Natalie A.
Yelp
My family and I are from Chicago and are familiar with Giordano's pizza. While it's not our favorite "Chicago deep dish" (our favorite it Lou Malnati's) living in Minnesota means it's the closest we are going to get.
In reality my overall rating is closer to 3.5-3.7, and here is why:
Regarding the pizza: The ingredient ratios have always been a bit off for my taste; the crust is overpowering even for a deep dish and compared with other Chicago restaurants they tend to be stingy on the toppings. That being said, it is still fairly good. The menu is versatile enough that most people will find something to their liking and it's not limited to deep dish pizzas.
The positive thing about the MN branches is that they deliver while many in the Chicago area do not; or at least they didn't when we moved in 2019. Additionally, the online ordering is simple and super convenient not unlike most online ordering systems.
The problem was that, even though I placed my order at 3pm and scheduled it to arrive at 7pm, it was half an hour late, on the cold side and the crust was sticking to the box. We ordered from the Richfield, MN location which is a 9 minute drive from my house according to Waze.
I understand that Friday's are, of course, a very busy day especially for a popular delivery chain; however, even on a Friday, 4 hours should be plenty of time for them to receive, make and deliver. I decided I wouldn't call until 7:15; considering it was a Friday but the store is 9 minutes from my house I thought this was fair. So at 7:15 when it still hadn't arrived I called the store. I spoke with a very nice man who assured me that all the pizzas were out the door and that he would call the driver to make sure we were his first stop.
Despite the close proximity to the store (and that the pizzas had already left according to the nice man on the phone), it was another 15 minutes before our pizza arrived. I could tell it had been in the box for a while as the bottom cardboard ring was completely saturated causing the crust to start sticking to it and the cheese was slightly hard even though it felt warm in the box.
The driver was very kind; he assured me the manager would be discounting our order - which I greatly appreciated - and he even offered to pick up the packages on my porch.
Overall the staff was very kind and accommodating and despite the delay I will order from them again for that reason alone.
My advise is to give it a try and make up your own mind. I am positive you will find something to your liking. However, if you are planning to do so on a Friday or Saturday plan in advance. If the restaurants are as busy as they are in Chicago, dinning in will be a 2+ hour event and longer if you order a deep dish. And delivery will not be any more expedient. Make sure you have the time to wait and enjoy the experience - unlike me who had a very hangry 6 year old with an 8pm bedtime wondering where his dinner was.