Pizza in the Loop?

The Other Dr. Gale and I will be spending a couple days at the end of next week at the Palmer House, in the deepest Loop. She wants to go with some pals to some place w/in easy walking distance of the PH to partake of pizza. I've talked with Aaron, and he says that it won't be easy. But I'm a stubborn fellow, so I thought I'd ask: can anyone recommend a place with a decent (and I'm not talking great, or exemplary, or wonderful, etc., only 'decent') pizza not too far by foot from the Palmer House?

TIA,

Geo
PS. Anyone been to the new version of the Berghof? Is it worth visiting?

I love Pizano's deep dish pizza with buttercrust and it's a short walk from the Palmer House. It's on Madison, between Michigan and Wabash. I also think they do a more respectable thin crust pizza.

Geo wrote:The Other Dr. Gale and I will be spending a couple days at the end of next week at the Palmer House, in the deepest Loop. She wants to go with some pals to some place w/in easy walking distance of the PH to partake of pizza. I've talked with Aaron, and he says that it won't be easy. But I'm a stubborn fellow, so I thought I'd ask: can anyone recommend a place with a decent (and I'm not talking great, or exemplary, or wonderful, etc., only 'decent') pizza not too far by foot from the Palmer House?

Over in http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=15770 Exchequer Restaurant and Pub gets a nod - this should be in very easy walking distance. I have not been there myself, though, and therefore cannot offer an opinion of my own.

BR wrote:I love Pizano's deep dish pizza with buttercrust and it's a short walk from the Palmer House. It's on Madison, between Michigan and Wabash.

I recommend Pizano's, too, for their deep-dish pizza, although I prefer the regular crust rather than the buttercrust (not a big deal either way though). The style of their deep-dish pizza is single-crust "pan" pizza, similar to Lou Malnati's (one of Chicagoland's favorite places for pan pizza) - no coincidence, as both chains were founded by descendents of Rudy Malnati, Sr., who helped start Pizzeria Uno in 1943. And yes, the pizza at Pizano's is delicious; I would indeed describe it as "great, or exemplary, or wonderful" rather than merely decent.

As another alternative, several Loop locations offer double-crust "stuffed" pizza, but all are 5-6 blocks from the Palmer House Hilton, further than Pizano's (1-2 blocks). These include Giordano's in Prudential Plaza and on West Jackson, Bacino's on Wacker, and Edwardo's in the South Loop. Even further, across the river in River North and Michigan Avenue, are locations of other major Chicago-area chains serving "pan" pizza (Lou Malnati's, Gino's East, and the original Uno's and Due).

Wherever you go, call ahead with your order to avoid waiting 30-45 minutes for it to bake. You can find menus and phone numbers on their websites (click links above).

Geo wrote:PS. Anyone been to the new version of the Berghof? Is it worth visiting?

The new Berghoff seems quite similar to the old Berghoff. I ate there recently at a special event, and thought the German dishes were just as I remembered them. I am less interested in the non-German items on the menu, but apparently other Chicago diners prefer to have a choice of "contemporary" dishes when dining there.

The decor is virtually unchanged (I did notice some new booths, but they fit in pretty well). Only the smaller dining room and bar are open daily. The larger dining room is reserved for private events.

In spite of these observations, the vibe of the place is different, slower, quieter, minus the champion waitstaff.

Geo wrote:PS. Anyone been to the new version of the Berghof? Is it worth visiting?

I had lunch in the cafeteria (they call it cafe) yesterday. I frequented the old place when it was fully open. If you want to go skip the upstairs sit down re-incarnation, it is expensive with a limited menu, and eat at the cafe. The schnitzel is the same, they will even fry an egg for you and put it on top if you ask nice

I enjoy the new Berghoff for what it is...A nice sandwich. It appears that all of the meat is roasted and carved right there, good salads, a decent schnitzel and in and out fast for less then $10. It isnt the depth and variety of the old place, but it is still better then Quiznos.

i would third pizano's and add that even though they're family with Lou M's, I much much much much much prefer Pizano's to Lou M's. and i really like sitting at the bar there too

I fourth the Pizano's recommendation, though I'm a fan of their thin crust. I'm just jumping in because the first three mentions of Pizano's on this thread mention the thick crust, but if you're a thin crust fan anyway, be assured Pizano's thin crust (buttered or regular) is among the city's best.

In light of the similarities between the "old" and "new" Berghoff, maybe there was something to those conspiracy theorists who were speculating that it was a way to get rid of all those older waiters and get younger, cheaper staff.

So the four of us and the 3-yr old went to the Pizano's on Wabash and Montroe. Loved it! We ordered a thin crust with both pepperoni and sausage, and a deep dish margherita. (?sp?) The ingredient quality is extremely high, and the crusts were both very nice. One question: is it possible that they're using some cornmeal in the crust? I got a whiff of that, in both taste and texture. Interesting...

We were taken very good care of from the moment we walked in the door. Esp. by our nutcase of a waiter, "The Chotch" or something like that.

We'd recommend the place without question.

Tnx for the recommendations, folks! LTH rules.

Geo

In light of the similarities between the "old" and "new" Berghoff, maybe there was something to those conspiracy theorists who were speculating that it was a way to get rid of all those older waiters and get younger, cheaper staff.

Of course it was. I believe they went from union to non-union in the process.

This thread has convinced me to give Pizano's a try. I've walked past the place hundreds of times and never thought to stop in and dine there. Being a huge fan of Lou Malnati's, I'm sure I'll love Pizano's based on all the descriptions of their pizza here.

I know this post is a bit late but the thin crust pizza at the Italian Village is good. I love Pizanos too.