Jan 23 2011
Marley’s Pizzeria Left a Bad Taste in My Mouth…
Marley's Pizzeria
I rarely review restaurants I don’t enjoy just because I don’t feel any inspiration in writing about them. Also, I’m not a food critic – just a foodie who enjoys writing about delicious food. That being said I feel like I should be honest about a lunch experience my husband Eric and I had yesterday as I feel like we wasted about $30. I will keep this review short but sadly, not so sweet.
Fried Mushroom Appetizer
Marley’s Pizzeria is a “Chicago style pizzeria” located on 71st & Sheridan. They serve the typical pizzeria fare such as pizzas, sandwiches & salads. We stopped in for lunch and tried the fried mushroom appetizer. They were truly awful. They tasted like balls of gritty flour served with a flavorless marinara sauce. I asked for some ranch on the side hoping it would mask the blandness of the flour balls however the ranch was slimy and watery! I have never had slimy, flavorless ranch but somehow Marley’s has tragically created it or purchased it from some back alley.
"Chicago-style" Buffalo Chicken Pizza
For lunch we decided to try the “Chicago-style” buffalo chicken pizza. The thin crust was burnt and the sauce was watery. Eric enjoyed the flavor of the pizza however we both agreed the watery sauce was unappealing. Also, isn’t Chicago-style crust supposed to be thick? We were so confused.
The restaurant was pretty full when we went so maybe some people actually enjoy this place? I would love to hear someone defend the quality of the food if so. On a positive note, service was good and the wait time was not that long for our pie.
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I’m not sure if the crust itself is supposed to be “thick” but the pizza should be deep dish. I think it’s more the sauce, cheese and toppings and the crust folded up that makes it thick. However, there are actually 2 types of Chicago style pizzas. The other being a thin-crust similar to St. Louis style pizza (or those unfamiliar with that, like a Domino’s thin crust… only much better, obviously). I discovered this after trying the thin crust at Savastano’s and loved it so much I did some research thinking maybe they were doing a St. Louis-style thing there, but turns out Chicago has this thin crust style as well (although I’m not sure they use Provelle cheese which is what makes St. Louis-style unique). Anyway, if you like a good thin crust, give it a try at Savastano’s if you can resist the temptation of getting the traditional. I don’t know how authentic it is, but who really cares if it’s good, right?
Disappointing to hear this review on Marley’s though. I’ve been looking forward to trying it sometime and just haven’t made it that way. I might pass now.
Hey Tulsa Food Guy – thanks for stopping by! I hate to be so critical of Marley’s but it was just plain awful. The crust was burnt, bland and didn’t have the rich buttery goodness you look for in a deep dish pizza. It was like dry cardboard. The buffalo sauce tasted like Franks, which I like but its seemed water downed. Truly though, the mushroooms were the worst thing ever! If ya go dont’ get the mushrooms! Cheers – Christine
You might give Marley’s another shot on the pizza. (The mushrooms look disgusting
). I’ve been there 3 times and unlike you, I had HORRIBLE service all 3 times. But the pizza was super tasty. We keep ordering the Hawaiian, and the sauce, cheese and crust have been great. I know they do a take-out service, so that might be the best thing. Skip the salads too, as they were nothing special.
Hey Belinda,
Thanks for your input! It’s funny we had completely different experiences. Sadly, neither one of our experiences has been stellar
If I make it back I will definitely try the Hawaiian!! Thanks for stopping by and letting me know!
Cheers,
Christine
Marley’s must have stepped up their game or responded to your review, Christine. We had Marley’s pizza catered in to our office last week. First time I’ve had their pie and liked it a LOT. I had some of the Hawaiian – very good. Crust was well done, but certainly not burnt. Loved the sauce – thick, not runny. Took my wife Friday nite and had a Chicago-style veggie pie. Also very good. Service was fast and friendly, too. We’ll go back.
Thanks for stopping by and letting us know your experience with Marley’s! I may have to stop in there sometime and check it out again!
Take care,
Christine