Is Little Nero's Pizza in Home Alone a real restaurant?

September 24, 2024

CHRISTMAS comedy film Home Alone and its sequels have become a holiday classic that fans rewatch year after year.

The Home Alone movie franchise features a bunch of iconic establishments, both real and fictional, including The Plaza Hotel, Duncan's Toy Chest, and Little Nero's Pizza.

Is Little Nero’s Pizza in Home Alone a real restaurant?

Unfortunately for fans who want to get their own box of cheese pizza just like Macaulay Culkin's Kevin McCallister did, Little Nero's Pizza is not a real restaurant.

The pizza joint featured in the 1990 film Home Alone is believed to be inspired by the pizza chain Little Ceasars.

The fictitious restaurant is supposedly based in Winnetka, Illinois where the movie was set.

In 2015, on the film's 25th anniversary, Uber partnered with several pizza joints like Big G's Pizza, Numero 28 Pizzeria, The Doughroom, and Patxi's to sell pizza in Little Nero's boxes in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

What filming locations were used for Home Alone?

Home Alone was shot in 12 locations across Illinois.

The McCallister House

The famous McCallister home is located at 671 Lincoln Ave., Winnetka, Illinois. It's a private residence that was once available on Airbnb to raise money for Chicago’s La Rabida Children’s Hospital.

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“We knew we were going to shoot in the North Shore, so we were in the Wilmette, Winnetka, Glencoe, Lake Forest area, so we basically drove around for several weeks until we found the right house,” director Chris Columbus told Entertainment Weekly.

“And then when we found the house, I took some pictures and sent them over to (producer) John (Hughes), and I remember John saying, ‘This is perfect. This is exactly how I imagined the house.’”

O'Hare International Airport

The airport where the entire McCallister family rushed through to make it to their flight to Paris was, of course, no other than Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.

However, according to the Chicago Tribune, the airport is at least a 45-minute trip from Winnetka, which meant that the family should have missed their plane.

Interestingly, O'Hare was also the backdrop used for what was supposed to be Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in the film.

Hubbard Woods Pharmacy

Remember the pharmacy where Kevin inadvertently shoplifted a toothbrush that may or may not have been approved by the American Dental Association?

It was shot at Hubbard Woods Pharmacy, which no longer exists today.

Chicago Tribune notes that it was replaced by a Panera Bread branch, and in 2019, it was turned into Graeter’s Ice Cream shop.

Hubbard Woods Park

Meanwhile, the park where Kevin was chased by a policeman still exists.

It's located at 939 Old Green Bay Road, Winnetka.

According to Chris Columbus, the film crew had to create a skating rink in the park to shoot the famous chase scene.

“We built a portable rink just for the scene and also rented a Zamboni to keep the ice in shape,” he recalled.

Who plays the pizza guy in Home Alone?

The pizza delivery guy in Home Alone was played by actor Danny Warhol.