Milano's Pizza — Restaurant in Lake Township

I was born, raised, and am living in Chicago, more specifically in the south side BEV/MT.GRNWD. I am a stuffed pizza fanatic and a pizza nazi. I can stand by this statement for the rest of my life without any doubts: THIS IS A SOUTH SIDES HIDDEN GEM & THEIR STUFFED PIZZA IS INCREDIBLE. The exterior isn't anything special, and the interior serves the purpose of being a carry out or delivery only pizzeria. The older guy who I am assuming is the owner of the place is such a sincerely nice person. The staff is sooooo nice and make you feel welcomed. I have never been inside any type of eatery for such a short duration of time and received truthfully legitimately professionalism and genuine customer service by alll the workers inside. I walked in, received hellos from everybody,paid, was given my pizza, and I asked if I would be able to get a plastic bag to wrap the pizza box with to keep it insulated since I was walking home that is about 8 blocks away. The owner wrapped the bag around the pizza box and told me I had to be careful and to hold it the normal/horizontal way so I didn't mess up the gold inside of it. When I asked for the plastic bag I told them that 'I wanted to try to keep it warm because I am walking it back home'. The delivery driver that was inside immediatly asked where I lived, I told him and he happily said without any hesitation: 'Dont worry about the bag I will give you a ride back home its not a big deal.;' I was in complete awe about how nice everyone was, and the older delivery driver was like the icing on the cake. I declined the offer (solely based on the fact that I would feel guilty about stuffing my face, so I figured the walking would be a good thing!) After I told him that I appreciated the offer and thanked him so much for the offer, he replied with 'Are you 100% sure really not a big deal and I we have only have orders for pick up, so it is totally a big deal what so ever.' Well to me previous;y being a deliver driver for about 2.5 years, the fact of the matter is that its actually a big deal because 1. I can easily say that 75% of the tip money you make that day goes directly into your gas tank.and #2, 1 gallon of gas currently cost %4.78. So for him offering me a ride home, without expecting a tip, and with the price of gas, He offered it because hes obviously sincere and genuine for his employees.---the guy who offered me a ride was about in his mid 40s or early 30, reddish/blonde, with metal framed glasses:if the owner sees this make sure to give the guy a couple of high fives for his positive/optimistic attitude--- Long story short, their stuffed pizza is now my top 3 pies in Chi, amazing workers, and...

Ordered a stuffed pizza & appetizer combo around 5:25 with eta of an hour/five. Phone rings 45+ minutes later, 6:15 it's the phone girl claiming that card given was no good...she had the wrong expiration date. Wait so why did it take so long to determine this? Why wasn't it punched in to a cc processor right at time of order? One can only assume the card number was written down potentially compromising the account it belongs to, that's a no-no & bad business! Fast forward another hour and my guy calls back to check the status of our order, 2 hrs later still no pizza. Now the young lady claims she can't find the ticket she'll get her manager. He was on hold for 20 mins going back and forth the young lady whom was obviously were never trained on how to handle a disgruntled but loyal and frequent customer as the delivery guy shows with our order. We've spent a lot of money over a couple years time, which we don't mind because we know it's quality pizza but this situation is leaving a bad taste in our mouths. Antoinette should have a little more respect for her regular customers and the situation should've been handled immediately! We love this pizza and we love supporting our local small businesses, but the only one that was apologetic was the delivery guy who had absolutely nothing to do with the flub up.

Wasn't a complete bust though, pizza was on point as usual! I'm hoping someone calls my guy back and...

8/7/22 Update: Today Google told me that I've been here 69 times and I laughed because that number is WAY OFF! I have been coming to this establishment since I was a kid- what was coveted at pizza night for me as a child has now become a tradition in my own home! I had to share how good they are, I think I've been keeping it to myself because I want to protect my favorite place!

Their pizza is delicious and is the BEST pizza on the Southside hands down, in my opinion. My sister who has relocated out of state commented to me there is no pizza she's met YET that beats Milano's! Their menu choices extend well beyond pizza to sides, dinner plates, pasta, sandwiches and more; just recently I asked them for a custom pasta request and it was so good (baked ravioli Alfredo- yum)!

They are a long standing family establishment in the local community with a great reputation. Still keep the charm of a small local family pizzeria but manage to keep up with the demand. And they know their longstanding customers and take pride in their relationships. When I call I instantly know who I'm talking to and we usually start chatting it up!

A very popular place on Friday nights, but Saturdays seem to be a bit calmer. Ok now I've told y'all about the (not so)secret gem on Western; go...