Aurelio’s the Family Pizzeria

We were just getting ready to go to Aurelio’s for pizza and as normal I call the order in so that it is just about ready when we get there. I was STUNNED… to say the least to see that Aurelio’s had CLOSED!!! WHY??? So I begin to read all the comments on Unilocal to hopefully gain some understanding. Well needless to say, in search for «why did this great pizza place close» I see that many like Aurelio’s and many do not. We are all entitled to our opinion, likes, dislikes… after all, this is America, we have freedom of speech. So here are my two cents:
1. I grew up on the South Side of the Chicago Suburbs. I use to frequent the first original Aurelio’s in Homewood, IL.
2. The pizza is the BEST!!! There are perhaps two other pizza establishments in Chicago that I like, but I must say that Aurelio’s is on the top of my list. Of course, it originated in the «South Chicago Burbs»… Sorry North Side.
3. A person on here from NY did not care for the pizza… blah, blah, blah… Guess what NY… I do not like NY pizza and I do not like that it is cut in pie shapes!!! Chicago pizza is round and cut square… we will not, or prefer not to eat it any other way!!!
4. A bit overpriced for many here in Vegas I read… Well, in Chicago, we pay for quality. So my guess is that you people who griped about the price do not mind the smoke filled casino’s with restaurants that are often found on «Dirty Dining». You truly get what you pay for.
To the Aurelio family… I am extremely sad to see the only part of Vegas that I enjoyed and one that reminded me of home closed. I will see you in Homewood or Frankfort next time I visit!
G

I used a groupon and placed a call in order. Got there and they didn’t put the bread in with the pasta. Waited for that. Then I realized they didn’t put the meatballs in the pasta. Waited again. Finally after 1 hr and 10 minutes it was done. Had my kids with me too. Unacceptable service! This is how restaurants lose customers. They didn’t offer to deduct anything off the bill for screwing up the order either.

The lunch special was a small pizza and salad. The Italian dressing was not good but the pizza was really good. The crust was crispy and the sauce and cheese were tasty.

I have to give it three stars because even though I’ve enjoyed the four times I’ve had their pizza, it isn’t my favorite in town. The few things I really like about Aurelio’s is their crust (not thin, but just right and great flavor), the size of the pies, the square cuts, and the meatballs! The meatball pizza has definitely been my favorite. Order a large or extra large pie for your group and you’ll have some happy and full guests.

Had a pepperoni pie and it was at best mediocre. The crust was terrible and the sauce was bland. I know good pie and this was not it. BTW what is up with the slicing of a pie into little squares? Is that a Chicago thing?

I don’t know where to start! We LOVE the thin crust pizza here! It’s soooo TASTY!
We have been here so many time and would probably come here more often if it was closer to us. We have to drive all the way to Anthem just for this! Ok, maybe not quit that far but close enough!
We tried some other dishes and but the PIZZA stands out! So, if you are ever in the area and craving some good THIN CRUST PIZZA, give Aurelio’s a try!
Note: This is not a chain pizza place so expect to shell out a few more bucks here!

What a great pizza! We had the thick crust pepperoni, sausage and garlic pie with a couple of appetizers. First appetizer was «Bosko sticks», they are cheese filled bread sticks topped with garlic seasoning and served with marinara for dipping. The second appetizer was an order of chicken wings. Every thing was great, pizza was very flavor full with crispy crust. The Bosko sticks were great and the chicken wings were cooked perfectly. If it was closer to my home I would be a regular for sure. I do agree with some on here about the price how ever, 65 bucks for an 18″ pie two orders of the cheese bread sticks and 12 wings!!! OOFFF

So being from the Chicago-​land area I’m quite familar with Aurelios. I actually didn’t realize it was a chain.
To be honest, back home I didn’t eat at Aurelios very much. The pizza was always good but it was super expensive.
Anyways, Aurelios is right across the street from me now, so i go there often. If you know what to order its good. The first time I went there we ordered the stuffed pizza. Bad idea. It was seriously undercooked. Like it should have been in the oven for at least 10 more minutes. The crust was soggy.
The regular crust is a different story. Once I tasted it I was sooo happy. It’s been 8 months since I’ve had decent pizza in this town. Its like Chicago regular crust should be. Quality sauce, good cheese and generous toppings. It’s really good. Here’s the problem. A large 3 toppings delivered was $ 29.00. Thats pretty expensive for a pizza. But out here, theres not any good pizza around. (Amore is so far!) so I guess it’s worth it.
The happy hour is decent too. I will be back, but just because there are no other affordable options. I should have gotten more groupons!!!

I took my family and my brother here on 4÷30÷12 using a Groupon I purchased the same day. It seemed like a good deal. $ 24.00 for a large pizza, 2 aps, and 4 drinks.
The first sign of a less than great experience was getting a flavored iced tea when I ordered iced tea. Iced tea is fine by its self. It doesn’t need extra/​added flavor. I have no problem with offering flavored tea, but you need to have plain brew iced tea as well. Then I asked for a diet Pepsi. What did I get? Regular Pepsi.
The next issue was getting a highchair for my daughter. I asked three times before finally getting it myself.
When we ordered appetizers, they were out of what we wanted. No fried zucchini? Really? The pizza was okay, but nothing special. It was thick crust, half Hawaiian, half peperoni and sausage.
The last straw was when they brought me my check. The Groupon was for a total value of $ 50.40. My TOTAL bill came to 50.00 exactly. What bothered my was they charged me $ 3 for the thick crust even though the total was less than the max allowed under the Groupon deal. Even after asking, they wouldn’t take it off.
Overall, the service left a sour taste in my mouth. The food was just okay. In a town full of crappy pizza, they weren’t able to distinguish themselves with a better product. And even with a Groupon, I don’t feel as though I got a good value.
I won’t be coming back anytime soon, if ever.

So I’ve subtracted a star and if I could give this place zero stars now I would… Come to find out they charged my co-​workers credit card (4) times each totaling $ 150!
Run far, far away :)

I first tried Aurelio’s in Oakbrook, IL many years ago. It was a fine dining experience and the first time I had seen a round pizza cut into squares. It was delicious and left me wondering what was in the water when the made the dough. When one opened up on the Northwest side I took notice and began to frequent the establishment. Tasty pizza cut into squares. Good vibe, good people and good chow.
After moving down into Henderson I attempted on several occasions to replicate the NW side experience but was let down. The Pizza was tasty but the service was horrible. Sit and wait for order, refills, checks all for a long time. I then decided to boycott because of the attitudes directed at the customer.
After my two year hiatus I decided to give it another run with my boy and GF in tow. THe Pizzeria was especially empty for a Sunday night. It appeared that there were only two employees taking care of things. One of them I believe was the bartender. TIme slowed down and things began to repeat themselves. Slow order, slow refills (Had to walk to the counter twice to remind) but when the pie arrived it was tasty.
The check put us over thirty bucks or so which I could give a damn about. I just really would have wanted to kick ass service and to be welcomed as a potential regular. This did not happen and I will not return at this location.

I had been touted to Aurelio’s by more than one person plus reviews on Unilocal,so I had high hopes. Finding a good pizza in Henderson is a challenge especially for a person who knows good NY pizza.
I ordered two small pizza’s to take home. One with mushroom and olives and the other with just peperoni. I felt like the mushrooms were canned and that the pepperoni was tasteless.
I did something I never do, I threw away both pizza after trying slices from each. They were that bad, on the order of the worst cheap chains like Papa Johns. The crust was neither a good thin crust (as they advertise it) nor a thick crust with some flavor.
Needless to say I won’t be going back for pizza, maybe their other entrees are better.

We had our end of the season soccer party at this place. They were so great! The pizza is really good and the staff went above and beyond to handle all the families. Everyone was raving about it and a few of the parents told me that I chose a great place and the pizza was better than they expected — yummy!
I would go there again.

VERY NICE PIZZA
Compared to all the quickie made stuff, the oily stuff, the thin stuff, the pizza here is really great.
1. Parking — Strip Mall, so no issues.
2. Décor — Plenty of tables and area to eat in as you should in a proper pizza place.
3. Service — Very nice. The people here seem to have been here for a while, so they know the drill.
4. Food — Only had the pizzas here. I find this place to be a premium pizza place. The thin crust is very nice, I find the taste just about right for the type of pizza they serve. From take out to dining in, this is a good choice.
5. Price — A bit on the higher side.
6. Parties — If you have team parties, family parties and etc, they have great room to have it and plan it in advance.
In a town full of Little Ceasars, Papa Johns, Pizza Hut and all, you will find this joint a nice change from the run of the mill to more quality.
GK says go for it!

I like Aurelio’s. I am a Grimaldi’s kind of girl, actually, but once in a while I get in a particular Aurelio’s kind of mood. I like the sweet sauce… we always ask for extra. This location is a little more inconsistent than the others in terms of how they distribute toppings, etc… but if I’m in «that mood,» it doesn’t matter anyway. I’ll gladly eat it.
We are originally from St. Louis (where cracker crust pizza reigns supreme), so I was originally pretty unimpressed with their thin crust pizza. It’s not exactly crunchy. However, once I began to appreciate it for what it is rather than what I WISH it was, I found myself really enjoying it. A few months ago, I might have only given it 2 or 3 stars. Aurelio’s has really grown on me!

I’ve never eaten in the restaurant, but I have always ordered from home and then gone to pick-​up my pizza pie. As many have stated before they have issues with ordering over phone, whereas I have never had any problems… So that’s a plus?
I’m going to Chicago soon, and if this is the kind of pizza to expect I might as well find something else to eat! I like the style of thin crust pizza, but its always soggy when I bite in expecting a crunch… The pizza sauce they use here just doesn’t do it for me. Instead of the rich heartiness one can squeeze out of a tomato, I feel like I am on a bridge between entrée and dessert! Keep on mind I am a sweets junkie, so I rarely complain of my food being too sweet. I also feel like the sauce over powers everything, I feel the texture of pepperoni, but where’s the taste?
For now, I’ll stick to New York style pizza;)
Hopefully, the infamous Chicagoan pizza cheers me up and shows my taste buds what I’ve been missing.

This is a review solely of the stuffed pizza, ordered and picked up over the phone. Maybe the thin-​crust is better.
Where to start…
As an ex-​pat Chicagoan, I’ve been eating stuffed pizza from the likes of Eduardo’s, Giordano’s, Lou Malnati’s and other fine non-​chain establishments for most of my adult life. So my expectations for a stuffed pizza are thus: At least two inches high, lots of delicious flaky crust, and a dense, almost torte-​like filling of cheese, sauce and meats. High standards, but I figured Aurelio’s, a venerable South-​side chain, would do it up well.
Mmmmnope. Limp, doughy crust. Mushy, puddle-​like filling. Tiny smear of sauce on the top crust, with a half-​assed toss of mozzarella on one half of the top. It’s like I phoned in the order, and they phoned in the pizza. You want to know what a stuffed pizza is supposed to look like? Go to Giordano’s home page. Aurelio’s stuffed pizza looks more a like a flat calzone with a bit of sauce on top.
Ah, the sauce. I realize that everyone has different tastes — some people like a sweet sauce, and some like a tangy, robust sauce. I’m in the second camp, so the Chef Boy-​yar-​dee sweetness of their sauce didn’t do much for me. If there were other flavors in there besides sweet and tomato, I couldn’t tell.
As my girlfriend shrugged: «Well, there really isn’t such a thing as bad pizza.» True. It wasn’t bad. Neither is Pizza Hut, really. But a two-​star rating according to Unilocal is «meh, I’ve experienced better» and truly I have. For the price, I don’t think I got what I paid for. The free pizza at Bellagio’s employee dining room tastes better.
I was waffling between a 1– and 2-​star rating when I remembered the giardiniera, which is authentic Chicago-​style and tasty as all get-​out. Maybe I’ll try an Italian beef from there sometime, since good giardiniera is almost impossible to find in Vegas.

Caveat: Delivery order, no pizza. I will try again in-​store and see how that goes.
We had the jalapeño poppers which, according to the menu, were stuffed with cream cheese and served with marinara. The lukewarm poppers we received were sparingly filled with cheddar cheese and came without marinara sauce. The upside? Stick them in the oven for a few minutes and they weren’t bad. The peppers were still tender, but (a) they were not as advertised and (b) we shouldn’t have to reheat the just-​cooked food.
The anitpasto salad was as advertised and really tasty. I would have preferred more antipasto, less lettuce, and for the pepperoncini to be whole (I like the bite and the juice of a fresh one!). That said, this was still good with or without the provided house dressing. The shining star of the meal, by far.
The Caesar salad was bland and the croutons — which seemed as if they were from a box of stuffing mix sold for Thanksgiving — were slightly stale. Generous portion, but that was the only plus. Definitely in the «Meh, I’ve experienced better» category.
The iced tea seemed fresh brewed but it was missing the lemon we requested.
Even knowing that delivery changes things a bit, this was too much to just blame it on that. For everything people have said, it could have — and should have — been better (and, in the case of the jalapenos, matched the menu!).

Hot Deeeeezaaaaamn! Where do I start? This place has awesome pizza. Don’t ask me about other food because I have never tried it. Call me old school but I don’t go to a pizzeria looking for anything else.
They have pretty low key bar with a juke box which is perfect for relaxing. They offer Sam Jackson on tap which put this place up to cinco estrellas. They say they have karaōke but I’ve never been there when they do. But the juke box is just fine by my standards. The help at the bar is always fast because this place never really gets crowded. Which is another reason for the top rating. Not that I’m anti social I just like low key places. The happy hour prices are awesome.
Pizza like I said is phenomenal, it is worth they try, My favorite is pepperoni and tomato or a fiesta as they call it. I have never eaten in the restaurant area, but there is always families in there which leads me to believe its pretty decent.

I love this place. It’s unique. It’s not New York thin with little cheese and cut in wedges.
Great sauce, great crust, great sausage, lots of cheese, cut in little squares. Awesome.
Order with extra sauce. Good stuff. You can find cheaper pizza but not much better around here. Yum.