Deep dish and/or stuffed pizza recs around downtown

Hi there,

I need recommendations for deep dish and/or stuffed pizzas from people who have tried the major contenders, particularly within a few miles at most of downtown Chicago.

I've tried the Pizzeria Uno chains (I know--apparently far worse than the original) and thought them mediocre. I've also mail-ordered Lou Malnati's and thought it good but not great. Other than that, I'm an out of towner who hasn't tried any pizza restaurants in Chicago yet. If anyone knows New York pizza, my idea of good NY pizza is Di Fara's or Grimaldi's in Brooklyn. But I realize deep dish is a completely different thing, and I like it.

Any ideas for ecstatic pizza experiences I should be having in Chicago? Thanks.

Try Uno or Due. It's a shame that the franchisors (not connected with the originals) have so significantly denigrated the name.

Have you tried using the search function to read past threads about this?

I'm sure you'll get a few new responses, but there must be hundreds of past posts about this on the boards already.

I would also try chowhound.com. The folks there love questions like this.

My favorite that's not terribly far from downtown Chicago would be Pequod's. I don't understand why you would judge Malnati's by its mail-order product. I would probably put Lou's and Uno's/Due's in a close second behind Pequod's, although they are slightly different styles, with Pequod's being more of a contemporary take on the deep-dish (with its caramelized crust and all), and Lou and Uno's/Due's being pretty much the standard bearers of what is a Chicago deep dish. There's also Gino's East, but I'm not much a fan of them, although some prefer Gino's.

Pequod's
2207 N Clybourn Ave
Chicago, IL 60614

Lou Malnati's Pizzeria
439 N Wells St
Chicago, IL

Pizzeria Uno
29 E Ohio St
Chicago, IL

Pizzeria Due
619 North Wabash Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611

Welcome to LTH. A perennial forum favorite is Burt's:

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=8604

It's outside of your few miles restriction, but worth a special trip for deep dish done exactly right. I agree with nr706 that the original Uno and Due locations also do a nice job, and bear no comparison with the franchises; I think the old, well-seasoned pans have everything to do with this.

My other deep dish favorites are My Pi in Lincoln Park and The Art of Pizza in Lakeview. Both joints are tempermental and their pies are best enjoyed in-house (or at Art of Pizza, as near-house as possible) rather than delivered. My Pi has a standout pepperoni, and Art of Pizza a very, very good spinach.

Less reliable in my experience: Gino's East, Giordano's (the older downtown locations, don't like the suburban branches much), Lou Malnati's (had a clunker this very night, but sometimes it can be great).

The "search" feature will yield many other great suggestions and lively debate on every place you can imagine.

IMHO, nothing says Chicago deep dish like a sausage and garlic pizza from Pequods.

Since no one's mentioned it, I have to put the Exchequer Pub's pizza in there.

It's downtown on Wabash between Adams and Jackson. I've been going there since 1980 and it's always one of my favorite destinations. It's not Chicago-Style but really good deep dish pizza. I'ts deep dish you can eat with your hands. But don't think that the crust is thick, it isn't. They use an airated pan to help crispen the bottom while still allowing the heat to flow through thte pizza.

If your out in the NW burbs...I'll trillionith Burt's Pizza. It's worth the effort. A quick search will find many other's praises of Burt and his place.

Exchequer Restaurant & Pub
226 S. Wabash Avenue
Chicago, IL 60604
http://www.exchequerpub.com

John

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. Just an update: had my little trip to Chicago, and ate at Uno's and Giordano's. Uno's was tasty: solid, well-balanced, and pleasant. The crust was pleasantly buttery, the sauce was mild, and the cheese generous. Simple and good.

At Giordano's, I think I made the mistake of ordering one of their ready-made stuffed spinach pies that they have during lunch. It was pretty bad, actually. The crust was soggy on the bottom and excessively hard and tasteless at the edges. The actual cheese and spinach was fine, but not great. Not good, but I suspect the fresh stuff is better.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

shivohum wrote:I think I made the mistake of ordering one of their ready-made stuffed spinach pies that they have during lunch. It was pretty bad, actually.

that indeed was a mistake, but who would know that... pretty much any pizza made into a miniature size 5" circle won't be that great...but deep dish--where the crust is thick as it is, is really bad when it's that small... it just doesn't work the same. add to that the fact that they make them, package them, and they sit in a warmer for an undisclosed amount of time... i work above a giordano's and have probably only felt the need to buy one of these 3 times in about the 4 years i've worked above it... personally i don't like giordano's pizza that much in general though too... though for lunch i wish they'd just serve deep dish by the slice instead of by the mini-pie... it would taste much, much better. but to me ordering giordano's is kinda like going to new york and eating at sbarro's.

dddane wrote:to me ordering giordano's is kinda like going to new york and eating at sbarro's.

Well said.

I love Giordano's; in fact, it's my favorite of all the Chicago deep-dish pizzas. What I like best about it is both the center filled part of the pizza, for its blended taste of crust/cheese/sauce/toppings, as well as the super-delicious outer crust, which should be crisp and tasty. From the description above, it sounds like the lunch mini-pizzas (which I've never had) don't measure up to the made-to-order full-size versions.

I also don't like the pizza at Pequod's or Burt's; I just don't enjoy their burnt crust. I also find that the rest of the pizza is just meh, and doesn't have the delicious taste of Malnati's/Uno's/Gino's/Pizano's for single-crust "pan" pizza (or Giordano's/Edwardo's/Bacino's for double-crust "stuffed" pizza). However, I can understand why people like them for their funky off-beat decor and, in the case of Burt's, for Burt and Sharon's friendly hospitality.

Also, I don't consider mail-order or store-bought frozen pizza to be adequate representations of the real thing. Home ovens don't have the high heat of the ovens found in pizza parlors, and there may be other reasons, but in any case, my experience is that they're not as good as freshly-made pizza at the restaurant (for just about any brand name).

Most of the big pizza chains have multiple locations in the downtown area; look on their websites for specific locations. In the Loop itself, you'll find Giordano's, Pizano's, Bacino's, and in surrounding neighborhoods (South Loop, River North, etc), you'll find all the rest of the big names. All of which IMHO serve excellent pizza.

De gustibus non est disputandum.

nsxtasy wrote:Also, I don't consider mail-order or store-bought frozen pizza to be adequate representations of the real thing. Home ovens don't have the high heat of the ovens found in pizza parlors, and there may be other reasons, but in any case, my experience is that they're not as good as freshly-made pizza at the restaurant (for just about any brand name).[/i]

I agree, but I don't think the high heat has anything to do with it, since deep-dish pizzas are not made in super-hot ovens like Neapolitan or East Coast pies.

As for liking Pequod's or Burt's for its funky decor or hospitality, I'll have to respectfully disagree. I'm not a huge fan of Chicago deep dish, but Pequod's is my favorite taste-wise (I haven't had a chance to go to Burt's yet) and the only deep-dish pizza joint I'll go to more than once in a year.

I will agree with you that Giordano's is not that bad. I wouldn't put it in my top 5, but I wouldn't steer a visitor clear of it, either.

Binko wrote:[but I wouldn't steer a visitor clear of it, either.

I would definately not steer a visitor to Giordano's (especially for their first taste of Chicago Deep Dish) because:

A) I'ts not deep dish pizza, but rather stuffed (hardly the same thing at all).
B) It's not even a good example of it's style, with tasteless, cardboard-like crust and far too much sauce and cheese.

stevez wrote:

Binko wrote:[but I wouldn't steer a visitor clear of it, either.

I would definately not steer a visitor to Giordano's (especially for their first taste of Chicago Deep Dish) because:

A) I'ts not deep dish pizza, but rather stuffed (hardly the same thing at all).
B) It's not even a good example of it's style, with tasteless, cardboard-like crust and far too much sauce and cheese.

I agree on both your points (especially re: the crust), but the populist side of me knows that it tends to be a crowd-pleasing pizza. Other than some folks here, I don't know of anybody (and I mean mostly life-long Chicagoans) who actively dislikes Giordano's. Would it come up as a recommendation from me? No, as my post suggests, since it's not even in my Top 5. Would I actively discourage them? No on that count, too. For me, it's average pizza, neither here nor there.

And that populist comment can kind of branch off into a whole 'nother thread. I try to balance my tastes with popular tastes and my idea of the person asking me for recommendation's tastes when coming up with suggestions. That's why I wouldn't steer anybody clear of Giordano's. Another example: I actively dislike Connie's. Hate it, hate it, hate it. But I would certainly recommend it to certain people because I know their tastes would like it. I hate jello ribs, but I'll street people to Gale Street Inn because, believe it or not, some people do not like real barbecue.

When I have guests in town, and they ask my recommendation I tell them to not go to any of the chain pizza places, especially Giordanos. If I go with them we go to Pequods, they always leave town happy.

Binko wrote:

stevez wrote:

Binko wrote:[but I wouldn't steer a visitor clear of it, either.

I would definately not steer a visitor to Giordano's (especially for their first taste of Chicago Deep Dish) because:

A) I'ts not deep dish pizza, but rather stuffed (hardly the same thing at all).
B) It's not even a good example of it's style, with tasteless, cardboard-like crust and far too much sauce and cheese.

Giordano's has got to be the single most salty food in Chicago. Some people prefer it but I imagine it is due to their equating taste with salt.

I am a Malnati's man. But I only go to the location on Lincoln north of Devon. And I especially tell them no added salt to the pie. Comes out great that way.

Giordano's has got to be the single most salty food in Chicago. Some people prefer it but I imagine it is due to their equating taste with salt.

I am a Malnati's man. But I only go to the location on Lincoln north of Devon. And I especially tell them no added salt to the pie. Comes out great that way.

Salt is very rerely added to a pizza. Neither of the places I've been involved with added salt. Mozzarella tends to be salty. It changes depending on the time of the year and also the age of the cheese. It's been salty recently, one of my regulars commented on it last week. Also in winter cheese tends to give off a little more grease. You can notice the difference in good mozzarella at different times of the year.

I'm pretty positive the Malnati pizza recipe has no salt added, it's just your perception because you request "no salt".