Paula & Monica's Pizzeria

Randomly had to hit a laundromat while visiting Chicago and while I was there I noticed a Lil restaurant called Paula and Monica's across the street..by far the best pizza I've had in a very long time. Maybe best ever. Really nice owner and cozy dining area. Go check them out, you'll love it!!

Great pizza! A tad on the greasy side but excellent flavors. Great thin crust. Not paper thin and crunchy, but just thick enough to be a little chewy. Definitely will come again and again!

Hole in the wall BYOB with generous pizza by the slice available. We ordered a whole 14 inch pie. The cheese is ample and gooey. The crust is chewy, thin, and crunchy around the edges. All together it makes for a juicy, satisfying bite. Although there are cheaper pizzas out there, this is a great middle of the road place if you want to avoid the boutiques and support a local shop.

New to the area. Walked by one day and thre place was hoping. First experience here I ordered the veggie thin crust. All the ingredients were fresh, perfect amounts of sauce and cheese. The owner is super nice too. Cares about his product and takes pride in his food. He may be from Ecuador, but he cooks like he's from Italy! We definitely found our go to local pizza shop. Can't wait to try the other menu items.

Great tasting pizza. Fresh ingredients. Will order again.

I was craving NY style pizza and this place hit the spot! Delivery straight through their website was easy. Sauce is a great flavor and not too heavy. Only criticism is I wish the toppings were a bit more generous. Overall excellent pizza, this will be my new go-to.

I didn’t too much like the sausage pizza but the pepperoni pizza was great a little cold but great, definitely will be back

This is the best pizza in Chicago!!! Very clean establishment, and the staff are always extremely helpful!

Aw, dang! Another good restaurant closes. . Your pizza was one of my favorites in Chicago. Thank you for serving the neighborhood with good food & friendly staff. Paula & Monica's pizza will be missed!

This place had outstanding NY style pizza but is clearly closed for good. The interior is dumpy and searing is limited, but it never stopped me from going there. This is the second time I've come by in three weeks and you can see mail piled up on the floor just inside.

Recently did a pizza by the slice tour in my neighborhood of West Town and Paul & Monica's was one of my designated stops on the trip. Of the pizza joints visited, this probably had the highest reviews and therefore my highest expectations. Each joint on my tour was takeout and cheese pizza only. This joint is definitely a NY Style pizza place. The pizza was really good. But floppy slice and all. I've stated in other recipes that I'm not a fan of soggy pizza, but I'll say even though NY style is floppy, it's not the same as soggy. This pizza still had some substance - something hearty to the crust. There was a good balance of soft, chewy, and crisp to it. It was the perfect balance. The sauce and cheese were also good. The only reason I'm not going for the 5 stars is the slice was $9!! Yikes! That was a shocker. I might not have bought the slice, had I not been on this pizza slice journey. I also wonder if maybe whole pizzas aren't as highly priced and maybe it was just a slice thing. I'll have to look into it for next time.

The pizza is incredible, but I think pricing seemed quite odd, and a tad expensive. It was $19.95, and I paid about $24.48 after taxes. That doesn't seem right? MEAT LOVER'S PIZZA: There's about 8 slices, so can easily feed 2, but keep in mind that this is a thin crust pizza. This was recommended to me by the person who picked up the phone. Good portion of meat and definitely well seasoned and flavorful. Pro or Con depending on your preference: I prefer when I pick up a thin slice, that I can easily fold it or hold it up right without everything falling out. They did this well! If I'm in a crunch or really feeling meat loving, I'm probably going to come back.

[COVID-19 Delivery Review] If you are looking for some greasy thin crust NY style pizza, this is the place to get it! We ordered pizza from Paula and Monica's Pizzeria during the COVID-19 Stay at Home Guidance. The pizzas were pretty large (we ordered one 10" pizza and another 14" pizza between the two of us! We had hungry eyes!!). We had a lot of yummy leftovers. No complaints here!

Amazing service. The Cannoli desert is authentic and amazing! I would definitely come back again when I'm in the Chicago area

I wanted something a little different than the pizza I usually order so I took a chance on this place and I am so glad I did. Just might be my new go-to! I only ordered one pizza so I can't say how any of the other food is but I highly recommend this place if you are looking for thin crust pizza.

Ordered delivery of pizza and cannolis. Both were v good! Got half cheese and pineapple and jalapeños on the other half. The cheese is def a little gooier than most, but that's alright! The cannolis were so good as well, crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. I would def order from here again!

As I sit reflecting on my pizza experience from yestereve, I feel compelled...nay.. obligated to write this review to give back to the Yelp community from which I so often take. I am not a prolific Yelp reviewer, this is no secret. But when I write a review you can believe that it comes from the heart (my stomach), and it is intended to help my fellow Yelpites. It was Friday night, and my partner and I were looking forward to a different kind of date night. Different from the pizza we've ordered every Friday night since the ides of March. Then it struck me..what If we took a little trip to New York? New York style pizza is not a common pizza format in Chicago for unknown Deep seeded reasons. I went straight to Google to ask "where is the best NY style pizza in Chicago?". I found an answer from some rando that pointed me to Paula and Monicas. With a candidate pizzeria in mind, I drove my internet browser directly to Yelp to see what other Yelpers thought of this place. And here is where the rubber hits the road, as they say. I noticed multiple one and two star reviews.. I'll be honest, I was almost scared off my order! Woah, courage was required to place this order; and the order was placed. 14" thin crust, cheese bread, and canoli. I had measured expectations, since I give great credit to my fellow Yelperians. The food was absolutely delicious. The pizza hit the spot and was the right balance between thin and thick crust. One note would be to have it slightly more well done for my preferences but I'll adjust my order next time. The garlic cheese bread was a treat with a tangy, flavorful marinara dipping sauce we appreciated. Finally the canoli was super dank, half was dipped in chocolate and the filling was so rich and creamy. I would order 2 for next time. The point of this review is to say, you can't always trust low reviews, you need to believe in yourself sometimes and trust that those people just had a bad experience. I'm sure Paula or Monica would make it right if it happened to you.

Fantastic pizza. In fact, the" "best" pizza in Chicago. Favorite place to order pizza for delivery. Thank you!

Worst pizza I have ever had. So greasy it was fluId. Impossible to get a slice separated without The Whole top sliding off. Ugh, tossed it out after 2 slices

Dude, this is the best pizza spot on Chicago Avenue. You can get awesome huge slices of pizza for pretty cheap. The jumbo slice deal is off the chain. You get a giant slice of pizza and a canned pop for like nothing. Or $7.50. The people who work there are super cool too. I've been there for a bunch of years and I still haven't met Paula or 'Monica yet. Will keep you posted if I do.

Obviously Chicago is known for pizza: that ooey, gooey, deep-dish pile of sauce, cheese, and toppings. But did you know that you can also find New York-style pizza in the Windy City? That's right, folks! Those huge, thin slices are up for grabs and ready to get in your belly. Where can you find this 'delicacy'? Look no further than Paula & Monica's. Paula & Monica's is somewhat nondescript with a noticeable facade but still being a dive, hole-in-the wall with street-side parking. The same can actually be said about the interior which eschews bells and whistles and looks like an outdated, Italian deli in terms of a couple booths, TVs, and order counter. If you think about it, this is actually very 'New Yawk' of Paula & Monica's. Those expecting some sort of modern elegance when ordering or picking up pizza; then this isn't the place for you. Let's get to the nitty-gritty of the food, shall we? Paula & Monica's menu features standard pizzeria fare of pizza by the slice or pan, sandwiches, salads, subs, and desserts like some killer-looking cannoli. The go-to for anyone who is familiar with Paula & Monica's? Pizza by the slice. Slices come with varied toppings ripe for the picking (no pun intended) such as sausage, pepperoni, olives, ham, ground beef, peppers, pineapple, roasted red peppers, etc; and are sold in "Jumbo" slices which is what we decided to order (pepperoni --$6.74). Now, when they say 'jumbo', they mean JUMBO! These babies can certainly feed two people (making the price per slice a great value) or provide you with leftovers for your lunch the next day. I'm quite sure that the bellies of Chicago Bears football players would even be satisfied by these slices. So, how does it taste, you ask? Wonderful! Paula & Monica's stays true to the New York-style with a thin, soft crust with crunchy- crisp bites, flavorful sauce, and a heaven of cheese. Personally, I found it to be a little bit too oily on top which required the good ole' napkin pizza blot; but the flavor itself is perfect. Even the next day lunch leftovers retained their flavor and didn't overly dry out like most pizzas do. This place is no joke! Customer service at Paula & Monica's isn't noteworthy per se; but isn't bad, either. Basically, they are to-the-point and efficient but not trying to be your new best friend. Perfect for those hungry customers in a hurry. Long story short, if you are sick of deep dish or simply love those huge, thin-crust New York slices; then head to Paula & Monica's. The monetary value to price to quality ratio is top-notch while the flavor of the pizza is lip-smacking good. Certainly a must-try...

Love Love Love!! Ordered takeout and it was Perfect! The pizzas were so flavorful and so fresh!! The Cobb salad was big enough to share and had ALL the right ingredients! I'm picky with my avocado and this avocado was Spot On!!!! Tyler ordered the pepperoni pizza and it was light and delightful, crunchy, thin, and ....Delicious! I ordered the Hawaiian with black olives {the key to my heart} and they used BBQ sauce!!! I Loved Every Bite!!! -the pizzas & Salad were Huge!! So worth the price!!!!!

Favorite place to get takeout pizza from! Bbq chicken pizza is absolutely to die for, always so good.

I ordered delivery and the crust was soggy and didn't taste freshly made and the cheese slid off half the pizza. Really more of a 1.5, as in my opinion it has to be inedible to be a 1.

Solid slice; we did a cheese and a sausage slice for dinner after an adventurous day braving the grand opening of the new trampoline park nearby. I'm a Dante's Pizzeria guy, but this gave that place a run so I'm excited to come back and try the sandwiches on the menu. No-frills interior; I'm guessing this will always be at best a takeout dive for me, which is perfect since winter is coming tomorrow night!!

This is delicious 'za, one would say. I'm in a love affair with pizza. Always have been, always will be no matter what! I enjoy all types of pizza pies. With that being said when co worker wanted to enjoy some pizza, of course I joined the fun with her. The first time I enjoyed was about a month ago, I ordered personal pan with pineapple and jalapeño. HEAVEN ON MY TONGUE. Yuuuumm...The ingredients definitely had a fresh taste. The crust was good! I ate all my crust which is a big deal because I'm a crust snob. Overall This pizza got a 5 out of 5, no complaints! The second time was today. The team decided we all wanted pizza again yay. Someone suggested chicken & jalapeño, I said hmmm...I usually hate chicken on pizza but it might be good w/ the jalapeños. Then I saw the option for " hot pepper" and decided on that. This pizza would up being thin crust, and I was pleasantly surprised!!! Whatever is better than heaven on your tongue, their thin crust is that. Especially when hot!!!! This pizza got a 6 out of 5. And yes, like the other tips/reviews have said it is definitely a New York slice style! I'm gunna go out on a limb and say it's my new favorite pizza place. Definitely worth a try.

Pizza arrived one hour after promised, and arrived in a pile. Asked for a refund and replacement, which they did not provide. Only offered a replacement in 1.5 hours OR a refund. Will not order from here again, very poor customer service.

Umm.. I'm ashamed to say it took me 6 years before I tried a pizza from here! Prior to this I'd be in the area and drive right past it! It wasn't until my kid sister came into town, and she suggested we give this place a try. Since then we've gotten the cheese and the Italian beef. Both were so good. The crust was so crispy, I'm not a fan of deep dish but this was light and airy. It's a must try for sure!

Admittedly it's been a while since I've had a thin crust pizza but this may be the best I've had in Chicago. It's very NY style - everything perfect including the crust, the flavor, and the degree of doneness.

I have travelled all around the world in many countries, to my palate Paula and Monica's is amongst the best pizza in the world. Don't let the storefront fool you. It Is a damn good pizza. Just writing this... I am now heading over there to get a slice.

You know a pizza is unremarkable when, with every bite, you are reconsidering the caloric intake. The crust is soggy and flavorless. The sauce is a tomato bomb: no oregano, no mellowing, no sweetness. The toppings splish-splash on top of the crust. It is under-cooked. They use pineapple rings, which, if you eat pineapple on pizza, it is cubes not rings. So many things are going wrong here, I want to go in and show them how, with the same ingredients and a little more care, they could actually turn out much better pizza. Avoid unless you are near blackout drunk.

My wife and I were on a serious hunt for NY style pizza and came across this pizzeria. The pizza is great but they lost us as future customers. Why? Customer Service. Without it, I don't care how good your food is. Here's my reason: We ordered delivery one week after our first successful experience/delivery...1 hr later, we receive a call notifying us our order had been cancelled bc they didn't have drivers. Thanks for the heads up sooner? I wasn't happy but accepted it. One week later I attempted again, giving them another shot. This time, I called to make sure they had drivers and could deliver...they said yes.....1 hr 23 min later, I get a phone call saying they couldn't deliver bc their driver won't deliver to our location...yet they delivered 3 weeks prior? I don't expect handouts but if you fail a customer twice I would have expected an effort to keep that client, not just a "sorry".

Order is wrong. Left it outside without telling me. And again they got it wrong. Trash.

This is our go-to for pizza Fridays. The pan pizza has the most amazing crispy, buttery crust, and they are not shy with the cheese. Actually, that's true for sandwiches I've ordered from here as well, which is fine by me. The more cheese the merrier!

Have been a customer for years and pizza is good. Nice sauce and good ingredients. Recently ordered a pizza and was delivered with all toppings off the pizza. Called to have it replaced and was refused. Ordered directly from website and we understand that delivery services are at fault, but still refused to remake. Terrible customer service, so last pizza we'll order. Was refunded by delivery service and ordered a new pizza from Piece. Not worth dealing with poor customer experience.

Terrible experience ordering delivery from here- so bad that I held off a month to settle down so I didn't unfairly blast this business in anger. After cooling off, I still think this place deserves a 1-star review, so here goes. I order a half cheese, half Italian beef and giardiniera pizza- the cheese part being for my vegetarian friend. My first complaint was the delivery took forever- not sure why because we didn't order during peak hours or anything. Second complaint was the pizza upon arrival- as you can tell from the pic I posted, it was not a half-and-half pizza like we ordered; the entire thing was covered in ingredients, making it "inedible" for my vegetarian friend. Also, the Italian beef was not Italian beef- it was like brisket or something and really, really dry. To top it off, the pizza was soggy and clearly undercooked. I ate half a piece and we threw the rest away- it was that disgusting (I should mention I grew up poor and do NOT throw away food, so this was a drastic measure). I called to complain and no answer, so I submitted a complaint via email through their website, requesting a refund and for a manager to call. No one ever did. With a pizza place in every block, there are much better options- avoid this place at all costs.

I will travel as far as necessary for the perfect pizza and this place is it. So cheesy, huge slices and great staff. Small place with street parking but oh so worth it.

The only thing I miss most about working in Noble Square is having Paula & Monica's right around the corner. By far my favorite by the slice place in the city and I will not stop recommending it to anyone visiting. No frills great pizza.

The pizza is amazing!!! The sauce is a little sweet which makes it the perfect bite. My go to place on a Friday night to stay in and watch a movie.

This pizza is the perfect pizza to enjoy at home on a cozy night in with a bottle of wine! The pizza comes on a very thin crust dough that strikes the right balance of flavor without being overlooked! We ordered two different pizzas: the margherita pizza and the vegetarian pizza. The margherita pizza is a unique twist on an old classic, a white sauce pizza with basil and feta cheese. Very flavorful! The the red sauce on the vegetarian pizza was out of this world!! The toppings were not so abundant that it over powered the sauce or crust. I highly recommend this place to everyone, i would argue that this is one of the best local pizzas I have tried in Chicago! I have also read that they make a pan crust pizza that we are sure to try on our next visit!

We had delivery from Paula and Monica's - the pizza was okay. I didn't like it (the sauce was very tomatoey and sweet, not like pizza sauce) but my husband thought it was good. Cannolis were okay, but tasted like they used peanuts (dyed green) instead of pistachios.

Popped into this small pizza spot for a quick bite with a friend. The pizza is NY style and there are a lot of different sizes to choose from, including by the slice. They also have appetizers, salads, and sandwiches. I got the medium pepperoni slice for $3 (see picture for idea of size). The pizza was pretty good, the crust nice and crisp. My friend got garlic bread and I tried some but didn't like it. One drawback was they didn't have a soda fountain, so if you want water you have to buy a bottle. But the owner is really friendly, and location is convenient right on Chicago ave.

1/22/14 Upgreeeyyyyyed: Quality/Taste metric updated to 4 out of 5 because of their specialty pizzas. They don't skimp on the bacon on the meat lovers, and the margarita while not truly "authentic" was tasty and well rounded. Price bumped up to 4 out of 5 as well. With the Eat24 online site, the coupon deals are reeeeediculously good. Overall, gets bumped up to a 4.

Truly the best pizza I've had in Chicago. If you've never tried it your taste buds are missing out. I could eat this pizza for the rest of my life.

I had a taste for New York style pizza and man, this definitely hit the spot! Nice and thin and a delicious sauce. I've been on a cheese-only kick lately. Tastes like childhood! I'll be back!

Great food, nice people and I feel proud to not support a chain. It's nice to have a place to go to that has quality pizza that's non wood fired. BBQ pizza and meat lovers are ones not to miss.

First ever yelp review. Long time eater. Paula and Monica's is great. Have ordered it 3 times during quarantine. Dough, sauce, and cheese all delicious. Highly recommend.

Both the pizza and the chicken I ordered tasted quite bland, no taste. I couldn't even eat the chicken. Also, a quarter of a chicken is more then leg and thigh, which was all I got when I ordered that.

Best nyc style pizza. Big slice is such a great deal. Love coming here and getting carry out. Everyone is so friendly, my favorite neighborhood pizza spot !

I am pretty much obsessed with pizza. I don't know how New York-ish I found Paula and Monica's to be but it is GOOD. And they don't cut it in party slices, damn it (hooray)! I have ordered from here a few times, most recently last weekend. Delivery was great and taste was spot on when it came to the half sausage half roni thin crust. The only thing was the largest size is 14"? It seemed small, and no leftovers. Also even with a coupon that 14" pie was about $25. Really? Me no likey. Great on taste, but would be cool to have more size options for delivery. Also, very limited app selection.

Pizza and subs are great. I have been coming here for a few years now. The pizza and people consistently good. Price is good too.

Pizza here is amazing! It's also great that they sell pizza by the slice and the people that run the place are just simply caring about satisfying their customers.

Loooooove this place! Get the veggie or pepperoni and green pepper thin crust. It's a tad greasy but a quick dab with paper towel and you're back in business. We order from here weekly!!!

I actually ordered delivery from this place, so I'm basing my review on that. My wife and I wanted to order pizza for the Stanley Cup final, so we gave this place a shot. Using the Eat24 app, we ordered our pizza and waited. And, waited. And, waited. After about an hour and a half later, the pizza arrives: stone cold. I was furious. I called the restaurant and asked them why it takes an hour and a half to get a pizza. Also, if I'm waiting that long, the pizza better be so hot that it melts the inside of my mouth. In the end, they gave us a pretty decent refund. Also, I will admit that the pizza was delicious. All we had to do was throw it into the microwave for a few minutes. I really appreciate the business owning up to their mistakes. Maybe, next time, I'll go to the store to try it because they have some decent pizza.

Great pizza for a good price. Crust has great flavor. Cheese does slide off sometimes but only if you try to separate when it's too hot.

Hands down , Best slice in town! Real Chicago style Italian sausage, great sauce , friendliest service. Don't pass it up!!!!

We ordered pizza and coleslaw according to the menu the coleslaw is 8oz, yet they send a tiny individual sized coleslaw. I called to explain that I wanted the bigger portion, as I was having guests over and they apologized saying they'd send it at no additional cost. When the delivery driver arrived with it in hand they asked for $10. What?! That's not even the cost on the menu! I called to clarify with them, and they explained that they were indeed going to charge. So wait-- they make a mistake on my order and I have to pay for the item AGAIN?!? And more for it then originally. It's not how you run a business or keep customers. I won't be ordering from them again. Don't take your chances! There's plenty of better pizza places in the area! And the coleslaw not that good.