Roots Handmade Pizza

Food was good. We got the lollipop wings with the pesto and buffalo sauce on the side and the fried raviolis. Both were good. We also got a 12′ pizza with bacon sausage mushroom and pineapples (dont judge our combo lol) it was really good! But the service was HORRIBLE! Over the duration of about an hour 15 our waitress checked on us twice. Another gentleman who worked here skipped our table to ask our surrounding tables how things were for them. Idk if it was because 2 black girls arent supposed to like pizza and wings but thats how i felt. Our waitress checked on all her other tables frequently but apparently we were ghosts.

I shamelessly order from Roots once a week for delivery. I live in the neighborhood and just can’t get over the craving. My bf and I have a «usual» that consists of the foldover fat eddie, the avocado mozzarella salad, and sometimes the Parmesan bread with beer sauce or the mozzarella sticks.
If you are a newbie and are eating at Roots for the first time (onsite) ordering the Mozzarella sticks are a MUST! If you don’t order them, you have just missed the cheesiest and most delicious opportunity of your life. You can tell they are made from scratch, and the marinara sauce is sweet, just how I like it! I will say though, if you’re ordering delivery these don’t travel very well and don’t keep their crispness. If you’re getting delivery i’d opt for the Parmesan bread instead.
The foldover fat edddie and avocado mozzarella salad are consistently delicious. other things I’ve tried consist of the green goddess salad (not that great — just blah), and the taco pizza (pretty good).
Thanks for saving me dishes one night a week, Roots!

Recently visited Roots for the 1^st time and enjoyed it. Cute neighborhood place with friendly servers & nice beer list. Went to try the BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza. Pulled pork was good but the BBQ sauce was too spicy hot, overwhelming the other ingredients. While I don’t mind heat in BBQ sauce, this was «roof of my mouth is on fire» hot. Others in our group felt the same way. Anyone else have experience with the BBQ hot sauce?
Star of our meal was the house Taco Pizza, which was outstanding & loved by our entire group. We would return for this pizza and to try one of the other specialty pizzas. Thanks.

This review has nothing to do with the food serverd here. Don’t go here for a beer release. They seem to advertise like they are taking it seriously, but any beer release they have seems to be an advertising ploy for their food. They do not distribute tickets to people who arrive early, and make people wait until after the designated time before they can begin ordering the beer. Because no attention is paid to the order in which people arrive, it leaves the chances of getting the beer release up to your waitress — who has better things to do than to be back at your table when the time comes around for the beer to be tapped. You may sit there, as we did, for 30 minutes waiting for your server while other tables around you that arrived after you did get served the beer release, It is a pizza parlor, not an establishment capable of partnering with a brewery to cooridinate a beer release. Even though we were in the restaurant for an hour, our party unfortunately went there for the beer release, and because it wasn’t available we did not order any additional food past the appetizer.

It had been years since my last visit to Roots and either I don’t remember it being this good! So glad we made a last minute decision to stop by for lunch.
I took Unilocal’s advice and ordered the mozzarella sticks as an appetizer. Holy crap, you all weren’t kidding! Sure, they’re just mozzarella sticks, but the cheese is really good, they aren’t greasy, they’re not over fried, and they are quite large. Would definitely order these again (and again!) even if I wasn’t getting pizza.
We then split the Antique Taco pizza. Another winner! It was so large that we had enough leftovers for another meal at home. Loved the flavors on this one and the crust really is quite good. I don’t know if I love their slicing style, but maybe that’s just a matter of personal preference. (They slice into rectangles rather than triangles.)
My husband spotted curly fries on the menu so we got an order of those and they were pretty decent too.
Friendly staff, plenty of seating, fair pricing.

Great food and atmosphere. I’m an idiot when it comes to craft beer, but our server Jillian knew everything like the back of her hand and gave the perfect recommendations. Coming back for a friend’s birthday next weekend — Can’t wait!

I said I wouldnt return to Roots after a few bad experiences but I returned cause High Dive was packed and we wanted a seat. They had a nice booth for us and the service was impressively improved. The pizza was good and we left satisfied. Its worth another stop through on a late night for comfort pizza and a table. So I added 2 more stars to my last review

My coworker and I walked to have a drink before going to the Blackhawks game and the bartender Rebecca walked away from us twice. First time Josh (told me his name was Jose at first) told us she was the bartender and I asked her name. She literally told me her name then walked away. Then when she finally came to take our order we asked for recommendations because this was our first time here. She said «when you figure it out let me know» and tapped the counter and walked away. We were appalled and will NEVER patronize the business again!

I’ve been to Roots a few times and have mostly loved this place — they have a great beer list, great appetizer selections, tons of options for pizza/​salad/​pasta. Their malt crust, borrowed from the Quad Cities, is interesting — sweet, chewy, and easily holds the bevy of toppings that their signature pies offer.
The good:
— I LOVE the specialty pizzas that stem from collaborations with other Chicago restaurants. I’ve tried the Lillie’s Q pizza (BBQ pork, slaw, mozz), Homestead on the Roof short rib pizza (short rib, giardiniera, corn, ricotta), and the Antique Taco Chili-​Cheese Curd pizza (chorizo chili, cheddar cheese curds, jalapenos, avocado crema, tortilla strips). All 3 are EXCELLENT, but my favorites are the Taco and the Short Rib. Both are toppings-​packed pizzas that blend flavors together really well and offer an alternative spin on pizza flavors.
— Monkey bread is a must order, just so you can dip it into that delicious garlic sauce
–You can split pizza toppings in half with no extra charge = unlimited sharing options!
The bad:
— The crust here is «meh,» nowhere near as good as Piece
— Wait times can be long
— Not a lot of smaller tables
— Salad we tried was very mediocre
The really bad:
–Last time I brought my whole family here after having had a few good experiences. We were served two pizzas whose crusts were clearly burnt. When you charge $ 30 for a 16″ pizza, you better not burn it and then act like that crust hasn’t seen better days. We were too hungry to send it back (it was a late dinner as it was), but we did mention it to our server after she didn’t ask us how our meal was. She told us that «that’s how it always is». Now I’ve been here multiple times, I’ve seen plenty of their pizzas in person and in photos, and I can say that the crust was 100% burned. Our server gave us a measly 10% discount, but I think Roots can (and I’ve seen them) do better.

Hands down, my favorite pizza place in the city. That’s a HUGE statement considering the sheer number of great pizza places here in Chicago. Not sure if it’s sacrilege to say, but yes, this quad city pie is heads and shoulders above its deep dish counterparts. Something about the malt crust and the gooey cheese just hits me just right every time.
I’ve been here countless times, and every single time I leave impressed and satisfied. Our perfect order is mozz sticks (we all know that these are the best!) and fried ravioli as starters. Then followed by plain cheese pizza. If we feel sassy, we would get pepperoni. If we come with a big group, we would also do the specialty pizzas as well. The taco pizza is surprisingly delicious. When we’re feeling healthy, we go for one of their great salads. We absolutely adore the Chinese chicken as well as the green goddess salads!
Roots’ all Midwest beer list is one of the best in the city. They are always tapping amazing beers, and some impossible to find ones as well. I always get excited to see what new brews I can try.
Keep up the great work Roots. I can’t wait for the Lincoln Square location to open!

I am not a «pizza person»…so for me to like a pizza place is kind of a big deal! First off, the mozzarella sticks are life changing. They are made with the most amazing homemade mozzarella and they’re pretty big. I also love the panza bread… my go-​to order is usually splitting the panza bread or mozzarella sticks and getting a salad. Roots has my favorite salads in the city. The Northerner is my favorite, although I’ve recently been won over by the tomato, avocado and mozzarella salad. They offer a make-​your-​own salad options too, with so many options for toppings and dressings.
One of the cool things that Roots does is feature chef specialty pizzas. They honestly all sound so good, but are rarely vegetarian friendly… although there are a few vegetarian pizza options available on their regular menu. But whatever, mozzarella sticks are vegetarian, so that’s good enough for me :)
If you live nearby and visit Roots regularly, I definitely recommend signing up for the Fifty/​50 restaurant group loyalty card. They have a special here you can get $ 10 on your card if you go and try 10 different beers, 10 days in a row. Their beer list is excellent, so it’s a pretty win-​win situation. And you can eat some mozzarella sticks while drinking those beers… just sayin.

Overall it’s an okay place to just hangout at the bar and eat pizza with beer. Good for watching sports with friends.

The mozzarella sticks are where it’s AT. They’re more like mozz cakes. Super delish, and totally worth messing up my lactose intolerance. The pizza’s ok, I’m not a fan of their crust. But I do like that they partner with local restaurants to create pizzas — i.e. Antique Taco chili cheese curd pizza… mmmm tastes just like those chili cheese curds at Antique. But I’d rather just eat at Antique. Also on the menu, lots of salads and BYO-​salads (that’s build-​your-​own, not bring-​your-​own). All portions are GENEROUS. I like the space itself — it’s spacious and good for groups and for watching games. Roots also bottles their own root beer!

Let’s be honest… The pizza is ok. Lots of toppings which is fun but it tastes eh. It’s good, not great.
Mozzarella sticks are amazing! They live up to the hype. Huge salads that are delicious!
The service is what really leaves something to be desired. I’ve dined in twice now and carried out once. They always give me the same story-​we are low on staff and really backed up. I have eaten here on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday nights. Shouldn’t be that crazy.
Do better, Roots! I know you can

The mozzarella sticks and artichoke dip were very good. The pizza. Not so much. Very bland, even they must of known their sauce sucked b/​c they hardly put any in our pizza! The water was good though.
Sorry don’t know what the hype is, maybe just the cool garage doors.
Btw servers and busser you each get a star, very nice, friendly and attentive

Wow… Ignore the one star if this were just about food because we only had drinks here. The one star is far one of the worst possible service experiences ever imagined. We came here from WestFest to escape the heat and take a break and we were «blessed» to have Mandy serve us.
My sister made the mistake of asking about recommendations for beers and Mandy had the hardest time even forming a sentance let alone give anyone recommendations. As we were conversing, I couldn’t help but notice her head laying down on the counter… thought it was just a bad hangover, but she later just claimed she was «dizzy from the heat»… OK, I get it, you are sick. then go home.
Why subject all your tables to this dark cloud of doom. If you fear your manager will fire you, then this restaurant has no business being in business. Instead, we had a painful and sometimes unintentionally hilarious time watching as Mandy moped around and attempted to form a sentence… Sorry, whoever was manager in charge of this place, but you failed. Why you didn’t notice this was going on in your establishment is a travesty. There is no way we could even consider a return visit after this experience.

I’ll admit it, I’m a Chicagoan who doesn’t love pizza. There I said. Please don’t come after me with pitchforks. I think my main issue is the tomato sauce… why would I want a horrible fruitvegetablenonspecificcategory item smashed up and put all over my carbs?! Do I look like a kale & spinach smoothie drinking girl?! Nu uh. You’re barking up the wrong tree with me, pizza. You’re way too healthy.
Well Roots makes me almost want to change my stance on pizza. Almost. I’ve tried a couple different types and both were excellent. They have some really interesting pre-​picked combinations or you can choose to make your own. You really can’t go wrong.
Roots has the best mozzarella sticks ($ 9) I’ve ever had. The girth on those bad boys is astonishing, filled with ooey gooey goodness… they’re just perfection.
Garlic monkey bread ($ 6) is soft and packed full of flavor. It comes with a delicious garlic parmesan sauce for dipping.
Great craft beer list. Watch for special events! I went on a night they were tapping some harder to find brews and finally got to try KBS. Yesssssh.
Roots is a bit more pricey than your normal pizzeria but I think it actually warrants the extra dollar bills.

We were in Chicago for our honeymoon (well part of it) and decided that we needed to try a pizza in Chicago (you just have to) and this place was round the corner from where we were staying through AirBnB.
Located in a nice trendy part of Chicago we were really looking forward to it. The waitress was really friendly and chatted to us quite a bit even though she was training another member of staff too. She advised us that they were famous for a couple of unusual recipes and showed those too us on the menu.
We decided to go with unusual as myself and my wife are adventurous in that respect. We tried the salad that had White Chocolate Sauce in it and the Taco Pizza. They were brilliant and really good fun to try too. The Taco Pizza is exactly what you might expect it to be. A sausage based pizza, covered in Taco Chips. We had it between 2 of us and we struggled to finish it, it is really good though.
If you do go to Roots we strongly recommend you try this if you are after something a bit different.
They have some great beers on tap here too, I really enjoyed trying a few different ones. I have to say I really enjoyed the back ground music too which is something of a rarity for me as I have quite an eclectic taste. Roots gets a good thumbs up from us both.

I am going to start out by saying that Roots completely stole my idea of putting tortilla chips on pizza.
Not joking.
I have been doing this for years. Literally, since high school. I am a texture person. I love crunch. Crunch on everything. My friends always thought I was CrAzY that I found enjoyment in a pepperoni/​sausage/​tortilla chip pizza. My, what webs we weave.
So while I cannot give them credit for being totally original, I can give them credit for one heck of a creation they call their taco pizza. Guys, this is fantastic. Their malt crust, something they tout, is excellent and well-​worth the bragging. It’s soft and chewy, thick enough to support an intense amount of toppings but thin enough to not fill up on bread. The intense amount of toppings includes crumbled sausage, lettuce, tomatoes, cheeses and what I believe to be an pound bag of taco tortilla chips. Picture of health? No. Picture of yummy? Yes. A 12″ pizza can EASILY feed 3 – 4, maybe even more, people, so order wisely. We ended up over-​ordering and had leftovers; lettuce on pizza just does not hold up well when refrigerated!
Per recommendation of the waitress we added an order of mozzarella sticks to the meal. They were certainly some of the best I have ever had. Don’t let the $ 9 price tag deter you!
I really like the interior of this place. Huge booths, lots of windows, and great natural lighting. It’s large, too, so a great place for groups, parties, moms and pops.
I am glad we made the trek over here but now that they are opening one (soon) in Ravenswood, I will probably start patronizing that location. For an interesting take on pizza, stop in Roots, but just remember that Damian C. was the original creator of tortilla chips on pizza ;)

Way deep West Town, where we took the train
It’s the Quad City pizza and yes it’s off the chain
Sorry/​not sorry for the rewording of that 90s classic but I don’t know how anyone sees the phrase «Quad City» and doesn’t immediately follow it up with «DJs.» Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, I’d like to advise you to chugga-​chugga-​choo-​choo your way down to Roots and order a pizza, preferably a split between the Antique Taco and Lillie’s Q Specialty Series offerings. I preferred the Antique Taco pie but it was nice to have something sweet to break up the spice.
If you’re feeling gluttonous, definitely try the mozzarella sticks. They are unlike any deep-​fried cheese stick I’ve ever encountered. The house-​made cheese makes all the difference. You can also snag a bottle of their house-​made root beer — not my favorite in the world but definitely tasty and a good match for their pizza.