Bernie & Betty's Pizza — Restaurant in Springfield

Bernie and Betty's Pizza in Springfield, IL is the very definition of a "neighborhood joint." It is nestled within a neighborhood and looks like it belongs in any neighborhood. The exterior looks exactly as you would expect and the interior is a mix of original and some updated design.

The Food: We went for a late afternoon lunch with 8 family members after an event in Springfield. We ordered a large thin crust pepperoni, a "thick" sourdough large pizza with pepperoni, fries, salads, and a poor boy along with a Hawaiian pizza.

The thin crust was the favorite. It had a little bit of a cornmeal crust and an excellent, robust flavor. The sauce was not sweet, but not too savory either - perfect. Plenty of cheese and sauce and the crust was crispy and thin. Excellent.

The thick sourdough crust was also good. It was a little bit "soggier" and not as crispy as the thin, but that is typical for any thicker crust. There was plenty of cheese, plenty of pepperoni, and a great flavor.

The fries were hot, crisp, and flavorful. They were not the best fries I've ever had, but were in the top 20%.

The poorboy was also excellent. The salads were nothing special, but good.

Price was fair and we had plenty of food -- and some to take home -- for just around $100 including a tip.

The service was good, but we did sit in the restaurant for about 5-10 minutes before anyone greeted us. It was a slow time of day and a larger crowd had left just as we were entering. Once we were waited on things were great.

Bernie and Betty's is charming, with excellent pizza, fair prices, and a cool neighborhood atmosphere.

I would recommend visiting Bernie and Betty's over the chain or more well known Springfield...

Edit2: It's still good food. But it does seem that the portion sizes have shrank a little. Guess that makes sense given the economy is still struggling. It is still a bit disappointing.

Edit: This evening we ordered for pickup. And consequently I've had to adjust my rating to just three stars down from five. Why? Because the folks tending the window let us sit there for close to ten minutes; and our pizza is cold. Not sure what happened but dang for a 17 dollar pizza I want it to be hot and the staff ready. Also, while I'm here, you guys need to improve your cutting technique; I really dislike having to rip my pizza to shreds because you can't be bother to fully cut the slices. Probably won't be back for some time as I'm pretty disappointed. Sorry guys but you really dropped the ball this time.

I love Bernie and Bettys! They have great pizza and pasta and much more. Decent beer selection. Hands down one of my all time favorite places to get a bite and a brew. Great staff are always super nice. Try the ultimate cheese pizza,...

So... we arrived at 530pm to a packed house and a pretty short line waiting to be set. The "hostess" didn't say a word to us. She just stood by the bar with no expression. We finally figured out she was the one to speak to about getting seated.She only lit up and smiled and greeted one couple out of everyone we saw, come in to be seated/ check the wait time... she never told us a wait time, just that they were busy.We stood for over 30 minutes and, within that time, never saw anyone get their food. We saw 2 tables leave after finishing their food (they had it before we arrived) and no one ever came to bus the table. And the place seemed like chaos. Only the bartender seemed confident and in charge. So we figured between the possible wait time and the time it would take for food, we could go somewhere else and get served faster. So we did. Mod pizza got out business that night. Which I was really sad about. It had been a real long time since I had been to B&B's for pizza. Maybe we will try an off time the next time...