Right in the heart of Taylor St. midtown and Little Italy. One of the best mom and pops restaurant great food, fast easy service, big portions, variety on the menu outside seating, good vibe, beers, sodas and more. read more

Pompei - Pizza Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I've had better pizzas. In town for vacation and looked for something quick and local and this place wasn't it. Strudel - ordered Beef Angelo and it was okay. It's a strudel stuffed with sliced beef, green peppers, tomatoes, onions, and cheese. All I can say is that it tasted like frozen hot pockets. Pizza by the Slice - ordered Four Cheese and Tomatoes + Pizza Pompei. Four Cheese and Tomatoes was okay. It tasted exactly what it sounds like and definitely heavier/savory than Pizza Pompei. Pizza Pompei on the other hand, had a thicker crust and was juicier considering all the tomatoes on top. It also tasted like straight up alcohol. Imported Pasta - ordered Baked Mostaccioli Pasta and it definitely lacked sauce! I mixed it up and thought the sauce was at the bottom but it definitely was not. It lacked flavor and overall tasted like Mac n Cheese from a box. Desserts - ordered their famous Cannoli and I'm not quite sure if this is how a Cannoli's supposed to taste like. It looked delightful don't get me wrong, but there was something off about it. Took a small bite and never took another one. Would I come back? Most likely not, but one for the books! read more

This place is extremely affordable with large portions for cheap. They have pizzas, calzones, and more. However the food didn't taste the greatest. read more

Made another trip in today and got some items I hadn't tried before. The poor boy, seasoned fries, and some of the chocolate cake. I was in absolute awe of it all. Thank you pompeii for never failing me. read more

Technically I would give this 3.5 stars. Counter order/table served Italian. I don't want to say fast casual because it seems nicer than that. The restaurant is super easy to locate, good parking and absolutely helpful staff. The sauce on their spaghetti was excellent. I'm not sure how they make it but it was pretty perfect. I didn't have their pizza but my friend did and she said it was good. They had some delicious looking options. I regret not just getting a piece for fun. The biggest imperfection was with my entree. I had eggplant parmigiana and the eggplant was not cooked properly. Coating was soggy and I was served an eggplant end piece which was texturally unpleasant. Luckily the spaghetti made up for it. My other friend had an Alfredo pasta. It was rich and dare I say too generous on the sauce. This is where I appreciated the bread so we all could take a dip and try it. I would go back. I just would try something new (or just go head first into a big plate of spaghetti). read more

Food quality has gone down. And someone should tell them Covid ended a while ago, yet they re still charging a technology fee for using a credit card. Nothing like taking it out on your customers. read more

My police officer friend's precinct is near here and her and co-workers go here a lot for lunch/dinner, so she recommended it for us the other night when we went out. It's on the busy stretch of Taylor Street with other eateries, yet we found easy street parking. The owner was sitting at a table up front and approached me and asked if it was my first time. I said yes, and he proceeded to walk me up to the counter and explain everything, which was very nice. It's casual, cafeteria-style Italian where you go up and can see a lot of the food that's already prepared. You order, pay, and they bring your order to you. They make their own pastas and there are so many choices that I had a hard time deciding. I opted for the herbed chicken ravioli which was very, very good. I also tried their pasta fagioli soup, which was tasty yet only lukewarm. The rest of our party got chicken parmesan, pizza, side salads and garlic bread. My daughter liked the chicken parmesan, yet it didn't wow her like she was expecting. My husband makes it for her and she said his was better. She did like the cheesy garlic bread. I want to come back, and I am thinking that I will try one of the entree salads next time. read more

Chicken pasta was just ok , too expensive for the quality in my opinion but it is Taylor street so :/ and this was one of the cheaper options. The pizza was definitely the best part of that experience. Chicken and broccoli just seemed to be marinating in water and lightly grilled, sauce was very runny, to each their own. read more

By far my favorite fast casual Italian restaurant!! I wish they still had the one in Lakeview, but the original in Little Italy is worth the drive. Parking available in the back. Cafeteria style with so much to choose from. My favorites are the Marie's special sale. How can you go wrong with bacon & blue cheese on a salad? Next I get the 8 finger cavatelli with the smoked tomato cream sauce. One of the strudels, chicken parm, bbq beef, poor boy or the turkey stuffing and a slice of pizza is plenty for two. With some leftovers for tomorrow. Lots of soft drink choices, both Coke and Pepsi products, plus a small selection of beer and wine. Desserts are the usual baked goods; lemon knots, brownies, plus tiramisu and cannoli. Bunch of different gelati to choose from. Service is always polite and efficient. Love this place! read more

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Get the strudels and slices of stuffed pizza (it's like a long strudel). They are delicious.

Almost 100 years of amazing pizza in the heart of Little Italy! Great service, fantastic food!

Yo! So I'm in the Chi for a Meet & Greet for some upcoming nuptuals. So we slide over to Pompei to get our grub on. I run into the godess Yoshie. My gurl hooks a brother up with the salad, bomb ass poboy Strudel, some slap yo momma good Chicken Parm and the best damn tiramisu I've had. Y'all go check this spot out!! I'm no foodie, but I'm fat and know good food when I eat it!! read more

What a unique place. It has a huge variety of food. We had the wings, lasagna, fettuccine, and chili. The best was the fettuccine with chicken and broccoli, the meh was the lasagna. My husband actually send mine is waaaaay better. Thanks honey. They used a ton of ricotta and barely any meat. The chili was filled with beans and meat, my husband loved it. The wings were delicious and hot and over sauced which I love, we ordered the bbq ones. We also had the chocolate cake which was a solid 4 stars and a lemon knot, that wasn't my fav, I felt it was too strong of a lemon liquor flavor. Oh I also had the stuffed spinach and ricotta pizza which was delicious with a side of marinara. It wasn't too busy at 10:30 when we were there, lots of fresh food to choose from. There were many police officers stopping in for a bite. The area around can be a little shady at times. There is plenty of street parking. I'd def come back if I'm in the area. read more

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This is the best place in the Tri Taylor area for casual Italian meal. You can pick out your slice of pizza you want, and they heat it up to order. Wide selection of entrees, with some really good daily specials all week long. Finally you have to try the canolli or cheesecake. Closest you can get to a home cooked meals. read more

Ominous namesake, solid choice for a quick Italian bite. We're not talking Michelin-Star Italian cuisine here, but Pompei seems uninterested in all that. This place is a no-frills, very clean, very quick and convenient spot for the Italian-American staples. A large selection of pizza, pasta, stromboli, etc. with a rotating selection of well-priced daily specials makes Pompei an excellent choice for a tasty, affordable, and valuable lunch or dinner. You order up at the counter, and find yourself a table from the open-seating dining area. Your food will be brought out to your table when it is ready. Beers can be purchased from a side-counter and you get your drinks yourself from the fountain. Again, this is a no-frills spot, but it totally works. All of the staff was friendly, the service was swift, the environment was clean, and the food was great. You get a nice bang for your buck here, with tasty food that is filling and won't break the bank. I ordered two slices, a beer, and one of the daily specials. It was more than enough food to cover me for lunch and dinner, coming in at under $20. That's enough to put a smile on my face. Thanks Pompei! read more

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Pompei is a great place to get Italian food without having to splurge much money. For my first time visit for lunch, I got the Chicken and Herb Ravioli (see picture) which I thought was pretty good. I loved the orange sauce that covered the ravioli on the outside. The inside stuffing was a little dry but I still liked its flavor. You could clearly taste the chicken-ness and herb-ness. The stuffing also tasted fairly healthy (although that's probably not the real case) so it at least made me feel somewhat better for eating such a filling lunch. My friend ordered the Baked Mostaccioli (see picture too) which was also pretty good. It was a large and heavy dish with a lot of cheese so if you get it for lunch, it's well advised to share or split with other people. Too bad the bread was pretty cold and hard when we got it. It hurt to chew on the crust after a few bites of it! Other than that, my visit here left a good impression. You ordered and paid at the counter, the food came quickly, and the ladies bathroom was clean and pretty. Not a bad restaurant! I will likely return. read more

Pompei - Baked Mostaccioli, Pompei - Pizza Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Wow this place is kick ass! You know if the Chicago policemen eat there, that's it's going to be delicious and priced right. We love the stuffed sandwiches called strudels. Slices of pizza are solid choices as well. read more

Overall this is a good place to eat. A little on the pricey side, but it's good food. This isn't the best Italian I've ever had and it's not the worst, but still solid. I went with a co-worker and got two slices of pizza, one sausage and one pepperoni. I was happy with them, but I think the sausage was a tad better. The pepperoni was a little dried out and crust was on burned side. There is a plenty of parking and the staff I interacted with were very pleasant and polite. If you're in the area, give them a shot. I think you'll enjoy the meal. read more

Pompei - Pizza Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

When I first walked into this Pompei years ago I liked it immediately. I like the idea behind it even though I knew it was a glorified Sbarro. You know, the place in shopping mall food courts. Pompei has a great and varied choice of foods and if the stars are aligned and you hit it at the right time, you can end up with a delicious meal. While in the car a day ago my wife mentioned a taste for an Italian lunch. As luck would have it we were coming up on Taylor Street and I suggested trying Pompei. Fortunately, they are offering inside dining so it was a no brainer. I ordered the sausage, peppers and potatoes plate and really loved the flavor of the food. All three items were cooked nicely and had a great taste. My wife chose the meat lasagna without a second thought and she was pretty pleased. You wouldn't think so but finding truly good lasagna is not that easy in Chicagoland but Pompei did it right. Her wish was that it had been a bit firmer but the taste was right on. Remember, this is basically a buffet line and you pay for each item you want to sample. There are no house salads or bowls of soup offered with the items, but a bread and butter basket would be a nice free addition. This is not an inexpensive place to eat but then again, you're not paying for the extras. So, why the two star rating you ask. Two things. The temperature of both dishes ranged from lukewarm to cool. That was disconcerting and quite irritating. I suppose I could have asked that it be placed back in the microwave but instead just rolled with it. The kicker, though, was when I asked for a glass of water. You'd have thought I asked the young lady taking my order to unbutton her blouse. First looking stunned, then sheepishly looking around her, she told me they generally are not allowed to pass out water. She told me that in the future, should I ask for plain water, don't be surprised if I'm told no. I certainly didn't ask for a refill. We'll be back, I'm just not sure how quickly. Remember, this review DOES NOT reflect on the flavor of the food. Go to Pompei but maybe ask a question or two if you have them and stress that your meal be served hot. Next time, I will. read more

My wife and I ate here last Friday night 11/24/2023. We had the meat lasagna and the fettuccine Alfredo with chicken and broccoli. Side of garlic bread with cheese, and two bowls of the Pasta Faglio. With soda fountain drinks. It's been a while since we were back probably since the pandemic. Well the soup was great. The lasagna was ok the sauce was good but the lasagna we had before had Italian beef in it and was great. This tasted old like it been around the kitchen a while and it was hot enough. My wife and I asked for plates so we could try both dishes. The fettuccine Alfredo was blah and there wasn't much chicken or broccoli. Maybe we came on an off night? Who knows but it sure wasn't what we remembered. Value of food for the money. The proportions we once received we larger portions and hotter food. My wife loves tirimasu. We ordered that as well took it home for dessert and we were disappointed. Tasted like we missed the coffee. Overall the dinning experience was great good as far as service but the entrees were not as good the soup. Which I hope someone reads this from the Pompei restaurant and these entrees are relooked at because they were not good this time around. Just to give you an idea how long I've been eating at your establishment since 2011. And I ate at the one in Westmont on Ogden. Food was so much better before the pandemic. Hope and pray it gets better as far as quality. read more

Pompei, I've been here several times now, and each time I have such high hopes but am really just left with an "eh" feeling about the food. First let's do positives. They have a lovely patio and an ample dining room, so there's a lot of space for seating. They also have quite an array of choices when it comes to the food. Many different pizza slice options, more than your typical pizza slice carry out place. Their portions tend to be generous, and they give you a fair amount for the price. Also they do have some parking in the back! The food itself is okay, I've tried some of their pizzas, some of their pastas, and the arancini and have never been really blown away by anything. It does come out fairly quickly though and for a quick lunch I'd definitely recommend it, however it's not food that I find myself wanting to come back for. A great place with good options to fill your stomach, and if you eat with your eyes, definitely the place for you as they display a number of their foods. read more

Pompei - Sausage mushroom pepper slice - Pizza Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I finally came back to Pompei years after finishing my time at UIC. It's still delicious and the food is hearty and filling. It's great that it's only a short walk away, and we have ordered from here without having any issues. It's not necessarily cheap by any means, but you get decent portions of food. I will most definitely be back. read more

My grandmother, who lived on Bishop would take us to Pompei as kids to get pizza. What a huge dissapointment and boy do I feel ripped off. Under cooked Gnocchi with a runny tasteless vodka sauce all for a whopping 16.95!!!.. its no wonder they were empty and their other locations have closed. The staff is ignorant as to menu items and about a cordial as a dead fish.. Run dont walk away from what used to be an awesome place.. They should just close and allow that real estate to be used for a more deserving Italian restaurant. read more

Pompei - Gnocchi with vodka sauce - Pizza Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The restaurant has a large nice looking exterior and made 5 parking spots in the back. It's in the heart of Little Italy and shows off many Italian dishes here. ATMOSPHERE/ARCHITECTURE: 8/10 I really liked the restaurant interior. It was spacious and probably could seat 150+ total. We were seated as a large group in a room in the back for a private event which was very nice. It was not super dimly lit which I enjoy in a restaurant. SERVICE : 8/10 Servers were on top of everything for such a large group. No complaints here. FOOD: 8/10 Food was served buffet style with a number of offerings. Of course, I just had to try a little bit of everything. Italian Salad - This was an interesting Italian salad that was actually quite good. It even had very thinly slight apples in it which gave it nice flavor. Italian Sausage - Just your classic Italian sausage here. Pretty average. Eggplant Parmesan - Now THIS was really good. I went back for seconds on this one. It was done very well with the eggplant covered in a nice layer of cheese but was not super greasy like a lot of eggplant parmesans can end up being. Cheese Pizza - Pretty average cheese pizza. Spinach Stromboli - This was the second item that I really felt was good. It was just a spinach and mozzarella cheese stromboli but it was very delicious. The bread/crust was soft, which is something important to me. Must try. Chocolate Cake - The cake was porous and the chocolate frosting was really dense. I enjoyed this. Brownie - Covered in powdered sugar, it was moist and hit the spot so far as dessert goes. PROBABILITY OF RETURN: 7/10 I'd definitely want to come back here to try some other food they have if I was in the area of Little Italy. TO EAT OR NOT TO EAT: Worth a shot. OVERALL: 8/10 read more

I came here recently and ordered the veal panini with minestrone soup. The minestrone soup was tasty, but too many beans. The panini was tasty, but there was hardly anything in it. It's like they squeezed out the rest of the ingredients. Stingy with the cheese! My boyfriend got 2 different slices of pizza, which looked alright enough. I haven't tried their deep dish, but I think I'm better off going to Giordanos or something. read more

Pompei - Minestrone and veal panini - Pizza Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This joint is unique. Pompei is a but hard to explain but essentially its a fast food italian place that sepciallized in pizza rolls and cannolis There's a wide variety to pick from here. There's sandwiches, pizzas, pastas and lasagnas. On my most recent visit here I had the daily special which was a Mostaccioli with chicken dish. The food here generally seems to not disappoint but now wow either. I'm always a left a little double minded when it comes to this place. As you can see with this review. Final advice? The food is comforting and economical. Its hearty and generous. It just wont blow you away. read more

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First time eating at this location. The staff was nice, but there was an employee that was not friendly to say the least. However, the fettuccini Alfredo with chicken and broccoli was the best I had- and for the price, it's really great! Chicken and broccoli were cooked perfectly and so were the pasta noodles. One dish was definitely enough to make me feel full and happy. I would recommend this place for people looking for some great Italian food that is affordable! read more

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turkey melt strudel was amazing and the chicken ceaser was also. The staff was very friendly and the whole restaurant was extra clean. I will definitely be back! read more

Fantastico! Pompei does a wonderful job at what they do. The Pizza "Strudel" is terrific! Personal favorites include; Turkey Dinner (do not ask-just try it-amazing!), Barbecue Beef, and Poor Boy-though they are all quite tasty. For starters, get the Marie's Special Salad. Thank me later. Quite possibly the best bacon (it is actually crisp prosciutto)I have EVER had on a salad Cafeteria-style service makes for a quick meal. Beverage selections include the usual (soft drink) suspects plus a few surprise (red cream soda). Food tastes fresh and arrives at your table HOT! Free parking behind the restaurant. Bonus: so many Chicago Police officers dine here, you will think you are an extra on an episode of "Chicago PD." read more

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Mediocre pizza plus bad customer service = another choice next time. Just tried to call to cancel an order due to an emergency. Called as early as possible so they wouldn't waste their time starting it. Was told computers were not up yet so I would have to call back. I asked if the woman could not just pick up a pen and take a note, and she said NO. I have thousands of dollars in emergency cancellation problems to handle due to this situation, thanks to the hurricane that hit Puerto Rico, and the woman at Pompei can't TAKE A NOTE. Plenty of other options. They just lost my business. read more

The best!!! You can't go wrong with anything on the menu! They use Melrose peppers! Any Chicago Italian knows what I'm talking about! Get the scarole and beans omg or chicken parm! read more

I pass by this "restaurant" every day on the way to work so I guess I had to try it. I'm now writing this review to warn anyone else from going here. This was the most classless "Italian" "restaurant" I've ever had the dishonour of eating at. The chicken parm was a disgrace. It bent my knife because of how tough it was. I literally have a stomach ache as I write this and I'm sure you will too if you ever have the misfortune of eating here. read more

Pompei - Chicken Parmigiana - Pizza Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The closest thing to NJ Italian pizzeria. Although I am Asian American, my palate was born Italian. It must have something to do with rice and pasta being carbs. But I digress. I always ate pizzeria-style Italian food back in NJ. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy Italian fine dining too. But the no thrills pasta and sandwiches just remind me of home and childhood memories. Pompeii is the closest to that feeling I get when I bite into a chicken parmigiana sandwich or baked ziti with ricotta cheese as a child. read more

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I ordered a meat sauce and got absolutely no meat in my sauce. If anything, it looked like watered down canned pasta sauce. My friend ordered fettuccine alfredo with chicken and her chicken was still cold in the center and the alfredo sauce was also runny. It looked and tasted like a microwaved dinner. read more

Imagine Panera bread but local and Italian. VERY large restaurant with plenty of seating, fast and casual. They have lots of Italian desserts too (gelato, cannolis, tiramisu). Staff is nice. One suggestion to the owners would be to have some hand held menus at the front to make choosing easier, as the menu is written high up behind the counter and it kind of wraps around so you need to walk back and forth to see the whole thing. read more

Marie's salad The best salad ever, Always good homemade soups. Good for catering. Staff is friendly and kind. The restaurant snd bathrooms are clean. Love this place read more

I really wish I had done carry out n called ahead to avoid the terrible customer service experience at the counter. First I had to be pointed out to the two workers talking behind the counter. then the worker snapped at me when she was reading back my order as for here, so I said, it's Togo and she's like, that's what I said. Enough know the nice fella in a black shirt rang me up and packed my order to go and brought over my po boy that I ordered for here. He was apologetic and I let him know I've been coming to Pompei since 94. Too bad the sassy gal with the thin pink headband was more focused on dancing moves and not smiling. Good thing the food is top notch! That's the only reason I'm giving 4 stars. read more

Pompei - The amazing strudel n po boy! - Pizza Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

All summed up with "Eh." Tried their beef and works strudel and it was just okay. Have not tried their regular pizza and hoping it is better then this apparent strudel which is very similar to a Stromboli but not as good. Really quite bland and unsatisfying. They tried the best they could but the best they could wasn't good enough. read more

Visited this spot during the Italian Fest for drinks. Cute and simple spot, especially given the outdoor seating. I can't speak much to the food since we only had drinks but the food did smell good. The menu was rather limited however. Though the place wasn't packed the service was slow. We had to wait a long time for anyone to come to us, to order, and to get the check. Overall a nice quick stop (they had wings, oysters etc to share) but there are better places for Italian out there. read more

Pompei - The menu! - Pizza Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Easy online ordering. We got two orders of chicken Alfredo and one order of spinach raviolis. My father and I were both unhappy with the chicken Alfredo. The chicken was cooked good, but the taste of the Alfredo was very bland. They do provide good sized portions with lots of sauce. My friend said the ravioli was cooked well and was good sized. Prices were very reasonable for downtown. I plan on trying a new Italian place next time and probably won't be back. read more