Restaurant Review: Uno Chicago Grill

Restaurant:

Address: 3910 West Chester Pike, Newtown Square, PA 19073
Rating: (out of 5 stars): ★★★1/2
Style: Casual family-friendly eatery.
Food: Various kinds of pizzas, salads and popular appetizers.
Atmosphere: Lively neighborhood spot and ideal work lunch locale.
Parking: Huge lot
Service: Friendly and casual
Price Range: Moderate
Unique Features: Fantastic lunch specials, gluten-free pizza and extensive kids menu.

After six years in Chicago, one of the many things I looked forward to when moving back to the right coast was the pizza. If you’ve never lived outside of Philly you will take it for granted that thin, New York-style pizza with just the right amount of sauce and cheese and a crisp yet slightly chewy crust is not always available. But as the old saying goes, “The grass is always greener on the other side,” and after three years back on the east coast I really had a hankering for some deep dish Chicago-style pizza. Luckily for me there’s an nearby and, boy, did I get my fix.

I arrived and was seated immediately while my lovely dining companion showed up minutes later to join me. We were both famished and ordered a field greens salad with goat cheese and glazed walnuts as well as a small “numero uno” pizza and a small fig, goat cheese and broccoli artisan thin crust pizza.

The salad was very good. The sweet walnuts, crisp greens and creamy goat cheese melded well together, although, I wasn’t a big fan of the lemon, basil and olive oil vinaigrette. However, the flavors of the vinaigrette were not strong enough to overpower the fantastic ingredients of the salad.

The “numero uno” deep dish pizza with sausage, pepperoni, onions, peppers, mushrooms, chunky tomato sauce, mozzarella and Romano cheese was delicious. Though definitely not for the faint of heart, this pizza packs a punch and is worth every calorie and gram of fat. Each bite had it all—meat, vegetables, cheese, rich crust and savory tomato sauce.

The fig, goat cheese and broccoli pizza was the diametric opposite of the previous pizza but just as good. We chose the standard crust instead of the five-grain crust, even though, it wasn’t nearly as healthy. There was a decent amount of fig, grape tomatoes, a sprinkling of goat cheese and fully cooked broccoli on top. While the fig and goat cheese combined well, the broccoli was a bit out of place on this pizza. It wasn’t bad but we both wished it wasn’t there.

Overll, the food was tasty and filling, we couldn’t finish any of the items (even though we shared everything). The service was friendly and attentive. Our server checked in on us regularly and brought us everything we needed. Our questions were answered quickly and efficiently.

Our lunch was delightful even though we didn’t take advantage of the highly affordable “two for you” lunch and ordered a la carte instead. Whatever the case, it’s reassuring to know that whenever I start feeling nostalgic about my days in Chicago, I can get a taste of the Windy City right in Newtown Square.