As a native Chicagoan, now exiled to the Great Pizza Wasteland of So. Cal., here's my take (FWIW) on Chicago pizza:

1. Gino's East - The king and unrivaled best! Consistently great, and the best crust in the business! BTW, the Higgins Road location (near O'Hare) is every bit as good as Wells St.

2. Lou Malnati's - Not #1, but still better than 99.9% of pizza joints in the U.S.! I like Gino's crust better, but still a really excellent pizza! I order these airfreighted all the time here in CA.

3. Uno/Due - I used to consider this the best, but it's slipped a bit since the Sewell family sold out. Still, a great pizza, but it can be inconsistent. But these comments apply only to the original Uno and Due. Uno's franchises are almost as nasty as other national chains! Ike Sewell used to be more protective of his recipe than Coca-Cola! Do you seriously think they'd sell their recipe for the price of a franchise??? I've heard that they sell their franchises a "goof-proof" formula. And the corp. states that they make their franchise pizzas "for local tastes." In California, that means half-cooked dough, and near-raw ingredients.

4. Giordano's - A very, very good pizza! My wife's favorite. She likes them better than Gino's East. But then, what does an Australian know about pizza?

5. Edwardo's - Great for either stuffed spinach or pesto. They grow their own basil in the restaurant. Can't get much fresher than that!

6. Chicago Pizza & Oven Grinder - Excellent! A bit different, but nice when you want a change of pace.

BTW, Lombardi's in NY is pretty good, but still not as good as the above 6.

Truly BAD pizza:
1. ANY pizza in southern California!!!
2. Any national chain! Domino's, Caesar's, Pizza Hut, Sbarro's, Shakey's, Chuck E. Cheese....they all suck!!! Only Papa John's is a little less nasty than the others!
3. Not all Chicago pizza is good! Connie's and Ranalli's are especially nasty!