Homemade Pizza Co

Love the spinach pie

I’ve ordered from here a bunch and it’s always ready in time, always fresh, and always tasty. I especially love the pear and blue cheese salad and I don’t even really like blue cheese. They also have a deal going for a large salad and pizza for 20 bucks– definitely worth it and there was plenty of food for myself and another.

Ok, Chicagoans, we get it.
You love your pizza. It’s the best in the world. No one else knows how to make pizza like you do, blah blurb blah.
But you know what? Some os us ‘transplants’ come from places that have some damned good pizza too. Originally from Michigan myself, I happen to love a normal crusted pizza (not too thin, not too thick) that actually has the cheese on TOP of the sauce. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy your pizza, too … it’s just that I grew up with mine, so even after twelve plus years here, it still hits the spot.
There are a few places to find this assault on humanity, as I’ve heard it referred to (I won’t even tell you what my husband calls it … this is a family friendly review :). Pizza Hut, Dominos, Papa Romeos, Little Ceasars. Ceasars and and Dominos are actually Michigan based companies, I’ll have you know. There are others, too, I’m m … but the truth is that I couldn’t care less any more, because I’ve found the Home Made Pizza Company.
They don’t bake your pizza, but they deliver it, exactly to your liking. If it’s burnt, you screwed up … not them. Their ingredients (or ‘ingredientses,’ for any NJ housewives fans out there) are as fresh as … I don’t even know what. A newborn’s bottom comes to mind, but that’s not so pleasant to think of while eating, I know.
They have gluten free options for your visiting super-​trendy friends (who probably can’t even tell you what gluten IS), and more importantly for your friends who have health issues and can’t can’t eat it. They have awesome salads for your visiting vegetarian friends, and these are just as fresh as the pizzas. What’s more, you can modify them any way you want, and they *always* come to your correctly. More recently they’ve added breadsticks for your carb-​loving friends, and a few other menu items, too (calzones, flatbread, etc.), and finally, they have kick-​ass desserts for your who-​gives-​a-​shit friends, like homemade ice cream (delish) and huge cookies (actually cookie dough, also ready to bake).
It’s pretty much always awesome, always delivered quickly, and with only ONE exception, the order takers are typically super friendly.
Their hours are fairly lame, which makes me give 4 stars. Not sure if that’s fair: are we supposed to review the business overall or the food? I just can’t believe that a pizza place around here closes at 8 and 9 pm. So closing time: blech, food: yes!

I was dying for a cobb salad and I just happened to stumble across them walking around because I saw a salad in their window. I got the cobb salad and it was freshly made and soooooooooo delicious. Look at their pizzas I wanted to order one. I definitely will put this on my food list of Chicago.

First of all: THE HAVE REALLY GOOD GLUTEN FREE PIZZA EVEN IF YOU DON’T HAVE TO EAT GLUTEN FREE
Now that that’s out of the way for all those struggling to find some good GF pizza (like my roomie) in this city of pizza lovers, I can explain how in love I am with HomeMade. First of all let me give you the run down of how this place works:
You order online or call ahead (or wait in the store) and they will make you a fresh pizza on fresh rolled pizza dough for you to take home and bake. They also have cookies, breadsticks and calzones that you can make in the same fashion as well as freshly made salads that require no further cooking.
Reasons why I love this place:
1. Fresh, healthy ingredients and rotating monthly pizzas so you can always have something fresh and delicious but still try new options
2. You can customize the pizza and cook it exactly how you like it on your own time in your own oven.
3. The crust is beyond amazing — if for not other reason you need to try this pizza for the crust! All the crusts are good, wheat, regular and gluten free!
4. The cookies
5. They have a fantastic rewards program where you a get free pizza or salad of any kind and size after getting 10 of either item. You have an account they store electronically so you don’t need to remember to bring a stupid punch card with you.
6. They also deliver if you are lazy or busy
7. You can order online or on the phone or in the store and wait… super convenient.

The last thing I wanted to do on a cold, dreary Sunday evening after commuting between the city and the suburbs and running errands was to go home and cook. The only thing I knew was that I wanted a fresh, hot, healthy and «homemade» pizza without having to do the work.
I remembered a friend of mine said that him and his girlfriend had ordered the Fresh Herbs pizza from here and were pretty happy with it. Co-​workers had also mentioned that they ordered from here on busy nights and were pleased, so I decided to look up the closest location since we were on North Ave. running errands yesterday. It turned out we were only a couple of blocks from Homemade Pizza Co. on Armitage. We drove over there and walked in to a small and simple store and were greeted by a friendly chef/​clerk in a tall, white hat.
We stood in front of the menu on the wall for what seemed to be an eternity (I was tired and hungry), and finally decided we would do two small pizzas so we could both get what we wanted as well as be able to try something new since neither of us had been before. The smalls are called «cutie-​pies». So cute. My fiancée got the Fresh Herbs and I got the Miesiana. The Fresh Herbs is a mix of fresh basil, oregano, thyme, and sage if I am not mistaken, and has a light olive oil and chevre as the base. The Miesiana is like a margarita pizza — red sauce, tomato, basil, garlic, mozzarella. Our pizzas were ready in under 10 minutes and we went home and immediately heated up the oven.
After about 25 minutes (waiting for the oven to pre-​heat and baking the pizzas), our cutie pies were ready to be sliced, plated and on their way into our hungry mouths. I wasn’t a fan of the fresh herbs, but the miesiana was very good. The small is definitely good for one person, but if you’re really hungry I’d go with a medium. The ingredients are very fresh, the dough was perfectly cooked — crispy on the outside, with a slight softness on the inside.
Yes, it’s a bit on the pricey side for something you have to take home and cook yourself, but for the amount of ingredients you get, the freshness, and the convenience it’s really not that bad.
I will definitely be back next time I don’t have time or don’t want to cook, and I plan on creating my own pizza to explore other ingredients and flavors.

Delicious! I love the choices, and being able to pick it up and take it home so it’s really, really hot!
The caramelized onions rock my world.

My husband and I used to live a few blocks away from this shop. We used to always order a sausage and caramelized onion pizza. So tasty and convenient. The whole wheat crust at HomeMade pizza is really quite good. I admit these take and bake pizzas are kind of pricey but I feel like they are better quality than a lot of other take and bake pizza places. The ingredients are fresh and they are pretty generous with the toppings. This place also sells really great icecream. I bought a pint of coffee ice cream here one time and I think I ate the whole pint in 2 nights.

I walk by this place on my way home from the El every night, and every single night I am tempted to stop in and grab a pizza. Although it does seem a bit silly to pay for food you still have to cook, the pizzas here are worth it! You can get anything you want on it, and you can even order wheat crust which is a plus for me.
On those nights that I’m unable to overcome temptation, the wait is usually pretty short and the staff is very friendly. All in all, this place is a definite YES!

Really good pizza and salads. I marked it down a bit because it seems kind of expensive for a place that makes you cook it yourself.
The good side is your pizza is fresh out of the oven…

I’m one of those people who rarely eats pizza. It’s like a twice a year thing for me. HomeMade Pizza might be changing that. I am loving this place, and will definitely be ordering from them again.
+ Delivery took less than an hour.
+ They have a whole wheat thin crust option — mega points for this.
+ Ingredients are super fresh.
+ It’s like a healthy pizza. I like it.
We had a medium pizza with cheese, spinach, mushrooms and basil. It was absolutely fantastic, and the perfect size for two people.

I freaking love this place. I know it sounds weird paying someone a lot of money for a frozen pizza… but it’s worth it. The thin crust cheese pizza is the best in the city and there are so many types of pizzas that even the ones that sound gross are slamming.
I’d suggest ordering ahead of time, becuase it does take them some time to make the pizza and there isn’t much room to just «hang out» in there. Overall, this place is the real deal.

I’ve been sitting on this free pizza coupon coaster that I received from HomeMade Pizza at the recent Unilocal Summerfest. On a lazy and cool Sunday afternoon, I cashed in. The cheery young lady behind the counter was very helpful, and she said I did not have to buy anything to get the free pizza. I did buy a small salad with pear, blue cheese and walnuts. My order came out very quickly. The sausage and caramelized onion pizza is apparently their most popular model. It was good the first time out of the oven (it comes out VERY HOT), and good again as leftovers the following day. The pizza was very fresh though it was not great, but perhaps that is because of my lack of skills in the kitchen.

It took me an unreasonably long time to realize what this place was all about. «Unbaked pizza!» I said, «Oh, like, an alternative… special method of, wait, what now?»
I didn’t get it. But I do now. HomeMade Pizza. I’m amazed that this is a sustainable business model. But I’m thankful that it is.
I waltzed in with my free pizza coaster, courtesy of Summerfest 09. The lady at the counter tricked me; she made me think she was going to be standoffish and inattentive, and then hit me in the face with amazing customer service. Full explanation of the concept, process, my options, how my coupon worked, what to do when I left, how delicious the cookies would be when I welcomed them to my mouth.
I asked if I could pay the difference and upgrade my free medium to a large; she was quick to accomodate. Large spinach pie with the free kalamata olives on a whole-​wheat crust with a chocolate chip cookie. $ 5 total with the coupon. Happy girl.
«This will take a while,» I thought, «I should have a seat.»
But in the time it took for me to call Husband and say «Preheat the oven to 425. I know it’s hot in the apartment. We’ll eat on the porch,» the lady again suckerpunches me with my completed order, bagged and ready to go. Well then, I guess I’ll be going.
The pizza was amazing. Tons of spinach, plenty of pine nuts, a great balance of feta and mozzerella. I was afraid the feta + sundried tomatoes + kalamata combo might be too salty, but it was mellow and intricate. Excellent thin-​crust.
I found the baking process a little dodgy– they warn you that the parchament paper will darken, but mine blackened, then disintegrated. Scared me a bit but cooked the pizza to perfection and did not burn down my house.
The cookie was nothing short of amazing. It baked up bigger than I expected, making ample dessert for three.
That saucy minx at the counter included more coupons with my order, and $ 3 off a 12″ basic will make an affordable dinner I can top at home. I’ll definitely be back.

If you have time, I would definitely stop by a homemade pizza to pick up dinner. In my case, it was a good idea to call ahead of time. We wanted a pizza right around 7, called at 6:45, probably should have called at 6:15… it’s not like the food is baked for you, so I would suggest giving them a lot of extra time to put it together! But aside from being understaffed for the dinner rush, the food was awesome, and the customer service was too.
Tried the Four Cheese with Spinach, it was wonderful, and who doesn’t like baking a pizza to their own liking?! Also recommend the cookie, its huge. Get on the email list too, they sent me like a $ 3 off coupon immediately. I like them.

I beg to differ from the opinion of almost everyone here. I like to pay for food that is worth it, and these pizzas, although not baked, are deliciously made with care, fresh products and quality. The delivery is not slow, and I’ve ordered at least 6 times, the service is okay and honestly, if you want baked pizza, buy it from somewhere else, this place gives you the equipment, in perfect condition, all you have to do is press start and wait 10 minutes tops.
Their salads are great and their cookies too, the ice-​creams are not the best I’ve had.
It’s a clean environment and a futuristic concept obviously not made for everyone.
It sure beats all the –already made– delivery pizzas I’ve had in Chicago.

Love it! As a native New Yorker who still hasn’t learned to love the mouthful-​of-​glop feel of Chicago pizza, Homemade Pizza Co. is heaven on crust for me.
Sure, it’s not the cheapest pizza you can get, but this stuff beats the crap out of Papa John’s, Dominos, or whatever you can find in the freezer case at the supermarket– there’s really no comparison. Crust– delicious and crispy-​chewy, sauce is sweet and savory, toppings are fresh and excellent quality. Ricotta-​spinach-​artichoke is my combo of choice, but my bf and I have recently started throwing our own toppings on top of a plain one for our weeknight recession indulgence. And really, at $ 10.95 for a delicious pizza that feeds two more than amply, it’s not bad at all.
For those who complain about paying $ 15 and then having to cook it yourselves, you know that they’ve already done the hard part of the cooking for you, right? :) Sure, if they made me toss my own dough and simmer my own sauce, I’d be crying out, «Overpriced!» too. But popping it into the oven for 10 minutes is hardly a chore, and if anything, it makes for better pizza. Out of your oven and into your mouth within minutes is waaay better than out of an oven somewhere across town, into a vinyl bag, in the back of a car for a half hour, and then onto your plate. Baking it yourself is part of what makes it so friggin’ yummy!
The folks who work behind the counter at this branch are unfailingly nice, and the «kitchen» where they assemble the pizzas in front of you is sparklingly clean. And if you buy 9, your 10^th is free. Guess who just bought her 8^th yesterday: D

I only give 4 stars and up when I think I will return. Although our pizza was pretty good — I think it’s really dumb that you have to take home a pizza to bake.
We called to ask about their pizza and they told us to give them 20 mins to prepare the order (which was only 2 pizzas) so we placed the order right away and made our way there. Two pizzas (mediums) were $ 40.
I think I’d MUCH rather just bring home frozen pizza or order delivery. I don’t get the concept here. It’s just plain silly.

Oh mannnn, this stuff is yummy. HOW has it taken me this long to try it?!? The whole wheat crust beats most pizza places I’ve tried– hands down. We had pesto, spinach, mozz, garlic, and chicken on our pizza. Let me tell you, I am still dreaming of how great it was. You just pop it in the oven for 15 minutes, and its gooey and hot right when you want it. Brilliant.
**Disclaimer: this woulda been 5 stars EASILY if I had chosen to pick it up, rather than delivery…
The girl forgot to get our address and hung up, and after it was all cleared up 10 minutes later– it STILL took 2.5 hours to get to our apartment less than a mile away. The manager was very apologetic and accommodating: giving us our pie for free, a free huge cookie, and great coupons. Tis’ a shame I had to take away stars for the flaky delivery folk. Swing by and pick it up if you order from this location.

There is something nice about eating a crispy thin crust pizza minutes after it’s left the oven, which is why HomeMade Pizza is a good idea. The pizzas I’ve tried have all been very tasty, and you can tell that the ingredients are fresh and high-​quality.
The service here is pretty accomodating as well. Yesterday, the girlfriend ordered the four cheese pizza over the phone, but decided to get all Italian on them and call it «quattro formagi». When we got there, they gave us a «quattro stagioni» pizza with a whole lot more than cheese on it. It took a little figuring to determine what had gone wrong (my favorite quote: «We only have one ‘quattro’ pizza on the menu»), but when they realized it wasn’t what we wanted – even though it was our mistake – they happily took the pizza back and quickly put together a four cheese for us.
Thumbs up for the pizza. In the future, we’ll stick to English when we order.

I finally got around to trying Homemade Pizza Company last night and I really enjoyed it! This is the perfect dinner for those of you (like myself) who are super busy and don’t quite know when you are to get around to making/​ordering in dinner. We tried the Miesian, which was highly recommended by Elizabeth N. and other Unilocalers, and it was just as good as they said it would be. My boyfriend loved it as well, but complained it was a little on the salty side. Definitely a little salty, but still really good. I can’t wait to try their salads and other pizzas on the menu.