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Union Pizzeria
Categories: Restaurants Italian Restaurants Pizza Italian, Pizza [Edit]
1245 Chicago Ave(between Hamilton St & Dempster St)
Evanston, IL 60202
(847) 475-2400
- Nearest Transit:
-
Dempster (Purple Line)
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Ambience:
- Trendy
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
176 reviews for Union Pizzeria
Review Highlights
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"Their lamb sausage is to die for." In 10 reviews -
"Great woodburning thin crust pizza." In 12 reviews -
"So was the unlikely sounding Prosciutto & Arugula." In 6 reviews
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176 reviews in English
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Review from Yanyao N.
3/20/2012 3 Check-ins Here
Do not be fooled by the name. One can come here and leave happy, stuffed to the gills without eating a single piece of pizza. (You probably want to order one though, because they're pretty good).
Union Pizzeria is a neighborhood staple, and everyone knows it. Night after night, it is packed, and I totally understand why.
- The drink menu is great. Many beers and wine to choose from, but if you are more into cocktails like me, they have an actual cocktail menu (none of this "we don't have a cocktail menu, but there is a full bar" nonsense.) Cocktails made with boozy things from Koval Distillery and Death's Door. Cocktails made with St. Germain, lemon, and prosecco. Cocktails made with Koval's chrysanthemum-honey liqueur - the Bee's Knees is so full of win. All that good stuff.
- The food menu changes. I like seasonality and new things. The soup, whatever it may be, is always good. There is a daily special every day, many pizzas and small plates to choose from. Round out your meal with a salad. The dijon-bacon vinaigrette on their spinach salad is delicious. They had me at bacon. Tonight I had a pretty stellar smoked turkey sandwich on pumpernickel with gruyere cheese and onion marmalade. I rarely eat turkey sandwiches, and at dinner? Nearly impossible. This one has me drooling just thinking about it. Oh, sweet onion marmalade... how I love you. The eggplant caponata small plate should not be missed either.
- Service is always friendly. The staff is attentive without being overbearing. Waters are always filled, and dirty plates removed.
- Union serves my current #1 favorite Evanston dessert. The polenta pound cake with peach compote and whipped cream is so simple, so perfect, and makes me so happy. The cake is warm with a toasted "crust". The peach compote is sweet and tart. And what dessert isn't made better with whipped cream? Heaven on a plate.
They don't take reservations, come early or expect a wait. If you're catching a show at SPACE (sort of inside Union Pizzeria, but a performance venue), you can order take-out pizzas and bring them in with you. But make sure to come back out for dessert! -
Review from Ashley A.
3/8/2012 2 photos
How convenient to go see a local show & then be able to grab some grub & maybe another drink or two without having to set foot outside afterwards!
Union Pizzeria is the front store of Evanston's S.P.A.C.E. music venue. They are physically connected, but I'm not sure if they are affiliated with one another. They share a row of washrooms in the back hallway; clean & nicely decorated at that! Union is pretty spacious, with loungy sofas & coffee tables in the front adjacent to large windows. My favorite part was probably the hanging lights; I'm a sucker for modern, decor lighting and I loved the way this place had their lights hanging above the bar. There are tables & booths as you walk further into the place. There is a huge clay oven next to the kitchen that is used to bake the pizzas.
We sat at the bar after seeing a couple bands perform at S.P.A.C.E.. Union actually has a better beer selection than S.P.A.C.E. & I'm pretty sure it's not a problem to order a beer at Union and then take it into S.P.A.C.E.. We ordered a few beers I had never heard of: PranQster by North Coast & Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout along with a wild mushroom pizza that, in my opinion, was a bit overpriced. It was pretty good, though. When we ordered, I asked if I could add an ingredient to one of the pizzas and the bartender said no substitutions; pretty lame considering almost every food place I've ever been to will do substitutions or add-ons no problem. I, of course, was willing to pay additional for an add-on, but no dice.
The thing that turned me off about Union was the bartender. I got up to use the washroom, and even though the two people I was there with were still sitting at the bar when I got up, the bartender failed to ask one of them if I was finished with my beer and threw out the bottle, which still had a little beer in it. I acknowledged this when I returned and the bartender brought me another beer free of charge; a nice compensation.
Overall, I really liked this joint and that it is open somewhat late on weekdays, but the pricing & service was sub-par. -
Review from David P.
Antioch, IL
2/12/2012
I've been here twice recently; once dinning in, and once for carry out. My dinning in experience was good. I went with a date and we shared the mussels, a spinach salad a the proscuitto and arugula pizza. Everything was solid. The mussels were steamed with white wine, fresh thyme, garlic and shallots. The spinach salad was good, but needed more of the dijon bacon dressing. The proscuitto and arugula pizza came out hot and was very tasty, I just wish the crust was a little thinnner.
I don't like the seating much for dinning in; most of the seats are all along one wall. We sat right in the middle, with people very close to us on both sides; I felt like we had very little privacy to talk. The two guys next to us, spoke load, so I felt like I heard more of their converstation, then that of my dates.
After a good experience in, we decided to get carryout the other night. Not as good of an experience. I was told the pizza would take about 25 minutes; I picked it up about 20 minutes later, and it was already very cold. I also thought the pizza was lacking in toppings, and had very little white sauce on it; very bland... Stick with dining in, and ask for a table that's not against the wall. -
Review from Jerry B.
Morton Grove, IL
5/26/2012
Liked the bruscetta, pizza was fair and perfect size for two, beer a little warm. Underwelming beer list. Service was "polite" and food came fast. Warehouse atmosphere was kind of cold, especially with the big curtain covering the beer on the back wall. Probably go back to Dave's next time.
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Review from Jackie A.
Chicago, IL
5/20/2012
Pizza is pretty good. If that was all we had, I would have been at 4 stars. However, we tried a bunch of appetizers and not one was any good. The green pea bruschetta was especially bad.
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Review from Jason C.
1/23/2012
Union Pizzeria has an interesting and rare ambiance for a restaurant in the suburbs of Evanston Illinois: the interior of the restaurant is designed as an urban and industrial modern warehouse.
I have a tendency to make snap judgments of certain types of restaurants like pizza parlors based on appearance. From my past experiences, great decor did not correlate very well with the taste of pizza. If anything at all, they were inversely related and Union Pizzeria made me wonder whether the restaurant is serious about baking pizzas or if they are trying to attract a wanna-be hipster crowd.
Well, I was pleasantly surprised. And they delivered on 3 fronts:
1) Great beer selection. The pale ale ("something" brothers? It's not on their list) is a fantastic Illinois beer that rivals some of the best European beers that I had. Also two thumbs up for being the first non-Japanese restaurant I've seen to carry Hitachino Nest!! It's an insanely expensive Japanese beer that you can't even find in Japanese restaurants.
2) Calamari w/ marinara sauce. The quality of the calamari was off the charts. It had the right chewiness, the perfect amount of oil and seasoning, and was grilled to near perfection. I would daresay that it was on par with some of the best Calamari tapas that I had in southern Spain (Analucia, Marbella, and Sevilla).
3) Solid Pizza. Our table ordered the Sausage pizza (sweet pepper, onion & Sicilian oregano) and special pizza of the week (bacon + basil + onions). The wood fired crust was baked very well, the basil and the oreganos gave the pizza a nice scent, the mozzarella cheese was fantastic, and the bacon and sausage toppings very solid.
For those expecting a chicago deep dish pizza experience, Union Pizzeria won't quite fit the bill. However, for locals looking for alternatives, I would give Union Pizzeria a solid recommendation as a great place to grab some thin wood-fired crust pizza and beer in a nice setting in the Evanston area. Just remember...$15-$16 for a pizza. It's not that cheap. -
Review from David L.
Food: 4
Decor: 4
Service: 3
I came here with my gf and got some food before a show at SPACE. Wait was 25 min when we showed up 7pm Wednesday night, so we opted to just sit in the lounge.
1. Lamb Sausage pizza - Pinn-Oak lamb, eggplant, Gaeta olives & rosemary
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Good, although I'm not a big fan of lamb or olives. Portions were just enough for the both of us.
3.5 stars, rounding up. -
Review from Helen S.
2/9/2012 1 Check-in Here
Great place. I've passed by here on several occasions on my way back from Jewel and always wanted to come here because it looks so pretty from the outside. Finally came with my bf because we had tickets for SPACE and grabbed a bite to eat beforehand. It's very pretty inside, with all the hanging lights, and the huge stone oven looked legit. The restaurant was extremely crowded around 7PM and there was a 25 minute wait, so we opted to eat in the bar/lounge area instead of at a table.
We split the lamb sausage pizza, which was amazing. Crust was good, cheese was good, flavors were great. I loved it and would like to try some of the other pizzas on the menu (prosciutto and arugula sounds exciting...) -
Review from Jennifer B.
Chicago, IL
1/29/2012
I am infatuated with this restaurant. The decor, the menu, the attached concert venue (Space)...everything screams "almost perfect enough for a casual weekend evening."
Except for them not accepting reservations. I'm sorry, but I'm not amused by having to wait in line for a meal in the suburbs. If there's a reason I don't drive downtown for dining out, it's mostly convenience. Luckily, I've always been able to find a tiny space at the bar, either while waiting for a table or to dine with friends. If I had more than a 15 minute wait, though, I could easily see myself going elsewhere--the food is good, but not that good.
Their menu features a variety of items, but they're mostly known for small plates and pizzas. Having tried all of their small plates, the calamari stands out for its light tomato sauce and perfect texture. I've not tried their pizzas (darn you, gluten), but have heard nothing but great things. Whenever I come here with friends, the arugula and prosciutto pizza is always ordered.
Their wine list is somewhat above average in selection and pricing, and their cocktails are well made.
Space attracts an eclectic mix of performers, from Talking Heads tribute bands to blues guitarists.
Hands down, this place is worth a try if you're in the North Shore/North Chicago area. Making it a destination point is debatable, especially if you arrive at the wrong hour. Thankfully, their martinis are strong enough to kill any impatience you may have while awaiting a table. Maybe. -
Review from Kirsten A.
Chicago, IL
1/3/2012
This place is popular! I was finally able to get a table on a Wednesday around 5:30pm. There were only a couple tables full when we started our meal, but by 7pm the place was packed!
Union has a city pizzeria vibe. Cute candle type lights hang from the ceiling by steel chairs. The pizzas are yummy, and at 12" and thin crust, perfect for eating all by yourself, but the white bean bruchetta is a little different. They wine list is decent and the prices are what you would find in Chicago. Attentive servers and bus staff too! A definite do over and a perfect place to grab a drink and snack with some girlfriends after a matinee at Light Opera Works up the street. -
Review from Christina B.
Chicago, IL
12/30/2011 1 photo
Saw Union Pizzaria on Check, Please! and was dying to try it out! We chose a Friday night around 8:30 and got a table right away...the place was packed! We had the white bean bruschetta to start and it was interesting...kind of like mashed potatoes on toast. I had the special pizza of the day which was sausage, red peppers and asparagus. It was delicious! A little done on the edges but still good! My boyfriend had the white pizza with bacon, shrimp and jalapenos...spicy but he loved it! The one downside was the soda--glass bottles so no refills. We were disappointed because we had spicy pizzas but there was water on the table so oh well! Either way, it was sexy, tasy and quite the buzzing place in that otherwise quiet nook of southeast evanston. We will be back!
One point off for the glass bottle sodas and the fact that the hostess didn't lift her head from whatever she was doing at the abandoned hostess stand to say goodbye and thank us for coming. My boyfriend even remarked loudly "Thanks for having us!!!!" and she still didn't look up. That left a sour taste in our mouths after spending around $50.
PS--there's a concert venue attached called Space...pretty cool but be careful about when you dine (probably re: later or earlier) because I could see some serious sound traveling. -
Review from Orack B.
Chicago, IL
2/27/2012
Good place to dine out at in Evanston to feel a bit of a city vibe without going into the city. Ambiance is good, the pizzas are good, beer selection good as well. The only problem I have is the manager's inability to display any inkling of social decorum. Eighty-six that junk and the place gets four stars...
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Review from Danielle S.
Bensenville, IL
12/18/2011
Several months back my man and I shared a tasty spinach salad alongside the potato/onion/goat cheese pizza before a concert at Space. It was some of the best pizza I've had in recent memory with its lovely, crispy crust and high-quality toppings. I'm a big fan of a good spinach salad and this one did not disappoint.
Service can be slow and it always seems to be busy. I enjoyed the casual/urban/industrial sparse interior. -
Review from Kit G.
11/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
I went to Union before going to a concert at Space. The place was packed on a Thursday night. I grabbed a seat at the bar and had a beer and a salad. They have an excellent selection of local beers at a reasonable price. The salad was ready right away and was very good with lots of fresh spinach. Later in the night my friend and I got a sausage pizza which we brought over to Space to eat. The pizza was excellent - delicious toppings and a crisp crust.
I will definitely make the effort to go back to Union even though it is off the beaten path for me. -
Review from Lindsey A.
Chicago, IL
11/24/2011 2 Check-ins Here
The white-bean bruschetta melted in my mouth and the four-cheese 'za came out gooey and crispy - a perfect marriage. The only non-perfect part was that my friend fished a hair out from between her teeth after sinking her chompers into our pizza.... :gag a little: Mehhhh kinda nasty, but mistakes happen. Just keep yo' hairnets on, folk!
Loved the decor, beer/drink selection and staff. Will definitely trek north again to visit Union. -
Review from Allison S.
Evanston, IL
2/20/2012
Nice trendy ambience for Evanston. Great place for cocktails with friends. They are all really great and strong! The best appetizer is the grilled octopus! I love octopus, and it was perfectly seasoned and cooked. I want to go back just for the octopus! The pizza was really good, we had the shrimp, bacon, pineapple, and jalapeno pizza. Great to share! Great place in Evanston for a nice dinner, but it can get a little noisy and crowded.
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Review from Monica Y.
Evanston, IL
3/16/2012
I had pretty high expectations when I got here and I have to say I was a little disappointed. The urban vibe and busy atmosphere is definitely a plus and I thought the service wasn't all that bad. The food however wasn't that exciting. I got the shrimp and bacon pizza which had absolutely no sauce. So it tasted pretty bland and dry. It seemed like a lot of the other pizzas were a lot better including the sausage and margaritta pizza. Also the polenta cake dessert was tasty but pretty dry and mediocre. Overall I'd probably come again so I could order something else, but this time, I was disappointed.
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Review from Susan P.
Evanston, IL
3/12/2012
Union has tasty pizza and a good beer and wine selection. Definitely try one of their salads and small plates. They change their menu seasonally and use local ingredients. I love the lamb sausage pizza and really any of their salads. And definitely try the polenta pound cake if they have it.
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Review from Dennis J.
Evanston, IL
3/12/2012
I can't say enough about this place and can't imagine Evanston without it.
I've been coming here since the opened about three years ago and now find it hard to choose anyplace else. Totally cool city vibe (without any pretentiousness) to the place, the best pizza I've had since Italy and lots of friendly people on the staff.
The manager, Heather, always makes us feel welcome and special. And with what appears to be a very diverse clientele, I think just about anyone would like this place. -
Review from Kyle H.
8/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
Yeah, the "construction/destruction" unfinished decor just isn't working for me at Union Pizzeria. And that's my only knock. Finish the walls, get a little color in the scheme that's not just beige, and you'll be HOT, HOT, HAWT!
Service, food and friendliness, though? Top notch! Out with my Evanston tour guide, Daphne L., I was told Union was the "hot" place in E-ton. It surely was hopping. And even though we scored two seats at the bar, the hostess came by to make sure we would not want a proper table later. Impeccable service!
The beer list is great, and affordable. Soups and salads on the menu looked excellent, but I went with the Prosciutto & Arugula pizza, with bechamel and parmesan cheese. Go Green! My pizza was smothered in fresh arugula and very tasty. Daph raved about her Puttanesca pizza, with sardines, olives, capers and onions!
The bartender kept our drinks flowing (Leffe Blonde paired well with the saltiness of the prosciutto), and the bar area got interesting later, that's all I'm gonna say. Union Pizzeria is connected to the concert venue Space, and street parking nearby is not a problem. Get there before 7pm or be prepared for a wait. Union Pizzeria is hot right now!Listed in: Evanston is not in Canada
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Review from Keith M.
Evanston, IL
12/24/2011
Love the pizza, particularly the lamb sausage. The roasted chicken Wednesday special is excellent. However, the service SUCKS. Hostesses were playing with each others hair when we walked in. Bartenders were very unhelpful, sporting the "i can't wait to go home" attitude all night. We had to nearly beg them to get drinks refilled. Waitstaff is spread too thin resulting in slow service. Ambiance is great if you like to eat in warehouses.
Next time will be take out so I can be ignored by loved ones in the comfort of my own home. -
Review from Kristin M.
Chicago, IL
11/3/2011
I do not do suburbs. As in, I hate them. Yes, it's Evanston, and you can get there by CTA, so it's tolerable, but overall I don't venture outside city limits.
That said, I scored $5 tickets to a concert at SPACE (which is an amazing concert venue, btw, I'll have to review it too!), located inside Union Pizzeria. We stopped in for dinner before the show and I was hooked. (Incidentally, you can order pizza to go and bring it into the concert area to eat while you enjoy the show. Nice!)
It's suburban-big, but not suburban-boring. The front is all windows with a great couched lounge area, and there's a long bar to hang out at. The dining room has an urban, concrete decor. I liked it.
We each ordered pizza: the sausage with peppers was delicious and my prosciutto with arugula was really good as well. They came out super fast and the thin crust had a great crunch to it. The beer list was extensive, which is always a plus. The service was also fast and friendly.
I'm not going to make a trip to Evanston to eat, but the next time I come for a concert, I know where I'm getting dinner! -
Review from Laura G.
10/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
I've Eaten here a few times and it's a favorite when I'm in Evanston! The really good thin crust pizza, great calamari - grilled perfectly. We had a Mushroom Pizza, Margarita Pizza and a White pizza - feeling a bit vegetarian!
They have a hip atmosphere, great beers AND they have live music down stairs. This is a true neighborhood hang out. -
Review from Molly O.
6/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
Wait just a minute. This place is way better than it's 3.5 star average!
Pretty stellar beer list, nice bar seating, an amazing butter leaf salad with creamy dill dressing (wowzahs! the large is HUGE), and a delicious wood fired artichoke pizza with sweet peppers. Plus two beers. Around $15 pp pre-tip. Kinda awesome. I would by no means drive all the way up to Evanston for this pizza, but if you are seeing a show at Space, come here first...and drink up. Beers at adjoining Space are limited and cost twice as much. -
Review from Mary G.
Skokie, IL
2/6/2012
The Caesar salad had so much anchovy paste, it was inedible. The mixed green salad was nice. Their daily special was good too. BUT we needed to have a palate cleanser to get rid of the anchovy taste. And what better that some nice gelato? Well, I think this gelato came from a cardboard container named Breyers. Chalky, bland and definitely not what they billed it as.
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Review from Lisa A.
Chicago, IL
2/9/2012
Very blah. Heard great things about Union so I decided to try it out, of course. I love creative pizzas and unique decor, however, Union did not do it for me. Maybe I need to return when it is a weekend night? I went on a Tuesday evening, it was very cold in the restaurant and empty. The bar area looked neat...other than that, I don't see what the hype is all about. I ordered 3 different pizzas with my friends, from the menu descriptions, I imagined I would be getting a flavorful explosion from each. I was disappointed, vegetables were soggy tasting and salty. Meat was chewy, not very flavorful. I kinda wished I stayed home and made my own pizza with Trader Joe's crust, caramelized veggies, and tasty cheese.
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Review from Sourma K.
El Cerrito, CA
6/20/2011
Hmm, let's see brick oven pizza, use only organic, fresh food and a venue in the back....you can't go wrong.
I'm a bit biased because I live near Union and I should probably work for the place since I promote it to everyone I know. I've tried Prosciutto & arugula - which is made to perfection crisp prosciutto w/ peppery arugula, creamy béchamel and crunchy and touch of salty parmesan. The side dishes that I've tried are eggplant caponata which is a great vegetarian dish, calamari sauteed and not fried in a red sauce topped on toasted french bread and my all time favorite is their candied pecans and beet salad.
Union can be a great date place where you could sit at one of the lounge couches looking out of the restaurant into the near downtown Evanston or with a group of friends and share the small plates and pizzas.
Enjoy! -
Review from I B.
Chicago, IL
4/9/2011
There is an amazing new dish called pizza and the only place to get it in the northern suburbs is Union. No other statement explains the crowd relatively early on a Friday night...
This place is perfect honky bait-big, loud as hell, elegantly dark and with a drink menu three times the size of that dedicated to the food. Sure, the pizzas are good and they come out fast. They're not orgasmatron good-the appetizers were really interesting, though. And I was kind of annoyed that after spending a decent amount, our server literally hung over us until we left....
So go, it's good. If you're a honky, you aren't going to be able to avoid it anyway.... -
Review from Rick C.
6/20/2011
Man, I wish I came here earlier. We met for dinner here the other night and I really enjoyed the food. We've been eating a decent amount of pizza lately and now that we know this place is in Evanston, we'll be coming here more often.
We started with the calamari appetizer which was sauteed in a tomato sauce. It was good, but small portioned. The calamari was cooked well and the sauce was tasty. I don't think it was worth the 7 bucks though.
The wood fired pizza was pretty dope. We had the potato and asparagus with goat cheese and a pesto sauce. It was really tasty. As our Italian friend Mari said," this tastes like Italy." To me it tasted like deliciousness. I definitely want to try their other pizzas.
They also had a decent beer selection and I was able to try a nice Belgian ale. Definitely a winner. -
Review from Ngoc H.
Skokie, IL
11/22/2011
I really adore this place. The atmosphere is really comforting. The pizzas came out piping hot but delicious! The crust was crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. The toppings were ridiculously good and fresh tasting. The have small dishes, the octopus was great, it came grilled and tossed with potatoes. they have a huge beer selection. I like that they use local ingredients from farmers int he area. The staff was super friendly and helpful. Parking is never really terrible in that area of Evanston.
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Review from Mark H.
Skokie, IL
1/12/2012
Great food and environment. I enjoy eating at Union and having my dring at the Space while listening to live music. This requires a little organization. The tickets for the music concerts are sold out very quickly so you need to plan ahead. Great place to take people you love or people you would like to impress. Their food is exceptionally delicious.
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Review from PJ H.
12/2/2011
I recently visited Union Pizzeria for the first time. It's a wonderful space with a nice mix of customers both in terms of age and ethnicity, it just a good place to go with a good vibe..!!! The staff are polite, friendly and efficient. They have a very large selection of thin crust pizza with very interesting toppings. They have a full drink menu and the prices are pretty good too. I shall return....
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Review from Jenny F.
6/2/2011 3 photos
Trendy, urban, warm. When I first set food in Union I literally thought I'd been transported to downtown Chicago. It's huge, and warm, with clusters of couches and armchairs for friends who want to split pizzas and order beer or cocktails, tables for families and couples on dates, and huge high ceilings with warm wood beams and brick walls. I loved the atmosphere.
You can come for beer, for cocktails, for wine, and for the pizza. I had their special of the month, which had serrano ham, bechamel (sp?) sauce, red onions, and some kind of spicy pepper sauce. It was delicious. The crust is super thin (baked in their stone oven), crispy, and the pizza was light. You could probably eat one by yourself, or you could split it between two people and order a side salad. Each pizza runs you around $13-16, but the ingredients are fresh and local whenever possible, which I love.
My friend swears by their salmon, and we shared the panna cotta with berries. The berries were a disappointment--they seemed like they were from a jar, but the panna cotta was heaven. (though to be honest, I don't have any other panna cotta to compare it to!)
Good for date night, special dinner with friends, grad student hangout, and we did see one family come in. -
Review from Ehow C.
2/27/2011
I came here with friends and I had imagined a scenario where we would share pizzas. Instead, it's one of those places where one pizza = one person pretty much. This dramatically increased the price per person. The thin crust pizzas were pretty tasty though, but I wouldn't necessarily come here on a whim.
The service was fine, but the atmosphere, created by other patrons, was a bit obnoxious for my taste. People around the bar are standing in the (only) way to the exit and they're completely oblivious. They're possibly worse than Northwestern undergrads on the school shuttles. -
Review from Patrick D.
Chicago, IL
1/6/2011
Overrated and a bit pretentious.
OK, the pizza's are good and have interesting toppings and the other dishes are good but not memorable (I surely cannot.), but there's a feel that this place is manufactured hip and trendy. The front is all glass and it's lit so everyone driving by will look at the lights.
Take the seating by the front window where you can wait to be seated at your table or sip drinks from the bar. PERFECT for those who need to be seen [from the street OR from inside!!!! No curtains here.]. It's like sitting in the windows of Macy's. ... and great if you want to sit in very low modern sofas leaning WAY back sipping cocktails looking into the crotches of those walking by to their tables or up at the butts of those perched at the bar, even better if you enjoy struggling to get back on your feet, even if you had nothing to drink. The seats are in "conversation areas" where you are so laid back - literally - that holding a conversation with the person opposite you is not possible.
The lighting is weird. Interesting fixtures over the bar. The rest of the dining area feels like the gym-a-cafetorium from high school. The main dining area is fairly large. A consistent blanket of light evenly covers the place. The lighting shouldn't be such that you can easily identify the couple at the table in the farthest corner, but you can. Nothing intimate here ... and so easy to be SEEN!
The service is decent, but there's a feeling they KNOW they are hip and trendy and it's up to you to appreciate it. I don't.
Its best attribute is it's open late. If you want a good - not great - late night meal and don't mind being surrounded by those who mistake a restaurant for a stage set, this is it. So long as no one bursts into song - a la Glee - I'll keep it on my list of those places to go late at night when I don't want to slum it. -
Review from Kymberly J.
Oak Park, IL
2/14/2011
let me get the bad out of the way first. SLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW-est service ever. It took 6 people nearly 2 hours to eat on a late Sunday afternoon. Our waiter thanked us as he gave back the receipts in passing, not making eye contact, talking in the other direction and with insincerity in his voice. Also, the ventilation is lacking so there is a haze in the air that made everyone wearing glasses think their glasses were getting dirty about every 30 minutes.
I really liked the atmosphere. Very open, exposed bricks and pipes, loungy area in front. Very cool and modern.
My pizza was pretty darn good. I got the artichoke pizza with fresh mozzarella, olives, fresh basil and red pepper. These are some of my favorite things! The chopped salad was just meh. Nothing special. Nice selection of alcohol - cocktails and craft beers and ciders. -
Review from Jennifer B.
Chicago, IL
11/28/2011
Finally! We just moved to Evanston from Chicago and we have been searching for that "go-to place." We had tried a few other local casual restaurants and left disappointed by both the food and the price.
Union Pizzeria put a spring back into our step. The food was so good. We ordered a bunch of small plates and a pizza to share. The Brussels sprouts with squash were the highlight of the meal. My husband and I were fighting over them.
They had an awesome beer and wine selection, a great mix of local brews and micro brews but they also had your every day beers as well. They just did not seem to take themselves too seriously which I liked.
Also, I thought the industrial atmosphere made for a fun environment. t was nice to have a casual meal and not get upset when the check came. I thought the prices were fair.
We were just very sick of having bad meals that were expensive. Go to Union and hang out, I only wish we had tickets to a show! We will be back!!!! -
Review from Barb S.
Riverwoods, IL
4/27/2011
Great woodburning thin crust pizza ! nice atmosphere!!
Will be going back -
Review from Dee W.
2/22/2008 5 photos
How to win over my husband?
-Great location (right across the street from where we live)
-Great service (Friendly, helpful, and everything was efficient - plates and glasses were refilled or taken away quickly, food arrived quickly)
-Bottle of leffe blond for only $3 (they also had a great selection of wine and beer - both outnumbered the food menu)
-and yummy food:
for their small plates as an appetizer, we tried out their calamari salad - cold calamari with fennel, celery, lemon & cilantro, which was tasty and healthy :) And then, between the two of us, we polished off two oven baked pizzas - the sasauge with sweet peppers, onion and Sicilian oregano and the mushroom with fontina and bechamel. Both were flavorful and equally delicious in their own way. We topped off our delicious meal with dessert - polenta poundcake with apricot capote. Yum!
Overall, a wonderful experience - beautiful loft-like atmosphere. Our waitress was telling us that Union is actually a three part location - the front was a pizzeria restaurant, the middle section being a live music venue and the back being a private recording studio. -
Review from Faith P.
Evanston, IL
11/9/2011
I live in Evanston and this is one of my favorite places to eat. The ambiance is hip and modern, the drinks unique and the pizza is unbeatable. My favorite is the wild mushroom and sage paired with the ginger beer from Japan. Their evolving, seasonal menu always beguiles me. I highly recommend it!
