Review: Gluten-free pizza Aurelio’s

It is always a treat when I discover gluten-free menu items at mainstream restaurants.  It is even more of a treat when it is pizza and I can order take out with everyone else.  Typically, when I order food-to-go, since being gluten-free, I only feel comfortable ordering in person.  I feel that I can’t clearly express myself, and my food needs over the phone, and I feel better when I can actually see the wheat-free soy sauce being used or point to the ingredients that won’t work for me and see that the server understands .  But when it comes to pizza, that is the one item, I do feel safe ordering on the phone and letting it arrive at my door.

This weekend we had dinner with friends, and decided to order pizza since we discovered Aurelio’s now carries gluten-free pizza. Since this was my first time ordering from Aurelio’s, I asked them a few questions when I called. I always ask a pizza place who serves gluten-free pizza, what the ingredients are in their pizza crust and who makes it. They informed me that they get their pizza crust from Kinnikinnick, which is made with sweet rice flour and tapioca starch, and they are individual square 7×7 pizzas. That gives you 4 good sized pieces.  They told me that the gluten-free pizzas are so popular they sell 100-150 of them per week and cook them separately from the gluten versions.  For those who want the equivalent of a large-size pizza, you can order 4 of these individual-sized pizzas and they will put them together.  Each pizza costs $6.99, which is about $2 above the price of the gluten-filled individual pizzas.

This was my first time having Aurelio’s pizza and I was extremely impressed with the crust and the toppings.  The crust wasn’t thin and crispy like the gluten-free crust at Ranalli’s, but it was equally as tasty.  This crust was thicker and fluffier with a nice flavor.  They use the same sauce as on the wheat pizza which had a nice tangy flavor.  I had my pizza with tomatoes and green olives and extremely enjoyed it.  The only negative is that the pizza is pretty small.  Other places where I have ordered gluten-free pizza, that are also individual sized, are usually 12-14″.  The 7″ pizza is definitely too small if it is for more than one person, or for someone with a large appetite.  You may want to order two, and then you know you can have any leftovers for breakfast the next day.  It can get a little pricey.

Hopefully someday when more pizza places carry gluten-free pizza the price will become closer to the price of regular pizza and it won’t have to feel like such a splurge.

There are Aurelio’s locations throughout the Chicagoland area as well as in several states, including Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Nevada and Minnesota.