The 20 Best Pizzas In The Chicago Area
Піца, як справжня хвилююча жінка! Її аромат заворожує, а її смак змушує йти за нею, хоч на край світу.
Сьогодні поговоримо про цю італійську леді! Вона того варта!
Pizzeria Da Nella
Any of Grassano’s pizzas are worth the list price, especially the funghi with portobello mushrooms, garlic, mozzarella and mushroom puree. The crust, bubbling and browned from the heat on top with a chewy texture throughout, proves you don’t need a passport to travel to Naples when you put yourself in Grassano’s hands.
1443 W. Fullerton Avenue.
Apart Pizza Company
A thin, crisp crust is a hard thing to find, and when I find a place that gets it right, they go right to the top of my list. A particular favorite: their Quattro Formaggi, which isn’t topped with mixed cheese but arranged in quarters, so you and your friends can argue over who wants goat and who wants bleu. Apart has a huge selection of Italian meats, so if you’re up for a night of carnivory that goes beyond sausage and Canadian bacon, they’re perfect.
2205 W. Montrose Ave. and 5624 N. Broadway Ave.
Pequod’s
The thing that sets Pequod’s apart is the beautifully crispy, thick carmelized crust. It isn’t weighed down with too much sauce or cheese so it’s never soggy and it’s cooked in cast iron, making the crunch consistent from edges to center. I also love their appetizer combo – everything you could possibly want deep fried: mushrooms, mozzarella, zucchini and jalapeno poppers. Perfect for while you wait for your pizza to be cooked to crispy perfection.
2207 N. Clybourn Ave
Barnaby’s of Northbrook
With a crunchy, scalloped dough edge and a cornmeal dusted, cracker thin bottom Barnaby’s is the pinnacle of thin crust pizza crust. They top it with just the right amount of their zesty sauce, and finish it with toppings of your choice. I usually order mine with fennel-laced sausage, pepperoni and some onions to make it healthy. The Northbrook location is the one that slings the region’s best thin crust pizza.
960 Skokie Blvd., Northbrook
Mista Pizza
My favorite pizza in Chicago is hardly deep. More like hopelessly shallow – making Neapolitan crust look meaty in comparison – but so good we like to allot one all to ourselves and then fantasize about having another. Mista offers a variety of signature super-thin pizzas, with our go-to being the Napolitano, topped with roasted organic plum tomatoes, garlic, arugula, mozzarella, oregano, sea salt, and EVOO.
2921 N Broadway Ave.
Father and Son Pizzeria
Pizza is good. The thin and crispy crust is highly recommended. The cracker crisp crust is topped with a thin layer of a sweet, yet zesty sauce, and cheese and whatever else you like. The kids will eat it, too.
2475 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Art of Pizza
It begins with an exceptionally sturdy crust, crispy on the bottom and sides but possessing a wonderfully chewy interior. Eating it also doesn’t require a knife and fork; you can perfectly balance your slice on three fingers. Above the crust is a zesty sauce that’s neither watery nor overly chunky, making the ideal backdrop to Art of Pizza’s superior toppings, among them thinly-sliced discs of spicy pepperoni and juicy black olives packed with flavor. (I’m especially partial to a combination of sausage and spinach, both rustic and hearty.) And then the cheese, oh yes the cheese, usually a shade of toasty brown with a scattering of oregano on top.
3033 N Ashland Ave.
Marie’s Pizza & Liquors
It’s thin crust, square-cut and loaded with a zesty, sweet sauce and plenty of fresh toppings. Ordering the crust “crispy” yields my favorite result – a cracker-crisp bottom that still has satisfying chew and stands up perfectly to the salty, hot and spicy greeziness that explodes with each bite.
4129 W. Lawrence Ave.
Café Luigi
They offer a damn fine (giant) slice of thin crust pizza. Their crust is crisp with just a tiny bit of chewiness in the edge. Their sauce and cheese are what you’d expect on a good slice of pizza. And the definite topping to go for is their crumbled sausage, a finer texture and crispier than you’ll find elsewhere.
2548 N Clark St.
Burt’s Place
The good news is that even though Burt’s signature caramelized crust and super fresh ingredients are worth just about any wait, if you have a 6pm reservation, your pie will hit the table at 6:05pm. Once it’s in front of you, good luck not eating the whole thing – it’s pan style, meaning that the crust is a fluffy bed for the zippy sauce and plentiful, fresh toppings. Order the homemade sausage and tri-colored bell peppers or a pepperoni and fresh garlic, and wear your fat pants.
8541 Ferris Ave. in Morton Grove
La Villa
The thin-crust, square-cut classic pies always arrive roof-of-mouth-burning hot and every conceivable combination of toppings (and I’ve tried some weird ones) seems equally satisfying. One of my favorite La Villa touches is that they apply a second layer of cheese after the toppings are added, so each bite is a little like treasure hunting because you don’t know where the sausage bits or fresh mushrooms are hiding. The extra cheese also makes reheated leftovers extra gooey and satisfying, so be sure to order one size larger than you’ll eat in one sitting.
3632 N. Pulaski Rd.
Vito & Nick’s
The crust, dusted with cornmeal, has that ideal cracker crispness that should be standard to thin crust. The sausage at Vito & Nick’s is made in house and contains liberal chunks of fennel. For my money, the “Around the World” pizza is the way to go here but you can top your with egg, Chicago-style Italian beef and your choice of hot or mild giardinera.
8433 S. Pulaski Rd.
Dante’s Pizzeria
Their focus on creative, unique ingredients with a satanic twist sometimes makes for some bizarre concoctions (like the Charon, which is decked out with shrip, prosciutto, pineapple, and jalapeño) reminiscent of certain other Satan-friendly purveyors of elevated fast food. My favorite is the mighty Minotaur specialty pie, which is topped with Italian beef, giardiniera, peppers, garlic, provolone, and mozzarella; it’s an aggressive, delicious onslaught of strong flavors. The extra-thin crust is as good as any you’ll find in the city; it’s crispy enough to keep the titanic piles of toppings contained, but flexible enough to handle being folded in half.
3028 W. Armitage Ave.
Spacca Napoli
Spacca Napoli, which in May celebrated its tenth anniversary, always has fresh, unique pizza stylings that pay tribute to the original Neapolitan style from which all pizza is ultimately derived. If all that sounds too stuffy and fancy-pants, don’t worry: order a Salsiccia e Broccoletti (sausage and broccoli, natch), compliment it with an argula and prosciutto salad, and let your taste buds tell you what’s what.
1769 W. Sunnyside Ave.
Piece
We don’t all live for deep dish just because we live in Chicago. I’m a fan of the thinner, crispier pie at Piece Brewery & Pizzeria in Wicker Park. It’s called New Haven style, and you can get it red (tomato sauce and mozzarella), plain (red sauce with parmesan instead of mozzarella – the traditional New Haven way) or white (olive oil, garlic and mozzarella only). They’ve got a multitude of toppings to choose from, or load up on, including some unusual ones like mashed potatoes, broccoli and clams.
1927 W. North Ave.
John’s Pizzeria Ristorante and Lounge
Whether you decide to eat on site or at home, my recommendation is to order whichever pizza you choose with their double dough crust. I am not a deep dish person, but I am very much a lover of all things crust, so this double dose of goodness hits the spot every time. It’s not your typical Chicago pizza, but it’s one of my favorites in the city.
2104 N. Western Ave.
Jimmy’s Pizza Cafe
For an unexpected slice of New York in the heart of Chicago’s Far North Side, look no further than Jimmy’s Pizza Cafe. An unusual, but absolutely undeniable, mix of New York-style thin crust, New Orleans beignets and piping hot coffee, Jimmy’s can ensnare you for breakfast, lunch and dinner if you aren’t careful. Try the White Pizza – it’s like pizza and garlic bread made sweet, tender love in your mouth.
5159 N. Lincoln Ave.
Coalfire
This West Town spot has nearly done as much for introducing Chicago to high-quality Neapolitan style pizza as Nella Grassano, with every pie baked in an oven fired by domestic clean burning coal. Coalfire focuses on the freshest dough and ingredients making their margherita and Fiorentino pizzas among the best in the city, but their mortadella pie is the must-eat.
1321 W. Grand Ave.
Mama Luna’s
Sizes range from a personal size 10 inch pizza to the “Megaball,” a 16-inch by 32-inch behemoth of a pie. This would be ideal for the large group that isn’t fussy about toppings. If you’re in a smaller dinner party that wants to have multiple toppings and can’t agree on one, opt for a couple of extra large or family-sized pizzas.
5109 W. Fullerton Ave.
Phil’s Pizza
The crust is crisp, the cheese so hot it should be measured in degrees Kelvin and the toppings never lack.
1102 W. 35th St.
