Via Chicago

This is about the Italian grinder style sandwich I had at Via Chicago. I am not Italian, or from Chicago, nor do I have any knowledge or expertise related to Italian food or "authentic" grinders. This was the best of this kind of sandwich that I think I have ever had. Everything was very high quality and in the perfect proportions. The meat was delicious, the bread was soft and fresh and it had black olives and arugula. I love Italian grinder style sandwiches and they are my go-to when I see one on a menu. So though I am no expert, I've eaten a lot of them. Often they are too bready or have too much mayo/mustard. The one I had at Via Chicago was absolutely perfect. Also they have a nice little vibe in the restaurant and attentive friendly staff. This photo isn't great because I wasn't even planning on leaving a review until I had eaten half of it and it was so good I had to.

Best damn pizza. Home recipe and oven baked deep dish. Must try if you are anywhere near them! We had vegetarian, meaty and pepperoni by the slice . Great peach cider too!

Recently ordered their “Meaty” whole pie and I have to say I was quite impressed. I’ve only ever have had slices from here but I have to say it was perfect execution with the amount of spice from the peppers and still being able to clearly taste the sausage. I get upset with the lack of sauce from other pizza places so I was so excited to see a healthy amount of sauce on a pie. Will be back!

Good cheesy pizza. We got the Italian beef. It was good but might need a side of marinara if you like it saucey. Love the outdoor seating and location. Fun wine bar next door.

Pepperoni ⭐⭐⭐ - more like a cheese to me, the pepperoni didn't give me much flavor, would probably go for a sausage over a pepperoni Meaty pizza ⭐⭐✨ - my boyfriend loved this but I did not - I prefer the taste of the pesto for sure - I didn't like the meat Kimchi mozerella ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - love how cheesy it it - the extra flavor kick was great - pizza week pizza Artichoke pesto ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - was worried this would be salty but it wasn't - has some red sauce on it Stuffed spinach ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - adore the stuffed crust - love spinach - didn't love the huge garlic pieces, wish it was more finely minced

Via Chicago is true to its name. Their pies are legit Chicago style. It's more like eating lasagna than pizza. The sauce is good. Toppings are under the cheese and sauce. The crust has a croissant quality to it due to the butter. We ordered the "meaty" and a Artichoke & Parmesan with chicken. The meaty has Isemio's Hot Sausage...but it's not hot. I wouldn't order it again. Most of our group liked the chicken one better. Be prepared for a wait. We also had an order of garlic knots. Our group liked them but I would have preferred garlic bread. It takes them 40+ minutes to bake one. They have about a half dozen beers on tap are a variety of soft drinks. They also do pizza by the slice. Check out my profile for more great eateries and cocktail bars. -VanPort Insider✌🏼

I didn't know about this place until Pizza week 2025. What brought me in was not only the location which is close to North Portland because you know I like to hang out there but there was also the fact that they put kimchi on a pizza and went all out and Denny and put any traditional ingredients on the pizza slice. I kind of felt a "duh" moment when I came in and I didn't expect a deep dish from someplace named after Chicago... There was one woman working the whole place. she took your order. she charged you. she fed you wherever you were and however way that you want it, whether it be takeout or sit down. There were at least seven people in front of me and she managed to accomplish my order of six slices of pizza in 2 minutes from my order. For me, that's impressive. What's also impressive... They have a Tuesday deal where it's all you can eat for 16 bucks!?!?! I need Tuesday to be my cheat day!!! Everything they served was delicious.

Amazing pizza. Only place around I've found so far that offers a really good well done Chicago style deep dish. The flavor and texture is amazing, staff are super friendly, and atmosphere the very relaxed and friendly. Parking is definitely not the easiest but it is still accessible if you get there outside of peak time.

Ordered it for takeout and only one deep dish pizza so my experience is limited but that is a fantastic deep dish. The sausage is their best topping but add some giardinera peppers for spice on the pie if you want. I got a full pie so no issues with getting something reheated after sitting around for a while. It was well cooked and I loved how the sauce was thick instead of thin keeping the pizza shell crisp and unmolested by a watery sauce. Brilliant pizza. Probably in one of my top 10 favorites I've tried.

Decided to t try this place out! When I walked in it took a decent amount of time to have someone help me. I stood around for a bit before even seeing someone. Looking at the pizza case it looked pretty good! I decided on the 4 Cheese Whole Pie to go. Once I ordered I started looking around. I noticed pretty much all around how dirty in every corner and nook. I wasn't to excited about it at this point. Pizza looked really good however it was very difficult for me to trust the cleanliness of it. I don't typically like to leave these type of reviews. But if so much is visual I don't want to know what isn't. Overall I ate one slice. It wasn't too bad but use discretion and own judgement. I know they are moving is what they said.

DIRTY restaurant. I mean, very dirty. Visible dust on the COUNTER, tables wobbly, crumbs and dust everywhere. I've actually never seen anything like this. I'm curious what their health score is.....? The woman who was working on Wednesday had dirty long fingernails. My friend and I each had a slice. The pizza was good, but not heated all the way through. The beer was warm. There was nobody in here and the woman working was talking to two friends who were seated at the bar and not eating. Disappointing!

Atmosphere: Small spot with a few tables for dine in Food: Decent but not standout. Might be better if the pizza is fresh but if you order a slice, they just reheat an already-made slice Price: Prices are pretty reasonable. Wednesday they have an AYCE slice deal that is worth it. Service: Friendly staff Parking: Street parking

Very relaxed pizza spot. Offer beer and wine, amongst other beverage options. The gal who helped us was super friendly. Garlic knots were very hot and tasty. Pizza was very good (ordered a slice of pepperoni and meaty to share) and our favorite was meaty. Be aware, the meaty is spicy and contains carrots!

Best Pizza in Portland I say! The food is very delicious and the portions are decent. Would try it out it again!

Deep dish pizza is the way to go! Parking: During peak hours, it can be challenging to find parking. You can park in the residential areas (be aware of the no-parking signs). Service/Ambiance: We were greeted when we walked inside, the lady at the counter asked us if we had any questions. There is limited seating inside but there is some outdoor seating at the back. Food: The deep dish pizza tasted great! I personally wouldn't say its the best pizza but I heard its certainly the best in the Portland area. I barely finished two slices and had to save the rest for later in the week ( I couldn't finish it the next day, the pizza was so filling). A whole deep dish pizza can be easily be eaten by two, but if your a pizza lover might as well have the whole dish to yourself ;)

Luckily, we loved this deep dish pizza, and it's flavor, because if I had one suggestion, it would not be too get it delivered! The delivery driver managed to get all of the toppings sloshed over to one side of the pizza! I would definitely go in and experience the atmosphere along Alberta Street while you eat this Chicago pizza!

I'm usually a New York pizza guy. With that out of the bag...I found Via Chicago pretty darned good! One slice will fill most, but with some many toppings/varieties I recommend trying them all. So far, my favorite is the 4 cheese pizza. The sub sandwiches are pretty darned good too. My current "go to" sub is the chicken parmigiana sandwich. Perfect! Also, Kevin (the owner) has a huge selection of cold adult beverages to chose from. And don't forget to grab a chocolate chip cookie or two afterwards. They are baked in house and are super good! Finally, for all of you midwestern euchre players, they have euchre every other Monday from 6pm - 8:30pm. The euchre folks are a diverse group of chill players. See you at Via Chicago soon.

This pizza hit all the marks if you're a cheese lover who likes deep dish! The flavor of the toppings were great (I kinda wish the sausage had fennel-but it was still tasty), and the cheese was full of pull! The service was great, and the setting was quaint. Next time I'm in Portland I will be sure to stop by!

If you want a thicky thick pizza look no further. Via Chicago brings a nice hefty slice of Chicago style pizza to the PNW and it's an absolute delight. The crust has the perfect crunch and the sauce is both salty and sweet. It's not shown in the picture, but it also has a fantastic cheese pull. The service was friendly and there are nice places to sit inside and outside, when the weather permits.

The pizza was great, fresh and amazing. Unfortunately I can't say the same about the grilled cheese and Caesar salad I ordered. The sandwich was hard and dried out. Probably left over from lunch. We were there about 6:30pm so it had been awhile. At first I thought it was just overcooked and different but later I realized it was a leftover. The salad would have been lovely if the lettuce was a little bit fresher and not partially wilted. But the people are great, I didn't say anything but I should have.

Would love to rate this place a five star since I have tried their food at the farmers market and it was delicious. Wanted to sit down at their new pizza spot but when I got there they were closing an hr early just because they were dead all day the only thing they were serving was ice cream. Maybe I'll go back another day when it lights out. Maybe they'll be open.

Where do I start! Now, being from Chicago when I want some deep dish pizza, I expect good deep dish pizza. That was not what I received. Underdone. Slimly. No flavor. Barely any sauce. No hot peppers. I was appalled. It was an insult to my palate, and to the beautiful creation of deep dish pizza. To my next point, service. Not only did the worker look like he never left Woodstock, the service was mediocre and not personable. Don't even ask me about the cleanliness- crumbs, dust, battered plates-floors-tables. If I didn't almost throw up from the pizza, the atmosphere only added to my repulsion. As a cherry on top, I waited close to 2 hours for the pizza to arrive at my table. The only thing saving this review from a 1 is the fact that they have RC cola. Via Chicago, this is cry for help. Please do better.

Glad to see you are making so much money you can clearly ignore a paying customer who you made eye contact with twice but felt it's more important to stay in the back and finish your conversation without even an acknowledgment.... I will spend my money where they value their customers.

Wow ! My mouth is watering at the thought of getting this pizza again. I kept coming across online reviews of Chicago style pizza and thought to myself , my goodness, I NEED to try this. I came to yelp in search of the best Chicago pizza pie and it led me here. I was also surprised that there aren't many Chicago style pizza Joints in Portland at all. I sure am happy I picked this place. I online ordered a pepperoni whole pie with extra cheese and light sauce. When I order any pizza, I often get light sauce because I'm not really a big fan of marinara but this was not just any pizza. Something about their homemade marinara was too good to be true. The sauce was Very rich, thick and delicious. The cheese was fresh and beautifully melted. The woman working at the front was lovely and polite. We had a delightful conversation about the restaurant and their passion to make great Chicago style pizza. The surrounding customers also chimed in on our conversation and vouched for this pizza. They mentioned how they'd been eating here for years and that I wouldn't be disappointed in trying my first Chicago pizza from here. The aroma that lingered from the box made it so hard to wait till I got home to take a bite so I did just that and was mind blown. It was piping fresh out the oven just how I like it, all ingredients beautifully came together . This is definitely one of those places where you can tell they make everything from scratch . By far the best pizza I've ever had hands down. Thank you

Underwhelming. The beef was small, peppers weren't what I expected for a true Chicago beef.

I went here with my roommates because we've always wanted to try deep dish pizza, but found there is a serious lack of it. Or there are crimes against the nature of such by such places as Little Caesar's. Anyways, the food was pretty dang good, the price was to be expected for the almost artisanal like environment and so on. The service was quite good, our attendant was stopping by every five to ten minutes or so to ask how it was or if we needed anything. Appetizers were good, on par with a favourite of mine in my local area, and the cannoli's were delicious. If it wasn't such a drive across the river to go to Via, we'd go more.

My favorite pizza place in Portland. Always clean and the pizza is tasty. Never been to Chicago or had "authentic deep dish" but the pizza is great so I can't wait to go.

Stopped in for Pizza Week for a slice. Was ok, nothing outstanding. Nice Chicago style crust.

Overall best Chicago style I've had in Portland with little to compare to. Isn't quite spot on but it gets the job done. The menu is limited for slices. Salads are good and they have a decent beverage selection. The crowd is fun and seems like lots of regulars and neighborhood locals. Dined in once on euchre night and learned to play with some guys (wasn't super helpful for beginners). But everyone is friendly! Also got take out one night and it held up nice for leftovers the next day too. Recommend: cheese pie and Cesar salad.

Not quite Zachary's but damn close! The only "issue" I had was the dough was a little too thick and there was just a little more cheese than I like. I'm nitpicking here though. Great pizza.

I'm not really a deep dish pizza person, so I won't really talk about that much. I've tried a couple slices which were just ok since they're not cooked to order but they've got decent sandwiches. I've tried the Chicago Italian Beef Sandwich and the Italian grinder. The Italian beef is basically like a French dip sandwich with a few extra peppers for some spice and crunch, and the grinder is your classic Italian cold cut. I enjoyed both but wasn't mind blown by anything here. Just a cool lowkey spot for some pie/sammiches and beer, never too crowded when I've been.

Its a'ight. Gave it 3 stars bc I cant give half stars. Really 2.5. I've made the frozen Lou Malnati's pizza at home and it was way better. PDX has so many GREAT pizza places that I was sadly disappointed. Ordered 2 slices, the meat and the 4 cheese. Pretty basic so to me it should be their best to represent. Well, both were dry and the pie filling felt a little skimpy. The thing that bothered me the most was that it was empty (at 1pm) and the tables and chairs were filthy. If there are no customers, they literally have time to wipe down the place. Maybe it's better if you order the whole pie so its fresh. Unfortunately, won't go back.

Amazing food! I've been gatekeeping this place too long. Always good service and you can buy by the slice.

Everything is so tasty, but their salads are pretty much 1/3 of my diet at this point. The employees are so nice. I love them. Eat their food.

Nice little pizzeria and sub shop located in Alberta next to salt n straw. Place had some customers so decided to give it a try. Tried the Italian grinder and veggie deep dish slice. The sandwich was tiny less than 8 inches at a price of $10.99. Taste was ok with some arugula and balsamic added on top instead of peppers. Pepperoni and prosciutto were a nice combo with dabs of Mayo. It just was too small to be a meal. The bun wasn't bigger than a hotdog at a backyard bbq. Kettle chips were good but the snack sized sandwich didn't match the pile of chips. Pizza was also average. Lots of cheese and a few veggies. I saw the dough was slightly undercooked near the bottom even though the crust had burnt edges. The temperature of the pizza was warm not piping hot which was ok. There were only three people working and it took awhile to receive the food. No problem with that there were multiple tables and staff can only do so much. Overall not bad but would not drive out here just for deep dish pizza. If speed improved and portion size increases slightly I think it would be better. There was a turbo oven on-site and those things should take a few minutes tops. I think Ranch pdx does a Detroit style that is much more filling.

I got to have via Chicago through a catered networking event and it is honestly one of the best pizzas in town. The cheese is amazing and super melty. Perfect if you have some left overs and want that cheese pull the next day. I really enjoyed the pepperoni pizza and the prosciutto and arugula pizza. The crust is buttery and crisp and the sauce is great. All around recommend this place.

First time here, didn't know what to expect, other than we wanted to try the CHICAGO DEEP DISH PIZZA... So we don't have nothing to compare it to, other than is it good or not ? And we told our server that, first time here and he walked us through it and we got there at a good time because it was slow, so he was able to explain things to us... So we order the GARLIC KNOTS and those were yummy ! The pizza was different from what we're so use to and I love to say it, it was delicious... Price wise it was fair for what we received plus the service was awesome, so price wise, it was ok... Looking forward to our next visit, enjoy its worth the visit...

I wanted to give this more stars because truly the flavors were phenomenal. My one complaint was that there wasn't really a crust on the bottom. There was a crust on the edge which was super flaky and tasty however, the artichoke and Parm that we got was basically just a pile of goo. This pizza honestly weighed 10 pounds! It was a heavy meal so be prepared! We got an order of the garlic knots which also came with some roasted garlic. The marinara was out of this world to dip in. We also got a side of ranch which was great. The garlic knots were crunchy on the outside and perfectly soft and hot in the middle. I could have had 40 of them! Let me talk about the dipping sauce again! The marinara smelled so good, had a great thickness to it, was warm, with a ton of Parmesan cheese on top. I'm pretty sure I could have just swam in it for days. I was actually thinking they should have pasta and use that sauce. I would eat there several times a week! This was our first time here and we were not disappointed really. They had appropriate social distancing in place and the person helping me politely asked me to wait while she washed her hands and put gloves on. My order wasn't ready yet so she said she would bring it out to my vehicle. Very kind.

0 stars, pizza was bland and very greasy. Thought we were getting fresh pizza but it was pulled and reheated on a microwave. You could tell it had been sitting there awhile.. The worst part was getting to the crust and seeing a small piece of plastic embedded into it. I would stay far away from this pizza spot.

Best Chicago style pizza in Portland! No one else compares. And they're right next to Salt & Straw ice creamery

Sooooooooooo delicious. Ordered for the first time tonight. Had a cheese with extra sauce and it was all the gluttonous pie that you would hope for.. Crust, so great and the sauce was perfect. My biggest test will be to see how the leftovers hold up because we could only do one slice each. Excellent. Thanks Via Chicago! Will be back for sure.

The last time I was here was in 2015 or 16 and I am so happy that they survived the pandemic and are still kicking strong. I decided to get the medium pepperoni pizza and I'm always in heaven and could probably eat half of this in one sitting...

Tough call, since I'm from Chicago and have eaten my share of deep-dish pizza at Lou Malnati's as well as Pizzeria Uno and Pizzeria Due. A truly good Chicago-style pizza isn't an easy thing to make. Still, Via Chicago does a commendable job. We took advantage of Pizza Week and shared a pizza puttanesca. Red sauce, red peppers, black olives, capers. Pleasantly flaky crust. They purposefully left off anchovies to appeal to vegetarians. Overall the pizza was quite good, though it seemed to have only a touch of mozzarella and the sauce's spicy, tangy flavor was certainly improved when we got home and added a few anchovies. Deep-dish pizza may be an acquired taste, but one well worth seeking out. When you go to Via Chicago be sure to look for the drawing of Harry Caray below the Cubs pennant.

Ordered a pepperoni pizza to go. I don't know enough to know if it was good for Chicago-style pizza, but I have eaten a lot of pizza and it wasn't my favorite. SO much cheese, sauce was simmered a long time so the tomatoes lost all brightness, crust was so bready. It's possible that it's the entire genre of pizza that I don't prefer and that this restaurant is good. Either way, I wouldn't go again.

I was really missing good pizza.... unfortunately, this wasn't it. The crust was more crumbly than chewy and was not thick in any way. The cannoli was overdone and far too thick. This is just my opinion as someone who previously lived in Chicago and has a deep love of pizza. Buy a slice before you take home a whole pizza.

I had a slice of the four cheese. Great cheese pull, sauce has great flavor. I went in daytime, I imagine in nighttime when there are more people the ambiance is nice.

I am strictly a NY style pizza fan but this place made me change my mind. The crust is so buttery and flaky. Even the vegan pizza and the gluten free pizza were good. There is beer on tap as well as single cans for sale. They also have wine and fun (as well as traditional) nonalcoholic drinks. It's one of the few places with a bathroom (for customers) that we found on Last Thursdays. They didn't have enough staff working so it was a little slow but the employees were working their butts off. There is seating in a courtyard out back that is good for big groups and for kids to run around.

Nice woman to the extreme working here/I assumed,she must be the owner.Prices were great!!I was really happy that they had Several choices of pizza by the slice. Wine and slice come out to $11 which is a great deal. Ordered the four cheese and the vegetable slices, and Loved them both. Very family -friendly place; also a great option for casual date night or for people dining solo!

I really enjoyed their beef sandwich, the grinder sandwich and Chicago style pizza. I really enjoyed their buttery pizza crust. The reason for 4 star is I was so thirsty after the meal and could not stop drinking liquids which tells me maybe their food has more salt than what I am used to. However, overall their food is really good.

I wanted a Chicago style pizza fix and this definitely hit the spot. I ordered the smallest pizza and could only eat half, when I can usually eat half a large pizza sometimes. Definitely recommend and will come back.

We were in the mood for deep dish Chicago style pizza while visiting family in Portland. We googled what we wanted and Via Chicago was the first place that showed up in our search. We were less than 15 minutes from the location on Alberta Ave and we were not disappointed! Pizza was hot, fresh and delicious. Several pies to choose from, there's an option to build your own or buy just a slice. There also a selection of salads, sandwiches as well as a nice selection of both alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages. It's well worth a visit especially if you enjoy deep dish pizza. We'll definitely be back next time we're in town. Do yourself a favor and grab a slice of the lemoncello cake, you'll be glad you did!

We got two sandwiches and a pizza. The Italian beef sandwich was very bland, but was not necessary 'bad'. The Tuna Melt however was horrible. There was an absurd amount of olives and capers chopped up and mixed into the tuna (not listed as an ingredient on the menu) and the tuna mix was extremely dry. They also used plain white bread, and the cheese wasn't even melted. I love tuna melts, and this was definitely one of the worst I've ever had. The deep dish pizza was fine at best. We ate it out of hunger, and even then, the best thing we could say about it was "meh". I'm pretty shocked how how many stars this place has, especially given the area. Not to mention it was almost $60 for pretty bad food. Chips were good though.

Working in the area. I'm from Chicago and I miss Chicago food. Via Chicago is as close it gets to Chicago pizza better yet it is Chicago pizza they even have RC pop yes pop not soda..lol. Parmesan cheese, pepper flakes and you know they now chicago pizza if they have Chicago Giardiniera. Oh yes pizza was really Good

Okay, so I was not expecting the epic butteriness of the crust, not the amazingly well flavored sauce. This is hands down better than 90% of the deep dish I've had recently. The star of the show though is April. She was awesome and I hope the owners realize what an asset they have in her. She turns this tiny street side place into a homey and welcoming environment.

Ok not the best Chicago deep dish pizza. Place seemed like a nice place to sit down and have a pie with a couple beers or glass of wine. Got the cookies but was disappointed because they were hard as a rock but had a cold glass of milk to wash it down. Would definitely come to Via Chicago again and give them a try. Remember Yelpers this is not Chicago so don't compare it. So let it be written... So let it be EATEN!

In a city with a glut of thin wood-fired pizza venues my eyes bulged like pepparonis when I saw "Chicago" in the business name. Alas, the final product here didn't even make it to the Illinois border. It's not Chicago Deep Dish, maybe semi-deep at best. The taste a had a hint of the real thing, but fell short, especially the crust. In my 15 years in Portland only one place, Thick, a now defunct food cart, mastered Chicago pizza. And the time to reheat (meaning it's not made to order) is unusually longer than any pizza place I've frequented. The counter girl was cordial, offered me water, and asked if I wanted pepper flakes with my slice. Yet, she had a - order something, curl up and die, I don't really care - vibe as she multitasked with her phone. I was the ONLY customer during lunch which is another clue. Portland is more than ready for real DEEP dish Chicago style pizza.

Pictures on yelp looks really good. When we got there, there was nobody there The pizza on display was in a refrigerator that has been sitting there for a while. They had alcohol but extremely limited quantity. The pictures online make you feel like they have a wide variety of drinks. That is not the case. They are not set up and cannot do mixed drinks. The tap beer didn't even work. We ordered our pizza and told us it would be 45 minutes which we were definitely OK with that. We ordered a salad salad and some garlic cheese bread. The salads lettuce was like picking weeds out of our garden. The garlic bread and marinara sauce was awesome. When they brought the pizza out to us they sent it down. It was not the custom pizza that we had ordered. We still ate one slice each. Then later on she came out and said that our pizza had just gotten finished and that was somebody else's pizza. When we got the pizza that we ordered, it had oregano on top of the pizza and that's not the custom pizza that we ordered. My husband hates oregano. And the other pizza they gave us did not have oregano on it. Needless to say. We did not eat the pizza and we gave both of them away to a group of people in the restaurant. The pictures are very deceiving and looks like a sit down restaurant but it's more like a takeout restaurant.