The Bottom Line
Pros
- Large quantities
- Very reasonable prices
- Lots of beer choices
Cons
- Food tastes bland
- Steak tough and not prepared per request
Description
- Old Chicago Pasta and Pizza has several locations in the Phoenix area. It is part of the Rock Bottom chain.
- Over 110 varieties of beer are offered at Old Chicago Pasta and Pizza.
- TVs are located in every corner of the dining room, and are prominent in the bar, giving it a sports bar look.
- The bar at Old Chicago Pasta and Pizza was busy; it is a popular spot to stop for a couple of beers from around the world.
- Thumbs up on the garlic bread!
- Old Chicago Pasta and Pizza is a good family destination, but probably not appropriate for a romantic date.
Guide Review - Old Chicago Pasta and Pizza
Old Chicago Pasta and Pizza had a sampler appetizer platter ($17) with several items we wanted to try. It was huge and could easily serve 4+ people, especially if they eat veggies. Artichoke dip was bland. Fried cheese sticks, are, well, fried cheese sticks. There was an abundance of veggies with dips (3 dips tasted the same to me) and three types of chicken finger foods. My favorite was the honey chipotle drumsticks; they had a little zing to them. My friend liked the buffalo wings the best. Honestly, at first when we looked at this platter there was so much stuff on it, we all felt it almost looked unappetizing--but we got over it!
We knew we had to try pizza at Old Chicago Pasta and Pizza, so we ordered a personal size pizza with mushrooms, sausage, and red peppers ($9.59). It was 10" in diameter and very appealing looking with a nice amount of each topping. For more of a traditional Italian meal, we ordered the Traditional Meat Lasagna ($10.69). It lived up to the menu description, except that it wasn't smothered with Bolognese sauce and the top layer of cheese was hard. The interior was cheesy with pieces of sausage sprinkled throughout. Finally, there are several non-pizza, non-pasta offerings, so we ordered the Steak and Shrimp Combo Platter ($12.49). Not only didn't the tough meat come cooked the way we ordered it, but the fried shrimp were flat, bready things and the fries were nothing special. It was not a good choice.
Generally, the portions at Old Chicago are large, but the food was bland. The pizza had no tomato sauce, and the lasagna, likewise, was cooked without any marinara sauce on the inside. What's up with that?
All prices and offerings are subject to change without notice.
