Agatucci's Restaurant — Restaurant in Peoria

How does this place even have 3 stars? I don't even know where to start....but here it goes. $1.85 for an 8oz soda filled to the top with ice. I literally finished it in one gulp, which I thought was ridiculous (this poor waitress will have to refill this cup at least 20 times before I leave), but I then I asked for a refill and found out they don't have free refills. Have you ever heard of a restaurant that doesn't have free refills in 2017??? Let alone when they serve the drink in child size 8oz cups. I really wish I would have taken a picture. Next my 3 year old daughter ordered a Sprite. Surprisingly enough, the styrofoam cup she got for her drink was bigger than what I received, but still no free refill. Well, when we got the bill I saw we were charged 10 cents for the "kid's cup". I questioned this charge with the waitress, and she commented on how she finds it embarrassing, but the owners insist on charging this whenever a kid wants a drink. Then let's move on to the spaghetti I ordered and the accompanied sides. First I received 2 slices of cold, rock hard bread. Somehow my daughter didn't seem to mind and ate it. I asked for 2 more pieces (hoping they would possibly be warm and soft), but they were not. The real kicker.....I was charged $1.25 for 2 more SLICES of bread on my bill. Now let's get to the salad.....literally a bowl of half rotten lettuce. I am not kidding, no carrots, no cheese, no vegetables, no croutons...nothing. I asked for some shredded cheese to hopefully make it more edible. I did get the cheese, but not without ANOTHER 2 dollar charge on my bill for a sprinkle of cheese. Then the spaghetti came. Tastes like cafeteria pasta. Again, my daughter was the only one able to eat it. Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse....it came time to order the pizza. They only have 4 vegetables to choose from: green peppers, black olives, mushrooms, onions. No banana peppers, green olives, tomatoes, etc. Three meats to choose from: sausage, pepperoni, and hamburger. No ham, bacon, etc. That's fine, we ordered. 1.5 HOURS UNTIL OUR SINGLE PIZZA ARRIVED. I asked our waitress what happened, she said that everyone is having to wait that long and she apologized. In all fairness, the waitress was very nice, but she seemed mortified having to deliver the poor quality food she was serving. I guess you could say that pizza was the "best" thing we had. However, it was bland, used canned veggies, and was definitely not the 15 inches the large was said to be. I honestly don't see how this place is still in business, or why Peoria natives speak so highly about it. There must have been a time when the owners cared more about customer service and took pride in their product?? This was probably the worst dining experience I have...

Review Visit: November 18th, 2012

Peoria’s favorite pizza or so it seems.

Agatucci’s. If you just utter the name anywhere in Peoria and there is someone within earshot, you can see them start to drool a bit. This place is beloved by Peorians. Ok, maybe I am being a bit dramatic but Agatucci’s does have a good reputation among the Peoria area for having really good food. Being a fan of pizza, you know I had to check it out before too long.

Agatucci’s. It’s a small building with a smaller parking lot. Erin, Matt, and I got here maybe 15 minutes after they opened and the parking lot was already packed. I remember us worrying we wouldn’t find a spot to park until one opened up like a ray of sunshine after a cloudy day. We quickly snagged it and headed inside.

Agatucci’s. The place was dimly lit like it only hosted romantic dinners. Any photo I took here came out dark, blurry or washed out from the flash. We took a seat at a table and look at the menus. It’s fortunate to have easy going friends and people in your life when it comes to ordering food. Ordering pizza for 3 people can get awkward due to taste preferences. Luckily, we were able to make it happen. I believe there was a sign at the table suggesting their Tiger Sauce. The advertisement worked as I ordered some with the pizza.

Agatucci’s. Your pizza looked delicious as it came out of the kitchen. Your smells were euphoric. Your pizza glistening with the glitter of artery-clogging grease. Your taste… not so much. I tried to put on a good face and chew my way through the meal but in the end, I couldn’t eat more than enough to hold the hunger at bay. The Tiger Sauce that came with it did nothing but worsen the pizza for me. I don’t know what the Tiger Sauce was but it was something I did not agree with.

Agatucci’s. You tried. You have a whole town clutched in your greasy grasp. I guess it just wasn’t for me. Even after all these years, I wonder about our visit and think that maybe my experience was a one-off. Maybe I left my taste buds at home that day. Maybe things have changed since 2012. As with these places, I am willing to give it another shot but I will let someone else pick Agatucci’s as the destination should the occasion arise. Don’t let me one random visit in 2012 dissuade you from checking it out. Maybe it’ll be your favorite place. Just be warned that parking is limited.

P.S. – Agatucci’s does sell frozen pizzas in local grocery stores. So, if you are looking to try Agatucci’s but can’t due to some reason, grab one from the store and cook it up at home. Or they did but with how 2020 has gone (when this was written), who...

I wanted soo much for this to be a good meal ... It wasn't. Our pizza came out surprisingly fast. We were told that they had an "extra" one due to some miscommunication in the kitchen, that they actually made two for another order, but assured us that this one and was "fresh out of the oven" and "nice and hot". It was not... It was not at all hot. It was warm at best... It looks like someone slopped some ingredients on top of a store bought freezer section pizza... And actually, I've had better pizza from the freezer section and paid less money. The crust was like cardboard. It was definitely reheated. The cheese didn't even stretch when you pull it apart. The onions weren't even fresh! They were dried minced onion that looked rehydrated... Like the kind you buy in the spice section at the grocery store, or what they use in instant onion soup mix. The pizza was already already didn't have an impressive flavor, but that minced onion soup mix flavor just made it worse. It was horrible. I gave this place a try because being from the Chicagoland area, I read reviews comparing this trash to Chicago pizza... Y'all need to stop lying. I have had better pizza from Domino's. I don't know they got 4.6 stars, but someone needs to have a moment of truth with the owners and just admit that this pizza is just plain awful. The server was very nice, but I won't be back. If you are unfortunate enough to eat here, after reading this review, you can't say you weren't warned. Trust the worst reviews... They are RIGHT! I can't be more honest in this review. If you end up here after reading all the worst reviews, you are asking to be...