On our way through the country, my dad decided it was high time to get his hands on some Chicago style deep dish pizza. He's not really that technologically advanced which is surprising because he was an electrical engineer at one point in his life. Anyway, he kept trying to find pizza places along our route and every time he found one that was either in the opposite direction from where we were going, was closed, or wasn't making deep dish. I finally pulled over and we found Lou's. We placed our order over the phone, and made our way towards the restaurant. It's not much to look at from the outside, sort of run down or outdated. Inside it's better, but still remnants from another time remain. My dad picked up the pie and we took it to the car because it was wicked hot and we were traveling with my dog. The pizza didn't look that impressive from the start, but that was before I inspected it intently. I picked up a slice and it was the most massive cheese pull I've ever experienced in my entire life. I have never seen that much cheese on a food item ever. It was by far the most massive cheese dose I've ever seen, and nothing has come even close. The taste was good, but I prefer a ratio of more sauce to cheese. The crust was tender, the sauce was hot, and the cheese was chewy, but none of it was anything too out of the ordinary. The extraordinary part about it was definitely the sheer volume of cheese on that deep dish piece of magnificence. I would likely return if I were in the area, just to re-experience the cheese-tastic inundation of their pie. Price is good, service is fast, selection is decent and people are fairly friendly. Bathrooms and restaurant are dated but relatively clean, and the food is good but nothing gourmet. Not standard by any means, but come for the deep dish cheese pie and prepare yourself for a cheese landslide! read more

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The pizza was ok. Not great, not bad, but, the hand tossed crust was a little "dough-y". Decent amount of ingredients. Next time I order I will ask to have it done a little longer. It just felt like about 3 more minutes in the oven would have helped tremendously. read more

Lou’s LaGrotto - The bar. Interesting. On the ceiling are Christmas ornaments. No idea why, but, it is novel. - Pizza Near Me - Peru, Illinois

Ordered the lasagna, tasted horrible. Like it was burnt. Didn't finish it all. Came with a side salad that was way over dressed. Our server was super friendly and attentive. Place was busy. read more

Best place for pizza, ever!!!!! If ever in the area, stop here! We continue to visit whenever in the area and they never disappoint. read more

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#5/2023 So I was sitting over in the LaSalle Peru Illinois area for another day after delivering I felt like I didn't really want fast food so I ordered some food for delivery. It looked pretty good the reviews were really good Although there were a few things I didn't quite vibe with off the bat the first girl working the phones was a little bit aloof. I've asked a couple of simple questions that I couldn't get any straight answers from so she passed me around to somebody else. I thought we got everything pretty much squared away. I wanted to get the vodka pasta dinner. I said that comes with garlic breads and the salad can I substitute Caesar and she said sure I think we can do that. It would have been better if ate there but you couldn't get a truck into the place. However there in lies the problem first of all; and I also said please don't forget the silverware I asked that a lot of places where they deliver to it's not that hard I asked three different people please include silverware with the delivery it's hard to eat pasta with your damn hands like some cannibal or third world resident. But for this reason I do sometimes keep a box of silverware and I just wanted to put them to the test. So the delivery comes I asked a delivery guy I say hey did you bring silverware he's like no man I didn't it's not on the ticket didn't say nothing about silverware. (Insert major major eye roll here) One thing I did and also know is usually when I get pasta dinners for the most part I like angel hair or spaghetti this came with rigatoni they didn't ask me if I wanted any other kind but I didn't know. It's a homemade vodka sauce it tasted okay I also got a side of Italian sausage thrown in there the sausage was good. However here we go again the salad it was a regular garden salad with just Caesar dressing on it I called back and asked them about that and I said well we don't have Caesar salads per se we only have chicken caesar salads it's a whole order it's like eight bucks. I proceeded to tell the guy on the phone dude you know I asked simply can I substitute a Caesar salad and she said sure that shouldn't be no problem once again the aloofness comes into play. Luckily though they did do a homemade style salad with just lettuce a couple slices of tomato and a cucumber thrown in the good news for Kevin it was not that evil mixed tossed absolutely yucky salad with god-awful carrots strewn throughout. But still none the less I'm giving it three stars I probably wouldn't order from there again although I wouldn't mind if there was a way to go down there and eat there in person. Oh and I also got some really nice tasty garlic bread I was a little disappointed though with the rigatoni but it is what it is when you're on the road and you're eating and you're getting stuff delivered. read more

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I was really looking forward to trying Lou's in Peru for at least a year. So we ended up here last night and what a disappointment. If you have never had good deep dish pizza, then you'll love this place. The ambiance is cool as it looks like a cave (especially in the booths) but with dining room tables and a nice local bar to the right. First we ordered an app they are known for which was their Garlic Nuggets. Ummm what a disappointment for something they are known for. Where was the garlic taste or butter on these fried dough balls? These had zero flavor. Nowhere to be seen. What a huge let down. We probably had 3 of these. Then we ordered a medium pan pizza with 1/2 sausage and 1/2 pepperoni. This was another bust but I will say it was cooked throughly as the cheese was good. However, this tasteless dough ruined any shot of this pizza being good. I will say the workers were real friendly and our server Ashley was super nice. I hope she gets paid and treated well by ownership. Overall do yourself a favor and just get Casey's pie instead. read more

Lou’s LaGrotto - These are Garlic Nuggets? - Pizza Near Me - Peru, Illinois

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Friends invited us to join them here on a Saturday night. The place was very easy to find and to find parking. The handicap parking is pretty limited but was very accessible. The restaurant was also accessible and not real crowded. The restaurant was clean and seating was well spaced. The service was outstanding and the meal flowed from drinks and appetizers through the pizza. The drinks were very good and the alcohol was plentiful. We ordered dough nuggeta and sauce and a thin crust pizza, the pizza was good but the nuggets were not that great, some were very soggy while others were hard. I personally would not order those again but I would return for drinks and pizza. read more

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Does Lou's close at 8:30 or 9 or 10 or 10:30? No matter what time I come, the kitchen is actually closing right now.

Excellent deep dish pizza! Love the garlic nuggets too! Service depends on when you go...they tend to be busy on weekends.

Not fancy, and not too bad. The fajita salad is quite good. It is made wit grilled onions and the chicken is lightly spiced; not shredded but diced. It comes with dressing on the side. When I was here I had a hankering for a taco salad and this hit the spot! read more

We've ordered from here many times in the 16 years we have lived here. And when we have family members who visit from out of town who have never had REALLY good pizza, we order from Lou's. On Friday, 10/20/23, we were having guests arriving at 7pm. At 5:30pm, I placed an order online to have 2 pizzas and an order of garlic nuggets delivered at 7:15pm. (with tax & tip the total was nearly $75). At between 6:15-6:30 there's a knock at the door. It's our order practically an hour early! My husband starts blaming me until I show him the confirmation email & screenshots of the order. But instead of calling to complain, we decided to just keep it warm in the oven on around 170°. It worked fine..... to keep it warm. Around 7 we opened the box on the MAIN pizza everyone wanted and all the toppings had slid off the top! On top of that, the crust wasn't done! It was still raw. Thank goodness I'd ordered a 2nd pizza on a whim! When I called to complain, I was given credit "for it being delivered early but not for it being undercooked because we ate it." Uh, well, no, actually we DIDN'T eat it. I tried to "rebake" it the next day and just wound up with a burned bottom and gooey dough. They wouldn't even tell me over the phone how much credit they were going to give me. There was no immediate credit off my credit card just a "credit of 'some amount' on my next order. It will be written down in 'the book'." If you eat here DON'T order delivery! You may get crap and they won't stand behind it. read more

Lou’s LaGrotto - Email confirmation - Pizza Near Me - Peru, Illinois

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Great service and great food nothing bad I can say about Lou's but I prefer lil Bella's taste wise but price wise I prefer Lou's read more

Lou’s LaGrotto - Pizza Near Me - Peru, Illinois

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The waitress was fabulous!!! The pizza fabulous!! The side salad fabulous!! The garlic knots... yummy. The bone in chicken wings...... ummm yeah..... not so good.... Whomever wacked them apart into drums and flats.... Left the flats with jagged bones sticking 1/2 out of the end of the flat.... Don't worry that it looked like these were the chicken wings from the chickens that had been malnourished..... ugh and they were not good.... Go somewhere else for your wing fix....this ain't the place.... read more

Always good food servers are polite and friendly, knowledgeable, and services quick even when they're busy can't beat Lou's Pizza for anything! read more

Decided to give this place a try after shopping and it didn't disappoint, the server was great and attentive, we had a large thin crust sausage pizza "well done" excellent, and sides of garlic knots and wings which were all great, I would definitely recommend this place read more

I grew up eating this pizza, and every time it's so good. On Mondays they have $11 two topping pizzas. You can get deep dish or thin crust. I think the deep dish tastes a lot better, but both are very good. Their cheese and sauce and whatever meat you choose always tastes very fresh. I definitely recommend their garlic nuggets, they are also very delicious! read more

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This place has gotten terrible. We keep going back and I don't know why. No more. We ordered a taco pizza and we get home and there's no lettuce, tomatoes, Doritos, or salsa with it. I emailed them and I never heard back. We ordered online so there is no excuse to not read your emails and reply too. read more

Lou’s LaGrotto - This was supposed to be a taco pizza. It was just a sausage pizza with cheddar cheese dropped on it. - Pizza Near Me - Peru, Illinois

Dont go much at all, but when I do, its pretty good. Being a single guy, the staff is mostly a good sight :)

Lou's has amazing food. Amazing service --. Pizza. Garlic nuggets. Homemade ranch dressing, salads. Everything is top notch !!

Pizza and garlic knots were great. Service was above average. Ambiance is what you would want for a pizza place

This place really amazed me with the talent provided by the waiters! Peru huzz went crazy, I've never seen better looking waitresses. I highly recommend Lou's and riverfront bar and grill because they are loaded with generation talent. Tons of huzzs at these Peru restaurants! read more

The deep dish pizza was delicious. The issue came when it was the estimated time of when the pizza would be ready- they gave us a realistic time. We arrived at the designated time then had to wait at least another 20 minutes. When we got back to the hotel with the pizza- the salad was drenched in salad dressing and the pizza wasn't cut. Have you ever tried to cut a deep dish pizza with a plastic knife? Disappointing presentation. read more

Food is very good. Service is very good. Ambiance is old Italian. It's good enough. The Italian sausage sandwich is very good. Deep pan pizza is very original. read more

There are a few times in life when you eat pizza and it's so delicious you order one to go!

OMG. YES. JUST. YES. This is Chicago style pizza and it is to die for. We were heading from Iowa to Chicago and a friend of mine told me to check this place out. It was quite a bit off the beaten path but so worthwhile! We got the special of the day which was a huge pizza which we couldn't finish. My husband literally put the leftovers in my suitcase and checked it through the airline. That was embarrassing to admit . If you look at some of the pictures, you can see what style pizza this is. If that's not what you're looking for, find a Pizza Hut somewhere. It is thick. It is incredible. It is perfectly done. Service was quite friendly too! Highly highly recommend! read more

I guess there aren't many choices in the area, but I have no desire to eat here again. Poor service on a slow lunchtime. Food was just bar food read more

Delicious! We've been ordering from a couple of other restaurants nearby but they've been going downhill fast lately. Decided to try Lou's today, no idea why we didn't try them sooner! Will only be ordering from Lou's from now on!! read more

Food was delicious! We got wings, fried pickles & pizza knots..service was excellent..even tho they were very busy

Now this was some great pizza!! The server, dont remember her name, a tall woman with a nice pleasant loud voice was also quite the treat. I opted for a small supreme deep dish and a Pepsi product. Mountain Dew. I showed up at a slow time because my server was on top of the game and not having to run around to a million tables. The atmosphere is nice and somewhat cozy. Looks to have been around for a while and is a favorite with the locals. The pizza came out what I consider, very fast. Thankfully it was slow so yay me!! It was really really good. Next time I am back in Peru, this is my go to spot for pizza!! Let me post some pics. read more

Lou’s LaGrotto - Preparing to pig out - Pizza Near Me - Peru, Illinois

Ordered food and this is all the meat I got on my sandwich. And it took an hour and 20 mins to get 9 mins to my house read more

Lou’s LaGrotto - Italian beef sub Italian Sausage Sub mix - Pizza Near Me - Peru, Illinois

We come here every year when we are racing in a nearby national boat race. Everything we have ever ordered has been great. We love their homemade house dressing and the have a special salad called Mama Rosas which is great. Our favorite thing on the menu is the Garlic Knots which is fried pizza dough with pizza sauce. You get a very generous portion. All the pizzas are good, thin and thick. Our friends say the lasagna is the best they've had. Worth a stop! read more

Great pizza! Also have weekday specials. The wife and I usually get the deep dish large pizza. We end up taking enough home for at least 3 to 4 other meals. They also have garlic nuggets with marinara sauce which is excellent. Monday night is thier cheap pizza night. read more

Made a special Valentine's Day pizza for my girlfriend. Very pleased could use a little bit more cheese but it was such a good lunch and we had a great time and I liked how they even added that little note to just to make the day great and made us smile. read more

Lou’s LaGrotto - Pizza - Pizza Near Me - Peru, Illinois

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I have dined in and gotten food to go. My in person experience was good, both food and service. It had been over a year since my last visit, so I decided to try take out, wanted something light. I ordered the jalapeno poppers (i know, an Italian place, why order jalapeños). They were about as bad as could be. They came breaded and deep fried. The breading was crisp and flavorless. The jalapeños were chewy and did not have a kick. I would bet that these are frozen and supplied by their food service company. Better to buy stuffed jalapeños at HyVee. Because I had eaten the Mama Rosa Special Italian Salad before, and I thought it was over dressed, I asked for the salad, with chicken, and dressing on the side. The person taking the order on the phone confirmed my selection. When I got home, there were two plastic containers of dressing, so I used about 1/2 container and mixed up the salad. Silly me, I should have tasted it before applying the dressing. It had been saturated in dressing before I applied the dressing provided. The salad was virtually inedible, and I tossed half of it. I ordered at 4:30pm, there was one couple at the bar, no one in the restaurant. I was told the order would be ready in 25 minutes, it took over 40 minutes. Won't return. read more

Super busy place and I can see why. ..Pizza is super good and a must visit. The place is a dine in style restaurant with a full bar service. Plenty of parking and a full menu I would like to come back and try the pasta and some local brew. In the meantime I do recommend this place for pizza read more

Lou’s LaGrotto - Lou's La Grotto - Pizza Near Me - Peru, Illinois

Great lasagna!! This is exactly what I was looking for. Service was good and we didn't have to wait long at all.

This is the best pizza in the Illinois Valley, hands down. Their deep dish pizza is what I am usually going for, and the garlic nuggets are a MUST. This is also one of those places that has good specials so keep an eye out for that. Quality toppings, quality sauce, great crust. Sauce is a bit on the sweeter side for people who are against that though read more

WAY too greasy! Home delivery was fast but the pizza (thin crust sausage onion green pepper) was a greasy mess. Even the bottom of the box it came in was soaked with greasy spots. We each had a few pieces but threw half of it out. WAY over priced too. Never again. read more

you guys are the only pizza place with a hawaiian pizza that is disgusting and was that spam from a can you put on your pizza unreal a frozen pizza wouldve been a hundred times better than what i ate at your restaurant the spam alone i was enough to turn my stomach called and spoke with a manager and no concern about keeping a customer this place is terrible if recommend pizza hut over this read more

Great Taco pizza and garlic nuggets! Great customer service. Good once a week for when a person doesn't feel like cooking.