June 2026 Quick stop while passing through the area. We were able to call ahead and order the STUFFED PIZZA, made our own: Italian sausage, onion, and mushroom. The Italian salad was good, simple ingredients, the DRESSING is amazing! Waitress was very kind and actually used to be a dental assistant like me lol. Delightful family owned restaurant, clean, and friendly vibes. read more

First time going last Saturday night. Had the stuffed pizza, amazing and spot on. Had the Italian family salad with John's dressing-stellar. Service was excellent and the big guy John, stopped by to check on us which I love when the proprietor stops out to check on his clients. Says he really cares about your experience. Can't wait to go back and try extra thin pizza and their pastas. Nice job!!! read more

Classic long time Italian restaurant in Rockford just off Route 20 in a kind of crappy area. It certainly is better than it looks. John's specializes in pasta, pizza, and steak. Has a bit of everything for everyone. There's plenty of meaty as well as plant based options. A thing to know before going is that it closes between lunch and dinner. It's also closed on Mondays. They also only have dinner on weekends. Can also get takeout or delivery. These were certainly a few choices that are offered. It has quite a vegan friendly menu. There's quite a lot so that's cool of them. It's about $12 for pasta. Vegan Pasta is made with mostaccioli topped with garlic, olive oil, vegan pasta, and seasonal vegetables. It's about $19 for the small pizzas. Vegan Pizza has a vegan pesto sauce base, topped with artichokes, basil, Daiya cheese, kalamats olives, onions, spinach, and sun dried tomatoes. It's served with a side of vegan cashew Parmesan cheese. There's other options including an Impossible Burger, and of course not to mention any of the meaty steaks. Great choice to get Italian food around here. It has a pretty big menu. There's plenty of meats including steaks, as well as lots of pastas and pizzas, several of which are okay for vegans and vegetarians. read more

John's Restaurant & Pizzeria - Vegan Pizza - Pizza Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

Loved it! I had the stuffed shells and they were fantastic. I will definitely be back.

Great food & service it had been some time since we were there so last night we decided to try it again. I'm glad we did.

John's is still one of the best restaurants and hidden gems in Rockford. Nice big clean restaurant with friendly staff. I feel like this is one of very few places left that is a true Rockford staple. No more Maria's or Cafe Greco! I've been coming here for over 35 years with friends and family. Now when we come to town to visit my father I bring my kids. This place does not get the credit it deserves only because the surrounding area on 11 st has changed a bit over the years. Not like if this place was on State Street. This is a place you bring a date to or your entire family for smiles and laughter. Food is absolutely excellent, pizza is fresh ingredients and always tasty. Pasta, my kids, love, portions are huge, and the price is right. What's not to like. Dine in or carry out. Thank me later! Cheers read more

A classic Rockford pizza restaurant. Service is top notch and food is consistently good. Nice comfortable atmosphere.

Hell Yeah! John's extra thin crust, cooked well done, pepperoni on top of the cheese, Italian sausage, and cut in squares absolutely what I'm in jonesing for all these months! I've always liked John's. But this proves they're the best pizza in Rockford. Ordered and paid on-line. It was so easy. And the 2 ladies operating the counter are a phenomenal friendly but highly efficient team. I can't wait to order again! read more

John's Restaurant & Pizzeria - Extra thin crust with Italian sausage and pepperoni. - Pizza Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

I had the veal Parmesan. It was OK. Definitely a frozen ground breaded patty out of the freezer. The pasta, rigatoni, was overcooked, and the sauce was homemade and not bad. My wife had the cheese ravioli, and said it was a little bland. Their ceiling in the dining room is hideous and definitely needs to be replaced, but the place is clean. Service was good. read more

We were the only couple in there ,we got there at opening on Saturday, steak was so tough for it being medium rare, bread was hard as a rock,like it was microwaved,please stop putting red sauce on the seafood pesto as it's not on the menu saying it has red sauce on it please!, atmosphere and service was on point though. read more

got there at six at 6 PM and at 7:30 we still have no food. Do not eat here. Weight staff and service people are rude.

Remember seeing this place built as a local kid in the mid-1970s - smaller back then I think. First time in for over 45 years. Food is amazing- had the Italian Beef sandwich with mushrooms and onions. read more

Stopped in on a short layover at Rockford. Very friendly service, great prices and fantastic pizza. Had the meat lovers and there was a ton of meat on it. read more

Ordered for Super Bowl and very disappointed with their dry pizza. I have been eating pizza from John's since I was a kid and have always been my favorite until tonight. The dough tasted old, very little sauce, and tasted very dry with little flavor. Unfortunately we will not order from John's again read more

Food is great, when dinning in service is also great! We order take out from time to time and it never disappoints!

A real gem in the Rockford area. Great food and service. A definite place to revisit.

My family and I stopped In because of the great reviews . I must say food was horrible. All three dishes lasagna, peppers and sausage pasta and my son's spaghetti with meat ball were so bland. Never again. read more

The service was good. I ordered the strip steak/spaghetti and french onion soup. The butter was too cold to spread on the bread, and the French onion soup didn't have any cheese on it. The steak was cooked to order, but lacked any real flavor (I was nervous when she brought out A1 ). I salted/peppered it and drenched it in the au jus they brought out and it was....ok. I came here because I heard the steaks were great. The steaks are OK. I tried a bite or two of the spaghetti and enjoyed it, and took it home. We also got desserts to go which actually ended up being the best thing I ate. The blueberry cake was my favorite. We'll give it another try and I think I'll stick to the pasta. Nice looking place until you look up at the ceiling tiles. read more

We loved the service and help we received when we went to John's for the first time. We saw a sign in the highway and decided to give it a try. The ambiance was nice and I always love flowers on the table. Food was excellent. I got the salmon with roasted vegetables and potatoes. The vegetables were delicately seasoned and delicious. The salmon was cooked perfectly. My husband got the seafood Alfredo and it was chock full of shrimp, lams and mussels. We both had so much food we brought home lunch for the next day. My husband got a huge bowl of ice cream with his dinner and we shared I ordered Tiramisu for dessert, but we took it home because we were full You will be surprised at how good the food and service are at John's. read more

The lasagna was overcooked. A frozen lasagna would be just the same. At $17 I would never recommend. The said was so small I would hope that they would learn to make fresh good lasagna. read more

Carry Out: Placed a order on a weekday (4:30ish) and was given a time of 30-35 for their medium pasta deep dish pizza, fritto misto sampler starter and Italian caprese salad. Order was ready on time which I appreciate. Despite they missed our order....They know how to show the customer they are sorry. They forgot our salad and charged us. Luckily we weren't far to go back. Of course a mix up or missed order is never fun but I called and she acknowledged her mistake. We were give a free dessert (their cheesecake) which is totally approved. The food is amazing! Large menu, they definitely offer unique items like their pasta deep dish. The pasta in the pizza was cooked to perfection, the meatballs have a phenomenal flavor, and the pasta sauce is one of the best! It wasn't too sweet nor too salty. The order of the fritto misto is pretty large! However the marinera sauce they originally gave us was not enough. We asked for more when we returned for the forgotten order. The food is definitely exceptional and worth every dollar! read more

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Haven't been to John's in 30 years and went there only cause I wasn't feeling well and wanted something close. Worst $20 I ever spent. They asked did I want thin or extra thin. I said thin. There was nothing "THIN" about this crust and the pizza had no flavor at all. read more

I absolutely love John's pizza!!! I've had the steak from here, pasta, and fried calamari. The sauce is home made and you can taste the originality. Not too sweet, not too acidic, and not too salty. The dough is fluffy and never burnt. I also enjoy the sausage that they put on their pizza that is home made. Not too much cheese on the pizza and it's never overdone. The perfect balance! You can't go wrong!!!! read more

John's Restaurant & Pizzeria - Sausage pizza with green peppers, onions, and jalapeños! With a Stella Artois at the bar! - Pizza Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

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So disappointed. I ordered for pick up. Asked for medium ribeye and got super well hard done steak. Baked potato? Not even a butter in the bag. Come on now. That should be a given. First time ordering steak here and not happy. read more

I've ordered from John's for many many years today I called and was told there would be an $11 fee for delivery, I understand it's an hour till closing but $11. Pretty sure I won't be ordering from them again. read more

John's Restaurant & Pizzeria is the best! If I have a special request, they have no problem accommodating what I need...

Last 3 times pizza is either over cooked or dough is not cooked. Not sure what happened but definitely not worth it. Very overpriced for what you get. read more

We enjoyed ourselves and food and service were both good for how busy they were. Would definitely go back.

I order from here about once a week these days and while there have been some miscommunications on the phone that resulted in a different order than I had placed, they have ALWAYS been so helpful, kind, and understanding with getting me what I intended to order, and these people really do care about their customers satisfaction and comfort. When I've waited to pick up food they've even offered me a drink and everything. Kindness like this goes such a long way!! I love this place and their vegan options for pizza are delicious! read more

Great food, service. Great family owned business. Never disappointed with our pizza, steaks, pasta. Best meatballs ever! Give it a try. You won't be sorry. Our granddaughters favorite restaurant. read more

Saw their sign on the route 20 bypass south of Rockford. Did not expect much but we're pleasantly surprised. Excellent full service local Italian eatery. I ordered chicken Romana and my wife had the shrimp DeJonge. Very nice dinners with soup or salad, side of pasta, fresh veggies, and ice cream for dessert. Shrimp DeJonge is a dish easily messed up. Theirs was nicely prepared like we are used to getting at our favorite Italian restaurants in Chicago. Hint of wine and garlic baked in butter/olive oil and breadcrumbs. I enjoyed the chicken cutlet lightly floured and sautéed in oil with lemon, sage, and prosciutto. Not fancy but real home style cooking that was a satisfying meal especially on a road trip. They were very busy but short staffed like so many pandemic affected areas. Good place, long established, and worth a visit. read more

Great established restaurant with a wide variety menu. Highly recommended for food service and ambiance.

Quant family owned Italian Restaurant with the best pizza I've ever had. I grew up in Rockford and since then have travelled the whole world and this is the only place I know that slings pie like this. If Rockford ever were to establish notoriety, this would be Rockford style pizza. read more

This is one of my favorite restaurants around! I enjoy going with my family and clients, as the environment supports conversation, while enjoying authentic Italian food. I highly recommend it! read more

Where to start? What an incredible stop for lunch. This restaurant has the most awesome lasagna which was the lunch special. I sat at the bar and John, the owner, was sitting at the end of the bar. We started talking and before we knew it, it was 4:00. To say we connected is an understatement. I mentioned that I might hang around for supper. John insisted that I park the camper on the back of his parking lot for the night. I returned for supper and had one of the greatest pizzas I have ever eaten. This is a family owned success story. I met his wife, son and daughter-in-law and was treated royally by them and the rest of the awesome staff. This was not just an AWESOME meal(s) stop but an adventure I hold on to for the rest of my life. read more

John's Restaurant & Pizzeria - John and me! - Pizza Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

Even though they were short staffed, the speed of service wasn't an issue. The problem I had with this restaurant is the lack of flavor in their marinara, which they call tomato sauce. That's also confusing to me, great Italian restaurants take pride in their marinara sauce, it's the base for everything ! Side salad I received with ranch and blue cheese was horrible ! Ranch tasted expired and kinda sour. Blue cheese was very sharp and flavor was unbearable. I enjoyed the lasagna though, the reason I didn't give one star but I wouldn't recommend this Italian restaurant. read more

So far I've only had the pizza but the food looks delicious as well. My only set back is the location. Easily the best pizza in Rockford. Edit... I have had some of the other dishes there and it is very good food for the money. Seems I found a "diamond in the rough." read more

John's Restaurant & Pizzeria - Delicious pizza - Pizza Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

born and raised in rockford and this has been my family's only pizza place for my entire life! great food, great family atmosphere! it was my favorite after-church treat dinner. i had my parents ship it to me in college, and i get it every time i'm in town for a visit. i will be first in line for ordering if they ever offer shipping or join goldbelly. the country doesn't know what it's missing. if you haven't had john's you haven't had pizza! read more

The best place in town for ribs! Nice folks at the front! The take out is fast. In and out in no time. In my opinion great place for ribs! Cheers read more

My husband and I LOVE this restaurant. We love the steaks, the pizza and the lemon torte is to die for. This place is cozy and friendly. John and his son are very hands on. This Italian family will treat you like your family with service and flavor. read more