Count as "Chicago Style" Pizza?

I will be returning to Chicago with my significant other after having lived elsewhere for 5+ years. She has insisted that while visiting she try real Chicago Style Pizza since on the one occasion we went to the local Uno's franchise I scoffed at their attempt.

When I lived in Chicago Pequads was my go to place for deep dish, but does this constitute Chicago style? I just dont want her to leave Chicago feeling duped, any input from the board here?

If the consensus is Pequads wont fly I remember enjoying Art of Pizza and Malnatis. Have any other new joint popped up in the last 5 years?

It's "Pequod's." Just sayin'.

I think Pequod's counts but I consider it a variant. I'd recommend Malnati's original, Lincolnwood location for a quintessential "Chicago-style" pizza experience.

=R=

Lou Malnati's
6649 N. Lincoln Ave
Lincolnwood, IL 60712
(847) 673-0800

Peg, your spitting hairs.

Pequod's/Pequads/Pikwads is Chicago-style deep dish/pan pizza (you'll get arguments about the difference between deep dish and pan; Pequod's calls their pizza "pan". They also have thin crust). You might also think about trying Burt's. See viewtopic.php?t=8604. Note that you need to order your pizza ahead of time at Burt's. Also note that it is in Morton Grove. Art of Pizza and Malnati's are very good also. They are different from each other and from Pequod's; go with whichever style you like.

There was a link somewhere around here to a website that broke down the main categories of Chicago style pizza. It had a brief rundown of the most commonly named places. Anyone know what I'm talking about here?

As to the OP, Uno's Chicago Grill is horrible, and is in no way a representation of good Chicago pizza.

Where are you staying?

We will be staying in the Mag Mile area and confined to public transit and taxis so I think Burts and the Original Malnati's are out of the question.

The easiest to get to for us would be Gino's or Uno but Art and Malnati also seem easy.

I have to agree with ronnie_suburban. I started eating deep dish at Gino's on Rush Street in the early 60's (ack!) and, while I like Burt's a lot, I do think that Malnati's is the best as far as "old school" Chicago style deep dish goes these days. Uno's and Due's, where I also used to go back in the day, is ok but very inconsistent in terms of quality.

I go to Pequod's quite frequently,(I really only like thin crust-but concede to the hubby on this), a small pan split between two people with an appetizer or salad and an ice cold beer after a movie is becoming quite a routine for us. If I was in the mag mile, I'd probably hit Pizano's on Madison (take the Michigan Ave bus) for convenience sake and still feel like I wasn't being duped. Plus, you can go walk around Millenium Park and burn off that stuffed feeling. Then you can walk up Michigan and hit a few taverns on the way back to your hotel.

iwechtex wrote:We will be staying in the Mag Mile area and confined to public transit and taxis so I think Burts and the Original Malnati's are out of the question.

The easiest to get to for us would be Gino's or Uno but Art and Malnati also seem easy.

There is a Malnati's near the Mag Mile. I haven't eaten at the Lincolnwood location in a long time. My experiences at the other outposts have been very good, with a new notable exceptions (but every pizza joint produces a bad pizza every once in a while).

I think there's something cool about showing your SO a place you used to go. But if you'd prefer to try something different, any of the places above are great. I wouldn't make the decision based on small, perceived differences in the quality of the pizza. Each has something unique about it and each has a lot of fans. Personally, I'd skip Art of Pizza simply because the dining room is pretty boring. If you are going to travel from downtown, might as well go to Pequod's or (a bit further) the Lincolnwood Lou's.

Given the OP's location on Boul Mich, may I suggest visiting the Pizano's on Madison? Fine deep dish, and a nice stroll up Michigan Avenue to walk it off afterwards.

teatpuller wrote:There was a link somewhere around here to a website that broke down the main categories of Chicago style pizza. It had a brief rundown of the most commonly named places. Anyone know what I'm talking about here?

This one? http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2 ... crust.html

teatpuller wrote:There was a link somewhere around here to a website that broke down the main categories of Chicago style pizza.

This Serious Eats article?

I guess it depends on whether you define Chicago style as stuffed, pan, or both. Just a thought- try both! Do Pequods or Pizanos for the pan pizza...and then follow up by getting a slice or two of stuffed at Art of Pizza the next day.

Dave148 wrote:This one? http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2 ... crust.html

Yes, that's as good of a "one pager" on the subject I've ever seen.

Wow, i just want to start by saying thanks to everyone. This forum is amazing! Also, clogoodie thanks for the link. Perfect article.

As much as I would love to do a tour of Chicago pizza joints we only have 4 days so I'm thinking two days maybe a little much, however, we may try and hit up Great Lakes.

Pizanos and a stroll to see the bean is a wonderful suggestion. When I lived in Wrigelyville I went to the Pizanos up there and enjoyed it. If it wasnt for LTH i would have totally forgot about their restaurants.

Personally, I call it "contemporary Chicago style pizza" although it's not exactly contemporary anymore. "Contemporary" as opposed to "traditional" is what I'm getting at there. But it's definitely deep-dish to me, and qualifies as "Chicago Style" pizza.

This is my take. I am sure there are people who disagree. Pequod's and Burt's make "pan" pizza as opposed to "deep-dish". Although they are both served in pans, pan pizza (or pizza in a pan, as Burt calls it) generally has a crust of even thickness across the entire pizza (the cheese contacts the edge of the pan causing Burt's signature "char") whereas deep-dish is more pie-like with walls of crust up the side of the pan and filled. I would classify the latter as being "Chicago Style" pizza in the spirit of Pizzeria Uno, and agree that Malnati's is a good example. Burt's and Pequod's are slightly different creatures.

BTW: You can catch a Metra Train from downtown to Morton Grove. It stops less than 1 block from Burt's.

True, although I think Pequod's does have enough of a wall to qualify. What also steers me towards "Chicago-style" vs "pan pizza" is the ordering of the ingredients, with Chicago-style having cheese below the sauce, and pan pizza vice versa (in general.)

Pequod's to me is a love-hate place. While I love it, my girlfriend and one of my close friends can't stand it. It is a Chicago style pizza to me, but I also agree that it is a unique deep dish pizza that almost could be a subcategory like The Silo in Lake Bluff. Also because it's pretty thick and bready, I would agree that it could be technically considered pan pizza - but I agree with Binko - sauce on top = deep dish to me (unless there is a top layer of dough, then it's stuffed. Too bad Art of Pizza. You're not deep dish in my world!)

I always take out of towners to Lou Malnati's first (Lincolnwood or Buffalo Grove are closest to home). No question. To me, it's my favorite deep dish and most agree. I'm doing it once again for a friend from Philadelphia on the 18th. Pizano's deep dish doesn't even make my top ten. If I'm close to downtown, I would choose Pizzeria Due, Gino's East or Malnati's for the deep dish experience. Uno's is too touristy, and skip stuffed altogether!

Now... Once they try deep dish, then I take them to Pequod's or Burt's to see how they like that tweak on that style. I have to admit, it's almost always Pequod's, I just don't want to deal with Burt's rules (though I have a great time when I do go there).

the Original Malnati's are out of the question.

Which end of the Mag Mile are you staying? If you're by the river, the Malnati on Well's is an easy walk, & if you're at the Water Tower end, its barely a 10 min cab ride (tell the driver to take Chicago Ave & then head down Wells).

Binko wrote:Personally, I call it "contemporary Chicago style pizza" although it's not exactly contemporary anymore. "Contemporary" as opposed to "traditional" is what I'm getting at there. But it's definitely deep-dish to me, and qualifies as "Chicago Style" pizza.

I think this is my take. 50 years ago Chicago Style pizza did not include either Pequod's or Burt's. It was Uno, Due and Gino's East. Burt came well after the Chicago Style was defined.

Malnati's really doesn't compare to what was early Chicago Style. But due to their ubiquity they have almost reinvented what's currently taken as Chicago Style. Again, Burt's and, by extension, Pequod's are very different than Malnati's.

But though it's not Chicago Style, past or present, Burt still makes the best of the bunch.

d4v3 wrote:Pequod's and Burt's make "pan" pizza as opposed to "deep-dish". Although they are both served in pans, pan pizza (or pizza in a pan, as Burt calls it) generally has a crust of even thickness across the entire pizza (the cheese contacts the edge of the pan causing Burt's signature "char") whereas deep-dish is more pie-like with walls of crust up the side of the pan and filled. I would classify the latter as being "Chicago Style" pizza in the spirit of Pizzeria Uno

I agree with this. Pequod's and Burt's are a Chicago style, and so is Home Run-style thin-crust, but they aren't the Chicago-style pizza most people mean when they use the phrase. Stuffed pizza is another Chicago style variant and I'd argue that it is more "regular" than the burnt-cheese pan pizzas served by Pequod's and Burt's.

I always take visitors for stuffed pizza at Edwardo's.

I agree that Pequod's and Burt's are Chicago style pizza- just a variant on the original deep dish. Pequod's and Burt's both use the traditional deep dish pans, but they both remind me of a focaccia due to their breadiness, especially Pequod's. Nevertheless, the sauce is still on the top and the deep dish pans are still the same, so they are both Chicago style pizzas in my book.

midas wrote:

Binko wrote:I think this is my take. 50 years ago Chicago Style pizza did not include either Pequod's or Burt's. It was Uno, Due and Gino's East.

Uno's predates Gino's by over 2 decades. Gino's (1966) and Malnati's (1971) are of the same generation and Malnati's, by extension, is really an offshoot of Uno's.

In reference to my previous post and the following comments about Gino's East, there was a Gino's(not Gino's East) on Rush St. that I started going to around 1962 when I was in high school. It was on the west side of Rush and you had to walk down some stairs to go in. It definitely predated Gino's East which was located east of Michigan Ave. The pizza at the original Gino's East was the same as the other downtown places and much better than it is today.

There was also a Gino's on Dempster in Skokie. I don't think it was a Gino's East, but I'm sure others remember it and can fill in more details.

Darren72 wrote:There was also a Gino's on Dempster in Skokie. I don't think it was a Gino's East, but I'm sure others remember it and can fill in more details.

I'm pretty sure at some point it was called Gino's North, but that changed to Gino's East when the new corporate roll out of Gino's took place and a bunch of locations opened. It closed within a couple of years after that.

Someone upthread mentioned that Pequod's has a focaccia-like crust, as oppossed to the short "butter" crust found at places like Malnatis. This is precisely why I like Pequod's better that Lou's, Chicago-style pizza or not.

You can't go wrong with Pequod's. Out of towners and Chicagoans alike whom I've taken there have loved it. I've never been to Burt's, but I understand it is a significant improvement on the style. I'm sure I would love it.

I was definitely thinking of the Gino's on Rush in my earlier post. I was just a kid when I went there. I just assumed it was called Gino's East.

Since this post was bumped, I figure I'd mention my brother took a friend of his from Pennsylvania to Pequod's for his Chicago Deep Dish pizza experience. His friend really liked it, but I thought he should do what I do with my guests, Malnati's every time. That being said, I still love Pequod too.