Pizza Boy - Chicago, IL - Review

 I recently had the pleasure of checking out one of the coolest pizzerias in Chicago.

The name of this restaurant is Pizza Boy in Chicago.

New York style slicePhoto byCFK

I would constantly see all over my Instagram this pizza restaurant named Pizza Boy. The food always looked so good that this looked like a very unique and legit spot to try so many different styles of pizza. To say that I was excited to come here would be an understatement.

Pizza Boy is run by Christina and Carlo Bertolli. They both are well known in the respective Chicagoland communities. 

Owner Cristina and Carlo BertolliPhoto byCFK

Carlo has been making pizzas his entire life first starting out working with his father at the very famous Bertolli’s pizza in River Forest. I remember when I was a kid I would go and get pizza from here all the time. It was always delicious.

Owner Carlo and CristinaPhoto byCFK

Christina is well known for her role on the TLC show Smothered, which features her whole family and the closeness that they’ll have with each other in their Italian family on their fifth season.

The fairly new restaurant is located in the Edison Park neighborhood in Chicago. This location took over the old location of Armand’s pizza that stood there prior.

I visited Pizza Boy in the afternoon on a weekday.

MeatballsPhoto byCFK

The moment that I walked into Pizza Boy, I felt so immediately welcomed. Carlo treated me like an old friend from the neighborhood and Christina was equally warm. Both were excited to show me what they have to offer in regards to their food.

Detroit Style SlicePhoto byCFK

This place is popular, especially to the Edison Park locals in the neighborhood. Dozens of people were coming in. Everyone was greeted by their first name. Carlo really knows how to make his customers feel welcomed.

Milanese Chicken SandwichPhoto byCFK

I would normally go right into ordering my food to do my review, but I had a long conversation with both Christina and Carlo talking about people that we grew up with that we both knew. There was a real vibe that these people were generally good people that you wanted to get to know. I really appreciated how passionate Carlo was about his food and how excited he was for people to try it.

main dining roomPhoto byCFK

Carlo handed me a menu and asked what I wanted to order. I told him what is good here and what he suggests. His answer was that everything on the menu was good here. That is a very bold statement that I was excited to see if it was true.

I ordered a slice of his New York style, thin crust with pepperoni with hot honey drizzle. I ordered a Detroit style pepperoni sausage. I also ordered a Milanese chicken sandwich. 

Gelato also servedPhoto byCFK

I thought that would be enough for me to try to get a feel how everything tasted. That was until Carlo and myself got into talking with him stating he makes one of the best meatballs I will ever taste.

I had to also try the meatballs. I am somewhat of an aficionado when it comes to Italian style meatballs. This was a must try.

While I waited for my food to come out, locals came in to get their weekly pizza and sit in the main dining room. They immediately started to talk with me about how I am a food reviewer and what not.  I will state this again; everyone was just so friendly and welcoming. I sat and talked with these patrons for about an hour. They were awesome people.

Pizzaboy sign inside main dining roomPhoto byCFK

The food came out and looked picture perfect. The New York slice had hot honey drizzled on top, which really made the flavors pop. The New York slice was very authentic. The crust and dough was delicious. The sauce was also delicious, but not overpowering. The pepperoni had great flavor.

The Detroit style square slice has some of the lightest dough I have ever tasted in regards to a Detroit style pizza. The dough was so airy and light. It did not feel dence and over doughy.

The chicken sandwich was fantastic. The balsamic that was drizzled was so sweet and delicious. It was a great contrast to the savory of the chicken that was cooked perfectly.

Now I want to talk about these meatballs. I feel that I make the best meatballs in the world, that’s just me, of course, but these were literally the best meatballs I have ever had compared to mine. The texture of the meatballs were moist and tender. The sauce had hints of basil, but no one ingredient overpowered the texture of the sauce. It was also hearty and not soupy. I was in heaven. 

Photo byyelp

Carlo came over to ask how was everything. I told him no BS this was absolutely delicious. The meatballs were out of this world. The pizza was out of this world. Carlo looked at me and without hesitation told me “I know, I don’t F around with my food”.

I really appreciate what Carlo is doing here. This is the recipe for success. He tries to make every single style of pizza from a typical Chicago thin crust to a New York slice to Detroit style deep dish and he nails it on every single style he makes.

The other key factor that makes this place so fantastic is his warmth to his customers, his passion for his food, and his love for what he does. He still is in the kitchen, making everything making sure it’s all right for his customers and that is how it should be.

I can’t wait to come back and try his other items on his menu. I cannot stress enough how much I think everyone needs to go check him out.

I give Pizza Boy in Chicago a rare rating of 10 out of 10.

Please also check out my YouTube channel. I am starting to post videos on there. The name is Chicagofoodking.