Crust
Chicago's Finest Organic Eatery + Lounge
Categories:
Details:
$$, Family-Friendly Dining, Group Dining, Lunch Spot, Notable Beer List, Notable Chef, Outdoor Dining
Message from Crust
Crust is known for their amazing specialty organic pizzas. They use the finest organic ingredients to create wood-oven prepared pizzas, delicious salads, and different sandwiches to munch on. The shroom pizza is a must to try with woodland mushrooms, spinach, b??chamel, wild herbs, goat cheese, and parmigiano-reggiano. You cana??t go wrong with anything you chose! Then, you move over to the drink menu and not only do they have a list of organic, local, and regional brews, but an amazing list of specialty cocktails to indulge in. Everyone in your group is sure to be satisfied! Our back patio is a hit once the first nice day in Chicago hits, so dona??t miss out on that. Crust is also a great spot for brunch on the weekends with the restaurant opening at 11:30. Of course once the night goes on, Crust turns more into a Lounge feel and the party begins. Come visit us and see for yourself!
Editorial by Citysearch
The SceneHip crowds jam into the casual-futuristic setting of the Midwest's first certified organic restaurant, waiting for a table made of recycled tires. Past the entrance and wood-burning pizza oven, the dining room sports white brick walls, molded red chairs and stools, exposed ductwork and acoustic ceiling panels (it's still noisy). There's sidewalk seating in front, a huge patio in back. Servers know their stuff.
The Food
Traditional-to-global salads, sandwiches and pizzas feature local, organic and sustainable ingredients. Classic caprese and Asian seaweed salad dressed in miso-plum vinaigrette are notable starters. Small, thin-crust flatbreads with crisp edges and soft centers are served on wood pizza peels. Familiar Italian sausage competes with creamy "Clambake" (clams, bechamel sauce and fresh mozzarella) and a less compelling "Mexicali" (shrimp, Chihuahua cheese, cilantro and pico de gallo). Limited desserts (carrot cake, vegan chocolate cake) from the Bleeding Heart organic bakery are good for you, but not that good.
Key Points
- Delivery
- Back patio
- Specialty cocktails
The Inside Scoop
- What to Drink - Organic microbrews and nice wines by the glass are outshone by exquisite infused vodkas, straight or in martinis (honorable mention for the watermelon margarita).
- Where to Sit - Avoid the tables near the small bar, which gets hectic with would-be diners and servers navigating the crowd.
- When to Go - Early early early, they don't take reservations---or try it for lunch.
Insider Pages Reviews for Crust
Very good food but a little overpriced. The chocolate cake is like ten dollars if i remember correctly. Also, the change their menu a little too much. The grill cheese is so so so good but its gone.
Posted 10/14/08 | Report Abuse
Was this review helpful to you?
Latest reviews from Citysearch.
nice casual dining
by diana78
everything tastes very fresh and price is reasonable too.
even if you're not a huge fan of pizzas, you'd enjoy this place.
not a lot of variety in menu, but it's still a great place for a casual dinner.
Posted 06/21/09
Organic Delight
by meriweather
We ate at Crust for an anniversary lunch and, save for the annoying fruit flies-- it was a very enjoyable experience. Our appetizer was an olive tapenade with flatbread, fresh and exciting with the wonderful, exotic blend of imported olives and olive oil. The flatbread, which was malleable, held the toppings nicely. The farm salad was crisp and extremely fresh with that right out of the garden zest.
On the other hand, the pizza is not for everyone. If you think Dominos or Pizza Hut makes good pizza, stay away; this pie is for more sophisticated taste buds and for those who appreciate fresh, organic food. The Margarita Pizza, the one we ordered, was a balanced blend of heirloom tomatoes and goat cheese with hints of fresh herbs finished with a light glaze of extra virgin olive oil. We both enjoyed it very much, a delightful morsel just the right size. I didn?t think it was overpriced based on the quality of the product.
On the downside, although there were other more desirable tables available, we were seated near the lavatories, which was not the ideal location. Being our anniversary, we avoided controversy and sat down. Now I wish we had requested another table. My wife had a good view of the restaurant itself, which she thought was cute, while I gazed into the empty patio seating area. We were aggravated that the waiter served us a more expensive bottle of wine than the one we ordered, but the manager adjusted the check upon our request. When we pointed out the large number of fruit flies that circled our heads and bothered us throughout the meal, he noted them and thanked us before walking away. In this tough market, I expected him to make another adjustment on the check, but didn?t. On the other hand, he said he was new and, perhaps, didn?t know any better. So, if you decide to try this solid dining experience, sit nowhere near the lavatories. Also, keep a close eye on the check--and what might be floating in the air just above your head.
Pros: Great organic food
Cons: Fruit flies buzzed our heads as we ate.
Posted 10/19/08
Great pizza - the worst host at the door!
by Marta633
As long as you are not being seated by the rudest host that greats you with an attitude you will be fine. I go there often, pretty much every week, know waitresses and bartenders. But one week was surprised by the behavior of a new host that I didn't see before. In an empty restaurant he tried to squeeze me with 2 friends of mine at the table for 2, when I asked him to maybe put 2 tables together for us (which have been done before when restaurant is empty) that the restaurant is empty and that it's only 5pm, so there is no way it will get crowded in the next hour, he told us that he expect a "dinner rush" in 15 min and that if our pizzas won't fit on the table he can cut it for us to put it on smaller plates! I could not believe such disrespect to a customer and we left. Needless to say that passing Crust 2 hours later we saw that it's still empty. Good! He probably scared all customers away! Really hope he will be gone otherwise this place will go out of business and I really like it!
Pros: Godd pizza
Cons: The host at the door has to leave
Posted 03/23/08
Organic for everyone
by jk15
This place came with a normal dinning atmosphere while other organic/vegetarian etc. places seem colorful/artsy/kitschy. Had a Bellini and a brunch "flattata" which had egg, cheese, spinach and artichoke atop their wood-fired flatbread. Absolutely delicous! Staff was friendly enough but the room felt cold and I wished I had a blanket.. Will go back for sure!!
Pros: No pesticides or GMO's in your meal
Posted 12/17/07
Excellent Flatbreads!
by katieh6
The flatbreads all 3 of us ordered were excellent! Extremely delicious and a perfect size ot eat all or half and take the rest home. Service is casual, informed, solicitious and timely. Good drinks and selection. Nice dining outside. The salads are only slightly above average and there's not all that many options for vegetarians.
Pros: delicious flatbreads, good location
Cons: not enough veggie options
Posted 08/05/07
Martinis were the highlight, pizza was good, check it out.
by undergroundchicago_com
I thought this place was pretty cool. $10 got me a big good martini, and $10 more got me a personal pizza. So no complaint on price. The pizzas were great food to enjoy with drinks. Nice cool spinach on top of a couple of them; good oregano and red pepper stuff to top things off.
The pizzas might be a little bechamely for some, and I've heard people complain that the design isn't organic enough, but overall I think this place is a winner. Much more tolerable than most of the restaurants going into that hood.
Posted 07/12/07