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Trattoria Porretta
Categories: Restaurants Pizza Restaurants Italian Pizza, Italian [Edit]
3656 N Central Ave(between Patterson Ave & Waveland Ave)
Chicago, IL 60634
Neighbourhood: Portage Park
(773) 736-1429
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 4 pm - 10:30 pm
Fri-Sat 4 pm - 11 pm
Sun 3 pm - 10:30 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
63 reviews for Trattoria Porretta
Review Highlights
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"...I will stick with the excellent thin crust from Porretta's." In 6 reviews -
"Choices: Giordano's or Poretta's." In 5 reviews -
"I really loved the Bruschetta and fried Calamari." In 3 reviews
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63 reviews in English
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Review from Rick F.
5/5/2012 3 Check-ins Here
Local neighborhood Italian Trattoria been going here forever! Its nice when you've moved away for three years, walk in and they remember your name and ask where have you been. The service was excellent as usual.
The Seafood appetizer is my favorite item on the menu, perfectly cooked, grilled and dressed!
The Bolognese with Sausage is incredible, I cannot stop eating the bread! I'm happy to know that I live close enough that they will deliver! -
Review from Happiness L.
Chicago, IL
5/7/2012
Very nice service. I called ahead to be sure that we would get seated. Good food, good ambiance. Try the lasagne and raspberry tartufo. yum.
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Review from Lawrence C.
Chicago, IL
11/16/2011
Been ordering from Porretta's for years. From bowling in the 90's to at home in the 21st Century and always spot on. Just received pizza for me and italian beef for my wife and it was delivered on tome, hot and ready to eat.
My vote: one of the best for ordering out in the 60641 and 60636 zip code region. -
Review from Q C.
Chicago, IL
3/18/2012
Bar food, sandy clams, slow service. Overpriced. Lame. Not coming back.
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Review from Matt K.
Chicago, IL
11/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
Everytime I go here there are at least 5 open tables and the owner tells us there is at least a 15 minute wait. It's a joke. The service is hit or miss.
The good: the pizza more specifically the deep dish is good. My fave in the neighborhood. I usually gorge myself on bread and olive oil, then grab a house salad and go for a pizza or a special.
It's the best Italian joint in the neighborhood but that doesn't say a ton. -
Review from Jacque C.
Austin, TX
11/15/2011
I enjoyed this restaurant. It had a great atmosphere for a cold day.
To start the meal they gave you hummas and bread, which I love as a healthy alternative to butter.
The food was delicious! I ordered a salad and mussels and enjoyed them both very much. The mussels had a great flavor and to add a wonderful complexity- sliced pears.
Will definitely return! -
Review from Danny M.
Chicago, IL
9/1/2011
Grew up on this pizza and continue to enjoy it still. I think one of the better thin crust pies in the city and burbs.
Artichokes I order when in season and the breading is really good on them, never any complaints there. I used to order the baked clams all the time but I haven't in a while because they are so small with all breading and no clam meat. -
Review from Cynthia B.
Chicago, IL
1/24/2012 5 Check-ins Here
I love this place and come here often, but the only reason I gave it 4 stars is because I had a bad experience here today. We ordered our appetizers then our dinner. After we ate our appetizers we got our soup or salad then after we were done with that we were expecting our dinner to come, but instead the waitress comes up to me and said that the pasta I ordered they were out of. You are an Italian restaurant, how do you run out of pasta?! Also, why did it take so long for them to tell me they ran out of pasta and asked if I wanted a different type instead. If i wanted a different type dont you think i would've ordered it?? Needless to say I won't be back for quite some time...
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Review from E B.
Chicago, IL
1/9/2012
Went to this restaurant as a last-minute dinner date with old friends. I loved it! I only had the Caprese salad, due to the fact that I was full from an earlier dinner- but my friends liked their pasta and seafood dishes. The restaurant was very accommodating, and considering we walked in around 8PM (with no reservation), the service was pretty good. Our waitress was friendly, and she often checked up on us. The restaurant has a very cozy feel to it, and I will definitely go there again and try an actual dish.
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Review from Scott A.
Chicago, IL
3/15/2012
Good food, decent prices and a friendly owner. I highly recommend this place - it's one of the best restaurants in the neighborhood.
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Review from Nina G.
Chicago, IL
1/19/2011
I grew up on their stuffed pizza. Their sauce is soooo good and they are generous with it. If you are a savory person you will love the sauce. It's not sweet like some places. I usually get it stuffed with italian beef and mushrooms. Try it, you won't regret it! I can't say anything else about the rest of the menu, because my family has always been stuck on their stuffed pizza.
It seems alot of people don't know about this place because it's kind of low key, but they should because the pan pizza is delicious and 10x better then that expensive Giordano's garbage pizza. -
Review from John Y.
Chicago, IL
3/31/2011
What a fabulous dinner we had here!
We were planning on going to another Italian restaurant when our eye caught this place as we were driving by. It was so inviting, we decided to venture in and we were so glad we did!
The food was outstanding and the prices were quite reasonable. I would definitely return soon again to try other specialties.... the grilled calamari over spinach was excellent as was the shrimp and lasagna!
I'd love to give Trattoria Porretta 5 stars as the quality and flavor of the food was superb however the young lady that waited on our table as sweet as she was, lacked the experience to wait on our table properly we felt. There is nothing worst to have to look around for the waitress or wait excessively long for the bill when you are finished and are ready to leave. She was so sweet and a real gem but I just can't justify 5 stars with this level of sporadic service.
.............. we will return and improvements can always be made. -
Review from Joe M.
Chicago, IL
5/27/2011
Porretta's has some great pizza. I love the family special( large pizza 1 topping and 8 pieces of chicken about 20 bucks). That sticky, sweet spicy bbq sauce on the chicken is awesome.
My only complaint is the staff. No matter what time they tell you over the phone to pick it up, add 15 minutes. The inside looks nice but i think they ran out of money for the pick up area. There should be a seperate place for the drivers.
And to the manager owner whoever: if your driver says something rude to a customer, try not to scream at him in front of other customers. It defeats the purpose. Like a father who beats his kids and then wonders why they fight in school.
Otherwise, good food. -
Review from Yvonne O.
Chicago, IL
11/4/2010
I stopped over to Trattoria Poretta (after driving by it many times) for a Monday night dinner with a friend. We had a bottle of wine - reasonably priced at $28 and ordered a shrimp in garlicky red sauce and the mushroom risotto. I also had the minestrone - very good. The risotto is enough to feed a family of 6 for about $16. It was just okay. My friend had the shrimp and seemd to like it. She also had a very interesting rasberry ice cream ball covered in chocolate and it looked delicious.
The service was fantastic and the owner/manager even treated us to after-dinner drinks, which was nice (albeit scary considering we polished off the bottle of wine!) They also gave us a coupon for 15% off the next visit in November, which makes me think they are looking for business? I would give it another try and sample some of the meats or pizza! -
Review from Chris D.
Chicago, IL
3/14/2011
Great little neighborhood trattoria. Pasta dishes are fantastic, as are the seafood items.
This is my go-to pizza delivery place, and they deliver the full menu as well. -
Review from JAMES M.
Chicago, IL
Updated - 9/23/2008
Once again this place never dissapoints! Real live Italians dinning next to me eating oysters and pounding wine! And they are talking in Italian!....fabulous!
Oh and our pasta on Vodka Sauce was fabulous!!!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/8/2008
What can I say this place is great. I have been here a couple of times and we always leave very… Read more »
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Review from Christiana S.
Buffalo Grove, IL
8/29/2006
I grew up on this pizza. It is delicious, easily one of the best in the city. No lie. Seriously, the crust is perfect, the sauce is perfect, the cheese is perfect, the sausage is perfect...... you cannot go wrong with this pizza. Delivery is prompt and the drivers are courteous, and did I mention how amazing the pizza is?
I'd write more, but it's hard to articulate how much I love Poretta's pizza. Just do yourself a favor and get one. You can thank me later.Listed in: (North) West Side Represent
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Review from Kevin G.
Chicago, IL
7/18/2009
I live less than one block from Porretta's. I've been eating here since it was a tiny little shack on the giant banquet parking lot. I eat here probably 3 times a week on top of that. Everyone in the take out section is fucking AWESOME. I truly like these people and I think they truly like me too. Order an XL, extra thin, double pepperoni pizza if you want to be amazed. But yes, Porretta's is one of the love's of my life. Go eat there.
I don't spend much time in the seated section of the place but I carry out constantly here. Good pizza, good people. -
Review from John L.
Glendale Heights, IL
10/27/2010
Really enjoyed eating here. Service was great. Felt as though I was family.
Many traditional Italian selections to choose from. I really loved the Bruschetta and fried Calamari. Salads served with warm Italian bread. The Pollo Parmigiana could of used a bit more flavor. No refills on Soda? Great parking, bathrooms clean. -
Review from Jean C.
12/20/2009
We've had a checked relationship with Porretta's. Just as we were moving into our new place, Dawn went there with Jim and came back raving about it, particularly the house pizza. So then we ordered from the delivery menu and not only do they not deliver the pizza di casa, the menu is very different from the one they give you when you go there to eat. And frankly we were both underwhelmed by the food they delivered. It wasn't bad, but it sure didn't live up to the hype or, I'm told, the original experience.
So cut to tonight when we'd been running all over Chicago trying to get last minute Xmas stuff done and were contemplating just going home and having someone bring us food. However I wanted someplace warm and cozy with warm and cozy food, and Porretta's is less than a mile from home, so we decided to go on over. We got there early enough that we got a table right away (Half an hour later and the place was packed!) got prompt service, and had a terrific supper. The bread was crusty on the outside, hot and tender on the inside, and while I didn't much like the choice of olive oil on the table it did a good job of mopping up some of the best damn Italian dressing I've ever tasted. The salad itself was pretty damn good, too.
I was taking it kind of easy today and ordered spaghetti with garlic and oil, which was very good and very garlicky, but I also tasted the spaghetti bolognese (which was excellent) and the meatballs (clearly homemade, light, finely textured and really tasty) and a dish which name I can't recall, but it was mostaccoli in a tomato sauce with sausage and mushrooms. They were all really good but the mostaccoli was extraordinary and that's what I'm ordering next time I go.
The service was top notch, very attentive, helpful and friendly, and the women's bathroom was squeaky clean and well-lighted. I really understand why Porretta's is such a neighborhood favorite. -
Review from Marta M.
Chicago, IL
6/9/2009
We had our wedding rehearsal dinner at Porettas.
They were SUPER accomodating, food came fast and the waitress was sooo attentive!
The food was delicious, half of our party had pizza and half menu items. I had an amazing appetizer of asparagus and steak with roasted potatoes for main course. The salad was fresh and the ranch dressing is one of the best I've had.
If you're North/West I highly recommend. -
Review from Tom Z.
Updated - 4/6/2009
I am going to hold the place at a 4 star rating based on my original review of the thin crust.
I tried the pan pizza this time and thought it was good, but not great. It tasted more like the thin crust pizza with a thick crust. I usually associate pan pizza with more sauce and sausage then they put on this pizza.
The price was right on the pan pizza. You get a lot for the money. But, I will stick with the excellent thin crust from Porretta's.Listed in: Pizza... Chicago Style Thin…
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/31/2007
I found this pizza about a year ago. I like the pizza very much. The flavor is fresh and just the… Read more »
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Review from Anthony M.
Chicago, IL
7/11/2010
Great pizza! Real sausage...mmm!!! The worst part was when I realized the food was all gone.
First time visitors be sharp when parking as it can be minimal due to the joint (rightfully) having a number of customers. Also the pickup door is on the northwest corner of the building which to me initially felt like I opened the door to the kitchen. Friendly service from a cute cashier is what ended my first visit here.
I hope to become a bi-weekly patron. Aw Hell, who am I kidding? It will probably be weekly. -
Review from Erin M.
Chicago, IL
Updated - 4/25/2011
It was a Friday night. Mood was deep dish pizza. Choices: Giordano's or Poretta's. Poretta's won the toss up. It was delivered. And the "wow, we've been missing out" feeling occurred. Poretta's has MUCH better deep dish than Giordano's AND it is cheaper! The obvious and better choice.
Listed in: Grub on the NW Side
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/1/2011
So I went to a meeting and they served pizza...great! Then I see this lone box of fried chicken.… Read more »
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Review from Christina G.
Chicago, IL
8/25/2008
Again with a delivered dining review... we love this place. Intelligent, drama-free order takers, reasonable prices, prompt, hot delivery - and consistently delicious food. Note consistent - that's something a lot of restaurants struggle with!
Everything we've tried has been freshly prepared and delicious, generous portions also. One item of specific note: if you are a vegetarian - or just a fan of eggplant parm, be sure to try Porettas, it's perfection - the silky unctuous texture is heavenly, meltingly delicious - the nirvana that us eggplant lovers seek and rarely find, so many places don't get it right, Porettas does. -
Review from Casia J.
Evanston, IL
10/17/2007
Food is great. Cocktails hit the spot. Prices are right. Nice but no frills atmosphere. Far better than places in trendy areas. The old time northwest siders get it right. We used to go here when I was a tot.
I hesitate to give it 5 stars because I haven't been since "Gianni V." left. He was the best, old-school style piano bar guy and really made the dinner. I sat in smoking just for him, even though I've become very anti-smoking section (for places that still have them) in the last few years! Gianni looked like Kojak and used to smoke a few right before singing mostly Italian numbers, but he'd throw in a mixed language "Just the Way You Are" for good measure.
I wish I knew if he's still in the area and I hope he's doing well.
Don't confuse it with the banquet hall across the street, by the same name, whatever you do! Or, when you call, you'll get a very long, bitter story about how they're not related. Sounds like brothers got into it over too much basil. -
Review from Amy S.
Chicago, IL
2/13/2008
Mixed reviews here. Food good, service can be very average. I am basing this on many experiences there.
Food - good pizza and GREAT Fettuccine Alfredo. My nephew ordered it and we all were tasting it and couldn't get enough. Even at 9 years old he chose to take it home instead of leaving the rest for his aunt! There is some spice in there that just works.
Service - ok until I was there for my birthday in September. Wow - really bad service. The worst I have ever had and they knew it was my birthday! Won't even go into it all but I will say that after 1.5 hours we had just gotten our appetizer. We didn't even want to order dinner or dessert after that. We just wanted to leave. This was after complaining a few times to the person who I think was the owner and the waitress was still off her game. We left and had a celebratory dessert at Rose Angelis!
Delivery - has been good but I find it odd they want you to include the tip on the charge before you even get the food. -
Review from Rebecca K.
Chicago, IL
10/6/2009
I have to say this is the best pizza in Chicago and all of my friends will agree with this. I usually get delivery but the restaurant is nice as well.
They don't use the cheap mozzarella that is greasy and the price for the amount of pizza you get is great. Just try it you won't regret it! -
Review from Jessica G.
Chicago, IL
7/31/2010
I will say that their service is stellar. Our waitress was the sweetest and extremely attentive to our party of 6.
Parking was plentiful and the atmosphere was conducive to some good chit chat.
But the food was another story. Basic American-Italian creations with minimal flavor. Mushy eggplant parm and sauce that tasted like chef boyardee from a can. -
Review from Eric E.
Chicago, IL
8/7/2011
Nice place... they have an extensive menu with great food.. we started with the Calamari it came out pretty fast which i was kinda worried about that, i think they were sitting under a lamp, but they were good... we order a pizza a med one and this thing was a good size for being a med... pizza was nice and toasted and very delicious.... they also have good desserts but we ate to much that there was no room for dessert... the music was awesome and the atmosphere was great for a date out with that special person which was why i was there.... its also great to take the whole family.....
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Review from Vince R.
Chicago, IL
8/1/2010
I have lived in Portage Park for my whole life and just tried this place with in the last few years. My sister had been ranting about this place and I decided to try. They have a Family Deal where you get a large pizza, Fried or BBQ Chicken, and a two liter of coke for under $30.00 with delivery and tip, I pay this price because I get the Italian Beef and giardiniera!!!!
The only bad thing is they always forget something.....Always
It could be the Soda, or if you request extra BBQ sauce and pay for it they never bring it. It is truly a sham that there is no accountability as I had complained and not even an I'm sorry.
If the food was not so good I would not order -
Review from ROSIE V.
Chicago, IL
5/30/2009
I've had a craving for a pan pizza with the works. Porretta's doesn't have one, you have to build your own. When I opened the box I was droooooling. Unfortunately, the pan/crust was toooooo much. The toppings were delicious but the CRUST --- TERRIBLE. I wanna say it was about 2 or 3 inches. Like Tom I also expected more sauce. I expected a little more bread not what I got.
Their thin crust is excellent, I won't be doing the pan. I'm scared to try the stuffed now. -
Review from Cheryl W.
Chicago, IL
1/2/2010
I just realized I never reviewed this place! I love it! I've tried just about all their pasta dishes and they're always incredible. The atmosphere is old school Italian and simple, the waitstaff is always nice and helpful as well. I've never tried their take out or delivery service so I can't comment there, but for authentic, reasonably priced Italian food this place is as good as it gets.
On a side note, and I'm not taking any stars off for this because who knew?? Don't go to their New Years eve buffet unless you appreciate the atmosphere of a Polish disco. I think there were two whole tables that didn't speak Polish as a first language. And then OMG the DJ started playing Polish music!! Who'da expected that at an Italian joint? They did have an 8 hour open bar and a very good buffet, though, so I didn't feel completely devastated, but I did leave before midnight. -
Review from Nancy N.
Chicago, IL
3/5/2011
Came in, was seated next to a drafty place, but hey, it happens.
The fried calamari was pretty excellent (good crunch, not too greasy). So was the tomato soup and bread that was nice and warm.
I got the chicken risotto (risotto di pollo). In my opinion, it was not really good. If i was hungry, it might've tasted better, but I wasn't after eating all that bread. I like my rice grains cooked more golden and "crisp" I guess. Honestly ate like 5 bites of it but the chicken in it was very tender. I definitely won't order that again. Risotto is made fresh and takes 30min.
My friend got the gnocchi which was pretty tasty but nothing special. He also got the side of meatballs. The meatballs' flavor was alright (typical) but the texture was way too soft and sort of like the meat you get out of the frozen dinners.
Service was okay, they were fast to give you boxes and the server was attentive enough to direct the busboys to get us water before we had to ask, which is always nice. Only thing is we came in first before another table and they got their order in first...maybe it was too busy? -
Review from Antonio S.
Harwood Heights, IL
1/14/2011
Great Italian food for a fair price. My fav. is to have a drink or two at the bar and order the grilled calamari or chicken limone. But, the entire menu is great even the pizza. If you are in the Portage Park area, look no further. Also, if you want to try some thing different Trattoria Porretta is worth the trip.
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Review from Edward W.
2/22/2011
Been here many times. Great Italian. Service always pleasant and attentive. Live entertainment on many nights. Best tiramisu dessert around.
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Review from Ezykiel B.
Chicago, IL
12/14/2008
Trattoria Porretta is a great place for
pizza. I've been there like 20 times
always great. I ussualy will have a salad
to start then I'll have fried portabella
mashroom caps, delicious. I was only
dissapointed one time when I got eggplant
parmegana which was fried in bread
crumbs for too long and as aresult was
dry inside. Other than that everything
I got was OK. -
Review from Daniel C.
Chicago, IL
9/22/2010
I know I keep jumping boat to different pizza places and saying that it's the best I've ever had every time but I'll say it again about this place and this time I mean it. Better then Suparossa all around. I think it's the best pizza I have ever had. And since it's not far from where I live I always get my order quick and hot. Don't worry Suparossa your great too but Porretta is number one on my list. Also my mom loved the boneless perch from here. I was pissed that they were closed after a hard evenings work at McCormick place. I got home past 1 in the morning and I guess they were closed because I didn't want to cook and I was starving for some great pizza.
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Review from James G.
Chicago, IL
7/31/2010 1 Check-in Here
This place is a hidden neighborhood jewel. If you like good food, at good prices good wine and the best pizza in all of Chicago then come here. I had family come in from Michigan and the tried the other well known pizza restuarant but they love the pizza here. Check out their daily specials. I haven't had a bad meal or bad service yet from this place. I guarentee you will love it.
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Review from Patricia B.
Chicago, IL
10/15/2005
A quick story about this place. I first found out about them because my old home phone number was one digit different than their number. Well, you can guess what happened. Nearly every day, I would get folks calling me to order pizzas! I was like, what the heck?! One day I was even in a slap happy mood so I took the order down for them. Then I called Poretta's to place it for the people. Weird, huh? Anyway, they have been around a long time, and they are best known for their good thin crust pizza. Quick service, friendly staff. (I should have gotten even by having them take all MY incoming calls!)
