Rico's Pizza — Restaurant in Thornton Township

I’m not from the Southland/NWI area originally but lived in neighboring Munster for a few years. Never heard of, or had even tried, Rico’s before. I usually stuck to the two-three “name” pizzerias in the area. And they were good, but not much else in the region beyond those 2-3....or so I thought.

I tried Rico’s last Sunday, on the advice of a good friend, and to say it knocked my socks off would be putting it mildly.

I arrived shortly after the place opened at 4:20pm to pick up my small sausage, green pepper, onion and mushroom. Had to park in the lot across the street because the adjacent lot was already packed. That should have been tip off #1.

As I approach the place I can see it’s packed with customers inside and at least three people have just left with pies in their hands. As I get closer, that unmistakeable aroma of an outstanding sausage, pepper, onion and mushroom pie is filling the air. I could smell it from in the middle of Ridge Rd. That should have been tip-off #2.

I walk inside and there’s at least a half dozen people waiting for pizza. Behind the counter at least half dozen employees are pumping out pies at a furious pace. Like an assembly line. I’m absolutely stunned. This is 4:20 pm on a Sunday afternoon!

The pies look and smell great.

My pie is ready in less than a minute. I get a can of RC (the classic pizza soda) along with my pie in a stapled pizza bag (another Chicago classic). In the meantime, another 4-5 people have walked in. By the time I leave the place I’ve seen at least 15 people walk in and out. That should have been tip-off #3.

I walk back to my car and can’t wait to dig in, so I pull an old el trunko...eat it off the trunk of my car!

So where do I start?

First and foremost, this is one of the most perfectly balanced and proportioned pies in the Chicago area. Everything, and I mean everything, in perfect proportion. The crust is in the top handful of pizza crusts I’ve ever eaten. Perfect thinness and cooked just right. The sauce is peppery and just the right consistency, spread across the pie lightly. Not pasty and bland or overly sweet. The sausage is moist and flavorful, not dry and overcooked. The onions are finely sliced and diced so that the aroma of onion permeates the pie without one having to eat cumbersome long strands. The peppers appear to be diced strips...another great idea as they’re soft and moist pepper bits, not large crunchy rings. Everything blends perfectly atop this pie, and the more I eat, the more I enjoy it. Really can’t stop eating.

I’ve been to all the top pizzerias in the area and Rico’s definitely has moved to the very top of my list in the south land/region area. Far superior to anything else on Ridge Road, for sure. In fact, one of the top pizzas I’ve eaten in the entire Chicagoland area, and I grew up within a 5 minute drive of Chicago legends like Home Run Inn, Villa Nova, Salernos and Falcons. Rico’s is defintely in THAT class.

Well done Rico’s, I...

I wasn’t sure what to eat and then I encountered this place. It felt right to me.

My significant other and I walked inside and unfortunately table service wasn’t offered. I picked up a free menu and saw what they had. We decided to do a Carry Out order and then went to the counter to order.

From the Local Favorites section, we went with a Small 12” Pepperoni Lovers for $13.45. It stated Start with our homemade thin crust pizza covered with our signature sauce topped with a layer of pepperoni, then cheese and topped with more pepperoni. From the Salads section, we got a rico’s House Salad for $6.25. It was Crisp lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, green peppers, ham and American cheese. In the same section, it stated All salads include your choice of dressing: House made Italian, French, 1,000 Island, Honey Mustard, Ranch. We chose Ranch. The Order, Collect & Save section stated With each pizza, carry out or delivery, you will receive a Rico’s Exclusive Coupon. The Hot Sandwiches section stated Served on a toasted french roll. I went with a Triple Cheese for $4.50. It was Provolone, Swiss and American cheeses on dark rye bread served hot. My significant other got a Triple Cheese as well.

I sat down while I waited. Our order was ready fairly fast. I was excited to try everything. All we had to do was get back to our place.

The Pepperoni Lovers was beautiful. I had to admire it before I tried it. It was tasty. I enjoyed it. The rico’s House Salad was okay. It wasn’t worth getting, though. We got a Coupon with our pizza, so that was cool. The Triple Cheese was not what I expected, but I enjoyed it. I ended up eating some of my significant other’s Triple Cheese and I enjoyed it just as much.

The service was alright. I didn’t have any issues.

Overall, I’m glad I tried this place. I had a solid experience. I would probably go again in the future.

Date of...

I ordered an 18in all sausage with 1/4 mushroom due to out of the six people in my house, I’m the only one who eats mushrooms. I also ordered an all cheese because two of my kids not eating sausage. I live way in Crete. Both the pizzas up were picked up and there was 3 people in the lobby with us. We got back home to eat and realized the 18in that was suppose to be only 1/4 mushroom was 1/2 mushroom. I called Rico’s to let them know and she insisted that I ordered 1/2 mushroom when I know I didn’t! I would never order an 18in pizza which is the largest they have WITH 1/2 mushroom! Again, I’m the only one that eats mushrooms in my house. I kept explaining that to her! They were very busy and it was a Friday night! The phone was ringing off the hook and I was on hold for quite some time. I’ve been coming to this establishment for several years and have never had a mixup! I just hadn’t been in a while due to being hit by a semi truck! I’ve NEVER had to check my pizzas in the tiny lobby either! I kept explaining to her that I would never and have never as long as I’ve been coming here would NEVER order a half mushroom 18in pizza! Instead of her saying maybe it was a misunderstanding or misunderstanding and she kept going back a forth! As a business AND as with anyone, it’s possible a mistake can be made! She was very unapologetic! I liked this establishment until this incident! There are several pizza places by my house but we always come to Rico’s. Like, I would NEVER order such a thing! My Husband and son was sitting right there when I ordered and vouched that I never said that AND definitely would’ve corrected me if, I ordered if they heard me placing an order with 1/2 mushrooms! I’m not pleased at all with this experience and how they...