I had a wonderful time on my first visit in 2018. Visiting my father again we stopped here for supper. The food remains excellent. The service was really slow for a place that was only half full and appeared to have sufficient wait staff, I had ordered the Nella Manhattan which was good, but they forgot to put the cherry and orange peel in it. Would have added to the cachet. Nonetheless, if I was in the neighborhood I would go again read more

Great for pizza! Great for risotto! Best pistachio cheesecake. Friendly customer service

Went for lunch on a Tuesday beautiful day so sat outside on the patio had made a reservation was not sure how busy it would be but really did not need it. Only thing with patio only a few umbrellas so on a sunny hot day can be a little uncomfortable Food was fantastic pizza was spot on had a pasta special and mixed green salad Wine selection was good and they had Menabrea on tap There was only one service person working service is a little slow but we were in no hurry so it was fine read more

SETTING: Came for lunch with a friend at around 1:00 on a Sunday. Sunny day, so the outdoor seating area looked really nice, but we decided to stay inside. FOOD: Split the funghi e salsiccia pizza and spaghetti al cartoccio pasta. The pizza was delish, such good flavors...that being said, it was almost soupy? The pasta came in swan-shaped tinfoil which was so funny, and the flavor was pretty solid with a lot of seafood. SERVICE: Very attentive, enthusiastic server! Checked in on us practically every 10 minutes. PRICE: Pretty affordable, especially considering large portions. OVERALL: Super convenient on-campus and quick, solid food that's good if in the mood for "nice" pizza. read more

Nella Pizza e Pasta - Spaghetti al Cartoccio - Pizza Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

PIZZA'S! STRAIGHT OUT OF A HUGE RED BRICK OVEN! WITH VINO! Mom's Day with some of our kids and grands was a proper celebration. We shared four platters of salads including two calamari di fritti, five different pizzas (my favorite being BIANCO NERO with black truffle paté * mozzarella di bufala* grilled zucchini * porcini mushrooms* white truffle oil, scrumptious!) and wine. The dessert menu was tempting, but we were full. The service was excellent and the outside garden was a gorgeous setting on the blue sky 81* Chicago day. Thank you all at Nella's, We'll be back... read more

Food and service were great. My friend and I had a reservation at 5:30 and arrived at 5:25 and got seated in the corner. The noise level was incredibly high as we could barely hear one another. We ordered drinks (4), salad, pizzza, dessert. Got our bill and paid at 6:30. I was about to call our wait person over to order a cappuccino but before I could, a manager (?) came over to us and the table next to us "Ladies I got a line out the door so let's go." We were stunned. We were there for a total of 70 minutes and booted out. Terrible. read more

Went during a vacation back to my hometown neighborhood Hyde Park! Wow the area has changed and Nella is a perfect example of the new food choices We had the rarely seen seafood pizza and also seafood pasta. Both were excellent and came with plenty of clams mussels and octopuss. Pizza was a wood fired standout It will be the first meal when we return to the ol hood read more

Dining options are slim in this part of Hyde Park, but we found a nice italian place close to the theater and basketball arena. My Caricciosa wood-fired pizza was tasty and topped with generous portions of cheese, meats, and vegetables. read more

Very good Italian style pizza. Service is good as well, bottomless mimosas on the weekend can't be beat!

This was our first date in Hyde Park with a babysitter and we decided on Nella based on proximity and the reviews. The ambience was pretty nice, and we were quickly seated. It was a little less crowded than I would have expected for a Saturday night. Overall, I thought the portion sizes were fairly small for the higher prices. We ordered one salad, one non-meat entree, one cocktail, and one dessert, and the total was $70+. I didn't think that was worth the price as we were both still a little hungry after splitting a single three course meal. The waiter was likable and pretty authentic. The hostesses were on their phones a lot and fairly immature. The food was good but not excellent. My wife didn't like the rum-soaked dessert, but I thought it was unique. We likely won't come back given the high prices. read more

Everything was average. Lighten up on the sodium. Service was attentive. Place was loud. Pricy for the experience. May be to some folks liking. but not to ours. read more

Absolutely amazing Italian food. Great service and ambiance. Drinks were ok but the food made up for it 100x over. read more

Nella Pizza e Pasta - Pizza Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great pizza, wine, and pasta! This is a nice spot to enjoy a glass and a slice. Very small, so I wouldn't recommend a group outing.

Valentine's Day at Nella Part II! A lot has changed over the past year, but Nella's pizza is still delicious. We ordered online for in store pickup, which went very smoothly. I even requested heart shaped pizza on the online order and was beyond pleased to see that they did it when I opened the box! The Ortolana pizza was amazing - definitely worth braving the cold and snow for. I am a big fan of veggies on pizza, and I also prefer a classic tomato sauce on my pizza. The Ortolana comes with both, and a wood fired pizza quality that leaves you with a nice, chewy crust. Looking forward to part III next year!! read more

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The place never fails me! We have gone here over 5 years, and the quality has never changed. Even when delivered. When dining in, the staff are consistently professional (I only had 1 odd interaction with a bigoted pizza maker making a joke in a language he thought i did not understand). Any-whoo, my go-to meal is the risotto dish; Contadina Risotti! I have tried so many dishes here...they are all so very good! You can't go wrong. read more

I'm kinda torn here. I would really like to give Nella a rave review but there was just a lot of inconsistency in our meal. Each dish was good, but somehow flawed in some way. I'll start with the positives.... The risotto was very good. It had a creamy goodness, but was not overly rich. The salmon was also prepared really well and very flavorful in a lemon sauce. Lastly, the pizza crust was the perfect thin crust you want in a Neapolitan pizza. Now for the negatives.... It was odd but some dishes were over salted, yet some were under salted. Saltiness is never something I Iook out for when dining, but in this case it was just so polarizing. The bolognese was also lacking the hearty, meatiness you typically get. Lastly, the flavor was just off on the items that did t seem to be salted enough. lMaybe it was an off day, but our experience was what it was. read more

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This place was recommended by my brother, so we headed here for date night! Overall it was a really good experience. Waiter was attentive (even noticed I needed extra napkins and brought without asking), pizza was delicious, and prices were reasonable. I only deducted one star because the focaccia appetizer was kind of a rip off. $8 for a salted pizza crust is kind of silly. We would return, but skip apps and just opt for pizza! read more

Nella Pizza e Pasta - Nella D.O.P. Pizza - Pizza Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I lived in Chicago in the Hyde Park area for almost 3 years. the first year of going to this place it was good, the service was great, drinks were great however, as I've continued to go the quality of service has gone down and the food has not been as great and no I wouldn't recommend it. read more

Great Pizza and pasta What a gem!! Service polite and friendly Good for parties and celebrations read more

This place is incredible!!! As a pizza lover, I highly recommend it. I also enjoy eggplant Parmesan, when I can find a good one. The eggplant dish here is superb and pairs well with the focaccia bread, which is basically styled like a pizza with no toppings. Sorry for the photo examples, my fiancée and I had chowed down by the time that I was overtaken by flavors -- so much so, that I exclaimed, I must write a review! The service was also impeccable. If you're ever in the area or looking for a great restaurant in general near the University of Chicago campus and DuSable Museum, please add this one to your list. Five stars!!! read more

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Surprising wonderful! My sausage and mushroom risotto was so unbelievably good. The ziti in a pesto sauce equally unbelievable. The salmon with spinach and cherry tomatoes was the largest piece of salmon we ever received for lunch. What a gem! If you're at the University of Chicago treat yourself to a spectacular lunch. Sorry I didn't take a picture. Almost forgot they have an authentic wood burning pizza oven! read more

Came on a Sunday evening as a group of three. Seated in 10mins. Serve was very good. Waitress had a constant eye out and responded quickly. Ordered lobster risotto, calamarata, and pollo Alla saltimbocca to share. The calamarata was my favorite. I've never had this pasta before so it was cool to see that was actually was the same shape as calamari rings! This dish was also the most flavorful with a nice hint of red pepper. The pollo (chicken) was mediocre. The main flavor came from the thin slick of prosciutto. The dish got cold easily because it was two slabs of chicken and a pile of spinach laid on a wide plate. The spinach didn't taste like much (white wine sauce) - a sort of sweet/tart flavor, not entirely pleasant when cold. I had mixed feelings about the lobster risotto. The sauce was pretty good - thick and cream. The lobster meat was tender. The rice though was very al dente. The overall texture was not soft and smooth as a risotto should be but rather like chewing through couscous. Also the presentation was objectionable. They placed the split lobster tail on either side of the pile of risotto belly side up. It looked like the tail had accidentally been left on the plate when it should have been thrown in the garbage. Not only did it look bad, I also ended up biting into a few shards of the tail in the risotto. Probably wouldn't come back. Pretty pricey for mediocre food. Service 5/5 Flavor 3/5 read more

Nella Pizza e Pasta - Pollo Alla saltimbocca, calamarata, lobster risotto - Pizza Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

i got the gnocchi, and it was alright. honeslty kind of overpriced, and i felt the portion size was small for what it was. it was definitely good, but i felt i could make it at home myself idk. check out my insta (kaiteatsfood) read more

This was our second visit to Nella and it was easy to remember just how good this place is! We had a couple of appetizers and a pizza before splitting pastas. The spicy sausage was good and the Nella pizza was so flavorful. The biggest disappointment was the burrata special with pesto and heirloom tomatoes. Sounded good but kind of blah. Lobster ravioli, seafood gnocchi, and lamb Ragu parpadelle were all tremendous. This place is a hidden gem on the UC campus. read more

Nella is a neighborhood gem and worth the wait. The pizzas, wine list, service, and desserts will leave you wanting more. If you're looking for a nice patio spot during nice weather months, Nella is it. read more

Nella Pizza e Pasta - Pizza Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Nella is always a cute spot to grab a bite. There's a huge selection of pizzas and pastas that are always large in portions. They seem to specialize in seafood particularly. The food is good but personally I prefer more meat options! read more

I really miss this place being in Lincoln Park! One of my favorite pizza spots in the city. I try to get down to Hyde Park a few times a year so that I can enjoy the Margherita pizza and delicious bread. Great salads and apps, too... Have never had a bad meal there. I have no idea why they changed their name when they moved... everyone I know Lincoln Park liked it so I would think they would want to take the name with them. Regardless, really good pizza. read more

The service was terrible. We were waiting to order the food for at least 30 mins after being seated. The pizza was also very average. The focaccia bread was a waste of money- it was just the same pizza dough in bread format. We expected more from a bib gourmand restaurant. We sat outside and the ambiance was ok! I don't know what indoor seating was like. read more

Nella's was such a cute spot. I was very impressed at the authenticity. The décor was so charming with some really cute hints of Italian culture. The wording on the mirrors, the cans on the walls, the menu. I really enjoyed my time there. Jorge was our server and he was very attentive and helpful. We ordered a side of fries for out picky 6 yr old. Melanzana appetizer, Bianco Nero pizza and veggie pizza. I had their montepulciano d'abruzzo wine and was very content with it. Except for the fries, the food was amazing. They definitely tasted frozen, straight out of the sysco truck but eh my child ate them. If the Melanzana appetizer came with crostini or some sort of a warm bread this review would have 10 stars. Seriously! The dish was surreal. I loved and cleaned the plate. The pizza was great as well. Tasted fresh and so authentic. The triamisu was just to die for. So light and so fresh tasting. I wish I could have tried the pasta too. There were some really great options with lobster there. I am not close to Nella's and I wish I was because I would visit that spot a lot. read more

I had heard a lot about this place from my friends as a place to stop by for lunch before class. My friend and I headed there for the same. They are known for the authentic Napoli pizzas and I am always excited to try them. We ordered a Bianco Nero Pizza with chicken. The pizza crust was perfect and was very flavorful. However, it wasn't extraordinary. I took one star off as the service wasn't good. Our server didn't get us water even though we asked twice, we asked for the chicken on the pizza but were served roasted chicken on the side and so on. read more

Tried the Lobster ravioli and it was absolutely delicious! the baby clams tasted really good with the creamy sauce! The staff was also verg friendly even though it was a busy Saturday! Highly recommend this place if you happen to find yourself in Hyde Park! read more

My sister lived around the corner from this restaurant for 9 months. Every time we passed Nella, I told her I wanted to try it out before she moved. This weekend she moved out of Hyde Park so it was my last chance to go. I'm sad I waited until the last minute because this place is incredible. The decor is super cute. We started out with the Insalta Di Mare which was so refreshing and light. The seafood was perfectly cooked and it tasted fresh. We then ordered the pizza with mozzarella, spinach, artichoke hearts, and goat cheese. The pizza was phenomenal. The goat cheese balanced well with the other ingredients and the crust was amazing. The last dish we ordered was the spicy seafood pasta. It came in an aluminum foil and when we opened it, it smelled and looked delicious. The seafood was generous, perfectly cooked, and fresh. I definitely recommend this place if you're in the area. I will have to come back to Hyde Park to try other items in the menu! read more

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By far the best service I've ever encountered, even before COVID. The whole staff is very kind and respectful and they really know the menu and had a lot to offer. The food was delicious and everything came out fast. Nico, our server was an absolute gem. He created dishes that weren't even on the menu for us to accommodate what we wanted. The pizza and pasta were amazing. The dessert was excellent! Can't wait to come back! read more

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Very disappointed. Overpriced, bland food. The so-called bolognese tasted like it came out of a jar. Pesto on the bruschetta had no flavor. Rapini on the pizza was overcooked and under seasoned. Will not go back. read more

This may be the best Italian food in Chicago (not Chicago style Italian food, but Italian food). I had very high expectations going to Nella's, and they beat my expectations. Atmosphere; clean, tidy, well designed, with a beautiful pizza oven. Food; amazing Italian food. Service; the owner served us... he is a pretty funny guy. Also, they had take-out pizzas going out the door non-stop. We had pizza, a pasta dish, dessert and coffee. All of it was incredible. Kudos to the owners on creating such a complete dining product. read more

Nella's has amazing homemade Neopolitan pizza. The service is always top notch, too. This is one of our go-to restaurants in the neighborhood. At our last visit Max gave us some complimentary limoncello- SO delicious! Looking forward to our next visit. read more

The food is great, the service is awful. Multiple times I have come over to this place because the food and the kitchen are great, but the servers, (not the bussers), are awful. From bad service, neglecting their customer, gossiping and name calling behind their customers backs in Italian (which I understand), there is always one issue or another. The latest was not only insulting in Italian but also changing the tip amount without permission. Their kitchen and bussers do not deserve their awful servers. read more

We came here on a Saturday night, service was amazing and very fast. Food was amazing, I recommend the margarita pizza and the seafood pasta. Our waiter was Massimo-- extremely attentive and kind. Highly recommend! read more

Nella Pizza e Pasta - Margherita Pizza - Pizza Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I think Nella is probably one of the best restaurants in the Hyde Park neighborhood, and I say that as someone who lived in Hyde Park as a student for four years. This is where I took my family for lunch during my graduation weekend, and where I recently met up with old coworkers to get food and catch up. On my last visit, we got the ravioli al tarufo, the contadina risotto, and the cafone pizza. I loved everything we got, and having been here at least 3 times, I know that's not always the case. The food is generally good, but I think the things we ordered this time are some of their menu's stars. The ravioli al tartufo has black truffle, porcini mushrooms, and cream sauce. It's super super good, but I just wish they gave you more ravioli for the price they're charging you. It's the one reason I wouldn't necessarily order the ravioli again for myself, because I'm not sure I'd be full after eating that. The contadina risotto has sausage, parmesan, black truffle, mushrooms, cream sauce, and walnuts. It's also really good, and my friend loved it. Finally, the cafone pizza is probably one of my favorite pizzas I've tried here, and I think their pizzas can be more hit or miss. The cafone comes with speck, sausage, mozzarella, and onions, and is one of their yummiest, in my opinion. The service was really friendly, although they were kind of in a rush to clear our plates, even when we were working on it. Besides that, they weer super friendly and I love that some of the waiters are trilingual (English, Spanish, and Italian). Definitely would recommend this place if you're in the area. read more

Another one of our Hyde Park favorites!Delicious food, always great service and a pleasant place to watch the folks go by.