I went to Jimmy's Place this afternoon about 2-2:30 p.m. and was told I could not use by Groupon until 4:00 pm. No where on the certificate does it say that time, for dinner only, or any other time restriction. I have purchased several Groupons for Jimmy's in the past and, as a senior citizen, have always eaten in the early afternoon there. The waitress told us she could not accept the Groupon under any circumstances and the owner (Jimmy himself) will not budge on this matter. She said she had 3 complaints today alone. What kind of business is this really?? What kind of proprietor would not honor a deal that he committed to? Why doesn't he put that restriction on his Groupon so not to make customer angry. I will no longer go to Jimmy's Place. I have been a long-time customer there, but I think this incident was not only embarrassing, but insulting. And if he wants dinner business only then he should state that on the Groupon. But until that time he should honor the deal he made. By the way, my friend and I have a lovely lunch down the street at Shanahan's and will continue to go there from now on. Mr. Jimmy Arrogance is not a good businessman and certainly has lost more than one customer over this. With all the good restaurants in Forest Park now, I hope he soon finds himself begging for customers. And also he keeps raising his prices like it's downtown. I have never seen such a small glass of wine for the price that he charges. His head is way too big and there are several better Italian restaurants in the area than his food. Sorry, Jimmy, sometimes people get just TOO BIG for their britches, but I at least can walk away to another good restaurant. read more

I've been to jimmy's several times....I keep waiting for it to get better, but I think I've learned my lesson. the sauced pastas are totally uninspiring and bland. every single thing I've ever had there has also been waaaaaaaay too salty. I'm done with this place. read more

The pizza was fantastic. The crust was crispy and the ingredients were fresh. We had spinach, mushroom, black olive and sausage pizza. Our server was very accommodating to us and our two children. The atmosphere is authentic Italian and a family restaurant. Various sports were playing on the televisions. Fun night out for our family! read more

Jimmy's Place - Italian Near Me - Forest Park, Illinois

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Let me preface this by saying I went here with a Groupon, but they didn't know I had it until the end. The place was very crowded on a Thursday night and the second room they have had a party going on in it, so I'm thinking, wow, this place must be good. Lots of locals, families and people eating at the bar. Greeting: 2 waitresses passed us up when we walked in without so much as a greeting and then a man (who i presume was the owner) invited us to sit at the bar "for a minute" while a table opened. The place was STIFLING hot and I started sweating immediately. My husband's shirt was getting damp. Ordering drinks: They did not have a wine list (thanks for not showing me prices) and had one wine for each varietal. The Chianti was musty. My husband ordered a Miller Lite. The bartender automatically refilled my red wine glass without me asking and then ended up charging me for it. BIG NO NO. Salads: Came out before appetizers but were good. Appetizer: We ordered the rapini with beans and the beans tasted canned and the rapini wasn't rapini (I was expecting a kind of broccoli rabe sautee and it was a puddle of mushy, overcooked broccoli) Dinner: Hubby liked his chicken parm but thought the pasta was tasteless and I liked my chicken limone. Had to stop eating it though after a few bites because I was so sweaty and gross and sticking to the bar stool. In summary - to sit at the bar, sweat my ass off and get charged for drinks I didn't order by a bartender who was wearing a "white t" and basketball shorts, this meal WAS NOT worth $80 (with tip). No THANKS!!! read more

On our endless quest for good thin-crust pizza, the hubby and I gave Jimmy's place a try. It was nothing to write home about. The crust had fine texture but no flavor (yes, Virginia, crust can have flavor). The cheese was laid on in slabs and not grated. I don't know why that makes a difference, it just does. The worst culprit was the sauce. Or lack thereof. What lay between crust and cheese could best be described as a thin red lubricant. The servers are probably very friendly if you're a regular. Ours, however, was not. She spent more time on her cell phone than helping her tables. And then she asked if we needed change from our $40 when the bill was $30. Uh...yeah? read more

It really pains me to write the follow-on review. Jimmy's has been my favorite family/casual Italian restaurant in the area. We've been enjoying Jimmy's for 4-years, but I think it's steadily declined in quality. The red sauce doesn't have the same pop, the eggplant is lifeless and tasteless, the calamari is not chewy and fresh-tasting rather crispy and fast-food like. The service has even went down as the waitress we had tonight was not the typical Jimmy's server but rather a grump, really. I'm really bummed out as a trip to Jimmy's was a treat for our family as I always looked forward to the chicken parm. I wonder if there are new cooks in the kitchen or they are using cheaper ingredients because something has definitely changed. It was dead at dinner on a Thursday night, which had us thinking if others have also noticed the decline in quality. We won't be going back anytime soon so I will be monitoring yelp reviews to see if the quality is back. Going to have to find another peasant Italian restaurant, I guess. read more

Still one of the greatest hidden dives in the city. But highly recommend you try this if you enjoy Maxwell Street Polish.

Poorest service I've had in a while. First off, the sign says Wait to be Seated. Well, with all the people passing by me, someone could at least seat me even if they are too busy to take an order.... 10 minutes later someone gets up from the bar. I sit - since I really wanted an Italian Beef, and this is one of the few places that does it. After another 5-10 min 2 bartenders pass around me checking in w others but not their new person.... I finally get to order an Old Fashioned and food - it's awful. Worst I had in a while. But the food eventually comes. The sandwich needed more beef for sure, but the giardiniera was barely acceptable (but acceptable). The beer options seem super limited, but I was never offered any menu this whole time so who knows wat they really have... I get the check. Bartender gives me the check and a pen. Then someone asks him something. He takes the pen.... Then he decides to go around to tables.... No pen to sign check = no tip!!! Really! He didn't want a tip! Awful! read more

Decided to eat here because of Groupon. After reading the reviews, I agree, the food is just ok. Ordered the stuffed mushrooms. the mushrooms were tiny and the breading was all breadcrumbs shaped like giant cones with no flavor. the sauce tasted like the wine was poured in after it was done cooking. Linguine alla Jimmy was supposed to be oil, fresh mozz., tomatoes and fresh basil. Seriously no flavor, not even salt. The basil looked like it had been cooked in the broth it was served in, not oil. not impressed at all. At $15.95 - not worth it. If you order the lasagna, don't be fooled if they ask if you want cheese or meat. It's all cheese, the meat is in the sauce. Really it tasted like spinach lasagna with a meat sauce. For $17.95 it was not worth it. Food is bland. I personally did not enjoy it. I will not go back on my own. For the prices they are charging, it's not worth it. The bar was busy with regulars who seemed to know everyone. So, I would say come here for the bar, not the pasta or mushrooms. read more

Jimmy's Place - Linguine alla Jimmy with umm 2 rogue mostaccoli noodles and a burnt linguine noodle that looks like a worm. - Italian Near Me - Forest Park, Illinois

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I never should have listened to the "Sandwich King's" advice about this place. We decided to try Jimmy's after reading that Jeff Mauro claimed it had the "best pizza". Reeeeeally, Jeff? This is the best pizza you've EVER had? We started out with the frizalle-chetta (their version of bruschetta). It was pretty tasty--toasted bread with tomatoes, fontina, olives, pepperoni tossed in a vinaigrette. The guys had mussels--no complaints from them. Next, we shared a pizza (the main event) and the homemade cavatelli with vodka sauce...both were a major disappointment. The pizza had (I never thought I would say this) Way. Too. Much. Cheese. Salty, squeak-as-you-chew, cheese. Too much of it. And, either the pizza sauce had no flavor, or there wasn't enough of it...hard to tell with all that cheese. The cavatelli brought up conversations of eating paste...it was sticky, mushy and had no flavor. That's the last time I'll take some new Food Network Star's word for it... read more

I am torn on how many stars to give here. Service was shotty and the food was great. So, I guess I go in the middle. 3 Stars. We wandered in here after waiting over an hour for a table a restaurant up the street. It was busy on a Tuesday night... must be good. We sat down right away. Bread basket and water arrived promptly. Service... About 5 minutes after sitting down, our waitress showed up to take our order. Umm... menus first would be great. She brought menus and then asked for our drink order. Umm... what kinds of drinks do you have? Beers are on the wall. Okay, beer it is. We asked about an appetizer and she did not really know how to explain the dish. When we got the bill, she had miscalculated and over charged us $25. I'm glad my friend looked at it! She apologized and said that someone had walked in and distracted her while she was adding it up. The food... Shrimp Sagamon (?) Appetizer. It's shrimp and roasted red peppers in a spicy sauce. Yum! Salad with cumbled blue cheese... tasty. Linguine ala Jimmy's - linguine with fresh mozzzerella and tomatoes in an olive oil and garlic sauce... double yum! My friend had the gorgonzola alfredo... triple yum! I actually liked his entree more than mine. The ambiance of the place and the prices on the menu immediately indicate that you are in for some great italian food. Entrees range between 14.99 - 29.99. The decor is simple and low key. Checkered plastic table cloths and photos and memorabilia on the walls. 3 beers 1 appetizer 2 entrees $54 read more

I will tell you my experience and let you decide... I bought a Groupon for this restaurant after a friend told me how much they liked the "solid, red sauce italian with local clientele." I found that description as accurate as could be. A friend and I went for dinner on a Tuesday night at 6pm. It was busy but we sat down right away. Our waitress was very helpful, letting us know what were client favorites on the menu. My friend had the cavatelli with vodka sauce which was awesome. I had spaghetti and meatballs which were a pretty good standard. Both pastas came with a side salad. I opted for paying a little extra for the antipasto salad which could have been a delicious meal in itself. Problems arose when it came time to pay. At the start of our meal I told the waitress I had a groupon and showed her on my phone. She said that was fine and she'd take a picture at the end of the meal. Unfortunately my battery was low and died before we finished eating. No big deal because my friend had an iPhone. Problem was that Jimmy's is a dead zone and it took extra time to load. We had eaten quickly and were still catching up so I became a little annoyed when the waitress and Jimmy himself asked us if it was ready a half dozen times in 3 minutes. We were asked to move to the bar so they could seat another party at our table. Once the groupon loaded we then could not get anyone's attention. The restaurant got busier and busier and the owner seemed more and more agitated. The waitress came with a camera and the owner proceeded to yell at her in front of us that he didn't "have time for this." The waitress was apologetic and acknowledged subtlely that we were being ushered out. She gave us a coupon for a free appetizer and said she hoped we would come back. When we got outside I realized we hadn't even been there an hour. What I took away from this experience was that the food is good, not spectacular. It's probably good for a quick bite, but you will not be given enough time to talk with others in your party. Unfortunately, I also found the owner to be rude. I felt the situation could have been handled better. As the waitress suspected, I probably won't be back. read more

FYI - the head chef quit the restaurant. He's now at Smoking M's They do have good pizza (don't know about it being the best thin crust, but it's good) and they serve your basic dinner salad on a cold plate (which is great), I have a dilemma, don't care for the owner but the food is fine. Waitstaff is a group of real nice people. It is a neighborhood joint. read more

If I lived in their delivery area I'd go up 2-4 pant sizes! Jimmy's is such a comfortable joint that even if the food was simply "good" I'd go hang out at the bar for cocktails. But the food isn't simply "good" ... it's fresh, tasty & has that "just like Gram used to make" love cooked into it. The Meatballs are killer! The gravy has depth & is not sweet. The beef sandwich is layered with thin tender beef. The pizza is crispy & thin and not glopped with tomato-pastey sauce. The bread is delicious with its dense flavorful inside & its hearty crust. All the pasta dishes I've enjoyed have all been top-notch & plentiful. Over the years I've been to Jimmy's a lil' over a dozen times. There was probably a night where the service was lacking - it's bound to happen at every restaurant ... but really, I can't remember a visit to Jimmy's that hasn't been fun & filling. Prices have understandably risen over the years, but the quality & portion sizes make that a non-issue. Yeah ... so they don't have 5 different Cabs, 3 Super Tuscans & a playful Muscato for your tasting pleasure ... They might keep it simple in the booze deptartment but there's something for everyone. It gets a lil noisey at times because it's a family place, but having a conversation has never been difficult. Jimmy's is a gem on Madison St. read more

Visited Jimmy's after several years and it was nothing less than fantastic. My favorite James Bond Martini, shaken, not stirred, received a new name: Jimmy Bond's Martini. It was done to perfection and even re-chilled after it sat around a while. Aha! You might be wondering why my martini was sitting around... It's because I was so occupied with the food, it was hard to focus even on my favorite cocktail!!! The stuffed mushrooms were amazing and so where the mussles. I ordered a cheeseburger and would have loved to comment on it, but I had my best friend take a ginormous bite out of it, that left me with hardly anything. That's also because the damn thing was quite superb! So I now have to go back and order another one... or two... Love this place and love that it's close to my house. Great casual dining and relaxed atmosphere where you can have a couple drinks with your friends and enjoy food like it's supposed to be enjoyed. I highly recommend to anyone who visits Oak Park to take a swing into Forest Park and try this establishment. read more

Well, I can't say it's the best, and I know it's not the worst Italian food I have ever had, but I did see someone state that Jimmy's Pizza is "to die for"? Not sure about that because I had the Pizza about 4 months ago and it was tasty, but I would not draw the warm bath water and get the single edged blades ready that is for sure. Bertolli's Pizza on Lake St in River Forest is almost worth considering suicide it's so good, but again, I don't want to die yet so I digress. The Meatballs were good - large, fluffy, and not full of bones, bread or grizzle - the Gravy for the Pasta (sauce belongs on Pizza) was ok, but not very flavorful - it was fresh just not robust. A good Marinara needs to have a little Zing or bite to it - not just like Tomato Sauce or Paste - lots of Basil, a touch of Sugar, minimal oregano, and even a slight touch of ground red pepper (or else cook hot Italian Sausage in the gravy for hours - that's what my Mom used to do in addition to Short Ribs...God I miss her gravy ;( The Pizza Bread was tasty The Salad was good The Ambiance is similar to that of the 'old' Tufano's on Vernon Park by UIC It was hot - it was the end of July and it was also a Thursday night - busy and hot. No big deal, but I would never go there all duded up because I would look like I came out of the shower it gets so hot inside there. Didn't have dessert so I can't judge that The wine was a house bottle of Chianti and it was ok - it's Chianti, I mean come on. The Bill was $38 and I only had 2 glasses of wine.....and the glasses were no more than 3 oz each so they made money on that as well. I think $38 is pretty expensive for 1 person wouldn't you agree? It's frickin' FLOUR, WATER AND EGG and TOMATO'S ....COME ON!!! Hey, will I go back? Yes, the owner is nice, I live 2 blocks away and it's ok for large groups. Would I die for it? Nope....... read more

Five years later, a bit older, much wiser (hopefully). This is now my go to pizza place for my husband and I. We always order it as carry out and then snuggle on the coach watching bad sci fi movies. We tried the pasta dishes here once when we bought a groupon. They were pretty uninspiring. Make sure you ask if there is chicken stock in the dish, as they use it in most of their dishes. (The waitress was really nice and replaced that pasta with another one for us for free, which she definitely did not have to do). The house salad dressing is amazing. I don't know if I like it better now because my taste's have changed or if they now make their own, but I am definitely going to add house salads to our take out orders from now on. Overall, it's good thin crust pizza. I am leaving in my review from 2007 for nostalgia: I have an aunt who lives in Oak Park and one in Forest Park and they always take my brother and I out here. The pizza is good, but uninspiring. The salads are delicious, although the house salad was disappointing- mostly lettuce with a tomato. But I would definitely recommend it over a chain restaurant. Plus, the owner is almost always there and says hello when you walk in. I love that the place is decorated with local memorabilia- you can see the hometown teams from all over on the walls. Overall, decent pizza but nothing special. read more

My friend decided on this place as it was close to his work. Being that I work from home on Friday, I told him I can come to him as I wasn't on a set schedule. After arriving, around noon, it was pretty quiet. Only three customers in the place. That made it nice for chatting (catching up) and ordering food. The warm bread was good. I love focaccia bread. Then add some butter, can't go wrong. For lunch I ordered the Jimmy special pasta. Unfortunately, I didn't have a lot of flavor. For it to be the special, one would think it would be flavorful.. It was decent but it could have had more spice. Other than that, decent experience. Not sure if I would go back. Or if I did, I would try something else. read more

If they had half stars I'd have chosen that. Went there over the weekend, hadn't been in a while and I now remember why. Why would I go out for Italian food and pay restaurant prices when I can boil some spaghetti and a jar of Prego at home for a few bucks and it probably tastes better. Slow service and had two glasses of wine on our check that we didn't order or drink. Had to ask to have them taken off. Forest Park has so many better options for Italian. Excited to see what the new place Fiorenza (?) will be like. If it's the same owner as the one on Harlem Ave. the Yelp reviews rave about it so that's promising. read more

Every town needs a place like Jimmy's! Solid Souther Italian fare including a really good, thin crust pizza. As other have said, their red sauce (I mean gravy Ma!) is outstanding. Lots of depth with the flavor like it simmered on the stove all day. I'm not a big meatball fan. I don't know why cuz food shaped like a ball sure is fun but Jimmy's meatballs I love. They are tender and not much filler if any. I too enjoy their salad and the dressing. Some day I'm going to come here and just get their salad and some bread...and some coctails. Speaking of cocktails, Jimmy knows them well. Service is old school. You can tell the staff has been there a while and they act like family. Good place, go there. read more

This is your casual diner with a bar. Lots of room to host a party or some kind of big event. Very casual as well as when we got there, we were told to sit whereever we want.. my husband and I were waiting at the front door for awhile to be seated and one of the customers just told us to sit anywhere. We were like OH! thought we need a hostess to seat us. Oops. They have pizza, pasta, sandwiches, all types of choices. My husband and I started with mozzarella sticks as appetizers. I haven't had them in a long time and they were pretty good. My husband ordered one of their pasta which I forgot. He thought it was too saucy for his liking. I forgot what I ordered...We encountered a funny incident. Both my husband and I look really young...like we're in our teens, so our waitress treated us pretty much like teens. We are actually 30 yrs old, but look half our age. When my husband ordered a beer, the waitress took a long time looking at his ID and she couldnt believe his age. So afterward she looked at his ID, our service got much better! She was so nice to us and greeted us as we left. We found it amusing. read more

Well, this one is difficult because we did not have a very good experience. It did start with one heck of an awesome Gray Goose/Dirty/Up/Blue Cheese Olive martini. Let me just say this, the bartender was a genius martini maker. We had a Groupon so that saved us some $$ but when we wanted to order an entree above the limit and pay the difference we were turned down. That didn't make sense to me but a deals a deal so... what can you do about it, right? I was still smiling from my martini. Then the calamari came. I can safely say no one was breading fresh squid back in the kitchen. It was edible and I won't lie, we finished it. My husband wanted the Bracciole but there was some Parmesan on there so he told her he was highly lactose intolerant and chose the salmon/potatoes. I got the chicken Marsala over pasta. The salmon/potatoes came in a plate of a thin liquid that tasted mostly like butter. He ate a few bites but couldn't finish because he was afraid he would get sick.. this after an entire conversation about how he could not eat dairy or dairy products. We chalked that up to a very busy Friday night - and not the brightest waitress in the place. The Chicken Marsala came and the sauce was too thin to stick to the pasta so it stayed in the plate like a puddle. Taste was okay (chicken a bit overcooked) but it was very very thin Marsala sauce. We brought most of both entrees home and wound up throwing them out, which is so incredibly rare in our house (where we do NOT share leftovers) that it alone speaks for itself. Top that off with a restaurant full of kids (several of them jumping off the stairs immediately behind me and landing with a thud - which lasted for a while as the parents looked on) and the TWO plus hours it took to have dinner. Most of that time spent waiting. Thank Goodness for my second martini and also happy I didn't doze off waiting for my entree to come. Loved the bartender and the waitstaff was nice but was not as accommodating as we would have liked. I will say the Pizza at the next table looked really good... read more

Boy, Madison Street sure has been going under a facelift the last couple of years! I remember when there was a string of dive bars and greasy food joints. Jimmy's Place has been around for quite awhile and is still serving great food. My friend and I decided to stop here before a Vino Van Gogh event, since it was a few steps from Francesca's Fiore. We decided that we wanted to support a couple local establishments, instead of putting all of our eggs in one basket. Our waitress was attentive and helpful. I decided to order the chicken limone. I am not one for vesuvio potatoes, so our waitress said that she can give me a baked potato instead. Nice! We also ordered the fried calamari, which was bountiful. Each entree comes with a soup or salad. I decided on a salad and had their homemade italian dressing. Yummy! And, they sell it by the bottle for $6. When the chicken limone came out, I was stunned. There were two huge breasts on the plate and a baked potato the size of a mini-football. Needless to say, I barely made a dent and my friend had leftovers for the next two meals! The wine was alright, but didn't really matter. The food is what shines at this local joint. No wonder it has survived the Forest Park facelift! read more

I LOVE this place. Every month or two a get a strong hankering for Jimmy's Place. Angel hair pasta with vodka sauce is my favorite. Sounds boring, but it's not - very flavorful. I've tried lots of stuff on the menu by picking off my fiance's plate, and everything I've tried is good. Be warned...the portions are huge. This isn't a romantic type of place. It's a bit noisy when it's busy, and when it's busy the wait staff are very busy, but I have no complaints about the service. I don't know what the fuss is over Jimmy. He is there sometimes working the bar. I go here to eat though, at a table. The one time I got a drink from the bar he was fine. read more

Gee, too bad there are people who would say bad things about a guy who's just a little overly gregarious and friendly. I'd rather see an owner be overly friendly than to act like I didn't exist when I enter his establishment. I LOVE Jimmy's place, it has a neighborhood, homey feel. And yes, the pizza is OUTSTANDING...thin crust, great sauce, quality sausage...weird that they only come in small and large. I special request Alfredo sauce on my pizza instead of marinara and they graciously oblige. I've had spaghetti, shrimp linquini and pasta with chicken alfredo...all excellent with more than generous portions. This place is strictly casual unless you're there for a special event in the private dining area. Smoking is permitted and there are TV's for sports events. Basically, if you want something special that's not on the menu....just ask and they'll do it. Jimmy's Place has a following. Yes, he buys drinks for regulars who come in.....that may be why they're regulars....I'm sure they buy their fare share of drinks and dinner or the guy would be out of business. For my girlfriend and I he offered a complimentary dessert, cuz he wanted us to try the Oreo Cheesecake which was outstanding! Go into this establishment with a positive attitude...see for yourself......It's ALL good here. You'll be a regular in no time!!! Jimmy makes you feel at home and welcomed. Ever see a show called Cheers???????? read more

Not impressed...maybe I caught an off night? My fave pizza places are: --PIECE in Wicker Park for Thin Crust White Pizza (world's GREATEST pie! Truly and utterly unbelieveable!!) --Lou Malnati's on Wells for deep dish cheese (2nd greatest!) --Bacci / Sbarro for thin crust with extra oil (when neither is nearby) --MAMA LUNA's which is way out in Logan Square for deeper than deep crust Spinach Cheese to DIE for! You will be a convert! RUNNERS UP: Leona's thincrust cheese, and Giordana's deep dish anything. Good but not going to have an oral orgasm. read more

We have been coming here for years but I don't think we'll ever be back. The last couple of times we've been here we've had horrible service. This time was so bad we left after 30 minutes. No one came to take our order even after we asked the busboy about our server. It's a shame that this place is going downhill. Would give 0 stars if that was an option. read more

Been coming to Jimmy's for years. Always get a warm greeting from Jimmy himself as we walk in the door. Waiting for a table, the people at the bar are always friendly and welcoming, as are Jimmy and the bartenders. Once seated, I always know what I'm going to order - homemade cavatelli with vodka sauce. It is the ultimate comfort food! Creamy, flavorful sauce smothering soft, chewy homemade pasta. Great for larger groups. They have been accommodating for a group of ~ 12 within an hour (!). As a family, we like to share many dishes, and everything we've gotten has been fantastic. Last time in, we treated ourselves to a couple desserts, with an amazing cannoli and a spumoni that was fought over at the table! Service is always friendly and accommodating. Thanks, Jimmy! read more

We were in a pasta mood so we went on over to Jimmys. This is a family spot. Filled with families and older couples. They have a nice little bar in there to, not a great beer selection nothing on tap but hey your coming for food not drinks. Theres a ton of bars you can chose from down the street if you want that. Anyways I decided to order the Jimmy's place pasta. It had fresh mozzarella in it(which is the reason why I ordered it) tomatoes, chicken and a light sauce. It was good but not great, I wouldnt order it again. I have to get the briciole next time i bet thats great there. I wish I could remember the name of my soup because it was so good, had a very tasty broth and green leafy veggies in it with some beans. I would go back just for that soup. Tai ordered Shrimp linguine with a butter lemon sauce. He really enjoyed it, I didn't try it because I don't do seafood. His minestrone was the normal minestrone, nothing special. read more

I don't make it out to this area often, but a close friend grew up in Oak Park and suggested this place as one of her favorites. We were able to get immediate seating a little after 7pm, just before the place filled up. Our server came right over, but also gave us plenty of time to talk and relax without rushing us (our biggest pet peeve). With Summer being right around the corner we skipped appetizers and desserts and only did soup/salad and entree. I ordered the cheese ravioli. I loved the marinara sauce, but the (clearly homemade) ravioli were just a little to bland. Overall it was still a good choice though. My friends Tilapia vesuvio was huge and a very good choice as well. Back to that server that allowed us time to chat. She took her time coming around with the bill. I found this to be odd seeing as how there was a line out the door at this point. We decided we would free up the table and sit at the bar and enjoy a glass of wine before heading out. The bartender (I believe Jimmy himself) was an absolute sweetheart! I can't wait to head back and visit him for a little more vino at the bar! read more

I dig the atmosphere here. It has that local joint feel, like you can either belly up to the bar for a cocktail or do the extended family dinner for grandmas birthday celebration. Thought we'd start our meal with the frizelle-chetta ($6.99) chock full of olives, underripe tomatos and artichoke hearts served with small triangles of bread. Underwhelmed by the dish itself, the appetizer arriving midway through our dinner didn't help matters either. Per the recommendation of our bartender, opted for the chicken parm with the cavatelli in vodka sauce ($16.99). The chicken parm was tasty goodness, but the cavatelli was a bit on the heavy side for my taste. Also ordered the homemade spinach ravioli on special that night ($13.99). Raviolis were good, although the sauce was a bit too acidic for this dish (I could see how it would be fab on a meat rav, however). Both entrees came with the choice of starter soup or salad, so went with the homemade ceasar. A sprinkling of cracked black pepper would have been fab on that salad, but alas, no such option existed. The bartender also talked up the meatballs, but since we didn't order any for dinner, he went ahead and threw in a couple for us to take home. No wow factor on those meatballs, but kudos for customer service. Portions are large. Service was awesome. Prices are a bit on the high side. read more

Love the pizza! It is worth going old school and picking up the phone to place a pickup order. It is a wonderfully thin crust with generous toppings. When going into the restaurant, it is a classic old school Italian restaurant with the plastic checkered tablecloths and a beautiful wooden bar. My friend and I ordered sandwhiches (eggplant parma and chicken parma) and were impressed with taste and portion. read more

Went here a couple of weeks ago. Wife got a groupon, so it was a cheaper-than-usual date night for us. No beers on tap. I'm a beer guy. This was a major negative for me, especially considering the abundance of local options serving local and regional beers on tap. I had a steak, wife had spaghetti. We split a plate of cheese sticks. I had a bottle of Sam Adams. Service was good, and questions from both me and my wife were answered promptly and courteously. Atmosphere was way too high schoolish for my taste. Lots of pictures of local high schools. There was even an autographed picture, not from an athlete, but from a Big 10 Basketball referee. Really? Are college refs a big deal now? Unless it's an autographed picture of Ed Hochuli, you really shouldn't have a picture up, much less an autographed picture. For the prices charged, the selection and the quality should be much better. read more

This is a great place to go to with a crowd, or before going out around the neighborhood. They serve Italian-American food, so everything from pizza to pasta to the Italian-American bracciole or chicken parmigiana. They have specials everyday and have a very large variety of beer. Jimmy himself might even serve you your beer. Portions are gigantic. read more

I have been here many times, and FINALLY decided to try the pizza. Not sure what took me so long! The pizza was perfect! The kids were along, so I ordered a sausage pizza, which was perfectly executed. Delicious. The staff is always very, very friendly. I will now order the pizza every visit! Super! read more

Gosh, it's been so long since we've been here, it feels like it's our first time. Unfortunately, it's midafternoon and I'm not hungry enough to be eating here. The servings, if I remember correctly, are generous and deliciously heavy. At an Italian restaurant like Jimmy's, I would never choose something simple; but, I should never say never because there's always that one day that comes along that calls for an exception. Today just so happens to be that day! The only item that made any sense for what to eat now and save the rest for later was a 12" thin crust mushroom pizza. I haven't had authentic Italian pizza in years. I'm so glad I ordered one today. It's exactly what a pizza is suppose to taste like. The crust is crunchy, the cheese was still bubbling and the mushrooms were tender. I ate 1/3 of the small pizza. What I thought I'd be able to take home was not possible once Jason tried a piece. He had no problem taking over and devouring the other 2/3 after he finished his chicken sandwich. Now, I don't have any pizza leftover for myself to enjoy; and, even though we have a friend we visit a few blocks from Madison Street often, I don't know when I'll have another opportunity to be back to dine at this place. read more

Jimmy's Place is what it is, your basic casual Italian restaurant. In general the pizza is solid (good); however, relative to the other pizza options in the Oak Park/FoPo area, Jimmy's pizza is great. Great place to bring kids, and as an outsider, I've always felt welcome. read more

I love the place....me and my girlfriend went using a Groupon just to check out something new! All was good. We ordered pizza with side salads. The pizza was very delicious and so flavorful and the salad was really good with extremely fresh black olives! All the employees were very nice and our waitress wasn't annoying which means she didn't stop by every minute but just enough to make sure we were fine! We really enjoyed the drinks...Cosmo and Apple martini...there is bar area too which we have decided to visit again when we are in need of great alcohol! We will be going back! The above was about a year go and I STILL GO AND STILL LOVE IT! Visited tonight and they were extremely busy . Although no one acknowledged us for the first 20 something minutes the great waitress and awesome food made up for it! I will continue to come here because I alway leave satisfied! read more

Definitely recommended!! My experiences here have never disappointed me. The food is always prepared fresh.

We came in looking for a quick Friday dinner. The ambiance is pretty loud and busy, but expected for this kind of place. The food is average, though the pizza we had is the closest I've found to NYC pizza in Chicago. (Still nothing like the real thing, and it wasn't very hot when it came out.) The service is pretty awful though. The poor servers seem confused and don't have any sort of system. A couple got sat next to us at about the same time and had beer before anyone even brought us water. We have only just managed to get put server to bring the check, but the other couple has eaten, paid and gone almost 20 minutes ago. Honestly there are better Italian restaurants on this strip. I am willing to keep them in mind for pizza delivery though. read more