Fox's Beverly Pizza Pub
Chicago, IL Photo and info courtesy Bruce R. Cassi / 2007
A longtime South Side favorite is Fox's Beverly Pizza Pub in Chicago. Known for its thin-crust pizza and neighborhood pub atmosphere, Fox's has been serving customers for generations. At the time this photo was taken, there were also locations in Oak Lawn and Orland Park. 06-07
Fox's got its start in 1964 as a small carryout pizza stand before moving to its current Beverly location a few years later. The building itself has an interesting history, having previously been owned by Raymonde Maritote, the sister of Al Capone.
The restaurant has always been known for its cracker-thin tavern-style pizza, but the comfortable Irish pub setting has become just as much a part of its identity. It's one of those places where families have been coming back for decades, and today the business is still operated by the Fox family.
The familiar sign and awnings out front continue to give the building much of the same neighborhood character they've had for years. It's nice to see a place like this continue to thrive while so many longtime pizza pubs have disappeared.
UPDATE: Fox's Beverly Pizza Pub remains open at its longtime South Side location and continues to operate under family ownership. The vintage-style exterior signage still survives. 07-26
Q's Pizza
Hillside, IL Photo courtesy Bruce R. Cassi / 2004
Q's Pizza in Hillside, IL is well known for its terrific roadside marquee. The neon lettering wrapped around the lighted boomerang makes this one of the more recognizable restaurant signs in the Chicago area and a great example of mid-century design. 06-07
Q's Pizza has been serving customers since 1962 and still looks very much like the neighborhood pizza place it has always been. Inside are leather booths, wood-paneled walls, and an old-school bar that fit the vintage sign waiting outside.
The menu features Chicago-style thin-crust pizza cut into squares, along with homemade gnocchi and other Italian favorites. The Q's Special has been a longtime favorite, piled high with sausage, ground beef, mushrooms, green peppers, and onions.
Fortunately, the sign is still right where it belongs. It's become one of the best-known vintage restaurant marquees in the Chicago area and remains a favorite stop for anyone who appreciates old neon.
UPDATE: Q's Pizza remains open in Hillside, and its iconic neon boomerang sign continues to welcome customers along Butterfield Road. 07-26
Pizza King
Alexandria, IN Photo courtesy Alan Culley
The Pizza King is located on Highway 9 at the north end of town and is still in business. Pizza Kings seem to be an Indiana thing with, in my opinion, the best two here in Marion. 12-07
Pizza by Geneos
Harvey, IL Photo and info courtesy Richard Weiss
In Harvey, IL, this old sign for Pizza by Geneo looked like it belonged to a place that had been closed for years. As Italian sounding as the name can be, the weathered storefront gave off that abandoned roadside feel at first glance. Turns out, that impression was wrong. 11-09
Pizza by Geneo has actually been around since 1959 and is still serving thin-crust pizza on Halsted Street. According to the restaurant, the name came from two friends, Gene and Elmer, who wanted the place to sound Italian and simply added an "o" to Gene's name.
The restaurant specializes in Chicago-style thin-crust pizza and Italian dishes, with the Geneo's Special loaded up with sausage, beef, bacon, Canadian bacon, and pepperoni. While other Geneo-style names have popped up over the years, the Harvey location says it is the original and the last one left.
Pizza By Geneo
Harvey, IL Photo courtesy Kevin Heggi
So this one gets a correction. What looked like a long-closed pizza joint was still very much alive, proving once again that an old sign doesn't always mean the place is gone.
UPDATE: Pizza by Geneo remains open in Harvey and continues serving customers from its longtime Halsted Street location. The vintage sign still survives. 07-26
Romano's Pizza
Highland, IN Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
The neon sign points the way to this pizza pub in Highland, IN. Romano's Pizza featured a great old marquee that still advertised the place as a "Drive-In," which may have seemed a little confusing by the time this photo was taken. 09-10
Turns out, the drive-in name came from Romano's original setup on Ridge Road, where customers could pull up and order from their cars. Pizza, Roman burgers, and hoagies were all part of the early menu, making this one a true old-school Northwest Indiana stop.
Romano's has been around for more than 75 years and is often billed as the Region's first pizzeria. The business later moved within Highland before eventually relocating to nearby Griffith, where it continues today.
Romano's Pizza
Griffith, IN Photo courtesy Kevin Heggi
The old Highland sign is gone, but Romano's is still known for thin-crust pizza, cheddar cheese cubes, and especially its original hoagie with ham, melted pizza cheese, mayo, lettuce, and tomato on toasted French bread. Nice to see the business survive, even if the old neon didn't make the move.
UPDATE: Romano's Pizza remains open in nearby Griffith. The former Highland location is closed, and the vintage neon drive-in marquee has been removed. 07-26
Pizza by Geneos
Pizza By Geneo
