Lefty’s Chicago Pizzeria

A waitress put her hand on my brother to get out of a private party area! And when he complained to the manager he said she thought you were drunk but continued to make it seem like we were bothering them! Then they took forever to make our pizza over 30 mins waiting with no one else in the restaurant but the private party! They basically wanted us out even though we paid for or pizza and wanted to take it to go since they didn’t want us there! We ended having to leave with no refund and no pizza! I will never come back and I would recommend to never go here! I worked in the serving industry and I can’t believe they don’t take care about there customers!

Having lived near Chicago for 4 years, I love everything about Lefty’s: the food, beer & soda
selection, the staff and the atmosphere indoors and outside in the back. Have been going there for years ever since it opened up taking over the space that Phil’s BBQ vacated,
EXCEPT their pizzas take FOREVER to be served.
They are courteous enough to say it will take 20 – 25 minutes, ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ though in them hitting that time range. And tonight was BRUTAL w/​our cheese thin-​crust pizza coming to us 40 minutes after we ordered it which included going up to the counter to ask about its ETA, and while it was busy at 6:30 i have seen it busier.
Everything else comes to the table in 10 – 15 mins; but If u want a pizza (thin or deep) on a timely basis order by the slice, it’s more expensive but comes to the table w/​in 10 – 15 mins.
Will continue to go, but will only order a pizza for take out and will probably add on 10 – 15 minutes to pickup time they tell me

Lefty’s has solid pizzas. We tried both the thin crust and deep dish. We also had the italian beef which by the way can easily feed two people. We walked out of there so stuff, we were basically waddling! I would love to go back again and get stuffed with the deep dish pizza.

Being from Chicago I’m obviously biased, pizza was good. Not very thick for being deep dish though, the crust was very tasty though. We ordered a few dish pepperoni pizza it came in about 45 minutes and was coverd in pepperoni, like 6 – 7 slices thick! way too much it made the whole pizza way too greasy. I literally took 10 pieces off of one slice. Service was pleasant and atmosphere was fun, good selection of beers.
I’ll come back for a hot dog next time

Lefty’s you’re killing me. Ordered on the phone for pickup at 6:38. Was quoted a 45 minute wait for two thin crusts. No biggie. I showed up early and paid at 7:00 and was told it would be a half hour wait from there. Obviously they didn’t fire the pizza when I called. Ok no prob I’m chill. I come back in a half hour. Told pizza will be ready in 8 minutes. Ok fine. 10 minutes later I check on the pie and they say 8 more minutes. Is this a joke?
I love the pizza here, but gd you guys gotta get your act together

Had a craving for food from home! Heard of Lefty’s through a recommendation through my co-​worker. The Chicago Hot Dog AND the Italian Beef DEFINITELY hit the spot. I love that they have ½ sandwiches of the beef so I didn’t feel too guilty for craving home food! They know what’s up too — having the italian beef sandwiches wet! yummm! sounds gross, but if you’re Chicago native or even had these sandwiches before, you’d understand. The jardinière is on point as well!
Had some «deep dish» but it was more like a pan crust and not true deep dish from back home.
gaahh the food tasted so good! The back patio feature tables and opportunities for a game of bags/​cornhole (of course decorated with the City of Chicago flag).
Funny that Lefty’s is decorated in primarily Cubs memorabilia (along with Bears, Blackhawks, and Bulls). When I asked the owner, he said he and his family were Cubs fans! Makes sense! And again, if you’ve lived in Chicago or understand the sports culture there, you know the rivalry between the Cubs and Sox! So fun. Love this place!

This place was terrific. Food and service was great. Had an authentic Italian beef, dipped with hot peppers. Great trip down memory lane, Except for all the Cubs memorabilia.
Joking aside, I’m definitely going back again and again.

I can’t believe it took me this long to write a review for this amazing place! I tried this place for the first time a couple of weeks ago and I LOVED IT! Every time I hear people talk about Chicago deep dish pizza, they always bring up Lefty’s and now I know why. I mean, I’m definitely not a pizza connoisseur, but I know what good food tastes like and this slice of pizza was just perfect! I ended up getting a slice of the deep dish vegetarian, so good!
The place is a decent size, there are some tables out front and some inside as well. They also have a hand washing station right after you pay at the register. Great idea!
I will definitely be back to try more of their deep dish, thin crust and their stuffed pizza as well. Come check out Lefty’s, you won’t regret it!

Revisited this place after a couple years and just as the last time, loved every bit of it!
In the door, welcomed by happy smiling faces! He asked if we had been there before and we told him it had been a while. Nice guy (pretty sure it was the same guy as the last time) he took the time to explained the menu, said we’d get a number to put on the table, and told us all the «by the slice» flavored of the evening!
We ordered the loaded fries, an Italian sandwich, a slice of pepperoni, and a slice of something amazing with ricotta and tons of green goodness!
The fries, kind of a little overpriced for what they are since the price doesn’t seem to match all the others.
The Italian sandwich, not your average since it has mustard but it’s so damn good!
Pizza, we just love everything about it!

Got the meaty deep dish. Delicious, flaky crust, plenty of meat. Would recommend. Great family atmosphere. Would recommend.

Lefty’s is great. So great that they opened a second location. They have done the near impossible… figures out the right type of deep dish crust outside of Chicago proper. That perfect mix of flavor, cornmeal, and crunch. The staff is always friendly, I especially love the new location to actually enjoy eating in, and the pizza is consistently good.
As a frequent Chicago visitor… and it being my «favorite food city»…I just can’t give Lefty’s 5 starts until they get a much bigger/​deeper pizza. MUCH bigger. It has the right flavors and textures, but it is about half the thickness of a Giordano’s, Gino’s, or Lou Malnati’s pie.
I still enjoy it very much, but it isn’t the massive deep dish that I know and love from the Windy City. I hope they figure out that missing link to get it to be a real deep dish.

The food was a 3, the service was a 1.5.
We’re from out of town & decided to give this place a shot. The lady who took our order seemed very uninterested & not friendly. The man to her left sounded really nice & kind! (Too bad we didn’t interact with him!)
Overall, we interacted with a few other people and all but the really young looking girl didn’t say a thing to us.
The burger was good, cheese fries gross, and the Italian sandwich was ok.
Too bad! We were looking forward to it!

Tried Leftys for the first time last night. We ordered a stuffed half cheese, half meatball/​ricotta/​pepperoni. It took about an hour as expected, picked it up and drove back to our friend’s place which is about 15 minutes away. Once we got back, we realized that the entire pizza had meat on it, which was not good because my wife is vegetarian. We called them back and were about to go off on them when the owner got on the phone and told us he would have a new pizza made, all cheese and they will deliver it to us, which is way outside of their delivery area. For this they get 5 stars for the service, as a lesser company might have told us we had to bring the pizza back or offered a refund which is the lazy way out.
The pizza itself is amazing. I only tried the meat one. The ricotta was sweet and flavorful and the meatballs were very good too. The sauce has an almost sweet flavor to it too. I only have Chicago Bros. to compare this too and it’s too hard to say which is better. It’s really the sauce that’s different. Chicago Bros sauce is more tangy and Lefty’s is more sweet, so whatever you’re in the mood for is what you should get. I will definitely come back here.

I had never been here before, but when I am visiting, I am for sure coming back! I live in North County so it makes it hard for me to stop by on a regular basis, but I was happy when I came in and had an early dinner.
After doing some work in the area, I came in and grabbed a quick slice to eat. After looking at their selection when you walk in, I turned around and went to the register. I placed my order and found a seat. One of the coolest things, they have a hand washing station right here in the middle of the restaurant! SO COOL! I love this idea!
The pizza was awesome and delicious! Pretty hot and paired with a soda… AWESOME… I was in heaven for those 10 minutes I sat eating and sipping at my soda. YAY for Lefty’s!

My sister lives down the street from Lefty’s and we stopped in for two slices of pizza and to hang out. Filled with Chicago gear to the gills, Lefty’s certainly does a solid deep dish slice. We got a thin crust slice of cheese and a sausage slice of the deep dish and this absolutely did not disappoint. While the thin crust was good, it wasn’t anything I hadn’t had before. But the deep dish slice. Whoa. The sausage slice was amazing and I absolutely loved the tomato sauce! Hooray for MidWest fare on the West Coast!

I enjoyed the atmosphere. It’s low key and welcoming.
I ordered a slice of sausage «deep dish» pizza. My boyfriend ordered an Italian beef (with sausage) and a slice.
I put «deep dish» in quotes because this is the thinnest piece of Chicago style pizza that I’ve ever been given. When I was on my way out, I even looked at the glass case with the slices to make sure I wasn’t accidentally given a thin slide. However, the sausage pizza was labeled as deep dish.
The slice was just okay. The sauce was extremely garlic-​y. It definitely left a lingering taste in my mouth.
The Italian beef was too bland for me, but my boyfriend seemed to enjoy it.
Overall, my assumption that you can’t find great Chicago style pizza outside of Chicago still stands. I might need to order Lou Malnati’s to be shipped to me soon to fulfill my craving.

Being from Chicago, I rate this place 5 stars for the best attempt at authentic Chicago pizza that well, isn’t in Chicago.
If anyone orders a thin crust, ALWAYS HAVE IT CUT IN SQUARES. Otherwise it is not true Chicago pizza.
We ordered the thin crust sausage pizza. The sauce is sweet, the sausage crumbled, and thin crust as crispy as it can be. I have not tried their deep dish.
My husband hasn’t been to Chicago yet, and he says this is the best pizza he’s ever had. All I tell him is «Just wait till we go to Chicago.» :)

When an establishment has the name Chicago in it, your standards are already set pretty high so how can you beat that? It started with a lucky parking spot literally in front. As we walked in, I realized where to begin there’s so much going on for eyes to handle. Fortunately the lady behind the register was very helpful while we were looking around she was replaced with a friendly gentleman who explained further about the pizza by the slices and beverages.
My husband went for the deep dish sausage and pepperoni slice and I chose the veggies pizza slice. I was glancing at all the bottles behind him and somehow I landed on a bottle with a pineapple on it named Ace. He told me it was a cider and it’s really good I’ll like it. Then I must have that in a chilled glass and let me tell you it was like drinking a pineapple and I had no hangover later. My husband chose the Ballast Point grapefruit sculpin in a chilled glass and said that was good too. Back to the pizza: I wish I got the deep dish. Both reminded me of Chicago style pizza.
We ate there and let me tell you they have a kids section! Once you go up the ramp turn right into the room with a fireplace. It’s so cozy it felt like we were at someone’s house. Story time & learning books filled the bookshelves, basket of toy trucks, and barn animals, games for kids and adults, it was all so unexpected. We actually had a great time eating here because of all the distractions and entertainment our son was occupied and quiet while we ate and relaxed with one drink. Our son didn’t want to leave he was having so much fun and actually ate his dinner. I totally recommend this place for families and kids. Why can’t more restaurants do this?! Thanks Lefty’s!

I’ve had the Chicago deep dish at both this location and north park.
I officially give up on their Chicago deep dish.
Not saying it’s bad. I just prefer the crust at regents in utc better. Leftys crust needs more salt and thickness.
Toppings are okay, but let’s face it. The backbone of any good pizza is the crust.
If I go back, I’ll try a Chicago dog.

I CANNOT RECOMMEND!
Was sub par and disappointing, to say the least!
Yes, I know you are trying so hard to portray a laid back attitude, but the ‘altitude’ of the drama driven staff who work here can’t be friendly if their lives depended on it. They are always too busy talking about drama. *rolls eyes* This attitude is over my head.
The pizza, at $ 18., won’t touch my mouth. What? No lean crispy bacon as usual? It was not edible! The whole pizza went in the garbage. I wouldn’t feed that to anyone. Disgusting and disgusted comes to mind. Yuck!
And if that was a meatball on the other half of our pizza, remind me I will never order your meatball sandwich. The meat tasted ‘off’, honestly. The sausage has a funky weird taste, it’s not good. I suggest another supplier.
VERY, VERY DISAPPOINTED FOR THE LAST FEW TIMES. I think you should think about inconsistencies.
Disappointment cause I’ve been telling my friends about you, and how good you are. But you’re not anymore.
Lefty’s –What happened to you?
And don’t tell me it’s cause the Cubbies are the worst team…
Matter of fact, an update is in order…
***************UPDATE — August 1, 2015
I won’t be returning to Lefty’s (ever). There are too many other places that have way better pizza than this Chicago poser. They used to care what customers think. They don’t anymore.
They think they can come to California and put «Chicago» on the name of their place and pass it off as authentic. IT’S NOT.
Not even close. It’s a lot of bad food at somewhat high prices for the lowest quality.