This is a bit of a difficult review to write. Our experience with Monical's last night had multiple 'positives' along with several 'negatives'. Sadly, overall we were disappointed with our first visit to this well-known Italian food chain. We ordered two thin crust one-toppings pizzas to take advantage of the online coupon, yet both pizzas were incredibly bland with an odd chewy texture for the crust. Even before ordering, I was taken aback by their high prices. On the plusses side, they were filling, looked fantastic, and were piping hot. My father-in-law seemed to enjoy his lasagna and will get two meals out of it, so it was certainly priced appropriately. He has eaten their lasagna many times over the years and gets a hankering for it every so often. Online ordering was easy. We liked the separate pick-up window (similar to a drive-thru) at their building to save time having to go inside. I would be interested in trying their lasagnas next time. However, for take-out pizza, we will stick with Papa John's. Otherwise, I see much more value and flavor in eating Legit and Home Run Inn frozen pizzas. read more

Positive: The restaurant is conveniently located near a Meijer's store. Its interior is inviting & comfy. The service was excellent! The food (bread sticks/thin-crust pizza) was quite delicious! Need to improve: prices were a bit higher than I expected. read more

We were seated almost right away. Our waitress was very efficient, taking our orders and clearing our plates in a timely manner. I honestly had low expectations, but the pizza was surprisingly amazing. I had a Hawaiian pizza that was well-done without being burnt, and it had plenty of toppings for a reasonable price. The restaurant is cozy for its size and a nice spot for a family meal. My only complaint was the salad; it was freezing, almost as if it had been kept in a freezer and then thawed out, which made it unpleasant to chew. There were also very few dressing options. Beyond that, both the pizza and the breadsticks and sauces were fantastic. read more

The pizza was actually really good especially if you like thin crust, a bit over priced thought for how small it is. But what warrants this two star rating is the chicken wings and salad, mostly the wings. The chicken wings were completely bland and tasted just like the frozen ones from Aldi. And they had that mushy taste when something frozen isn't cooked all the way. These were meant to be buffalo wings but they tasted like they had at most some salt and pepper. The salad tasted fine but they shoved a big salad into a very tiny bowl causing the whole top half of the salad to fall off. The service was fine but they really need to work on their food. read more

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WOW has this declined. After 50 years of eating Monical's tonight will be my last purchase. I ordered a large pizza and salad as I have for years. Over an hour later I received a pizza that had ridden around for so long it had absolutely no crispness. It could no longer be pulled into separate pieces it was just a mushy mess. And tops to the 2 salad dressing containers had popped off in the bag so my salad was swimming in a bag of creamy Italian. Not that it made much difference as there was barely any toppings on the lettuce. $50+ later I have learned my lesson and will NEVER spend my money there again. Sad. read more

OK, I haven't been to Monicals in a while, however, the thin crust pizza was excellent. The thin crust sorta reminds you of the quick brick oven pizzas, thin, light and crispy...very good. The place was clean and our waitress was patient, nice and she took care of us. I went right after shopping nearby, when we arrived barely anyone inside, but, by the time we left, filling up quickly. I know it is a chain, but, definitely good pizza. read more

So Monical's. Pizza is good. Not great. Not my first choice. Monical's is pretty localized to central IL. They tried a restaurant in Downers Grove and it didn't take off. Way too much pizza snobbery. I do prefer the style of pizza they serve, which I call tavern or pub style. Thin, cut in squares. What makes Monical's iconic is the value. The family pleaser is a great deal. Pizza, salad, pitcher of drinks. Classic. And for locals that have been going here all their lives, you can't resist mixing the two salad dressings. If you know, you know. What really stood out at this location was our server. This guy was waiting on the entire dining room. On a Saturday night. By himself. Memorized every order, didn't make a mistake, and he was hustling. No slowdown of service or any lag of any kind. We had a good meal in an uncrowded and familiar restaurant, which is what we were looking for. read more

My 11 year old and I went for a walk and stumbled in Monical"s. We dined in. ordered a garden salad and thin crust pizza. The salad was huge. I was able to have two servings and my daughter ate one serving. We had about two servings left over. The pizza was ok at best but the waiter was the nicest I've experienced in a long time. attentive and professional. read more

I went in for lunch during the noon hour on a Friday. I was seated without undue delay and given a menu. However, after a 15 minute wait the server had not arrived, even to give me water. So I got up and left. No one paid me any attention. I'll never go back. read more

My rating is for the menu item called The Point Pizza, DELIGHT style, one of my favorite all-time pizzas! Get it cooked "well done". The crust & the sauce are better than on their other types of Zas, IMHO. Ok it's pricey but omg is it worth it! (Hey, if you're OLD like me, ask for the Senior discount.$$) Of course as one does, I buy the side cup of French Dressing to dip in, ummy yummy for mah tummy! Also it's easy to pu your order at their drive-up window. Or their delivery drivers do great too. Hey, I've TRIED to be clear here... I hope you get the POINT! Ha! read more

Great pizza, mediocre salad. Close. The drive in takes way too long of a wait. Go inside and save yourself some time.

The location is nearly perfect--not far and little traffic. The pizza is good, the service is good, and even hubby, who doesn't eat pizza, loves the salad. (Ask for the red dressing.) read more

We love Monical's Pizza! Their thin crust is crispy and the pizza baked to perfection. Add a touch of their special dressing and you've got heaven on a plate! read more

This is a busy pizza restaurant, but it's not surprising considering the customer service you receive. Always clean, always good service. If Justin is there, his style of order taking will amuse and amaze you. He never writes anything down, and I've yet to see him make a mistake. He's an energizer bunny working the entire dining room alone at times. Our family loves going here for birthday celebrations. Their back room is great when we have a special event whether a family or high school class gathering. read more

Shitty app. Asked me what time I could pickup. I chose a time from drop down screen. On final screen it stated the time I chose was not available. App did not offer a new drop down to chose another pickup time. Wasted 30 minutes with this app. I will just eat a Degornos pizza at home . read more

Monical's Pizza - It let me pick a pickup time then refused order time at final screen. I will just eat a Degerno pizza at home. Wasted 30 minutes with app. - Pizza Near Me - Urbana, Illinois

Monicals is one of my favorite pizzas ever but for some reason this one is not as good as others. I think they take a bit longer as well but other than that, monicals is one of the best thin crust pizza ever read more

I'm going to blame the lack of good reviews for Monicals on the fact that most people reviewing restaurants in Champaign-Urbana are college students. Because every local I know LOVES Monicals. It is, in fact, one of my must visit places every time I visit the twin cities. It's different from most of my favorite pizzas in that it's thin... ultra thin. Crunchy crust, cut in squares, lots of cheese... it's a very tasty pizza. However, the uninitiated may order this without knowing the best part of Monical's... the french dressing. This seems odd (at least to all of my out of town friends in the past) but the way to eat Monicals is to get a bottle of the french dressing and dip the pizza in it. I put the dressing directly on the top of the pizza myself... it's one of the oddest but best combos you will ever taste. In fact, they even sell their french dressing online! (And its worth it, because you will never find a dressing that good in stores. Seriously, I've looked.) Grab the family pleaser (with salad and cola) and lube up your salad and pizza with copious amounts of french dressing... and thank me later. read more

My boyfriend and I ordered calzones by phone on a Sunday evening. For $7 each, I thought they'd be reasonably sized. However, after paying $16 (after tax) for two calzones, we got them home and were incredibly disappointed. These were calzones I would expect to pay $4 for, not $7. They were a flat, sad affair, with the bare minimum of cheese inside. Mine was mushroom and onion, but the mushrooms were clearly from a can and not seasoned or cooked beyond that. I've liked Monical's in the past and enjoy their pizza and signature dressing, but their calzones are just terrible. read more

I placed my order from the hotel at 6:18pm - an hour and ten minutes later my 30-45 minute delivery showed up (I ordered the wings and a tortellini dinner). I travel 150 nights/year for work so I order food a lot. These were the worst wings I've ever had I called the manager and she freely admitted "that's our worst food - we get the most complaints on the wings" ... I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Your company knows this ... yet continues to serve it??? Won't make this mistake again. read more

I went here on a Tuesday evening with friends and we were practically the only table. Monical's was participating in a fundraiser for a local school, so we were doing a good deed by purchasing bland Italian inspired food products that were presumably for consumption. The food wasn't good. Salads, pasta, pizza and breadsticks were all ordered, and none were anything better than passable. If you grew up eating this stuff, I can see why you might like it, but not me. The service wasn't great either: the waitress (who was not at all busy) was inattentive and made mistakes, but she apologized for them and was very friendly when she did come by, so no big deal. I did greatly appreciate that they separated the bills on a single receipt and of course that the were willing to partner with the school. The decor is quite nice for a family pizza place, but again the food wasn't. 1 star for the food, 1 for the charity, and 1 for them not complaining about what total asses we were being that night (I brought 'Would You Rather' cards, which created much merriment at our table but likely inspired only disgust and annoyance to the few other patrons and employees within earshot). read more

I've been here 3 times and each time I tell myself I won't be going back. The first two times I ate here the pizza just didn't taste good...What gets me is that the prices of the pizza are nearly identical to other pizza joints for what seems like less food. However, the food isn't really as much of a problem as my last visit (1/11/17) experience. We had a party of 4 and we were the only ones ordering inside at the time. My co-workers and I waited 45 minutes for our dine-in order. My other two co-workers had their pizza burned (really guys?) and they had to wait an additional 15-20 minutes while we ate. My calzone was burning hot on the crusts and cold in the middle. Of course their meal was comped, which is good. But considering how crappy the dining experience was for all of us, I am pretty confident that Monical's lost 4 customers in 1 day. If three 8 inch pizzas and a calzone take 1 hour and is not even worth the wait- I would rather go to Subway next door. read more

Overpriced... Artificially red salad dressing on a boring salad is just terrible... Honestly, go anywhere else for pizza! read more

I've loved Monical's since I was 8 years old (1976). The food is excellent, and the service is exceptional. The only thing I object to is the price. read more

Service was just ok and they actually got our pizza order wrong. The pizza was missing a topping that we actually paid for.

Note: Rating refers to their thin crust pizza - but I couldn't care less about anything else about the place! I live in Chicago and have eaten pretty much all of the "brands" here and I still love, love, love LOVE Monical's thin crust pizza the most. I would do anything for them to open one here (why not?!). When I go home to visit, a Monical's trip is 100% part of the plan and when my P's visit me they bring it...and it's just as amazing after a 2.5 hour drive. Maybe as Joselyn H. says, it's because I was indoctrinated into loving this pizza from the mintue I could eat solids. Actually, no. Perfectly cooked, super thin crust (may want to ask for them to cook it like 1 mintue longer than normal to ensure perfection). Awesome sauce and topping of seasonings. Love the sausage - fresh, not too big, not too spicy and definitely not manufactured looking (like Dominos or something). Their breadsticks - while relatively plain as far as seasoning goes (just sea salt YUM) - are awesome and a staple to my order. They also have the best "red" (French) dressing that is their own recipe...but I am a "both"er and think it's at it's best mixed with the ranch. It's not the fanciest salad in the world, but like the simplistic breadsticks, it just works. Oooh and a pitcher of fountain root beer is the perfect bev. Fast service, be ready to start eating the salad/breadsticks within minutes of ordering. My parents say their prices have raised quite a bit, so that may be one downfall. Gimme some Family Pleaser now!!! Mouth watering. read more

Love the thin crust pizza and the family/neighborhood atmosphere. The pizza crust is so perfectly crispy. Can't go wrong here! read more

Monical's Pizza - Sausage and mushroom - Pizza Near Me - Urbana, Illinois

We went to this Monical's, a little late in the evening, and one of our orders needed to be a pretty picky gluten-free item, and the manager (or person in charge at that time) did it perfectly! That has never happened at a restaurant before! Thank you Monicals! On top of that, they were very friendly. I'm sure I will be looking for opportunities to go back! read more

The pizza is OK for thin, but I'm a St. Louis native and I'm a snob for thin crust. Just wanted to acknowledge that Monical's in Urbana stays open later than any other Urbana restaurants (besides the overly-expensive-for-the-quality bar food - i.e. Crane) Thanks for staying open til 9:30 so I can eat hot food after late work days! read more

I visited the restaraunt in Urbana off Philo Rd. The server Courtney was very rude!!!!!!!! The pizza was great. read more

Awesome thin crust pizza. The crust is cracker crispy, just burnt enough on the edges to give it the right smokiness. The toppings are just right too. Does anyone even order anything else? FYI to Holly S., there was a Monical's in Chicago's Western Suburbs (Lombard?) a few years ago but sadly, it closed. read more

Hubby told me its like the best pizza ever but I don't feel like it. I like other much cheaper pizza than this. read more

How can you not like Monical's? Really. Even living in Chicago, surrounded by pizza, I still missed some Monical's pizza with French dressing on the side! I don't know what it is, but it's always been a favorite. Also, bonus points for the delivery driver who is always super friendly and punctual! read more

Pizza pan that our pizza was cooked on had cinnamon and sugar on it , probably left over from a dessert pizza or something so we got a weird cinnamon n sugar flavored pizza. Breadsticks are odd there, more like a pretzel with salt and seemed way undercooked. Service was subpar read more

I love their pizza, even though some people aren't a huge fan. Getting a thin pizza and eating it with their red dressing sauce is the way to go. It's a little on the pricey side compared to some other pizza places, but I absolutely love it and am always willing to splurge a bit when I'm hungry for great pizza. read more

They messed up my online order in the begining but immediately sent me a new one correctly. Very nice people and delicious food!

I f'in love monicals. Perhaps because I was indoctrinated into loving this pizza as a small child. However, when I come home to visit I often find myself wanting to come here and stuff my face. Cheese pizza, topped with their red dressing...so wrong, but oh so right. read more

The service is awful and you will often receive things you didn't order. The food is ok, but get it carry-out after a quick inspection to make sure they included everything you paid for. read more

Ordered delivery which didn't take long at all. Food tasted good, got pizza, side of French and large order bread sticks. French was spilled inside the bag, lid was not properly sealed and it covered the bread and left the container empty. Called about it and they are sending the driver back with a fresh order, 45 min later still nothing. The location is literally 4 miles from the house. Should not take this long to replace an item. Going to just go to the store for refund of the sauce and bread. read more

Overpriced. The taste was barely average, but a large plain cost over $14, so Monical's fails the cost-benefit analysis. Complaints about the service are well-founded, as we had a pick-up order and it took 3-4 minutes of standing at the counter for anybody to even wait on us. I ordered the thin crust pizza, and won't return to Monical's, so I address only the thin crust. The pizza was pretty bland, despite a hefty helping of oregano. There is very little sauce, fairly dry cheese, and a chewy crust. Heed other reviewers' advice and get the dipping sauce, because you will need it. read more

I'm reeeeaaaaally picky about my pizza, but this stuff was great! We got the thin crust with steak and bacon and it was awesome! However, the service is a bit challenged you could say... Our waiter forgot to get us water refills and forgot about our pizzarolles order or whatever they are called, but when we pointed it out, he compensated us really well, so no complaints really. I think the food deserves 5 stars, but since the service is so..... I don't know what to call it..... I had to knock it down a star. Also, when my boyfriend mentioned that the pizzarolles were delicious but he thought he was going to have a heart attack from all the grease (haha funny funny), the waiter filled us in with how bad they are for us, like trying to make cool conversation with us. It pretty much horrified us and made me want to starve myself for a week, but like I said, he compensated our bill well. read more