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