Giordano’s

So I’ve had the food before and it’s amazing and whatever, blah blah blah. But today I stopped in to ask about employment. I’m new in the area and don’t really know where to look for a good team. Unfortunately, they were not hiring, but let me tell you what. These angels sat down with me for, like, a half an hour and listed off every single place they could think of and who to talk to when I got there. They set me up with Facebook groups to help me find a serving job. AND they gave me a glass of water. They are an amazing group of people and ¹⁰⁄₁₀ would work with them.

Had to try this place out right? Well pizza was delicious, service is meh so so. but hey what else can you expect from a place that is packed on a daily basis?

Our first trip to Giordano’s was at a slow time on a Saturday afternoon. Only about half of the restaurant was occupied. The young hostess saw us come in and stared at us. So I said 3 for lunch. She still was gaping but finally said «3»? Then she seated us way in the back. A little off putting because I didn’t know if she was just mentally challenged or if my Down’s brother was her issue. We will go with mentally challenged. Note — my brother is perfectly presentable, well mannered and is loved by the Pizza Luce staff.
We were warned upfront that deep dish takes about 45 minutes so we ordered right away.
Appetizers:
«The Best» Ripe Tomato Bruschetta — excellent
Diced tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil on crispy garlic toasts with balsamic glaze
Fried Mozzarella Cheese — average
Lightly breaded and served with our marinara sauce
For our meal we had the deep dish and my brother had the spaghetti with meat sauce. The spaghetti was very good.
For deep dish we ordered two different halves and they messed it up. My husbands was fine but mine was missing the sausage. And the green peppers were not a good choice as they were wet (for lack of a better term). Crust was very good, sauce was excellent and if they would have made the pizza correctly it probably would have been a lot better.
We had two waitstaff as one was training — both were nice but we didn’t see either after the first piece of pizza until the check was presented.

Ever since I saw the building sign go up, I knew this was a place I needed to eat at ASAP. I’ve been eating Chicago style pizza for as long as I can remember. Having been born in Illinois I like to think I know my stuff when it comes to true deep dish pizza and I was elated to hear it’s expanded to MN.
My boyfriend and I decided to grab dinner here last Saturday. We didn’t make a reservation and I expected we’d have to wait, but we didn’t have any other plans. We arrived around 7:15 and were told it was going to be about a 45 minute wait. They took down our phone number and said they’d text us when a table was ready. It was definitely very busy in there and not a table was empty. We were lucky enough to grab some seats at the bar and ordered a cocktail which we sipped on while we waited. The bartender was very friendly and gave us some menus right away. We opted out of ordering our food at the bar but it’s nice to know that’s an option. We received our text message about 45 minutes later which was just fine. As soon as we sat down our waiter appeared and informed us that the pizzas do take about 40 minutes to cook — definitely a good heads up and something to keep in mind. We ordered the small supreme pizza without mushrooms and a house salad to split. The entrée size of the house salad easily could have fed 3 – 4 people. The dressing was a lemon vinaigrette that was delicious. This was a nice palette cleanser before our pizza arrived. The pizza arrived probably 30 minutes later. It was steaming hot and the crust was golden brown. The waiter served us both our first pieces. It was just as good as I remembered. The cheese was abundant and delicious and the sauce and crust were even better. I barely could finish my second slice and we left with leftovers.
Just an FYI the drinks are pretty pricey. It was nearly $ 20 for two cocktails. Additionally there are only two single stall bathrooms so there’s always a line to use them.
Don’t get me wrong, I still favor Lou Malnati’s but having a taste of my childhood five blocks from my new home is a blessing. Overall satisfied.

First off the food is 5 stars. But the service at this location is more subpar than my grammar. I’ve gone to this location three times, and two of the three times the staff forgot to enter a whole pizza. A PIZZA! Perhaps a pen and paper or work, or since we’re in uptown an iPad of some sort might help.
I love Giordano’s. I used to fly to Chicago just to go to Giordano’s with my miles just for the pizza. So imagine my excitement when I learn Giordano’s is coming to my city, I was ecstatic, I was borderline more excited than the birth of one of my children. But to my heart’s ache I’m stuck with subpar service at my favorite pizza place AND an idiot of a son.

Normally I would tell you I do not like Chicago style pizza, but this time, I will not.
It was my buddies birthday and we came here with the gals to celebrate with a pie. Knowing that it can take a little while to make pizza’s this thick, we had the girls head over there a little early to get a seat and place our order as we were finishing up our softball game. Our timing couldn’t have been more perfect, the pizza arrived at our table just as we were walking in!
We got the pepperoni, garlic, and spinach pizza and it was superb! It wasn’t as thick as I remembered Chicago style pizza always being (which is a good thing if you ask me) and the crust was perfectly cooked, light and crispy.
They have a nice selection of beers and made a solid Manhattan. Plenty of TV’s to watch, so we had a playoff hockey game, playoff basketball game, and the Twins game on.
It came up that it was my buddies birthday and the server wished him a happy birthday and when the bill came his drink wasn’t on it, so that was an awesome bonus!
I would definitely recommend this place and I am excited to go back and try one of their other crust styles and watch another game!

Had lunch here. Their personal sized stuffed Chicago pie is the way to go. Arrived just as they had finished the first batch, so it was piping hot and perfect, without and wait. Sauce –perfect. Cheese, plentiful and yummy. Wait staff-​awesome. Hit the spot, and very pleasantly pleased with service. Thanks you! Will be back with husband in tow!

Pizza is a glorious thing and it comes in many glorious forms. Chicago-​style pizza is great, and outside of Chicago, here in Minneapolis, it can be hard to find a good version… until now!
For Chicago-​style pizza here in MN I know of no adequate substitute. The Chicago Classic is my go-​to; well seasoned, good cheese, good sauce, good crust.
Lost one star for cocktails being ok but not great… but let’s be honest… you don’t go to a pizza place for cocktails.
Yum Yum Yum.

Best stuff deep dish ever. Giordano’s has always been my favorite and we are so thankful they have come to MN. The Bruschetta without the fresh mozzarella is our favorite appetizer. The only thing I would change is if they would be a little heavier with the sauce. It’s a little on side for my liking.

FINALLY! There are so many things I can say finally to in regards to Giordano’s Minneapolis. There is FINALLY one up here, there is FINALLY great pizza up here, and I FINALLY got a table without the hectic wait!
As a transplant from Chicago, I have been on the hunt for good pizza up here and have been praying to every God possible to finally place one in Minnesota. Giordano’s isn’t my favorite pizza place even when I am home visiting and it wasn’t as delish up here due to the pizza being watery and the salad being over dressed but my excitement over rides my biased feelings. Don’t get me wrong, Giordano’s is good quality pizza AND it’s authentic Chicago style pizza. That’s all I’m asking for so thank the Lords!!!
I am so grateful I didn’t have to wait in the craziness like I have been reading on these reviews. I noticed that as we were leaving, the line was out the door so they’re definitely doing something right.

While the Twin Cities are great pizza towns, deep-​dish pizza has always been a bit underrepresented here, so Giordano’s is a nice addition.
Skip the appetizers – they don’t make much of an impression. The toasted beef ravioli doesn’t have much flavor and is somewhat messy to eat. The cheese bread is, well, cheese bread. The fries aren’t bad, but do you want to eat fries before you have pizza? (And if you do, what are you, 12?)
The deep dish pizza is pretty good. (We’ve had Chicago-​style pizza in Chicago, but not at a Giordano’s, so I have no idea if the pizza here is a good representation of their brand.) We found spinach and garlic to be a particularly good combination for the build-​your-​own options. I’d still probably favor Mozza Mia over Giordano’s if in the mood for a deep-​dish pizza, but it’s nice to have options.
The thin-​crust pizza is good but not really anything to write home about.
One other thing about Giordano’s deep dish: You know how when eating deep dish pizza you can eat a couple of slices, then eat a third, and then realize you’ve made a horrible mistake as the cheese and dough expands in your stomach? Yeah, that doesn’t seem to happen with Giordano’s for some reason. Not sure if that’s a feature or a defect.
We’re not raving about Giordano’s, but we’ll definitely be going back.

This was my first experience having deep dish pizza. I didn’t know what to expect but whoa. This place has some bomb pizza. It was the best pizza I have ever had and made the 45 minute wait to get a table worth it. Even with how busy it was our waitress waited on us in a timely manner and got our drinks refilled when needed. I am already daydreaming of my next trip here for some delicious pie.

Waited out the initial craze of the new opening and glad we waited.
I am giving this 4 stars instead of 3 only because it is so much better of a deep-​dish pizza I have had in MN. Now if I was in Chicago I would go to Ginos East and I do think that is a better pie but for MN this is the best I have had. The crust is good, not to heavy and not to greasy. Fillings were good and they had a decent selection of beers on tap, local which is nice.
My only real complaint would be the wait for a table. Wasn’t that busy and we were waiting for a table in the bar area, a high-​top. The waitress was very busy and the door people were waiting for the table to get cleared. There was about 5 managers all walking around looking important but not doing anything useful. My comment was «trade in a couple of managers for a waitress and two or three bus-​people and the experience would be much better». No one listened so I bussed the table myself with the help of the waitress. Great management, the downfall of many places!
KT

We went for lunch on a Monday afternoon and had the entire bar area to ourselves. I had the pizza+salad combo, my partner had pizza+soup combo and the bill was under $ 22! I’ve been to a Giordano’s in Chicago and the presentation and flavor of the food was identical. Our waiter was more than pleasant as well.
Best part besides the food was they were piping 90’s pandora through the speakers. Brought me back to the olden days!

Delivery Review!
We have been wanting to try Giordanos but dreaded waiting a long time for a pizza with our 18 month old. So delivery is the next best option right? I get that this is deep dish and it takes longer to make, but does it take 90 minutes? If it was the best pizza ever maybe I’d be cool waiting that long but thats just not the case. Its good. Its better than a lot of deep dish. Its just not 90 minutes and $ 30 for a medium good. Also why does the Chicago one taste so much better???

I just regained the strength in my body to hold up the weight of my pizza-​belly from last night. Giordano’s left me so happy and dense.
I lived in Chicago, and though I am a Lou Malnati’s girl, I was happy to see some Chicago-​ness come to the Twin Cities. Chicago cheese on cheese on cheese? I’ll take it. My group of 7 came here at 5pm on a Thursday night. I had warned everyone that it would probably be an hour wait and that the place is insanely busy all the time. But miraculously, we got there and were seated right away, and the place was not busy at all, actually. I even found and spotted more free street parking spots out front.
Happy Hour was going on until 6pm so we got some beer specials. We ordered the buffalo wings, garlic fries, Chicago classic pizza, and sausage+pepper pizza. I think we did pretty damn good picking out the apps — both were a hit and catalysts to a drool-​filled mouth. The wings were crispy and drenched in tangy hot sauce. I cannot say how long we waited for the pizza, because I was hashtag blessed to be surrounded by some hilarious friends who make me lose track of time (I want to say it took almost an hour). But when it finally arrived, we went nuts stretching the cheese all over the place and digging in like beasts. Both pizzas were very much enjoyed, but you have to eat them quickly before the cheese congeals. Once that happens, I don’t find it appetizing anymore. Our server was DA MAN and handled our annoying selves and check-​splitting situation like a champ.
If you decide to come here, be prepared to commit your time and girth, as our whole service took about 3 hrs.

Well, here’s what I have to say about this: It was OK. It was not worth the wait. I might be biased.
Full disclosure: When my Chicago native husband and I think Chicago deep dish pizza, we think Lou Malnati’s. And we hands-​down think it’s the best. Still, when in Rome… or, more accurately, when in a state that has no Lou Malnati’s locations…
As many have mentioned, the wait times here are atrocious. We tried once and were told three hours. Sorry, but there are very few things worth a three-​hour wait to me. We tried again on Labor Day weekend and were told a much more «reasonable» hour and 45 minutes. Ha. But we had nothing better to do, so why not. I have to say, the front desk staff is not very friendly and kind of give off a «we are so damn busy that we could give a rat’s ass whether you actually decide to wait for a table or not» vibe. So we made our way over to the ridiculously small bar to see if we could at least drink a beverage or two while waiting. There are literally about a dozen stools at the bar, and no real room to stand around because there are actual high-​top tables right next to the bar. We wound up squished in next to the window for awhile until stools opened up for us. Not very comfortable or inviting, I have to say.
The 1:45 wait time estimate was almost dead on, and we were finally seated. I have to say (this is where I sound like an old lady), after sitting on a hard metal bar stool for an hour and a half, I was less than delighted to be seated at a table with the same bar stools. By the time our meal was over, my back was screaming at me.
On the plus side, our waiter, Jeffrey, was super great. Very attentive, full of information, etc. We ordered the calamari appetizer, which was fairly standard with the notable exception of the thin lemon slices and cherry peppers that were thrown into the batter and fryer with the calamari. Jeffrey told us upon delivering the dish that we had to try them and he was SO right. Yummy. We got a deep dish pizza, which was just way too thick and gloppy for my liking. This is going to sound odd, but it was like unbalanced — I prefer Lou Malnati’s better. Even though it’s not four inches high, I think the crust is better, the balance is better, the tomato sauce is better. I don’t know. Personal preferene I guess. But despite giving it a shot, I was not really very impressed with Giordanos. The friends we were with ordered the thin crust pizza, which looked more appealing to me. But I did not get any so can’t say how it was. I also ordered an Italian beef just because I can’t help myself. It was ok. the bread was good, the beef was flavorful. I asked if it could be dipped and Jeffrey told me sure, but it came to the table not dipped and with the smallest cup of au jus ever. I will say that the au jus was SUPER flavorful as well. I also think I got hot peppers (which were kind of sad and dehydrated looking in a cup) instead of the sweet peppers I asked for. The fact that I actually could not tell does not impart confidence. Kind of meh on the sandwich. Obviously, we had no room for dessert and took a good amount of food home with us.
Overall, I guess I’d say it was fine but overpriced. The four of us dropped like $ 60 at the bar before dinner and another I don’t even know — maybe $ 80 for dinner. I don’t like almost doubling my tab just because I’m waiting around for two hours drinking average beer. A four-​hour oddessy that was just not really that worth it all told. I doubt we’ll be back soon. It is actually cheaper to order the shipped-​on-​dry-​ice Lou Malnati’s than eat here. I think that’s what we’ll do next time.
But, to end on a high note, I was there at the same time as John O., so that at least made it worth the trip :-) (Happy birthday, John!)

Welcome to MN!
Pretty, pretty good pizza
Get more shitters, please.
I don’t get to Chicago all that often, but Girodano’s is the place that my Dad always brought me to as a kid growing up when we would visit Chicago so I have very fond memories of it and have been super excited that they are opening up a location in Minneapolis. I have no problem with restaurants opening locations in other cities. Who wouldn’t love to get some Arthur Bryant’s BBQ or Peter Luger steak without having to leave the Twin Cities?
On my most recent trips to Chicago, I tried the competition — Lou Malnati’s and Geno’s East. I know everyone is crazy about Lou Malnati’s. What I remember thinking was this deep dish is not very deep. Geno’s East was not bad, but I was still longing for the deep dish I was treated to as a youngster.
Girodano’s is still my favorite of the three, but it was not as mind blowing for me as it was when I was a kid. I’m sure nothing has changed, other than my tastes. Super cheesy and super filling. I thought I walked in with an appetite, but finishing my third piece last night was a struggle. The french fries are the value pick on the appetizer menu at four bucks, but they were nothing special at all. Very thin and small portion size.
As other reviews have said, be prepared to wait. We were told it would be a 45 minute wait for a table, but it was only like 20. Once seated we were told it would be a 45 minute wait for food and it was probably closer to an hour. If people are waiting this long, it must be because the food is pretty good… and it is.
My one major gripe about the place is two unisex toilets are all that they got going on there. This seems like really poor planning. I’m OK with waiting for a table and waiting for my food, but when Hammer has to go Hammer has to go. Screw this five minute wait to take a leak jazz. McDonald’s does a better job with their restroom situation.

I am from Chicago and fortunately Giordano’s just opened up last week. I am literally eating it right now. If anybody in Minneapolis. Minneapolis had any good pizza, anywhere, you were wrong. Minneapolis is stepping up!
If you want to eat what people who visit Chicago eat, have the deep dish. If you want to eat what the locals from Chicago are raised on, have a thin crust sausage and green pepper and you won’t be disappointed.

We knew it was going to be busy with all the chatter and buzz surrounding he opening of this beloved pizza place, but decided to try it over the lunch hour thinking it would not be so crazy.
Wrong.
Instead of dining in we thought about just getting it to go. Tried to order on line. No luck– that option must not be working. Tried to call in. No luck– automatic hold with a path straight to voice mail. I’m sure the opening is overwhelming and people especially the Chicagoans who love their pizza are swarming. My husband is not exception. As a Chicagoland native he has missed his deep dish dough fest.
He arrived with our little one in tow to an 1.5 hour wait. Ordered an antipasti salad to go and a got a frozen pizza. The pizza would have taken a really long time as it says it will in the menu, but it must be taking longer with all the people.
The GM was making the rounds and was more than accommodating and really doing his best to make things pleasant for the visitor and went out of his way to make my husbands first visit pleasant.
Antipasti salad is good. Nice size, slices of salami, kalamata olives, cheese etc and a nice zingy dressing.
Pizza– well I am not a fan of deep dish or red sauce caked on, but this experience was more for my husband who loves it.
We will most likely return when the overwhelming popularity dies down a bit.
Welcome to Minneapolis.