Aurelio’s Pizza

Homewood restaurant sets the standard but tonight, definitely an off night in Bourbonnais. After waiting and waiting for our order, we just wanted to eat and leave. Service tonight really was average as well as the food, what happened Aurelio’s?

My fiancé and I aren’t the kind of couple to have a song. Instead, we have a pizza. That pizza is the barbecue chicken pizza from Aurelios.
Ok sure this place takes a while to get your pizza to you. Yeah service isn’t 5 stars. But it is friendly service and the pizza is very good. The price is not great either but you will almost always have leftovers. Share a fiesta size with some college friends and enjoy each other’s company while you wait for your pizza. What else do you have to rush to in Bourbonnais?

Let me just preface this review with a disclaimer: I have spent my entire life raised on Aurelio’s pizza: it is in my blood. I’ve had more Friday nights dedicated to them than anywhere else on the planet, be it carry-​out or dine-​in, but it was in one of three other locales: Frankfort (both the old-​and-​eventually-​burned-​down locale and the new one), Richton Park for the best carry-​out, and the flagship Homewood, which cannot be missed around Christmastime; the décor is astoundingly beautiful on top of the unusual design.
Which brings us to Bourbonnais. It is a franchise locale, which means despite having all the same ingredients its sister stores use, it doesn’t do nearly as well with them. Sure, the pizza tastes the same, but there’s a distinct lack of love when they’re made. Too often they’re overcooked, sliced bizarrely unequal (giant pieces next to tiny bite-​sized rows), and the toppings are sometimes layered too thick, leaving little room for their signature sauce.
The carry-​out station is inconsistent: on one occasion, an uncooked pizza ordered at 2 in the afternoon on a weekday (a dead time for the restaurant) took as long as a fully-​cooked pizza; worse, the order still wasn’t ready at its designated time and required another 10 minutes. I suspect the pizza was never made until I arrived to pick it up.
The eye-​opening thing about this location though is how too often I’ve heard the staff off-​handedly remark how they prefer other pizzerias in the area; I’ve heard Domino’s, Pizza Hut, Papa John’s (better NFL contracts, worse employee benefits, Papa John’s!) and even Monical’s mentioned by four different staff members over the past few years. When the staff finds low-​grade pizza better than the homemade ones they’re producing, it makes me wonder how much confidence the staff has in their loyalty to the place that employs them.
On a lesser note, the place is always freezing. The high ceilings and thinly-​insulated windows don’t help either. No one wants to sit in a cool room when it’s 30 degrees outside, and the fans overhead are swirling away to top it off.
I only partake of this location out of convenience. If I have an opportunity to visit one of the other three locations above, I take it, with far better results.

I live in Chicago where you can get the best of the best pizza at all hours of the day/​night. Whether it’s Chicago style or thin crust. Since being in Bourbonnais which I’m starting to believe is the chain restaurant capital of the world, I’ve only had Pizza Hut and Dominos which are… well, gross.
I finally tried this place and was surprised and happy. Finally found a place that makes decent pizza.
Haven’t tried anything else from there yet but I will be back. What’s also weird but cool is the drive through you can even pick a pizza up from.

Great food, a family tradition for many years, grew up eating this pizza.
Relocated to ID last year and havent found anything remotely close to this flavor and quality. Owner is a great guy that understand customers, quality and value. Nice to patronize a locally owned family establishment, just wished I could have convinced him to open a Aurellio’s Pizza in Idaho!
Your going to enjoy your visit.

As always Aurelio’s has the BEST thin crust pizza. This is one of the bigger Aurelio’s that I have been in and our server Morgan was the best.

I couldn’t wait to eat at a Aurelios again. It’s been about 4 years since we moved to the pizza desert they call Tennessee. We went in expecting to order my favorite pizza but they had a luncheon buffet going on so I couldn’t wait and started scarfing down the pizza on the buffet. The sweet tangy sauce and the Italian sausage was as remembered. The variety of pizzas was good and my only complaint was too much variety. I gave it 4 stars only because I made a mistake by not ordering my favorite. Really a good value.

Crust is much thicker than other locations. I have been to about 10 aurelios and this place ranks last in terms of taste — though not so great Aurelios is still better than most other pizza out there.
And when someone calls and orders Italian sausage, DON“T put Italian beef on the pizza just because that is the only thing «ITALIAN» you have there. WTH?!?

I have always loved Aurelio’s and will definetely go back. My complaints are they need a better tasting G/​F pizza crust. And the prices are a little high.

Food was great but service was something to be desired! Michael was our server and he was like it was his 1^st day or something??? But otherwise great food

Really enjoyed this place on my first visit. The staff was extremely friendly & helpful. I got their Alfredo & it was extremely tasty. My boyfriend got one of their subs & said it was very good. The price I found was reasonable.

Always great pizza! Good service, very surprised how empty the place was. We have been frequenting this establishment fir a long time and will continue to do so.

Ordered a large pepperoni and a small veggie for delivery, 45 dollars. Showed up ice cold and the large had clearly been dropped. I’m not one to call and complain, but my girlfriend did. On the phone 10 minutes and all we got was a 10 dollar credit. Dominos delivers 6 dollar pizzas, I’ll know better next time.

There’s some tasty thin crust pizza inside this spot. The sauce is sweet and flavorful. It’s nice to be able to eat great pizza in town without having to head up to Tinley Park either. Overall: YUM!

Super friendly, down to earth and relatable service. PHENOMENAL gluten free pizza. Seriously some of the best I’ve ever had… And I come from the gf Mecca of Portland, Oregon.

I’ve been eating aurelio’s for years. Lately the pizza just tastes burnt, but at the same time it’s not even cooked all the way. I’ll give them one more chance but that’s it.
Tried aurelio’s again tonight. The crust was undercooked, soggy, and tasted like raw flour. The cheese wasn’t even melted together. The pizza looked like a 5 year old cut it, tiny pieces on the edge and a few giant pieces in the middle. This was my final pizza from them, after being a loyal customer for 20+ years I’ve had enough.
When the pizza is cooked right here it’s the best, but unfortunately the owners must not care. I’d be a loyal customer again if they would get it together. There’s a reason why this place is always empty.

Not a bad pizza. Ordered a chicken, bacon, and mushroom, BBQ pie at the recommendation of the hotel clerk, and can’t complain. The thin crust pie was a touch on the thicker side, but what got me, was the cheese and flavor of the BBQ sauce! Will order again, when I am in the area next!

Aces on this joint! I used to go to the Tinley location. But it’s as old as the hills the Skeletor who runs it, gives you the stink eye if you go to the buffet more than once! Nice spread for the Mon/​Fri buffet. Large salad bar and the pies just keep coming. I have been to buffets in the tri-​state area and this is the best run and most filling. They have it all. Sausage and onion. Are you kidding. I love O in everything. Hot peppers, pepperoni, veggie, sausage. They were all there for me to devour! Yum! And the servers were pleasant and kept coming by to make sure I didn’t need a defibrillator! Awesome all the way around. Pleasant atmosphere as well.

Great spot after da bears practice!
Clean restaurant, awesome service, great prices
Lunch buffet adults $ 6.50, kids $ 3.50
Manager even made sure the kiddies got cheese pizza at the buffet!

What’s better than ordering a single, delicious Aurelio’s pizza topped with all your favorite things? Having unlimited amounts of all kinds of Aurelio’s delicious pizzas topped with all your favorite things. I came here for the lunch buffet and was not at all disappointed. They probably had 20 different pizzas on the buffet at any given time, and my stomach left full and happy. The servers were friendly, pizzas were hot and cooked well, and my jeans felt tighter as a result of it all. I will definitely return when I’m next able to visit my friends in Kankakee. And until I do, I shall be jealous of those who live closer and are more able to regularly visit the deliciousness.