Went there tonight to eat dinner because we love the pizza. We were informed it would be a 15 to 20 minute wait. Ok. They informed us they were short staffed with only 2 servers. Ok........ well we had a special needs child with us and a 7 month old baby. So we asked if we could just get seated at the table and go get our own drinks from the bar while we wait. She said well the bar is backed up too. It was quite clear they did not want our business. I will never go back again. It is a shame as we have given them a lot of our hard earned money. So we went to halftimes in johnsburg and had an amazing dinner. read more

Aweful sat right in front of the whole staff standing around as they sat 4 tables and served them drinks before I walked out with my kids 20 minutes no service I hope their business fails read more

Had such a taste for good pizza so decided on Buddyz. Waited forever for pizzas to come out. The waitress even came by the table and said she was sorry for how long it was taking that the kitchen was very backed up. So we waited, and waited. Finally our two pizzas arrived. At the best they were lukewarm. How in the heck does that happen? Not at all pleased. Had one piece each and put the rest in a box. The waitress asked us if the manager had come by to see us about our pizzas and he had not. So we waited some more to see if he would show. The manager never showed. The waitress came back and said the manager gave us $20 off the bill. That's all well and good but extremely disappointing when you wait so long for dinner, and you really can't eat it because it's just warm. Don't think I will be going back. read more

*sigh* Oh Buddy'z. I wanted to see if this place could hold up to the deep dish greats of the Chicagoland area (Lou's, Georgios, Unos..), I gave it my best community college try and was left sorely dissapointed. The restaurant has an open suite feel- not very cozy, no music. Maybe it's the lighting? Lack of seperation in the restaurant? The tables, chairs, and plastic special holders were all slightly sticky. The appetizers were sub par- the ceaser dressing on the salad we ordered was non existent, and the cheesy bread was simply sliced italian bread with huge slices of mozzerella cheese melted on top. We ordered a 14" Mag Mile deep dish- a word of warning to those who don't read carefully- it says on the menu that a 14" deep dish is $19- however, if you keep digging, each topping from the specialty selection will run you $1.75. So our $19 pizza turned into a $25 pizza. The pizza arrived and looked fairly impressive and generously topped. The green peppers, however, were sliced so big I was practically choking on them (they weren't that soft), the sausage tasted so cheap and low quality I had to pick it off the pizza. As a pizza lover who has NEVER picked toppings off a pizza, I felt embarassed having to pass my pickings to my husband. The only redeeming quality to the pizza was the crust, very crispy and buttery throughout, very tasty- but the $55 bill at the end of the meal pretty much killed that for me as well. There are deep dish restaurants in McHenry County that do this sort of thing FAR better (see above) and while you'll pay around the same amount, the food is much better quality. Next time I'm craving some sausage deep dish, I'll definetely be driving the extra few miles to visit a place that can do it better- but if you do decide to give Buddy'z a try- for Gods sake- FIND COUPONS. *UPDATE*- and apparently, the folks at Buddyz can't take criticism either. I updated to say that a 'Josh C' (now Ryan H.) ,who is apparently affliated with Buddyz, harrassed me with child like messages on Yelp after I posted my review- and it was removed for 'Terms of Service'. Yah. Ok. Just a word to the management at Buddyz that this sort of behavior isn't helping your case at all. read more

We order the thin crust pizza with sausage and pepperoni. Not much sausage on it. Had no flavor to it. Had to keep getting the waitress attention for more water. Won't be back. read more

I have had 3 experiences with Buddyz. The 1st time there on a Saturday,there were 5 of us, 2 adults & 3 teens and it cost us $90! That includes pop, one appetizer and 2 drinks. The pizza was very good and our server was attentive, not too long of a wait, 20 min. Our second visit, on a Friday night, we had 4 in our party, 2 adults & 2 teens. This visit was horrible! We waited over an hour with other guests that waited just as long, however these people that had come shortly before us were comped drinks while waiting and we were offered nothing! Now I'm not looking for a free handout but my money is as good as anyone else's and my time is just as important! We were finally seated, ordered water, 2 pizzas and our bill was $50! Service was just ok. Our third visit was for carry out on Saturday night. We ordered 2 16" pizzas, pretty normal, sausage/mushroom & bacon/pineapple, I suppose I should mention ALL pizzas were thin crust, it cost us $45 for carry out! We were told it would be 25 min and had to wait 15 min more. This round of pizzas tasted like they had been sitting around. We love a good pizza but at what cost! If you don't mind waiting and money is no object then this is the place for you! There are plenty of pizza places in the area that are comparable in quality at better pricing. I also agree with other reviews that it is loud inside and the counter is like gossip station, very unprofessional. read more

wish i could give this place two and a half stars because i'm honestly torn. pros- great, wonderful, stupendous deep dish pizza. we got roast beef, tomato, garlic, spinach, and fresh mozzarella last night, well done, and it knocked my socks off, hard. the beer list is respectable and they have Root Beer Beer on tap, maybe the best ever conceived alcoholic beverage. it's a must try. this is shallow and probably not something that most care about, but the hostesses and waitresses are generally knockouts. sorry, i'm a young guy. sue me. outside dining area is spacious, clean, and the view is pleasant. service is good about half the time. see below for full explanation. cons- don't get a burger. outrageously expensive for a very run of the mill burger. that's being generous too, i personally didn't like the one i got at all, but preferences concerning burger attributes are vast and varied. go down the street and get the best burger in town at the Gambler for $3.50. then come back to buddyz for drinks, Gambler is a hole. appetizers are an absolute ripoff. insanely high prices and equally insanely crappy. and this is the biggest problem and why i can't give buddyz at least a four- they cannot handle a rush, or even a steadily busy night from what i've experienced. many times me and my party have had to seat ourselves, grab the attention of a waitress after sitting for twenty minutes without being asked for our drink orders, had to ask for silverware etcetera. last night i had to go inside and get silverware from the hostess because we had none and our waitress had vanished, seemingly permanently. as far as i can tell they are simply understaffed, and poorly managed also as i see the staff standing around gabbing an awful lot. so go on a weekday and not at the normal dinner hour, order a deep dish and a Root Beer Beer, and you should be leaving extremely happy read more

Food was ok, but my family had to stand for an hour and half to be sat. Also the people who ran the front counter were rude. Will not be going back there. I can can better tasting pizza elsewhere. read more

This place is always pretty busy, but the service is always really fast. You are greeted as soon as you enter the front door. They have great seating outside along the Fox River and have live music on the weekends as well. The pizza is the best in Mchenry. You have to try the Butter Crust Pan pizza, its great. It is very filling and the taste is great. The sauce is not just plain tomato sauce, it has some extra flavor to it that makes it stand out. We need more private business owners in Mchenry to open up more high quality places such as this one. Thanks Buddyz read more

The service is usually fast and friendly. The pizza is good but the last few times we went there I feel it wasn't as good as it used to be. We typically order the thick crust pizza and something just wasn't the same the last 2 or 3 times. Family friendly place and very loud. Regardless of the weather outside, bring a jacket...it's always FREEZING inside. read more

We went to buddyz on Sunday evening. There were about 7 other tables when we arrived. We ordered our pizza and proceeded to wait... And wait.. And wait! After 45 minutes I asked the server where our pizza was. She smiled and said that she really didn't want to ask because the cooks kept yelling at her. She also told us that "like 5" people called in and she's"give us 5 bucks off" 10 more minutes went by when our pizza(thin crust) finally arrived. It was average and the top was greasy. The whole time we were there more tables kept getting sat without letting customers know about the wait. Disappointing first (and only) visit. read more

Horrible experiene, will never go back. I came in for lunch and asked to sit outside. The table had a nice view if you could get past the planter right in our nose filled with cigarette butts. Had to wait fifteen minutes for a waitress. Ordered two Iced teas, hardly any ice, no lemon. When she came back, I asked for lemon. Then she came back and dropped lemons, walked away without taking order, AND I had no tea left in my glass. She finally took order, asked for more tea. At least 35 min later we asked about food, she started scrambling and I again asked for more tea? She drops food and its old and dry and there is no dressing, still no tea. I stand at bar looking to talk to a manager, no one.....we left. Worst experience. Worst waitress. Stay away. read more

If zero stars was a choice, I'd choose that. Ordered some pizza on a Wednesday night around 6pm. 90 minutes later, the pizza showed up cold, and smashed to one side of the box. Now we all know what kind of people drive for pizza places so not all the blame can be placed on the establishment, but listen to how their manager "Josh C" treated me. BTW, this was the 2nd time I ordered from this place and 2nd time the pizza was late, cold, and smashed over to one side of the box. These guys are hitting .1000 in that category. Anyway, when I called to complain, they offered to give me a 50% discount. I told them that isn't even acceptable as I didn't feel it was right I should even pay for a pizza I didn't even eat. Told them to come back and pick it up. Their manager Josh told me word for word, "I should call the cops on you for stealing." I was half tempted to drive this folded creation up to Buddy Z's myself and return to Josh what I had allegedly stolen. Place has great food, but customer service is definitely not it's strong point. I avoid this place like the plague. read more

I am happy to report that buddyz has fabulous pizza and appetizers..and some of the best customer service ever. Especially Ingrid. We live in the area now are thrilled to have a great local pizza joint. My only small complaint is in the winter its freezing in there. Lol read more

I didn't like that our table was next to the drink station so we could hear all the server's conversations. It took a while to get our drinks re-filled, and our server was not friendly - I don't think she smiled once. Our pizza was pretty good, but not as good as Gino's East or Lou Malnatis. I liked the atmosphere of the restaurant. read more

We had a great dinner here at a good price. We had a few beers, appetizer and small deep dish pizza for about $35. We went at 6:30 on a Saturday and it was packed. It's a sports bar atmosphere with a nice patio. Our service was good and staff was friendly. The manager was helping on the floor and even stopped to pick up my drink napkin that had fell. Our mozzarella sticks came fast and were delicious. We loved the pizza! Our small deep dish was perfect for two. The pizza tastes like the original pan crust from Pizza Hut back in the 80's when it was an actual restaurant. The crust was light but crunchy and buttery. The sauce was thin but had nice chucks of tomato. Cheese was good as well. Overall, we thought the pizza was really good and our meal as a whole was great. We'll definitely go back! read more

Great Chicago style pizza. Creative names and a variety of toppings. I love the crust here. It's similar to the butter crust you will find at Lou Mal's. Last few times I have been there business has been a little slow. I hope this place stays around for awhile. As good as any of the big Chicago chains. read more

For McHenry I would say Buddyz is the best pizza in town. I enjoy going to there open Mic Nights on Wed with family and friends and enjoy the GREAT bar staff!!! Each time we go more and more people want to come and have a good time! I would recomend going to Buddyz to anyone!! read more

I've been here a few times for lunch and it's great. They have a buffet with salad pasta and pizza for only $7.99. The salad is a good mix of romano and iceberg lettuce with tomatoes and carrots. They have only a few salad toppings but they include nice Greek olives which I appreciate as well as mushrooms, cheese, and a few others so it's really plenty. The pizza is really excellent and they put out a few different ones at a time. As one disappears, they put out a new variety. There's usually peperoni, sausage, chicken, or supreme, in thin or thick crust. Today they had bbq chicken too. The buffet comes with pasta which you order from the waitress. I think they offer a couple types but I always skip the pasta and just load up on the pizza. As others have said, the crust is crispy and tastes great. They also offer a number of sandwiches. I have only had the mahi and it was delicious. I used to go to After the Fox from time to time to get the grilled grouper sandwich but Buddyz mahi sandwich is better. There's also a full bar. It's a place that's easy to recommend. read more

Really enjoyed our casual dining experience last night. I was a 1st timer. Pizza was good, albeit cheese and sausage. Nothing fancy but good and to expectation. Our server, Tiffany, was fantastic and took the time to talk to us and made a great wine recommendation for me. Try the Malbec, it's yummy and was surprisingly good. Her enthusiasm for the future of the place was infectious. She'll be a big reason why we'll go back. Can't wait forSpring/Summer to see what it's like sitting riverside. My review is sincere and I have absolutely no affiliation with the place. If there was a 4.5 star option, they'd have it. I downgrade it due to noise level. read more

Great place. Always loved the ambiance, the crew, grew bar men and of course the food, especially the chopped salad and the Grand Park. You can't miss it. Cool place to go watch a game with friends. read more

We have been going here since it opened up. I don't understand the negative reviews. The pan pizza is awesome and so is the thin crust. I have never had a problem with the quality of the food. The service is questionable at times, but for the most part, the food makes up for lack of tip top service. read more

We normally love a good Buddyz pizza...but tonight we ordered it well done, and after spending $26 on a large pizza it's currently in our oven cooking. It was like soup. The tag on the box even says well done! At any rate, if you like your pizza cooked well done, check it before you leave. Otherwise you'll waste quite a bit of money. read more

Let me start by saying that a year ago today our Grant 6th Grade Basketball team went to Buddyz on a Friday night to celebrate the end of our Season. There were about 40 all together including our team. We had a fantasic time. No reservations but we were accommodated very well. Now today 1 year later our 7th grade Grant Basketball team won the championship in McHenry. We all agreed at around 4:30 to head over to Buddyz to celebrate! There were about 40 of us. We were greeted very rudely by KERRY. The place was dead. Here we are bringing 40 people in and she seemed as if we were ruining her day. KERRY the person that seemed to be in charge seemed truly disinterested in seating us remotely close to each other and actually refused to let a table of four who were in our party move to be closer to us. She said she would not be able to accommodate them. We accommodated ourselves by letting the kids all sit in back while adults sat in the front. One of the members of our party had two kids at the table that could not eat pizza because of allergies and asked for a separate bill. KERRY literally refused saying that she COULD NOT. Our member then said Kerry was being very rude to her and KERRY replied well I'm not as rude as coming in without a reservation for all these people! OMG Really KERRY. All these people brought $500.00 worth of business on a slow Sunday afternoon! All while you sat at the end of the bar the whole time not doing anything except being mean to all the kids (witnesses) and talking to a guy in a Blackhawks jersey about us. 2 of our party heard the whole conversation! You KERRY deserve nothing of the tip we left because COURTNEY and the other girls were gracious and courteous. You KERRY almost ruined our celebration but we decided to ignore your rudeness for the moment but I will mention this on Facebook and trust me, I will encourage people to go elsewhere. It is a shame JOHN B. AND JOSH CARSTENS your place is a wonderful place great atmosphere but if you continue to support such rude behavior from your staff it will catch up with you. Also I believe it is wise business practice to have management present at all times because believe me tonite the place was run as if KERRY did not care one bit about business. She only cared for the guy at the end of the bar that she talked to all night... read more

I just moved back to McHenry from Chicago and one of the things I miss most about the city is the food! Buddy'z lives up to a Chicago pizzeria every time. The deep dish butter crust is amazing! I'll do takeout about once a week and try to make it in as often as possible to enjoy the bar area or great outdoor patio. I would recommend Buddy'z if you are in the area and want great Chicago style pizza. read more

Thin crust is good so tried the buttercrust & it was just like nasty Sarpino's!

It was extremely cold outside and inside the restaurant also. We sat next to the front windows and at the tables behind us, people looked chilled also. The noise level was obnoxious. We could barely hear our guests across from us. I ordered chicken tortilla soup thinking it would help to warm me. Wrong. It was served lukewarm and I had to take it over to the waitress to return it to the kitchen. The pizza was good. Plenty of cheese but the green peppers were crunchy. We may try Buddyz again but it would have to be when we can take advantage of the patio. read more

Love Buddyz!! Good Pizza and nice location! excellent service!

This is the ONLY legit Chicago deep dish pizza this side of Giordano's on Randall Road. Get the LSD and enjoy.

Worst management ever. Ordered a pizza at 5:00 with my young kids waiting to eat. Was told it would be here in 1 hour. 70 minutes later I called to see where the pizza was, and was told it was coming out of the over right now (70 minutes later?!) and would be to me right away. We live 5 minutes away. After 1 hour and 40, I called again and the delivery guy was walking to the door. The pizza was exposed to the cold weather, not enclosed in a hot pack. I asked if the pizza was hot, and was told it was, but from the feel of the bottom of the box, it obviously wasn't. I opened the box, and the pizza was cold as ice. So I sent the driver back with the cold pizza. I called and asked if they would put a pizza in the oven and we would inconvenience ourselves to drive there because the kids were very hungry now. When I got there, I even felt bad for the driver and gave a $3 tip to the manager for him, but when I got home there were two messages filled with swear language at my wife from the owner Tim. He was cussing and swearing about how we could send a pizza back! This guy needs a real manner check. After years of being a good customer to them, and having my wife treated that badly when they couldn't deliver on time, I will never ever order from that ass again, and I recommend you don't as well. read more

Should be a better experience - Pizza and be really good and sometimes even exceptional - then really average and its TOO expensive to not be good every time. Entres and Sandwiches are also iffy, sometimes very good and others not so much. Pricing is basically same as Bimbos - and they are good every time! read more

I had to give a well deserved 5 stars because their Deep Dish is the real deal Authentic Chicago Style pizza. This is NOT your typical generic/bland pizza, but instead generous thick, rich, amazing sauce that taste like it was slow-cooking for hours topped(or stuffed) with big chunks of the freshest, most flavorful toppings. I once made to mistake of ordering from a closer and cheaper place, but there is NO substitute if you want a real amazing Deep Dish Chicago-Style pizza. Not the cheapest place, but in this case - you do get what you pay for. Enjoy. (Note: If you are just getting thin pizzas, I would go elsewhere to save money) read more

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Pizza and Buddyz is awesome. We go there often and always have a great time. I love the food, the waitstaff and of course the bartenders!!!!! I would recommend this place to anyone that wants to go out for a fun, laid back evening and enjoy some great food!!!!! read more

Trying Buddy z for a second time. What a mistake. Staff is not helpful. I felt the place was very dirty. It's Sunday afternoon two other people there an our pizza was burnt an old tasting the bacon smelled an tasted old we ate a piece each and left. The waitress never asked us why we weren't taking pizza with us home. A large pizza was left on table don't you think there's a problem ?? Staff also look very dirty an hung over I believe if the where more professional business would be better an a little cleaning of tables an floors would help. Oh one more thing there's flys ever . read more

Our family has been going to Buddyz for a few years now and have really enjoyed the delicious food, atmosphere, patio, and river walk! What a great place to go in McHenry! We have also had both of our Gender Reveal Parties there as well and have been impressed by the way the staff attended to our guests! Thank you Buddyz... See you again soon! read more

The food is good, especially the butter crust pizza....when it's right. The waiters here are all idiots. I've tried dining in multiple times since we live so close, and it's just baffling. The first time I sat at the bar, ordered a drink, and a pizza with half pepperoni half cheese. Not once was I asked for a new drink, and we got a pizza with half sauce, half pepperoni. Zero cheese. We went last week, I tried to get the waitress's attention FIVE TIMES, but she would come to our table and go "Everything good? Great." and leave. I ordered a Sprite and it was complete soda water, so eventually I asked her for a new drink because there was no syrup in. Got charged for 2 fountain drinks. Just everytime is a new let down. Definitely needs to work on customer service or DC Cobbs is going to shut them down. Oh also, when we got in we understood there would probably be a wait, so we were literally just trying to ask how long it would be. Three girls at the front just talking to each other, not one even looked at us. Until one of their friends walked in, gave them a hug, and got seated immediately. read more

This used to be my lunch spot of choice till they took away the pizza lunch buffet. Its still great pizza and the staff is great.

As far as Mchenry (county) goes, it's some of the best Chicago style pizza you will find. It's also a good place to just go hang in the bar and they have a sweet patio area too. Good atmosphere, great staff, great pizza and good buffet (I've Heard). My only complaint is that they don't deliver but hopefully they will change that soon...but it's definitely worth getting off the couch to go pick up (or sending your girlfriend). read more

I've been to this particular Buddy'z a number of times over the last few years. I CAN NOT recall having any major issues or problems with the servers, food, price or much of anything. The location is good, but because the parking isn't the greatest, you may have to walk a short bit or cross the street to get there. The street doesn't have much traffic, so this shouldn't be an issue either! read more

Never been a huge fan of their pizza but ordered a calzone the other day and my mind is now willing to give them another shot. Not huge on the regular clientele but that's what carry out is for. A restaurant I would have given no stars 6 months ago out of nowhere I decided to call for a calzone because Stucs was closed gets a 3 star jump and the chances of me returning are high. Although the same calzone would have been around £6 cheaper at Stucs, just saying... read more