Freedom Brothers Pizzeria and Alehouse — Restaurant in Plainfield

We visited Freedom Brothers for the first time today. While the food tasted good, I don’t think that we would choose to come back again.

When we were seated, our server informed us that a certain beer (#10) was on special for $3 per pint. We thought that was great and 3 of us ordered a beer to have with our pizza. When our beers came out, the glasses were not even close to full, and our server stated that “the beer is pouring kind of weird, I think it might be at the end of the keg.”

We ordered a Grateful Bread (cheesy bread) for $9. The bread tasted fine, but we were shocked by how little food came to the table. We were a party of five, and to say that there was enough to appetize five of us is being incredibly polite. Others have posted photos of this appetizer, what was served to us was significantly smaller. Our server suggested we may want to order a second, which we did not.

Next came time to order our pizzas. We were excited to build our own pizzas, given the selection of unique and intriguing sauce, cheese, and topping options. Sadly, we were informed that the build your own was for lunch only, and “we can’t do it”. When our server saw our disappointment, he assured us he would “take care of us”.

My wife and I settled on sharing a “Green Day” (by the way, all of the menu items are named after musical acts, figuring out what all of the menu options actually were took around 15 minutes) while my Mom and Dad decided on a pizza with Roasted Red Peppers, Onions, and Italian Sausage. One member of our party, after being disappointed by the appetizer, elected to not order and actually went nearby to have Potbelly after our meal.

The food came to the table fast enough, which I would expect given that the restaurant was only at about 1/3 of its capacity. Unfortunately the portions were again disappointing. We were told that a pizza would feed two, but given the extremely thin crust and sparse toppings (even the cheese!), we left feeling hungry still. The flavor was good and I don’t doubt that fresh ingredients are used. The crust was okay, getting most of its flavor from the wood fire. Unfortunately it is rolled so thin that it comes out of the oven soggy and must be folded in half to withstand being lifted off the plate.

Finally it came time for the bill. At this point we were feeling pretty let down by the whole experience. We don’t get the chance to eat out a lot so this was a real let down. When the bill came, there were several issues. We had been billed for two breads, and the beer was priced incorrectly at $5 per beer. Perhaps the most insulting was that the onion, pepper, and sausage pizza was billed at $18. Our server corrected the bread issue, told us he couldn’t do anything about the pizza because “we don’t have any pizzas with those toppings on them,” and acknowledged that, while the beer should not have been $5 per beer, the correct price was $4 per beer. When we pointed out that he had said $3 beer on two separate occasions, he responded by starting to walk away and mumbling “I’ll just put it on my own tab...” almost as if to try to guilt trip us. This really pushed the whole experience over the edge.

We paid our bill and left. We later reviewed the menu and one of the pizzas that they offer has three different kinds of meat on it... and is only $16. How a pizza with onion, sausage, and red peppers on it could ever be $18 is beyond me. How you could go to a pizza place for dinner and be told that “build your own” is “just a lunch thing”... same deal.

Lastly, the atmosphere is kind of strange for a pizza joint. You would think that this joint served barbecue if you walked in and didn’t know otherwise.

Overall... overpriced... small portions... poor service. As good as the food tasted, for the same price I will get a lot more food that tastes just as good...

Updated 5/20/25

After 60-70 visits since my last review I can say Freedom brothers still has the magic that they had when they opened.

They have expanded their pizza offerings with the addition of their Detroit and Tavern style pizzas to their traditional Neapolitan pies. All of them are well executed, and its rare to see a restaurant that offers all three styles. Their wood fired chicken wings continue to impress both in flavor and texture, perfectly fall of the bone done every time.

The highlight of my visit was the new gelato offerings. We sampled almost everything they offer. They also have gelato infused with alcohol, like their Old Fashioned or Limoncello, which adds a fun twist to dessert, and has a great flavor.

The atmosphere is still lively and family-friendly, with rock music videos playing throughout the restaurant. The staff is attentive and friendly, making the dining experience even more enjoyable.

I went here on 6/4/17 for their 2nd day in business. Our whole party of 4 had an excellent experience. We enjoyed the comfortable and family friendly atmosphere, and the quick service of the food. We ordered 4 pizzas, all of which were very good, and 3 of them we ordered on their made-from-scratch gluten free dough. They were without a doubt the best gluten-free pizzas I have ever had, and their regular pizza was excellent as well. all of their pizzas are made with a traditional wood fired oven right in front of you, and you can watch the preparation right from the bar, which is very interesting and fun to watch. They have an excellent selection of local and craft brewed beer, and even some great gluten-free brews like Stone Brewing's Delicious IPA and Shorty's Space Rock. Their menu feels full and reasonably priced. Freedom Brothers seems to be offering and delivering something in their vision for this restaurant that is otherwise not available outside of downtown Naperville. I will be a...

This pizza gets my HOT GARBAGE rating because I can't even eat it. Too disgusting. Maybe the worst pizza I've ever had. It really is a shame because I wanted this to be good.

Story I have been excited to try this place out because of the reviews. My wife was out of town and I thought let's give it a try.

I ordered online and picked it up before the time. The staff got the pizza quickly to me and the place looks pretty cool. (Originally, 5 stars for service.)

Having said that... I don't understand how this has good reviews with what I just got. The pizza wasn't cut. It was undercooked (see the photos), floppy, and the crust was still doughy. You can't really see it in the photos but the dough is still wet. Additionally, the pizza has a weird cross flavor and smell like they cooked popcorn next to the pizza or something. I know you might think I'm crazy but it tastes EXACTLY like movie theater butter on the pizza.

I couldn't eat it...

Update: I went back to get a replacement and it was just as bad. Curiously, the person that switched the pizza didn't ask me to check the new one or say anything to me really. Acted more like I was a bother. Just handed me the pizza and a free pizza coupon without a word and took the old one. (Stars lost from 5 to 1 for service.)

The replacement also seems like maybe the dough wasn't proofed properly or the dough wasn't handled correctly (still droopy and under cooked) and the popcorn flavor was even stronger. Imagine taking movie theater butter and pouring it over your pizza that is the flavor I get. It is so strong that it is overpowering everything. I just cannot eat this...

They gave me a free pizza coupon and it will...