Encyclopizzeria 
This past week I had the opportunity to spend the day at Lincoln Park Zoo with my wife and two children – my 4-½ year-old daughter and my 7-week-old son. It was the first zoo trip for the little guy and about the 100th for my daughter. This trip had one other first, which, honestly, I was more excited for. Having recently become the Official Pizza of Lincoln Park Zoo, it was the first time I was going to have a slice of Aurelio’s Pizza, at the zoo, with my little girl.
Aurelio’s Pizza has been a south suburban mainstay since 1959, when the original location opened in Homewood. At Aurelio’s, thin crust rules. The thing that makes their pizza great is the unique blend of seasonings they put in the sauce, which is sweet, but not too sweet – I could pick out their pizza just from the smell.
Growing up in nearby Glenwood, our little town already had two excellent pizza options: Sanfratello’s Pizza (who sponsored my little league team – 6-time champs) and Arrenello’s Pizza (who has a fantastic and sweet sauce, but is delivery or carry-out only). Still, even with these pizza options, over the years it was always Aurelio’s that brought my family together.
My first experience with Aurelio’s came from an aunt and uncle who lived in Georgia, of all places. My aunt grew up in the south suburbs and as a kid loved Aurelio’s. She married my uncle and they soon moved outside of Atlanta. Sometimes, when they came back into town, they would make plans with different people every night they were in, just so they could make multiple trips to Aurelio’s! On occasion, they even had Aurelio’s shipped back home—which is not cheap. But, when have you ever heard of good pizza in Georgia? When I was younger, whenever they were visiting, we had to eat dinner at Aurelio’s. My family got hooked on Aurelio’s pizza and, even without my aunt and uncle, the original location in Homewood quickly became our go-to place.
For those of you who have never been to the Aurelio’s in Homewood, the set up is really unique. There are three separate seating areas on three different levels! In the middle of the restaurant, two staircases lead to the second level. From the second level, there are two more staircases that project outwards from the center of the second floor up onto a third level. The third level is set up balcony-style and allows you to look down into the restaurant.
Smaller groups—families and couples—sit upstairs in the seating area on either the second or balcony-style level. The second and third level of Aurelio’s has beautiful wood beams, local inspired decor, and red-checkered tablecloths. I remember as a kid sitting on the second level and looking up at the maze of stairs that seemed to go up forever.
Larger groups stay on the first floor in the front of the restaurant. This is where you get the rowdy groups– birthday parties, family reunions, and baseball & softball teams after a game. It’s a great atmosphere and even has a little arcade area. I’m pretty sure they still have the same games there from when I was a kid.
When you’re at the Homewood Aurelio’s, if you have 4 or more in your group, get the fiesta size. You will WANT leftovers. They are just as good (or even better) the next day. Also, if it’s not too busy, always request at least one pizza be made in the old oven. Throughout the years, the Homewood Aurelio’s has expanded but they have kept some of their original ovens. The original ovens have been “seasoned” over time and make the pizza a little more crisp and flavorful. In fact, if you don’t want to look like a rookie, just add the words “extra sauce, old oven” to the end of your order. You can thank me later. Also, when you get your check, there are ALWAYS an insane number of Dum Dum lollipops included. I guarantee Aurelio’s has given out millions of them over the years.
Over the last 50+ years, Aurelio’s has expanded all across Illinois and Northwest Indiana. They’ve opened restaurants in Florida, Minnesota, and even have two locations in Las Vegas. And wouldn’t you know, in 2012 they opened a location in Marietta, GA— a mere 20-minutes from my aunt and uncle’s house. I am not exaggerating when I say they have probably gone there an average of once a week since it has opened.
As I’ve had my own family, Aurelio’s has continued to be a fixture in our lives. For my wedding, I surprised our guests by having eight fiesta-size pizzas delivered to our reception at 11:00 PM (our friends still talk about it). And we also celebrated our daughter’s 1st birthday there, in the front party room.
Most people would agree that the pizza at the original Homewood location is superior than the pizza at the other locations. Still, the pizza my daughter and I had at Lincoln Park Zoo last week was some quality zoo pizza. As the two of us sat at the cafe in Lincoln Park Zoo and overlooked the flamingo’s, I couldn’t help but smile.
“How is your pizza, honey?” I asked.
“Good, daddy. Real good.”
She took a bite of her slice of cheese pizza and I couldn’t help but see a lot of daddy-daughter pizza dates in the future. I couldn’t be happier.
Aurelio’s
18162 Harwood Ave,
Homewood, IL 60430
www.aureliospizza.com/
