Zarella Pizzeria & Taverna

I couldn’t wait to try this place, what a letdown. **Calamari:** Poor quality and heavily covered in black pepper and seasoning, which felt like an attempt to mask a mediocre taste. My friend bit into something extremely hard that was deep-fried with the calamari (like a tiny pebble). It caused her gum to bleed and nearly damaged a tooth. We didn’t raise the issue at the time, but we honestly still have no idea what it was and should have said something. **Pizza:** Tasted good at first, but at $30 for two toppings (no meat), it was far too thin and became mediocre once it cooled. The outer edges of the pizza had little to no toppings. Not worth the price. Growing up in Chicago, we had thin crust, but never *this* thin—now it’s apparently called “tavern style.” Once reheated, it just tasted like flimsy crust and lots of cornmeal. Overall, a rip-off. **Fried Zucchini:** Good, but very standard—nothing you wouldn’t find at any decent Greek restaurant. **Tiramisu:** Fine overall, but looked better than it tasted. The flavors didn’t quite come together the way a good tiramisu should. --- ### Pricing & Value A large bottle of Pellegrino was $13, which is honestly insane. That alone told me everything I needed to know. Better restaurants offer higher-quality sparkling water for half the price. This felt like pure price gouging. We paid cash, but be cautious if you pay via QR code/mobile. The system defaults to a **minimum 24% tip**, on top of taxes and surcharges, without clearly presenting an itemized receipt before asking for a tip. I’m a generous tipper, but I don’t appreciate feeling misled or tricked. --- ### Service The staff leaned more “hipster” than professional. Our waitress did not understand that a shrimp/shellfish allergy is different from calamari, and we had to go back and forth explaining it. We were polite, but it was surprising. She then went on to explain cross-contamination with calamari to other nearby tables that mentioned shellfish allergies. Staff were also very quick to clear plates and frequently reached over us while we were still eating. For a place that adds surcharges and charges what it does, better staff training and professionalism should be a baseline. --- ### Atmosphere & Seating The layout is awkward and congested, which probably explains why reservations are hard to get. There were many families with small children (totally fine), but kids were running around, causing noise and traffic. Despite having a reservation made well in advance, we were seated downstairs in a cramped speakeasy area. The only main-floor option offered was a corner high-top near a busy intersection. Kids were occasionally running downstairs into the speakeasy, through the tables, and back out again. Pick your identity—a spot charging $13 for sparkling water shouldn’t feel like Chuck E. Cheese. The bar area felt strange: lots of people standing behind seated guests just talking, almost like they were planted there to make the place look lively or just hanging out Leftovers are boxed for you and placed on an unattended shelf by the front entrance. You’re given a numbered ticket (like a coat check) to match up and grab your food. It felt corny and unnecessary. My $30 pizza was shoved into a tiny box, stacked in layers. I would have preferred boxing it myself. There’s also the risk of someone grabbing the wrong bag or touching your food. --- This feels like an overrated Instagram spot. Americans trying to do Italian. Leave the Italian food to the Italians. For the same price, I’d much rather go to an authentic spot like Volare, get more food, better quality, and better service (and pay half the price for better sparkling water). I wouldn’t go back.

What a perfect meal. Smaller menu but everything we had was great, pizzas, pastas and traditional Italian appetizers. For two people we did one app, a pizza and a pasta and had to take most home. … More

Service was outstanding! Pizza solid hit. Drinks tasty. This is a lovely place without attitude in river north. I loved it so much I made another reservation the day after my visit. I’m looking forward to going back! More

Very good pizza! I liked the artisan one (nice fluffy crust) while some other people in my party preferred the tavern style (no crust, crunchy bottom). Cozy ambiance and busy so reservation is a must. More

I've eaten a lot of pizza in my time and tavern style (as a Chicago native) is my favorite. Zarella nails it. Could be in the running for my favorite of all time. Keep it simple with pepperoni and sausage IMO. The carbonara pizza was yummy … More

Worth the trip. The food was served with portions intended to share. Lots of leftovers for sure. A limited menu allowed them to focus on doing the items they do have well. … More

Wow. Amazing food, amazing staff, and love the ambience. We got tavern style pizza, Alla vodka pasta, and calamari which were all an 10/10. Our server was Storm who was so friendly and attentive (along with the rest of the staff). Already can’t wait to be back! More

Great experience! Pizza and calamari were phenomenal. One of the best thin crust pizzas in Illinois. They also have pasta dishes and artisan style pizzas. Take a look at our pics! Absolutely delicious food! Richie, our server, was excellent! More

This is probably the highest rated pizzeria that I have ever seen, I had to wait 3 weeks just to get a reservation in this joint. I love the decor, rustic, simple menu, easy choices, nothing overly complicated. … More

Had such a wonderful experience at Zarella for our anniversary trip! We were greeted with a kind and welcoming “happy anniversary!” Upon entering. We had special menus that read “happy anniversary” that were so thoughtful, and each got a … More

This is a huge shout out to our server Miranda, she was absolutely delightful with our service. The food!? ABSOLUTELY RAVASHING! The pasta dish taking my top pick for the night but not far behind the mushroom & truffle tavern style was sooo … More

Starting out by saying that our server Jack was amazing- made this such an amazing experience for us. Came for our anniversary and got seated down in the speakeasy- such a nice surprise and what a fun experience ! Very cozy and romantic and … More

We made this reservation a month ago and were really looking forward to our visit. We arrived 45 minutes early and were told we’d need to wait to be seated, which was fine (it was Saturday night). We grabbed seats at the first floor bar … More

Enjoyed a wonderful meal this evening at Zarella. Highly recommend the fried zucchini appetizer, the tavern style pizza and the pasta! What ever you choose on the menu, Chef Katie Kelly and her amazing team will make you a meal you’ll talk … More

I couldn’t wait to try this place, what a letdown. **Calamari:** … More

The service is great! The food is great! I would definitely have a reservation. The restaurant is not very big. This was our first time there, so we got a pizza and a pasta. We got a sausage and pepperoni pizza. It was delicious. Fresh … More