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✔️Lunch ✔️Dinner ✔️Dine in
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Zarella is a neighborhood pizzeria and taverna at Grand and Wells in River North. Chef Partners Chris Pandel and Lee Wolen present a menu blending tavern-style and artisan pizzas, fresh salads, small bites, and rotating Italian specialties. With its timeless charm, Zarella is reminiscent of a classic Italian eatery offering a cozy space for family meals, game-day bites, or cocktails in the downstairs taverna, promising to be a neighborhood favorite.
Hours
| Monday | 4–10 PM |
| Tuesday | 4–10 PM |
| Wednesday | 4–10 PM |
| Thursday | 4–10 PM |
| Friday | 11 AM–11 PM |
| Saturday | 11 AM–11 PM |
| Sunday | 11 AM–9 PM |
Address and Contact Information
Address: 531 N Wells St, Chicago, IL 60654
Phone: (312) 470-0250
Website: https://www.zarellachicago.com/
Menu Photos
Order and Reservations
Reservations: opentable.com
Related Web Results
Zarella Pizzeria & Taverna | 531 N Wells St | River North, Chicago
Zarella Pizzeria & Taverna is your River North neighborhood spot for expertly crafted appetizers, large plates, and thin artisan & tavern-style pizza.
Zarella Chicago (@zarellachicago) – Instagram
16K followers · 149 posts · Neighborhood Pizzeria & Taverna by @leewolen @cpandel @bokarestaurantgroup For reservations, see the link below.
Zarella Pizzeria & Taverna – Boka Restaurant Group
Zarella, aneighborhood pizzeria and taverna, is located on the bustling corner of Grand and Wells in the heart of River North.
Reviews
Sophia Ferrer
An elegant yet cozy restaurant where warm lighting and classic décor set the perfect scene for a memorable dining experience. With golden lamps, dark wood accents, and a sophisticated but relaxed atmosphere, it feels intimate and inviting — ideal for sharing special moments.
The true stars are the artisanal thin-crust pizzas, served in a modern two-tier presentation that immediately catches the eye. Fresh ingredients, generous toppings, and perfectly melted, golden cheese make every slice irresistible. A place where refined ambiance meets unforgettable flavor. ✨
… moreThe true stars are the artisanal thin-crust pizzas, served in a modern two-tier presentation that immediately catches the eye. Fresh ingredients, generous toppings, and perfectly melted, golden cheese make every slice irresistible. A place where refined ambiance meets unforgettable flavor. ✨
Angalica Gladney
Worth the trip. The food was served with portions intended to share. Lots of leftovers for sure. A limited menu allowed them to focus on doing the items they do have well.
Most people may not get excited about a salad but you will here. The drinks were too expensive for what we ordered. A drink with no fresh fruit and Titos should not cost $19.
The meatballs were a yummy appetizer. We did get the toasted bread to dip in the extra sauce. The pizza was crispy and pub style cut. Great cheese combo on it.
The soft serve ice cream with apples and browned butter was the perfect ending. Thank you to our server, Ashley. She was spot on keeping the table cleared and food flowing. She gave great recommendations.
… moreMost people may not get excited about a salad but you will here. The drinks were too expensive for what we ordered. A drink with no fresh fruit and Titos should not cost $19.
The meatballs were a yummy appetizer. We did get the toasted bread to dip in the extra sauce. The pizza was crispy and pub style cut. Great cheese combo on it.
The soft serve ice cream with apples and browned butter was the perfect ending. Thank you to our server, Ashley. She was spot on keeping the table cleared and food flowing. She gave great recommendations.
Leo 263
Service was outstanding! Pizza solid hit. Drinks tasty. This is a lovely place without attitude in river north. I loved it so much I made another reservation the day after my visit. I’m looking forward to going back!
… moreJosh Banfield
What a perfect meal. Smaller menu but everything we had was great, pizzas, pastas and traditional Italian appetizers. For two people we did one app, a pizza and a pasta and had to take most home.
When you come you have to get the mozzarella sticks, they were great and the hot marinara was so good with them.
We did the Soppressata and Mortadella pizza (5/5) which was really good and the hot honey was a nice touch, but I’m unsure why it was completely covered in arugula. Way, way too much in my opinion.
Lastly was our favorite dish the Radiatore Alla Vodka Pasta. (5/5) The noodles were so unique and held the sauce so well, can’t wait to come back and order this.
They also have a few Italian takes on cocktails on the menu, the Chicago gold and day in bologna (Italian old fashioned) were both great.
… moreWhen you come you have to get the mozzarella sticks, they were great and the hot marinara was so good with them.
We did the Soppressata and Mortadella pizza (5/5) which was really good and the hot honey was a nice touch, but I’m unsure why it was completely covered in arugula. Way, way too much in my opinion.
Lastly was our favorite dish the Radiatore Alla Vodka Pasta. (5/5) The noodles were so unique and held the sauce so well, can’t wait to come back and order this.
They also have a few Italian takes on cocktails on the menu, the Chicago gold and day in bologna (Italian old fashioned) were both great.
Jennifer Winthurst
The service is great! The food is great! I would definitely have a reservation. The restaurant is not very big. This was our first time there, so we got a pizza and a pasta. We got a sausage and pepperoni pizza. It was delicious. Fresh ingredients and a thin crispy crust. We also got the rigatoni alla vodka pasta. The noodles are a fun shape and cooked perfectly. The sauce was too spicy for me. Very flavorful but to spicy to have more than 3 or 4 bites for me. They have Coke products. They serve you can pop. They also put a 4% surcharge to cover operation costs. Per the receipt.
… moreAvery Webster
Had such a wonderful experience at Zarella for our anniversary trip! We were greeted with a kind and welcoming “happy anniversary!” Upon entering. We had special menus that read “happy anniversary” that were so thoughtful, and each got a glass of prosecco, the attention to detail made the evening so special. The service was impeccable by Kadyn our server. The artisan pizza was DELISH. drinks were amazing. Overall had a wonderful experience and can’t wait to come back!
… moreShruti Patel
Good pizza but definitely a little overhyped. Personally I like crispy thin crust pizza but found the overall taste not super impressive. ( like Pat’s pizza better). The crust is 9/10 nice and crispy and good bite. However the pizza flavor itself was eh. We ordered the zucchini chips which were great. Light and crispy unlike heavily breaded options. However we got the vodka pizza and the sauce did not taste like vodka sauce at all. I will save service was good – the pizza and apps came out super fast though we did wait a bit to get in past our reservation time. You can just pay through the app from a QR code on the table which is nice. Overall the pizza was good but would I go back for the price and taste – no.
… moreHamza Ismail
Very happy with my experience overall. That chicken piccata is INSANE. Such a perfect combination with the sweet lemon slices on top. Chris was our server. He provided us with all the right recommendations and catered to our requests. The hostess was very kind to help reserve a table for me with only 30 minutes advance notice, which was helpful coming from the suburbs. Artisan-style is the way to go. Margherita pizza with beef pepperoni on half. The crust tasted delightful. I also ordered the tavern style vodka pizza that the hostess recommended. That was good. Music choice was nice. Atmosphere & art on the wall was a cool touch.
… moreD “Juanito” H
This is probably the highest rated pizzeria that I have ever seen, I had to wait 3 weeks just to get a reservation in this joint.
I love the decor, rustic, simple menu, easy choices, nothing overly complicated. The service was friendly and fast, until…….. We waited 20 minutes after we had our salad and pasta before the pizza arrived. Every table around us got their pizzas right on time. Management did comp for the pizza, so that is that.
Now about the food, the Kale Caesar salad was good, it is huge, large enough for 4-5 people (unless that is all you are having). One of the most flavorful kale salad that I have had. It is like a oil and vinaigrette (lemon) salad mixed with parmesan cheese. The taste is very bold, so you cannot really have a lot of it. The pasta was perfect, al dante radiatori pasta and perfect vodka sauce. We ordered the special pizza for the night, which is basically the mushroom truffle but adding the artichoke. We have been looking forward to the pizza, when it did eventually arrive, the tavern style crust was great, perfect balance of crisp and chew, probably the best thin crust that I have had outside of Italy, but the actual ingredients was unfortunately underwhelming for this $40 pizza. You would normally expect the wonderful aroma of the truffle when it comes out, there was none of that. You can see the truffle, you can’t smell it, nor taste it, is is like a normal cheese pizza with mushrooms and artichoke. Is there someone wrong with the truffle? I have never tasted any dish with truffle on it but doesn’t even smell nor taste a hint of truffle. I am glad that I didn’t pay $20 more to add truffle to my pasta, I would’ve had a fit. Next time I think I will just get a normal specialty or build my own pizza and see how that goes. I gave it a 3 star for the salad and pasta, if I came her for that underwhelming and overpriced truffle pizza only, I would’ve given them 1 star. Put some truffle oil on that thing for God’s sake if you are going to charge people that kind of money.
… moreI love the decor, rustic, simple menu, easy choices, nothing overly complicated. The service was friendly and fast, until…….. We waited 20 minutes after we had our salad and pasta before the pizza arrived. Every table around us got their pizzas right on time. Management did comp for the pizza, so that is that.
Now about the food, the Kale Caesar salad was good, it is huge, large enough for 4-5 people (unless that is all you are having). One of the most flavorful kale salad that I have had. It is like a oil and vinaigrette (lemon) salad mixed with parmesan cheese. The taste is very bold, so you cannot really have a lot of it. The pasta was perfect, al dante radiatori pasta and perfect vodka sauce. We ordered the special pizza for the night, which is basically the mushroom truffle but adding the artichoke. We have been looking forward to the pizza, when it did eventually arrive, the tavern style crust was great, perfect balance of crisp and chew, probably the best thin crust that I have had outside of Italy, but the actual ingredients was unfortunately underwhelming for this $40 pizza. You would normally expect the wonderful aroma of the truffle when it comes out, there was none of that. You can see the truffle, you can’t smell it, nor taste it, is is like a normal cheese pizza with mushrooms and artichoke. Is there someone wrong with the truffle? I have never tasted any dish with truffle on it but doesn’t even smell nor taste a hint of truffle. I am glad that I didn’t pay $20 more to add truffle to my pasta, I would’ve had a fit. Next time I think I will just get a normal specialty or build my own pizza and see how that goes. I gave it a 3 star for the salad and pasta, if I came her for that underwhelming and overpriced truffle pizza only, I would’ve given them 1 star. Put some truffle oil on that thing for God’s sake if you are going to charge people that kind of money.
Michael Stucker
Great experience! Pizza and calamari were phenomenal. One of the best thin crust pizzas in Illinois. They also have pasta dishes and artisan style pizzas. Take a look at our pics! Absolutely delicious food! Richie, our server, was excellent!
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