Pizza Barra

I really hated this place because they did not let me sit outside. When I requested specifically to sit outside but then when I arrived I was dumbfounded to find that they wouldn’t let me sit outside. When I looked outside I saw that the outside area was open! Unbelievable, I don’t understand why they would do this to me. The food was pretty good though.

Worst. Service. Ever. From start to finish, the service was so bad it was comical. Arrival: 4 adults, 7:45 reservation, on-​time arrival, beautiful night out, outdoor seating requested. Hostess: «Do you still want an outdoor table?» Me: «Yes.» Hostess: «That will be an hour wait.» Me: «We have a reservation. What are our options?» Hostess: «We have a table ready for you inside. We can move you outside when a table opens up in an hour.» Me: «Ok.» The host stand then proceeds to ignore us for the next 10 minutes despite no other parties waiting. They finally seat us inside without acknowledging the delay. As they seat us, I remind them we would like to be moved outside as soon as something opens up.
After they finally seat us, our waiter comes over, and I let him know we would like to be seated outside as soon as a table opens up. He tells us about the pasta special, a tortellini with chicken. I ask if it can be served without chicken as one of our party is vegetarian. The waiter is unsure. Here is a partial list of other things the waiter doesn’t know and doesn’t find out for us: what is the bruschetta of the day, anything about the preparation of any of the verdure (vegetable antipasti), the preparation of and accompaniments for the Whole Roasted Red Snapper Livornese, what the «meatball pie» is.
Example 1: Me: «What is the bruschetta of the day?» Waiter: «I missed the tasting session today, so I’m not sure.» Me: «Uh, ok.»
Example 2: Me: «Can you tell me what the whole red snapper is served with?» Waiter: «I have never seen it before, so I don’t know.» Me: «So should I order something else?» Waiter: «Yes.»
Example 3: Wife: «I’ll have a small deep dish meatball pie***.» Waiter: «You want a deep dish pizza with meat balls?» Wife: «The deep dish pizza on the menu called ‘Meat Ball Pie.’» Waiter: «Show me which one.» Wife [pointing]: «The one right there.» Waiter: «Okay. Do you want 14-​inch, 12-​inch, or 10-​inch?» Wife: «The small one.» Waiter: «So, the 10-​inch?» Wife: «Yes. That is the smallest one.»
*** SIDE NOTE: The menu has only five deep dish pizza offerings, each with a specific name. One of them is called «Meat Ball Pie.» There are three sizes. Seems just about as straightforward as it could be.
We remind the waiter we would like to be seated outside as soon as a table opens up and ask him to check periodically. No further word from the waiter on this until we remind him an hour after we arrived. (In the meantime, we have seen two other tables move outside.) We ask him how much longer the wait will be, and he tells us «it will be about an hour.» I remind him that is what they told us an hour ago. No other word about this from anyone at the restaurant.
About 20 minutes after we are seated, the waiter takes our antipasti order. The food arrives with reasonable promptness. As the server is sitting plates on the table, he bangs down the marinara sauce so it splashes all over the table and splatters the white shirt of one of our party. The server doesn’t notice. By the time we figure out what happened, he is gone. When the waiter returns, we tell him what happened and ask for club soda. The waiter doesn’t apologize, but disappears and returns with club soda — and black paper napkins. Seriously? Black paper napkins to rub onto a white shirt? Still no apologies or any offer to make anything right. Ever.
About 10 – 15 minutes after we are done with our antipasti, we finally get our waiter’s attention so we can place our dinner order. This is about an hour or so after we are seated. When the waiter can tell me nothing about the red snapper and doesn’t offer to check, I order the I order the Paccheri with clams. The other three members of the party order pizza.
Our party is now sitting at an empty table chatting away. About 20 minutes later (around 9:00 or 9:05), a server comes over and plops the Paccheri with clams down onto the table. No explanation. No comment about the other orders. No offer of parmesan or pepper. After about 10 minutes, we are able to flag down the waiter to see when the pizzas might arrive and find out whether I can get some parmesan. He doesn’t seem to know how long the pizzas will be. Rather than entrust the waiter with my dinner to take it back to the warmer, I decide to go ahead and eat it. But no bowl for the clam shells. I steal a plate from a neighboring table. The food is fine, but certainly not memorable. I am done eating around 9:20 or so. The pizzas finally arrive 20 minutes later — 40 minutes after my dinner was served.
No apologies, nothing taken off the bill, no acknowledgment that they never got us outside, bland meatballs, average food. One star. At best.

Me and my family LOVE the deep dish pizza here. The fried zucchini had good favors but was way to salty. we sat down and ate there the 1^st time we went. We didn’t like the atmosphere and the tables are small, which made use fell acquired when eating. And it was way to loud in there.
I am 29 years old and I know how to have a go time but the volume in there was on a whole nother level. We couldn’t really here each other talking, it was just a lot of back in forth screaming. But the Deep dish pizza is soooo good we order it to go and enjoy in the comforts of our home.
He said he wants Pizza Barra for Fathers Day! lol

I want to like this place, I really do.
But, I do not. It has a great location, beautiful interior, and a covered patio overlooking a pond.
The problem is pizza, service, and common sense.
There are an indoor and out door bar; my friend asked me, «Why does it take a half hour to get a beer?»
We ordered a 10″ pizza, too much sauce and when the host brought the thin crust it looked like char coal. The kicker was no napkins.
This place could be something special. It starts with customer service and attention to detail.
On my previous visit on a busy Friday evening; the Italian beef pizza was and service were both good. I hope this place gets straightened out.

Last Saturday, we returned to Pizza Barra and I must say that the Russo sausage pan pizza is very good. The only thing I would address is that the sausage needs to be a bit more flavorful.

Bf and I decided to check this place out since it is 5 minutes away from where we live. It was a Saturday evening around 8PM and it was gorgeous outside. When we arrived there was a wait, however, we asked the hostess if we could see if there were any seats available at the bar and we told her it was our first time here. She immediately told us to go check it out since they have 2 bars and an outdoor patio.
We decided to sit at the bar on their outdoor patio. We ordered a beer and a mule. Which took about 5 minutes to get. Granted, I got my beer first and my bf had to wait another 5 minutes to get his mule. Being a bartender myself, I can understand when the patio is busy including the bar, your drinks can take a little bit to make. However, it just seemed like the bartender had forgotten about my bf’s drink…
The bar outside can seat about 10 people and there were 8 sitting there. Bf & I wanted some apps but we didn’t get serviced from the bartender for about 20ish minutes after we had received our drinks. So by the time the bartender asked if we needed anything, we ordered our apps and dinner right away.
We ordered one of their meat apps and eggplant with mozz. Both were yummy. When the pizza arrived I wasn’t impressed. I didn’t really care for their sauce that they use or how much cheese they put on the pizza (the don’t put that much cheese on their pizza, some spots on the pizza weren’t covered by cheese, kind of like a flatbread style almost) the bf and I actually prefer Aurellios pizza way better!
After finally checking out this place, we most likely wont be back…

We have been there twice. The first time we sat at the Bar. We got there kind of late, maybe 9PM (after a movie across the street) and it took a while for the Bartenders to decide it they wanted to wait on us. I explained it was our first time there and before I could ask what they recommend she said, well here are the menus, let me know if you have questions. When she came back to see what we wanted we were asking about the deep dish pizza, they made a huge effort to try to talk us into the thin crust. It seemed strange so I asked if they were closing??? We ordered the grilled Cesar Salad and a Pizza Bara Supreme Pizza.
The Salad was horrible. I have had Grilled Cesar Salads before and in fact even make them at home, this was the «very middle» of the romaine heart, this thing could not have been more than an inch in diameter and it was sooo soaked in dressing that it was completely limp. There were three pieces on the plate and where about as crisp as a cooked noodle. I asked if this was normal and they said yes.
The pizza arrived after about an hour and it was good, basically the pizza recipe if a knock off from Pequod’s Pizza in Chicago. Kind of a cornmeal crunchy crust (not doughy) and they let the cheese and sauce run over the side of the crust and caramelize on the top. The pizza was very juicy (more tomatoes than sauce) We really liked the pizza so we thought we would let the iffy service go and give it another try.
The next time we came back we with a larger group. There were three adults and three children. We ordered Calamari (very small pieces mostly breading) and asked if we could get a regular Cesar Salad (not grilled). The brought out a big bowl of sliced romaine lettuce with almost no dressing. We ordered three deep dish pizzas. It took a little over an hour to see the pizzas come up and we could see the waitress just staring at them in the window by the kitchen. We had a good view of the kitchen as they sat us at the first table in the dining area, right by the Bus Area and the Bathrooms, so we saw when the waitress called over a manager to decide if they should serve our pizzas. They brought them over and sure enough, they were burnt, not caramelized burnt. We had to accept the pizzas because it was late, we had been waiting for an hour and we had three hungry 9 and 10 years old kids to feed. It would have been ok it is was just a little extra burnt around the edge of the crust, but because the pizza was overcooked it was really dry.
After we paid the bill and were walking out, we asked the waitress why they served those pizzas, she said it was the managers decision. (this is why after dropping off the pizzas we never saw her again, someone else brought the check and we had to ask bus people for refills on drinks) When we asked the manager for some consideration, maybe a coupon to come back, and he actually said…“We get complaints about the pizza being burnt all the time, this is how they are supposed to be cooked”.
We won’t be back!!! We have had similar experiences at their sister restaurant — Labriola Café. They are both Beautiful Restaurants with really bad execution.

My Fiancé and I came here last night for a date night. I had made a reservation earlier that week and since the weather was supposed to be gorgeous I requested an outdoors table.
When we arrived the hostess asked me if I was still interested in sitting outside. I said yes and she informed me that they don’t reserve outdoor seating and the wait would be maybe 45 mins. To me this was totally understandable, see as those tables were in high demand giving them on a first come first serve basis. I was fine with it until while we were having dinner and noticed that quite a few parties had left and as soon as they did, the staff cleaned off the tables and placed a reserved sign on them… REALLY?!? Two tables were filled rather quickly but one remained empty for more than 20 minutes! Prior to the tables being filled my fiancé had asked the server if we could move outside to one of the empty tables. She said that she would check on it. When she came back she said the manager would come out and speak with us. He came out and kindly brought us our appetizer and that was it. He didn’t say anything to us other than apologize our food was taking a while and then made small talk with a couple neighboring tables. I guess maybe since we weren’t super important or spending more than 80 bucks?
The only thing that saves this place is the food. We had the bruschetta which was ok. Im not a big fan of goat cheese but that was just my bad. The spicy salami artisan pizza which was amazing. The ingredients were fresh and tasted amazing and the crust was perfect. My fiancé had a seafood pasta dish which he devoured.
Overall the food was great but the service was pretty bad with the exception of our waitress who was attentive and super nice. I would only go back to get take out after this experience.

I really wanted to love this place since they have a great patio and cool décor but with all the pizza competition in and around Chicago, pizza barra just came up short. I’ll start with the pros, the drinks were great but took kind of a while to get. Again the patio is beautiful and the bar has a really cool vibe. Atmosphere and crowd was very mixed but we went for an early dinner on Saturday so I’m assuming that’s why. Service was okay, nothing I would go crazy over but then again not terrible either.
As for the cons, our table was uneven which is my biggest pet peeve. The table wasn’t set and we had to request plates, ect. We started with Bruschetta and it was good but a little bland. Then we had pizza which just didn’t amaze me to be honest. Since I live closer to the city I’m used to some seriously amazing pizza, this place just couldn’t compete. Thin crust was pretty boring and so thin that the toppings just poured off.
At the end of our meal our server gave us coupons I think because we sat on the patio and they never turned the heat on (it was pretty chilly) so that was nice. We will most likely come back just to the bar for drinks and appetizers.

Service is the worst!!! In an area with many options, they will have to make customer service corrections… otherwise they won’t last! Pizza was decent; ordered Chicago Pan Pizza ½ Italian sausage for my boyfriend and my half with giardinara. We won’t be back unless we order the pizza to go well in advance.

Great food! Cool atmosphere and reasonable prices. Pizza is awesome.
Nice change of pace for Italian food.

Great atmosphere… there was a man singing live so the entertainment was fun. the pizza was really good as well. We had the pan pizza… Big enough to share between two people.

My wife and I have been going to Labriola in Oak Brook since they opened. The food is awesome.
They now have a new restaurant a few doors down called Pizza Barra. We ALL have had tried different pizza places I am sure.
I must say this Pizza Barra has to be our favorite. This place is the real deal! On top of the food being so good. Manager Samantha runs this place like a 5 STAR RESTAURANT. The service was second to none. I always say the staff is as good as good as the management.
Great Job Samantha and staff!!!

Why did I wait so long to come here!!!
Went on Saturday evening around 7:30 and we got sat in the dining room area. When I first sat down, before even trying anything, I said, I can’t wait to come back here. Our waitress is great, she went over the specials and the menu and really explained some great options.
We ordered the Rigatoni Pasta to share and it was amazing! Delicious and great for sharing. We also wanted to compare the pan pizza to our favorite local place in Oakbrook Terrace and we were really impressed on how good the pizza was. It was loaded with tomatoes, but they tasted great on the pan pizza. The crust was thicker but very crunchy and full of flavor.
I cannot wait to go back and try out some appetizers and some of the veggies options that they have on their menu. I ordered to drink the Moscow Mule and it was very delicious!
I took some coupons walking out for grub hub, as well as 20% entire purchase if dining before 3pm. This place is awesome and I really cannot wait to return.

My friends and I had a fun experience here last Saturday for our Galentine’s Night Out! I had made a reservation over a month ago and we were seated right away. My only real issue is that our server, while super friendly, was very overwhelmed which caused him to be somewhat slow. Also, we were all in agreement that they should have bread on the table, but alas, they did not.
Pretty much everyone I was with ordered their own 10 inch pizza since everyone wanted their own thing. Even being the smallest pizza, they were pretty big and most people didn’t finish. My one friend got pasta and liked it but thought the prosciutto made it a bit salty. 2 of our party had the tomato bread soup and loved it, but beware, the portion is quite large!
I had wanted to try a few different things so I skipped the pizza. I had their vegetable tray with the brussel sprouts, cauliflower and artichokes. Some were served hot while one was served cold which was a strange choice. The portions were bigger than I thought and I couldn’t finish. I also had the arugula and cheese salad, which was really good but it almost had TOO much arugula. Maybe add another type of lettuce or some veggies in there.
The highlight for me was their bruschetta of the day. I love bruschetta and always order it and on Saturday it was burrata, pesto, peppers and FRIED CAPERS. I am obsessed with capers and never knew such a thing existed. My friend and I shared this as it was 2 large pieces, but I could have eaten it all myself. The capers were the perfect addition!
My friends liked their drinks. They gave my one friend an option to «upgrade» her glass of wine which brought it to a hefty $ 17 per glass. They let my other friend try samples of beer before she ordered which was nice too and they split the checks for us. Our waiter seemed hesitant when I asked because he had gone through his schpiel about it being a shared plates place, but we knew we weren’t sharing to a split check was best.
By the time we left, the place was packed. They do offer $ 5 valet but we parked ourselves. I can’t wait to go back in the summer and eat on their gorgeous patio!

I was fortunate enough to try a wide variety of food from this restaurant. I attended a private event.
The restaurant was very clean and tidy! The waiters were kind and attentive.
Surprisingly pizza wasn’t the best. Their chicken and salmon were favorites of everyone at my table.

I went here on a Monday around lunch time with my dad. We were seated right away and the server was quick to greet our table. He was knowledgeable about the menu and gave us his recommendations. Since it wasn’t very crowded at that time, he recommended getting the pizzas which he mentioned would take 15 to 20 minutes to cook. I decided to go with the Garganelli pasta and my dad decided to order the Pizza Barra Supreme thin crust.
The service was great, the waiter kept asking if we wanted our waters refilled even though the glasses were full. The pizza was done within 20 to 30 minutes and came out first. My Garganelli pasta came out 5 minutes after the pizza. I am giving 3 stars because the food wasn’t up to my expectations. The pasta was disappointing. It wasn’t cooked enough and it felt chewy and hard. The sauce wasn’t memorable and I’ve had better pasta elsewhere. My dad’s supreme pizza was good except the pizza was so thin that the toppings kept falling off and it just made it super messy to eat. I have had better pizza at other places such as Pizzeria Uno in Chicago or Schaumburg which are worth the drive. Is it worth $ 30 for a 16″ thin crust pizza? No because I can go to Giordano’s in Oak Brook to get a deep dish for the same price. I just wish the pasta tasted better and that the pizza crust would be thicker then I would come back and try their food again.

So for the most part, we enjoyed the food. Our appetizers were good — many unique choices as well as small plate offerings. Our party of four also ordered a pizza, which was well-​made and flavorful. We were definitely satisfied with the food, as well as the many drink options.
Where I dock this place a few stars is the service. Our waitress was inattentive throughout the evening. It took forever to even get a server to take our drink order. Then we wondered if she was ever going to return for our food order. We had to track her down for water refills, and we all probably would’ve ordered another round of drinks as well as dessert if she ever came back. After waiting and waiting and waiting (and watching the clock tick), we decided it was time to go and requested our check when we finally spotted our waitress in the vicinity. Oh well… their loss.

The menu at this place is incredibly deceptive. We ordered a 12″ deep dish with one topping. The menu states the price to be under $ 15 total. The bill came at $ 20 for the pizza. We were told afterwards that there is an up charge for deep dish even though the menu doesn’t state it and the server never said a word about it. The manager basically said «Sorry your server failed to tell you».
On top of that, the pizza was mediocre at best. The crust was very thin at spots and thicker in others. We tried it but are not going back and would not recommend it to anyone. This is another example of why I should pay closer attention to Unilocal reviews.

It’s a newer restaurant opened by Labriola. It’s in the same shopping center. We have stopped in here before for a company outing — but more recently for a simple lunch with a couple buddies. The pizza is fantastic. Everything is from scratch — so its about 20 minutes for a regular pie and a full 40+ for their version of the stuffed pizza (not sure what they call it). We got the regular pizza — but I’m already looking forward to trying their stuffed pie.
The only recommendation is to call ahead if you’re in a hurry and you want to have the stuffed pizza.