Joey D’s Chicago Style Eatery & Pizzeria

Had their pizza tonight: the quality is not the same. Crust was overbaked and also tasted like a carboard. Cheese did not have that nice taste and flavor as before. Something is changed at that place.

Authentic and very good
For lunch today I had both their Italian Beef and a Chicago Dog. My Italian Beef was perfection, I got it sweet and wet (i.e. sweet green peppers and lots of au jus). The sandwich was large, the roll soft and wet. It was actually part of a lunch special that included fries and a drink, all for under ten dollars. Of course I over-​ordered and also got a Chicago Dog, another authentic Chicago offering. There is nothing like a good Chicago Dog.
Service was fine throughout the meal and the food arrived reasonably quick and warm. I liked the décor with all of its Chicago sports themed items, TVs strategically placed. I sat in what appeared to be the Blackhawks section.

Oh my god.
Cheesy Beef with Cheddar and Hot Peppers.
OOH my god.
Definitely the best Chicago-​style beef I’ve had in Sarasota. I can’t believe this place is so cheap and wonderful. I am so grateful that it’s location fell perfectly in my path today.
Good job Joey D’s.

We came for the Chicago style pizza. Being from Chicago originally, I was excited to have a Chicago style stuffed pizza. Unfortunately this pizza just didn’t measure up or even come close to Giordannos. The pizza only takes 25 minutes to cook. A true stuffed pizza takes a good 46 minutes because of all the cheese. The stuffed pizza was mostly sauce inside with a little cheese. It was also a very sweet strong tasting sauce. I ate some, but really didn’t care for it. Didn’t even take the leftovers home.

Great place to go for a good Chicago meal. Service was great. We sat at the small bar where we enjoyed two draft beers served in iced mugs. My husband and I both ordered the Italian Beef with hot peppers. Good sandwiches but very distinct from Portillos so don’t go in thinking its a Portillos beef. If you order the Italian beefs juicy or wet make sure you ask for a regular plate as the supplied basket was really difficult to cut the sandwich in. Fries were hot and delicious. Seasoning on fries was similar to Old Bay and I liked that although my husband would have just liked them salted. The décor is great for any Chicago native.

The pizza is fantastic. The Italian beef sandwich was great! Loved the wings and Chicago dog. Everything I have ordered from Joey D’s in the last year I’ve been coming in here has been excellent. They follow it up with a super friendly and attentive staff. I’m glad to see the place hang in there with Ale House customers taking up their limited parking spots. We will be back many times. Love it! If you’re ever waiting next door to be seated, do yourself a favor and check this place out. IT’S GOOD

We were excited to try authentic Chicago style pizza, so we stopped here on our way home from Siesta Key. We ordered a appetizer sampler since the menu said to allow 25 minutes for our pizza to bake. Our waitress disappeared after one drink refill so we couldn’t inquire about our appetizers, which never arrived. Not acceptable for a table with 3 hungry kids. When our pizza came, she apologized and said she was concentrating on getting our pizza order correct and forgot to order the apps. Extremely disappointing service, but excellent pizza and antipasto salad

We eat here at least once a week! Their pizza has been delicious every time. Other food on the menu we have no been very impressed with.

I have been so homesick for a GOOD Italian Beef Sandwich in Florida for many years.
This is it!
It was just perfect. Right up there with Portillo’s in downtown Chicago. I got mine juicy, with hot jardinera and beef juice on the side. It was a slice of heaven.
I can’t down to Sarasota very often, but I will come here every time when I do.
My search is over!

I’ve eaten here several times and I always have the Italian beef with hot giardinere. I got it juicy with au jus on the side. The waitress was very attentive. I enjoyed my sandwich.

We took a chance and tried this place out! First off, the Chicago style hot dog was amazing! I’ve had the real deal in Chicago, but this came pretty close! We also ordered a deep dish pizza. It took a while to come out, but it was well worth the wait! Great food, easy-​going ambiance. I will definitely come back!

Just had Chicken Parmesan!!! Loved it
Krista was our waitress was great funny, fast and very conscientious…

First I have to say they were very accommodating for our large group. We called ahead and when we arrived 15 minutes early the table was ready.
However, I ordered cheddar cheese on my beef sandwich and I got American nacho cheese… It was disgusting. Don’t advertise cheddar if you don’t have it!!! They completely ruined the sandwich. Tip: No one order cheese on sandwich.
The rest of the group ordered pizzas and seemed to be satisfied with them.
The servers were completely a mess. They didn’t follow up on drinks for the entire table. One end was ordering beer and could get the servers attention. But everyone else in middle or other end didn’t get refills. The apps came out in different times. Even my fries came after I ate my sandwich even though I ordered at same time. And a friend ordered salad with chicken and never arrived. She finally decided to just nibble on everyone else’s food.
That being said. I’d give them another chance. We were a large group… But I was disappointed.

Really good food and a casual but nice atmosphere ! Great for kids and the whole family. Would recommend for anyone looking for good Italian food !!

I haven’t really sampled many things on the menu other than the Italian Beef, the Polish sausage and the pizza, but all have been delicious. I’m not really a «Chicago» pizza fan being from western NY originally, and the deep-​dish Chicago pie is like a massive baked casserole to me — not a pizza! LOL
With that being said, the Chicago thin crust pizza at Joey D’s that I’ve had over a dozen times now is absolutely delicious each and every time, so thought it was time for a review! We love the fresh sausage, (the pepperoni too) the sauce, and even the tasty crust is crispy just where it should be. Unlike some pizza’s this one even tastes great warmed up the next day — that is if you have any left over to bring home.
One more thing that helped this place earn the 5-​stars rather than 4 was the excellent customer service from every person I’ve dealt with in my many visits. None know my name, I’m not a «regular» and I like it that way, but each and every person working there has been nothing short of always smiling and very friendly!
It should also be noted that the bathroom (men’s room) is spotless — which says a lot about any restaurant. I can’t stand when the rest rooms are neglected!
Keep up the good work Joe D’s!
See you next visit! :-)

Actually was supposed to meet a friend around dinnertime at the Miller’s Ale House next door, but we found parking spots exclusive to Joey D’s and thought it was a sign we should try them instead.
While the place looks more like an old school diner from the outside, inside clearly features a sports theme although the tables and chairs seem pretty basic and are way too close to one another in my opinion.
There are two dining rooms, each of which has what they call a penalty box area. This is where a thin tabletop with about four barstools faces a large TV and you can sit with a friend or two and kind of have a little area all to yourselves. (The server enters the penalty box to wait on you… not sure if she has to always stay for two minutes at a time.)
And then there is an actual bar set off one of the dining rooms that also has tradtional bar seating and bartenders actively working that area offering drinks and everything on the menu.
Everything means just that, as this is a Chicago-​themed sports restaurant featuring all the appropriate sandwiches, pizza, wings, sides and even tamales.
However, someone involved with this place has a soft spot for Philadelphia because there’s a big portion of the menu devoted to the famous cheesesteak sandwiches.
While pricing on the pizza (thin, Sicilian, deep dish) seemed a little high, everything else seemed in line with similar places and it appeared as those they offer either lunch specials, nightly specials or both.
Oh, the girls working inside were also attentive and looked like they enjoyed being there. One of them told me this location had been open for «about a year» and more reading of the menu indicated this is one of three locations in the Sarasota-​Bradenton area.
Joey D’s probably attracts more than a few people who don’t want to deal with Ale House parking, waiting for a table or their lack of a pizza oven.

Joey D’s! Love this place! The inside certainly pays homage to Chicago and it’s sports teams for sure (I’m an Philadelphia Eagles fan) but no worries here! Lol
The food yes yes yes! The Chicago deep dish is bad ass killer! Let me point out why! First the dough is fresh, thick, and you can smell the yeast! Very tasty and double stacked on this pie! I like it better than being in Chicago because they butter there deep dishes and it’s too crispy! The toppings are awesome! Fresh, massive, and hand cut! We had pepperoni, sausage, onions and green peppers! The sauce nice! We ordered a medium and it was a monster! Lastly if you dislike this pizza here apparently you must have issues or you like Digiornos frozen pizzas or something! Great stuff!
Also keep in mind the deep dish price includes 4 toppings (it’s included in the price) so make sure you pick 4! Don’t be boring or your going to rip yourself off!
I’m a fan! I’ll be back for sure!

My family spent the weekend in Sarasota visiting my parents, and after a week of comfort food and sweets, everyone wanted an easy take out dinner! My parents suggested Joey D’s and it didn’t disappoint! We split a large pizza and had garlic, mild, and hot wings. Everyone loved each item — especially the hot wings!
My husband and I went to pick up the order and were drooling over all of the other menu items as we watched patrons eating.
I highly recommend Joey D’s!

Another night on the road means another take-​out dinner. Tonight we shall dine on PHILLY CHEESE STEAK… do you hear me… PHILLY CHEESE STEAK!
There’s nothing more satisfying when a meal (sandwich) can stand on its own, no chips, no fries, no cole-​slaw just a PHILLY CHEESE STEAK presented on its own merits.
This meal passed the test, a perfect sandwich in my road warrior opinion, plus a short 100 yds from the hotel.
If you’re a sports nerd there’s plenty of TV’s.

Tried their pizza for the first time. Medium size is 14″ and plenty for two. Thin crust is crispy and the meatballs were tasty.
What really destroyed my pizza was the butcher slicing into shreds of squares. Horrid had to eat tiny pieces like a kid. It was a shame for it killed my dining experience. Since the pie was tasty, I will give them another shot but no more shredded pizza for me.