Tony's Little Italy — Restaurant in Placentia

Being a Chicago transplant, I crave a good Chicago pizza. Living in Riverside, I don't have too many choices close by.

Decided to give this place a try after watching a Facebook or Instagram reel. Didn't look promising from the pictures I found online, but it said it was one of Yelp's top 5 Chicago pizza places in the nation so had to go try it out for myself. It was a good 45 minute drive for me. Hoping it was going to be worth it.

Once I arrived, I noticed the place was very small. Only a few tables available inside the Pizzeria. A couple more outside on the sidewalk. Of course it was on a Sunday when I went and the Bears were playing so no where to sit inside. It was nice, however, seeing other Chicagoans rooting for our home team sporting their game day gear.

We ended up sitting outside, at least it was a nice day and was able to watch the game through the window front.

We ordered a large stuffed spinach pizza. The wait was quite a while. Longer than any other place I've ever been to. Especially having only a few customers there. I did, however, see a lot of people picking up their orders and leaving. We waited close to an hour. It finally came.

The pizza was fresh out of the oven. We let it sit and settle for a few minutes. When I finally cut into it, the center cheese came rushing out. It was a very messy pizza. Never seen one that messy before. Hoping it tasted better than it looked. The spinach was skimpy. I think they could have put more spinach in it, but oh well. Took a first bite and was pleasantly surprised at how good and fresh it tasted. Not quite as good as a pie from back home, but definitely better than any I have had here in southern California. Worth the drive there. The sauce, I think, could have had more spices added to it, but definitely savory. Not sweet like some other places. I think the sauce is what differentiates a true Chicago pizza from the rest. More zesty than sweet. I loved the crust. It was very crispy throughout and buttery. Not flaky, which I'm not a fan of. This crust had good flavor and crunch. Not easy to find in a stuffed pizza. The undercarriage was still firm, especially for being stuffed. Very difficult to find that in a stuffed pie.

My biggest disappointed was when I asked for a side of giardiniera peppers. They said they didn't have any. What respectable Chicago Pizzeria does not stock giardiniera peppers? To me, they simply go hand in hand. If I ever go back, I will take my own jar of peppers. Overall, I was very pleased with this pizza. I want to go back and try the thin crust.

It is a bit pricey, almost $50 out the door for a large stuffed, but then again everything has gone up in price. I did feed 3 adults and 2 children, so not crazy expensive, but it is just a pizza. Take it as you may. I would recommend Tony's Little Italy for their pizza. My favorite here in socal for sure. I did also enjoy all the Chicago sports paraphernalia on the walls. Very reminiscent of my hometown. If you haven't gone, you must...

The only pizza place to eat at. Authentic Chicago Deep Dish pizza

10/10

I was not ready to be blown away by Tony's Deep Dish Stuffed Chicago style Pizza, but I was. Ordering takes about 45+ minutes, but trust me it's worth the wait. Made by Tony himself, I had a huge medium pizza with Pepperoni, sausage, onions, and bell peppers. I've never been to Chicago but I've seen how the style is made. I also believe I don't need to actually GO to Chicago to try authenticity when it's in my own County.

The pizza came out and looked gorgeous. If you've never had Chicago style before, the sauce is on the top with sprinkles cheese and glimpse of your toppings. Picking up that first slice had me in a trance, seeing all the ooey gooey authentic Wisconsin mozzarella. It was the perfect temperature, hot but not roof-of-mouth destroying. Eating it was so satisfying, each bite was flavorful and I enjoyed getting every topping from the stuffed middle, to the top.

Whatever brands of meat and veggies they use are better than any other shop or big corp name I've been to. Vegetables were very fresh and crisp, I couldn't get enough of the pepperoni and sausage. The bread/crust were a beautiful golden brown- has a slight crunch to it. Marinara was robust and flavorful.

If you're looking to dine in, come quick because seats fill up fast and it's relatively small- I'm sure with ordering takeout you'll still enjoy all the immense, delectable flavors at home.

Tony and his crew are super friendly and welcoming, sure to give you outstanding customer service.

Bring your family, friends, and whoever else to Tony's Little Italy Pizza, it blows the competition out of the water!

I'll be back again, hungry for more.

(The awards on the walls speak for...

I have been coming here for years with my family for years Tonight determined I will never come back here again!! We ordered the pizza over the phone was told it would be ready by 8-810 pm so we arrived a bit early the guy said our pizza was still cooking which is ok because we wanted it fresh. What we got was nothing close to what we get. The pizza was freezing cold cheese not melted cheese didn’t taste how it usually does. So I decided to ask if they can warm it up came back luke warm we decided to eat it because the kids were hungry. I decide to leave a feed back in person that it wasn’t what we ordered but they said the pizza wasn’t fresh bc we were waiting in a few people in my party and they were waiting to serve it to us not true!! Why would they lie and tell us it was still being cooked?? They didn’t apologize they said oh well and we proceeded to leave the restaurant they started talking bad about us as we walked out very uncomfortable and won’t return again. Not to mention they overcharged us by 8 dollars for unrecognized taxes but I didn’t say anything because the atmosphere was already uncomfortable. Please save your money this place is to be our go to place for deep dish pizza but will no longer return quality has gone bad...