Chicago was our first stop! We flew three hours to taste authentic deep-dish pizza directly from the source!

Chris had spent the last few months researching and deliberating which pizza places to try. I also had a work colleague from Chicago giving me his insights as a native Chicagoan.

The Top Contenders:

• Pizzeria Uno
• Giordano’s
• Lou Malnati’s
• Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Company
• Pequod’s

We would only be in Chicago for ONE DAY, so we had to narrow it down to 2 places. How to choose?

We decided Pizzeria Uno’s was a must – not the highest-rated, but many consider it the birthplace of Chicago Deep Dish. Though all Chicago Deep Dish restaurants claim to be the original, research indicated that Pizzeria Uno was the real deal – hence the name. As the likely first, it must be tried as a point of reference.

We ruled out Pequod’s early on based on reviews (though when comparing the top-tier Chicago pizza places, the competition is fierce).

Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Company fell off the list next. It’s famous for their pot-pie-style pizza, which veers a bit from the traditional deep dish we were there to try. We figured it was best to stick with purity for the sake of the experiment. Though I am told it is top notch!

So now it’s down to Giordano’s or Lou Malnati’s. Based on reviews and research conducted in multiple ways, it was sixes – we may as well be flipping a coin from what we could tell. Seemed like we’d have a similar experience either way.

It turns out my Chicago colleague has an in with Lou Malnati’s, and they can ship out frozen pizzas anywhere in the US. He shipped us TWO to try! We were able to try the cheese and the sausage varieties. This left Giordano’s as our second pick.

The Final Lineup:

• Pizzeria Uno’s
• Giordano’s

We stopped by Pizzeria Uno near the airport first, then wrapped up our day with Giordano’s for dinner after sightseeing.

Chicago Deep Dish

Now I will be honest- Chicago Deep Dish, it turns out, is not our jam. I always assumed “deep dish” meant like a really thick crust- but it’s more of a pie crust. I am oversimplifying this, but imagine a Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie that is filled with tomato sauce and cheese instead of pumpkin. A lot of people LOVE it, just not us. I knew this going in, so I was expecting to be very disappointed and ended up pleasantly surprised.

Pizzeria Uno’s Review: Pizza Crawl Stop #1 | 4200 N River Rd, Schiller Park, IL 60176

Pizzeria Uno is the (likely) birthplace of Chicago style pizza.
Tomato sauce was spectacular and there’s tons of cheese. The pizza came HOT in a pan and it was delicious! I don’t love the thin crispy pie crust, but that is Chicago style for you. Overall, it was better than I expected and it’s easy to see why this place has been around so long and spawned a whole style of pizza!
Service and ambience was great as well!

Giordano’s Review: Pizza Crawl Stop #2 | 730 N Rush St, Chicago, IL 60611

Tomato sauce was spot on, and there was PLENTY of cheese. Back home I have to ask for extra cheese on most pizzas, but no need to do that here! There’s already more than enough, and that is a good thing! The pizza is THICK, and so there’s a lot of layers to bake. I was afraid the pizza would either be too cold or too hot. But it was just right; the cheese was completely melted through and I could take the first bite without scalding myself.
The pizza was clearly made with top notch ingredients and baked with love. Excellent service and lovely ambience!

Final Verdict:

Chris: Pizzeria Uno 7.6 | Giordano’s 7.8
Rosie: also preferred Giordano’s slightly more

* A note about Chris’s scoring system… it seems pretty arbitrary to me, though he will try to make you believe his method is complex and expertly calculated.

We didn’t end up making reservations at any of the restaurants we visited, but try for a reservation at Giordano’s if you are worried.

If we ever end up in Chicago together again, we will not likely get Deep Dish pizza- but Chicago is home to another pizza style- Tavern pizza. Maybe we’ll try it one day! We didn’t have time for it this time, but I hear Chicago hot dogs are pretty spectacular as well.

In my next post I’ll detail our tourism stops- Chicago in one very fast-paced and action-packed day!

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