Paterno's Pizza
Utibe Akpaninyie-Williams · 123 Google reviewsPaterno's Pizza — dependable italian in Jefferson Park. Walk in and you know immediately: this place is real. Good ingredients, simply prepared. "The steak was cooked perfectly, tender, juicy and full of flavor" — Tom Z [$]
What 640 diners keep saying
What 640 diners keep saying
verbatim, from Google
“Recently changed management, but retained the same staff and recipes. Arguably, the best Italian Beef sandwich in Chicago.”
“Paterno pizza has always been a favorite of mine. New owners, new look. Food is still great, place looks awesome!”
“I poured over Google maps in search of pizza by the slice, and boy did I hit the jackpot! This place is just what I was looking for! I ordered a slice of their Paterno's signature pizza and the price was so reasonable that I also ordered a grilled veggie sub to nibble on later and spent $15 ($20 after leaving a tip). The atmosphere was perfect! It's a large space and has a real feel, an old school feel, like on the show Cheers, not hoity-toity at all. There's a bar (with a pool table) and a dining area. The place is clean and no offensive odors, no odors at all when I walked in as soon as they opened, at 11am. Once the kitchen got cooking, pleasant food smells emminated from the kitchen, through the order window. The food is hot, fresh, made to order and delicious!! The sauce on the pizza is exactly how a pizza sauce should bee. If I lived here, I would bee trying to buy their pizza sauce by the jar. 🤭 I would give this place 10 stars, if i could.”
“You have to try their pizza. Drinks happen to be very attractively priced”
“Owners '& staff and atmosphere is so freaking amazing plus the musuc”
“So much for this place now. Not even worth the argument of getting a new pizza when they couldn't make the first one right. New owners, new pizza. Seasoning is non existing, sauce is not the same already Changed/skimmed it. The dough is not even cooked properly stuck to the cardboard. Will be finding a new pizza place. Order was another 10 min or so late, customers in line with me were not happy. At least the mushrooms were good. Thats how bad it is. Never had the grease stains underneath. Prolly because its undercooked.”
“The food is always excellent But we had some issues with our meal and the bartender Tom was a superstar. He saw what was going wrong and he personally fixed every issue which had nothing to do with the bar. And then when we walked out, he waved and said goodbye, Have a great night like he was the owner. This is the type of employee who sees a problem and fixes it even if it’s not his department. He took ownership and pride in his job and he did an excellent job above and beyond. We used to come when the kids were little and we haven’t been back for several years, but the place looks great with the new changes to the atmosphere. Our issue all stemmed from one employee not really wanting to be there. Bob in the back was also great trying to cover several positions because the pizza guy was out.”
“Lynnette was amazing! She was so funny. Love her sense of humor.”
“My go to pizza place in Jefferson Park. Reliable, delicious, and nice staff”
“First time and loved that you can have a slice of pizza and a beer at the same place, thank you.”
“My elderly neighbor is a retired Chicago police officer and has been going here for decades. He’s been trying to convince me that this is a great spot and I need to give it a shot. So, I went with him for live music on a Friday night and believe me we were entertained. There was a young Elvis impersonator that was so good and even had multiple costume changes. My husband and I tried the pizza and it was great. Tavern style piping, hot, perfect amount of cheese. When I was sick a while back, my neighbor brought me some cream of chicken and rice soup and the meatloaf dinner. I have never eaten anything here besides the pizza and apps fried apps and I was blown away. Since then, I’ve tried three other soups- all delicious, all tasted homemade. The spaghetti and meat sauce is excellent and I’ve enjoyed a few sandwiches, as well. Paterno’s is my new go to spot for a cozy meal that tastes like your mom made it. I usually get my food for carry out, but they also have delivery on some of the apps. Good food, a great value for the price and portions are huge (the dinners almost always come with bread).”
Sounds like your kind of place?
Star it — your hit list is where dinner decisions get made.
One email a month — new openings, hidden gems, and where locals are actually eating.
More Italian in Uptown & North Side
See the ranking →
In the same lane · Italian, budget
If it's packed, walk to…
More good rooms in Jefferson Park, minutes away.