it is Lou Malnati's I will make an exception. The deep dish with Sausage and Spinach is my favorite. The crust is like butter, just melts in your mouth...yummy!
Desserts are not good, the ice cream pizza is awesome. I usually have pizza deliverd, if you have pizza delivered make sure you do not get it precut. The crust tends to get a bit soggy as all the yummy juices slip out.
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Ahhhh.... the elusive five star review from me! I rarely give 'em, but I truly love Lou's pizza. The BG location is the closest location to me and I go there often. Both the restaurant and the carry-out operate like a well-oiled machine. I've never had a mistake made or an improperly baked pizza, and that's quite an accomplishment with the volume that they do.
The sausage covering? Either you like it or you don't. I feel that it's fabulous. I usually have it with mushrooms or fresh garlic and the "Buttercrust". For a real treat, try a sausage pizza with giardinera . Definitely a meal to remember, kinda' like an Italian sausage sandwich with a fresh tomato sauce on that famous Lou's crust. Life just doesn't get much better than that!
Yes, the parking lot can be pretty full, but there is an area in the far back which is usually suficient.
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You, yeah you...why are you reading this review? Do you think you can really go wrong with Lou's? If you said yes, there is probably something terribly wrong with you and you probably check if the Boogeyman is underneath your bed before you go to sleep.
Oh yeah, parking is an issue here, because it is so popular, although I do have to say that the lot seems to have maneuverability issues, especially at night when there isn't much light helping out.
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Lou's is the best deep dish pizza you can spend your money on in Chicago. The thick chunks of tomatoes are amazing, and they load on the toppings. The butter crust is awesome. I challenge anyone to find a better tasting deep dish pizza in Chicago.
My favorite deep dish pizza. Yes, this location has parking issues. But I'll walk from the apartment lot across the street for this pizza.
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*this review is based solely on the rehearsal dinner we had here*
so my brother's rehearsal dinner was held in their bigger private room, The Porch, and it was awesome. Aside from the fact that i hate Lou's pizza, everything was put together really nicely and the staff were very attentive and overall just awesome. we went a few days before to ask questions and get some details and they asked how we wanted the tables set and if we needed a table for cake and presents and explained to us how it will work and told us that if they want decorations just drop them off and their staff will set them up.
i'd highly suggest having a private party here, especially if you want a more intimate feel. i'm not sure what else Buffalo Grove and the surrounding area have to offer, but this should be on the top of your list.
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What else can you say about Lou Malnati's, their deep dish pizza is one of the best in Chicago, I believe it is the best.
However, this specific location is my least favorite. The parking lot is way too small for the number of patrons in the restaurant at any given time-- get ready to park anywhere you see open concrete even if it's not a real parking spot. The wait times, especially for dinner and anytime on the weekends, are usually very long.
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Great Chicago style pizza. We order from here for our clients a lot, and the pizza is always good. I prefer their thin crust (the thick crust has a chunkier tomato sauce), but will eat the thick crust on occasion The appetizers are also good, especially the salads (which come family size). And if you're outside Chicago, they can ship the pizza to you. All in all, a great Chicago tradition with great food.
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Let me settle the argument once and for all. Lou's is in the top 3 best deep dish pizza for ChicagoLand. BTW, most of their locations have parking problems.
Excellent Chicago style pizza in a unique atmosphere. Occasional long waits during dinner, but the quality of the food is worth waiting for. I especially love the whole chunks of fresh tomato on top of the pizza and the garden salad.
Note: The portion size for salads is very large.
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I hate this pizza, it's some of the nastiest pizza I've ever had.....we had this catered in for our holiday party and then to top it all of, my manager ordered what I call "designer" pizza's....so we had 6 pizza's total - 3 deep dish spinach - which would have been fine except for the big ass sun dried tomatoes on top of it that I had to pick off. Then we had 3 of the Lou's special, which looked so gross, I don't even know what was on them....it looked like everything underneath the kitchen sink....YUCK...
The only thing I would ever eat from Lou's is that salad...I think it was like a Greek salad of some sort with a tangy kind of vinaigrette dressing.....otherwise, I really don't see what the hype is about this place....
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Not the worst deep dish in Chicago, but far from the best (try Rosatti's, not far from here). We visited Chicago and found a plethora of choices for pizza; go to one of those instead.
We ordered a deep dish pizza. Everything was as ordered, but I didn't care for the crust, which was more like a traditional pizza crust than the buttery/flaky kind of crust I expect when ordering deep dish pizza in Chicago. (Others rave about the crust, I'm told.)
We did take out so I didn't see much of the dining room. Service up front was sort of adequate. We had to wait around for a few minutes, but I suppose that's nothing to complain about.
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