Handmade pizza perfection at Long Grove's Village Pizza & BBQ
The first thing you'll notice about Village Pizza & BBQ in Long Grove is that it keeps up with the rustic and serene aesthetic of the small town. The restaurant is set back from the road, with a large outdoor dining space and a beautiful view of a fountain from inside. There's lots of exposed brick and wood, and it's not so loud that you can't hear anything. It's a relaxed atmosphere to get a pizza or some barbecue and a beer.
The waitstaff maintains that friendly vibe, chatting and joking with guests but never overwhelming them with too much service.
The menu includes pizzas, barbecue, calzones, subs and a small selection of pasta. At the bar, you can order from a large selection of wines or either import, domestic or craft beer. The barbecue menu is small — whole slabs or half slabs of ribs — but seems to be popular. The family at the table next to us told their waiter they drove an hour just for the ribs.
And not to worry — the restaurant is changing names within a month to Joanie's Pizzeria of Long Grove, but the menu and food quality will remain intact.
We started with the fried mushrooms. They were pretty standard versions of the traditional deep-fried mushroom. We were given an option for ranch or marinara. The menu says the ranch is homemade, but we couldn't tell a difference. Overall, we were pleased with the flavor — though the breading seemed just a bit too thick for my liking.
Our other appetizer was the broasted potatoes. You can choose between a half-pound or whole pound of hand-cut potatoes that look a lot like breakfast fries, but taste much better. I ordered them well-done to make sure they arrived crispy. They did, and they were very fresh and steaming hot. For two people, go with the half-pound; if there are more in your party, you might want to size up because they will definitely go quickly.
For our entrees, we ordered two baby-size pizzas. The baby size is eight inches and four slices, but definitely enough for a personal-sized pizza with at least one leftover slice.
My husband ordered the BBQ Chicken Pizza: grilled chicken, bacon, red onions and barbecue sauce. They don't kid around with barbecue sauce at Village Pizza: It was tangy and delicious, but maybe a little too heavy on the pizza itself. It did nicely coat the large chunks of chicken, though.
I ordered a pepperoni and roasted garlic pizza. From the crust up, this pizza was delicious. Both pizza crusts were handmade and seasoned (there's no upcharge for a specialty crust flavor: garlic, Parmesan, Cajun or sesame seed), with a good combination of crispy and soft textures. The sauce had the tiniest kick of spice to it, evened out by super stringy cheese that made grabbing each piece an exercise in delight.
My favorite part about this pizza, though, was the roasted garlic. Village Pizza takes full cloves of garlic, roasts them to almost charred — enough to bring out a robust garlic flavor and scent — and throws them onto the pizza with the other toppings. Definitely get it if you build your own pizza.
For dessert, we decided on the cinnamon brown sugar ice cream. I'm partial to cinnamon ice cream because of the way the creaminess makes the spice react, so this was a must-try. And, I would recommend it. I didn't taste too much brown sugar, but it was definitely there. Village Pizza also offers a cookie sundae, and the ice cream would go well with that, too.
• Restaurant reviews are based on one anonymous visit. The Daily Herald does not publish reviews of restaurants it cannot recommend.
Village Pizza & BBQ
235 Robert Parker Coffin Road, Long Grove, <a href="">villagepizzaandbarbq.com/</a>, (847) 415-2220
<b>Cuisine:</b> American
<b>Setting:</b> Casual
<b>Entrees:</b> $7-$26
<b>Hours:</b> 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday; 11 a.m. to midnight Thursday through Saturday; closed Monday