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Pizza in Chicago

rubin749

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This post isn't about the relative goodness of deep dish pizza, which I can't really compare to what I would consider real pizza. It's about pizza in Chicago, generally, and how disappointing I have found most of it, considering that people seem to think Chicago ranks with New York.

I haven't been to enough places to have an authoritative opinion, but I happen to have been to, and been disappointed by, a number of restaurants that made the top 10 in a Chicago Magazine article from June. I only glanced at the actual article, but saw enough to know that the author really had no clue, so maybe there is great pizza in this city, after all. Where is it?

1. Great Lake - I've been here, I thought the pizza was great.

2. Piece - I live near this place and have had it a number of times. The crust has no flavor and the sauce is bad. You really can't recover from that. The proprietor, based on what I saw in the article, is a pompous asshole who doesn't even know what a good pie is. Their beer is pretty good, but it is really astonishing that this can be anywhere near a top-ten list, let alone number 2.

3. Castel Gandolfo - Never been, any good?

4. Crust - I went once, it is pretty good, but a pretty weak number 4.

5. Coalfire - never been.

6. Lou Malnati's - pretty unexceptional, I thought. I actually preferred the deep dish I had at Pizzeria Due years ago. I haven't eaten much deep dish though.

7. Santullo's - Really, really weak, in my experience. After reading "I haven't found many options in the five boroughs as good as Santullo's" I wondered if I went to the same place as the author. In fact, I just gave them a second try, and my slice was sloppy and soggy to the point of falling apart. Even if it were crisp, like a NY slice should be, the sauce is pedestrian and even on a good day I think this would be a middling pizzeria in NYC.

Where's the good Chicago pizza?
 

dhc905

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Giordano's is the best deep dish imo. Saying it is like the McD of deep dish probably isn't too far from the truth, but McD tastes awesome and so does Giordano's. What it does afterwards to your bowels isn't a concern if you patronize either.
 

Another New Yorker

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Sal and Carmines in New York is my favorite. Nothing I've seen in Chicago comes close.
 

freeAgent

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Originally Posted by dhc905
Giordano's is the best deep dish imo. Saying it is like the McD of deep dish probably isn't too far from the truth, but McD tastes awesome and so does Giordano's. What it does afterwards to your bowels isn't a concern if you patronize either.

Giordano's is stuffed pizza, though. I love stuffed pizza, but I'm not a fan of deep dish. OP, you should definitely check out Giordano's and/or Edwardo's for some stuffed pizza. It's a whole different animal.
 

rubin749

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I'm pretty sure I've had Giordano's, but only their deep-dish, not stuffed.

Sal and Carmine's is great.
 

SField

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I think Giordanos is revolting. It's watery, has absolutely no substance, and just sucks. The cheese is awful, the sauce is horrific, and the crust is like cardboard.

At least Lou Malnati's has good sauce, and the crust is a bit better. It's more buttery and crispy. I've only had pepperoni and cheese there, but it is far superior to any other chain in terms of product used.

Wasn't impressed by Carmines, but it is much, much better than Giordano's.
 

Brogued

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Pizza in Chicago probably doesn't measure up to NYC pizza. There is some good pizza to be found here. Not at Giordano's, though.

I like:

Pizza DOC
Pizanos
Apart Pizza

I like Gigio's Pizzeria for delivery. It's an ugly little hole in the wall, but the pizza is great.
 

globetrotter

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Originally Posted by Brogued
Pizza in Chicago probably doesn't measure up to NYC pizza. There is some good pizza to be found here. Not at Giordano's, though.

I like:

Pizza DOC
Pizanos
Apart Pizza

I like Gigio's Pizzeria for delivery. It's an ugly little whole in the wall, but the pizza is great.


Gigio's and DOC are the one's I go to. had DOC tonight
 

mbalder2

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Originally Posted by rubin749
This post isn't about the relative goodness of deep dish pizza, which I can't really compare to what I would consider real pizza. It's about pizza in Chicago, generally, and how disappointing I have found most of it, considering that people seem to think Chicago ranks with New York.

I haven't been to enough places to have an authoritative opinion, but I happen to have been to, and been disappointed by, a number of restaurants that made the top 10 in a Chicago Magazine article from June. I only glanced at the actual article, but saw enough to know that the author really had no clue, so maybe there is great pizza in this city, after all. Where is it?

1. Great Lake - I've been here, I thought the pizza was great.

2. Piece - I live near this place and have had it a number of times. The crust has no flavor and the sauce is bad. You really can't recover from that. The proprietor, based on what I saw in the article, is a pompous asshole who doesn't even know what a good pie is. Their beer is pretty good, but it is really astonishing that this can be anywhere near a top-ten list, let alone number 2.

3. Castel Gandolfo - Never been, any good?

4. Crust - I went once, it is pretty good, but a pretty weak number 4.

5. Coalfire - never been.

6. Lou Malnati's - pretty unexceptional, I thought. I actually preferred the deep dish I had at Pizzeria Due years ago. I haven't eaten much deep dish though.

7. Santullo's - Really, really weak, in my experience. After reading "I haven't found many options in the five boroughs as good as Santullo's" I wondered if I went to the same place as the author. In fact, I just gave them a second try, and my slice was sloppy and soggy to the point of falling apart. Even if it were crisp, like a NY slice should be, the sauce is pedestrian and even on a good day I think this would be a middling pizzeria in NYC.

Where's the good Chicago pizza?


I like piece. A lot of people in the wicker park die by Santullo's though.
facepalm.gif
 

rubin749

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I don't think Piece is a bad place to go out. Their pizza is just nothing special, although some of the toppings are good.

I will have to check out Pizza DOC and Gigio's.
 

kaxixi

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Repeating myself, but Spacca Napoli > Pizza DOC >>>> Anything else I've had in Chicago.
 

hangten

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Pat's Pizza in Lincoln Park is my favorite north side thin crust.
I like the Chicago original at Malnati's - buttercrust, sausage and xtra cheese.

If you go to the south side, there's a bunch of really good neighborhood pizza joints:
Nick and Vito's
rosangelos in evergreen pk.
 

ChicagoRon

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Neopolitan - Nella's, Spacca Napoli (Nella's is the original chef from SN, is bigger, closer to downtown, and less crowded)

Thin crust "midwestern" - Bricks - great ingredients and flavors, if you can tolerate a thin crust pizza cut like a tic-tac-toe board.

Deep Dish - Pequod's.. no other.
 

Tooch4321

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Salerno's on Grand Avenue, but you have to order their "original" crust and Pequod's for the deep dish. Great Lakes is the best of the best though and New York pizza can eatta dick...
 

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