Could be, they are all over the place.

I'm thinking of a different one that's a local place. Now I know which one you're talkig about....will have to check it out sometime. Thanks!

Lou Malnati's has my vote. Crust is crunchy not bready and it is a true deep dish pizza. I HATE when someone mentions Giordono's or Nancy's and talks as if they were deep dish. They are not. They are STUFFED pizza, a totally different animal. Stuffed pizza, while good is not a Chicago style deep dish. Give me a single crust, deep dish, well done pizza any day. When I moved to my current home I knew we came to the right neighborhood when I found out I could get Lou's delivered to my door. Now that's nirvana. (Too bad they are not in United's restaurant program. The whole family could have flown around the world in F by now. :p )

Pizza suggestions
 

1. For classic thin crust- Pete's on Sheffield, or Martino's on Petersen.
2. For double decker - any Ranalli's
3. For truly super thin crust - Pizza D.O.C. or Ranalli's Up North.
4. For Pan Pizza- Pizzeria Uno.
5. For Stuffed pizza - Home Run Inn.

There you have it- but a few of Chicago's best. NOT suburban - NOT chain.

Went to the Silo tonight, that is indeed damn good pizza!

Along these lines, where can I find the best Chicago Style pizza, in ORD during a layover?

There are Uno's stands all over the airport, and an Uno's counter at the food court in T1. It is not the same as a fresh baked pizza, but it is not too bad. The other terminals (like the AA terminal) have a Wolfgang Pucks, with a real wood burning oven, it isn't Chicago pizza, but is certainly not terrible.

Barnelli's? Geno's? Doesn't anyone learn to spell any longer?

When I have a jones for Chicago pizza, only Lou Malnati's does the trick.

1-800-Lou-To-Go & FedEx delivers the next morning.

It's awesome.

There was just a FT Do at this restaurant last night. I had gone to Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Co when I was kid 20+ years ago, hated it then, and hated it last night.

Let me describe the pizza pot pie. They take a small crock like bowl, the kind you would serve French onion soup in, put mediocre cheese in the bottom, then add a sauce that tastes like it is from a jar, the sausage is tiny bits and does not taste good almost like hamburger, then put the "Sicilian-style" dough w/no flavor on top of the crock, then bake. When the waiter comes out, he flips the crock upside down so that the dough is now on the bottom and the rest of the "pizza" falls into the cup shaped baked dough.

UGH! do not go to this place unless you have tried the other pizza places listed above and really want to try a self promoted w/o good reason restaurant.

There was also a Meditterenian bread served. The group choose wheat. Think large (very large) thin pita like bread w/seasonings, shaved cheese on it. Not bad but certainly did not live up to the billing on the menu that this was their most popular item.

What was terrific was the French Salad, a small size easily fed our group of 5. Farmer's cheese, lettuce, red onion, olives, tomatoes, cucumber, served with two dressings a poppyseed and a ranch. The waiter suggested that the two be mixed which I did. DELICIOUS!!! ^ ^ ^ ^

edited to add: the cheaper Chianti is a very decent wine to have.

Hey Willie, tell us how you really feel.... ;)

Chicago has both stuffed pizza and deep-dish pizza. No, they are not the same. To me, stuffed is the suburban thing, and deep-dish is the city thing.

For stuffed pizza, I like Carmen's in Evanston the best. Nancy's (a local chain with many locations) is second. Giordano's is good enough but I agree with Willie's comments on an earlier page about their sauce.

For deep-dish pizza, it's Due during an off-peak time (we've had really good luck at FT gatherings going at 11:45am on a weekday). Malnatti's if I have to. I am not a fan of Geno's, and have had only bad experiences at Connie's and Aurelio's.

For thin-crust pizza, my favorite is Two Brothers From Italy in Elmhurst. When I lived in Elmhurst, I rarely ate stuffed or deep-dish as Two Brothers' thin crust was excellent.

If you want a true thin crust pizza....in the city....try Danny's on Archer Avenue and Menard (very near Midway Airport). The best thin crust around. Rosati's is terrible!!!!! Sooo greasy!!

Just remember that deep dish crust is really more like pastry than dough. It is generally laden with fat and most likely transfats from the shortening. Unless you're good buddies with a cardiologist, I'd stick to the Italian variety.

For displaced Chicagoans in the Bay Area...
 

Agree with original Uno and Due at the top of the list...though watch out for that sausage. I never, ever get heartburn except after eating sausage pizza there. So if you're prone, you might want to stick with veggies. Spinach is better than it sounds, too.

In college (Evanston) I got by on Giordano's often. A very, very solid option but not the best around. Ditto for Edwardo's and Connie's. Will have to try Silo next time I'm there, sounds promising.

For those Chicago expats in the Bay Area, try Zachary's in the East Bay. (Locations in Berkeley and on College Ave. in Oakland.) Best tomato sauce ever, with fresh tomatoes on top. The best Chicago pizza not located near an El stop. Crust can't match Original Uno cornmeal crust, but what can??

chicago pizza
 

The best is Lou Malnati's, by far!!

I had the pleasure of eating at Lou Malnati's on North Wells street last Friday night, and have to say it is the best deep dish pizza I have ever eaten. I couldn't decide between sausage or pepperoni so I had both. ^

The incredibly delicous chunky tomato sauce is unbelievable! My mouth is watering right now thinking about it.

Best places to eat in chicago
Pizza lou malnati's RiverNorth
Steak Gibsons on rush street or Mortons on State
General Dining Signature room on 95th Floor of hancock.
Best hotdog. Super Dawgs on north milwaukee.

If downtown, I'd say Due's over Malnati's but if in the burbs, the Malnati's chain does the best job of quality IMO as the Uno's and Gino's chains just don't have a clue what thier downtown original location put out.

Some might disagree, the best steak thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...ighlight=steak

:td: No way, no how, overpriced and mediocre food, go to the 96th for drinks and the views but skip Signature Room.

I agree with you here but others..., from the best hot dog thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=334192

I believe I reviewed this place in the Chicago Idine review thread. I went to the Rolling Meadows location. The greatest thing about the place is that you got miles, but there are so many Idine places I'd rather visit, including Frank Pizzeria. (In my review, I said that place was a dump, but the pizza was decent.)

I agree that the appetizer bread was good.

the pizza bowls were awful. As Willie described, it fails the taste test, and it fails my value test miserably. That pizza bowl is so small and it costs just under $20. I rather get a HUGE Giordano's pizza for that price, and it would taste infinitly better, and you get like 10X as much food.

So.. I would go farther that Willie and say avoid this place at all costs. There are so many more pizza places here in Chicago that I rather go to that this. I'd even try unknown places over this place.

I went there several times 25 or 30 years ago and loved it. But that was due to a certain stunning waitress who was a very close friend.

I don't think I was paying a lot of attention to the culinary aspects of the joint. :p

What about thin-crust pizza suggestions near River North Old Town LIncoln Park for carry-out

I've got a hankering for some pizza. Links and online menus would be a plus.

Suggestions
 

I am landing at 9 on the 19th and leaving that evening on the 5 flight. My family and I are flying up to get some pizza and show my three sons a few landmarks while there. Wrigley's and the fountain, unless I think of something really good before then. I would like to take them to a real good pizza restaurant for lunch and buy one stuffed and one deep dish, all chicago style of course. I feel chicago style is better than new york style, but hey that is just a southern boy talking. So between the airport and the sights with the limited time that I have, where would you say is the absolute best? Remember in route from ORD to the sights and back within the day without traffic problems, hopefully.

Pizzeria Due
619 N Wabash (at Ontario)
Chicago, IL
312-943-2400

The Original Pizzeria Uno’s
29 E Ohio
Chicago, IL
312-321-1000

Both are deep dish as opposed to stuffed. I think deep dish is much better than stuffed.

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drbond - You mention seeing the 'fountain' - if you are referring to Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park, don't bother. It is turned off for the winter.

Well crap, so besides Wrigley field any recommendations of true Chicago landmarks that can be seen during a 6 hour layover in Chicago during an MR?

Well, if you go to Due or Uno, you'll be near Michigan Ave and the old Water tower.

As a Chicago native, I'd have to go with Giordano's over all competing Deep Dish places. The atmosphere at the origional Giordano's jsut a few blocks off Michigan Ave can't be beat- the hustle, the bustle, having to wait outside; all make the ambience so unbeatable!

Enjoy

I would like to find one that is near the Flat Top Grill on Washington since I want to try and drop in on the DO for a little while.

The best is Lou Malnati's, better than Uno's!! Had both on the same day.

This man flew to Chicago for the day for deep dish pizza for lunch with his wife and kids (who I understand are all Platinum on AA :D ), had lunch at Uno's (was disappointed), joined the group at Flat Top Grill for a visit (his well-behaved kids stood and waited for dad to finish his visit), then headed off to Lou Malnati's for more pizza! Now, that's a Flyer Talkin' family! :)

What did you order? I like the Lou Malnati's sausage "patty" pizza, but I like the pepperoni better at Uno/Due's.

Stefano's:
Has anyone been to this Idine place on Lawrence in Chicago?

Actually, he ordered the sausage at Uno's - he didn't like it. So, I suggested that he order pepperoni at Lou's, with extra tomato sauce. Not sure what he actually ordered, but he since he liked Lou's better, I assume he took my advice! ;)

The Uno special pizza with sausage, peppers, sausage, onions, sausage, pepperoni and did I mention sausage? Is NOT a good pizza, WAYYY too much sausage. It is a solid 1/2 inch thick piece of sausage covering the WHOLE ENTIRE pizz and it is gross.

I did take ILuvParis's recommendation and he was correct. The next time I am in Chicago I need to take him out to lunch for his excellent advise. You are a wonderful person ILuvParis and now back to the program.

But then, as we know, you're not always serious! ;)

Hmmm, I just read that Burt Katz the owner of Pequod's who is credited with inventing pan pizza with a caramelized crust. His sausage deep dish pizza at his restaurant called Burt's Place in Morton Grove was voted one of the best things that Time Out Chicago magazine had this year. I had also read about Burt's Place in some other food forum.

Burt's Place
8541 Ferris Ave.
Morton Grove, Illinois

Look's like I've got another pizza place to try. DARN !!;)

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Well, I just went to Lou Malnati's to give their deep dish another try based on all the people who keep insisting that it's the best there is. And again, I still can't see what the big fuss is about. Every time I've had it, I always think there some kind of flavor profile missing. I'll take Giordano's and Edwardo's over Lou's any day.

Ahh, Chicago pizza.
That is one of the things that I really miss...
As a 40 year resident of the windy city, I would also put Due as number one. Giordanno's used to better before franchising. It's still ok, but nothing special (for Chicago, that is :-: ).

So, you're obviously more a fan of stuffed pizza than deep dish.

I prefer deep dish anyday as I really don't consider stuffed as "Chicago Style". Now I spent yesterday at ORD (wonder why) and the 5 of us went around trying the different pizza places and come to the conclusion that all that is at the airport is frozen pizza. Uno's near G is gross and Reggio's near H is gross. I talked to several TSA guys about the pizza and food there and a couple sit down to dinner with me and offered to order a pizza from Lou's and have it delivered, they say they do it all the time and would even cross it over the security area for me. Mighty nice of them if you ask me. One said he was a connaisseur of pizza and he had eaten in all the terminals and there was not a good pizza to be had in the entire airport. So disappointed. ATL has better food as does BHM.

I hope the purpose of the trip wasn't solely for pizza. Try Burrito Beach - that is about as good as it's gonna get at O'Hare.