Journal Entry

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:: The Best Pizza in Chicago ::

I don’t know if anyone is interested in finding The Perfect Pizza as I am. My darling wife is definitely a fan of a good pie, so we make a good match, but as far as trying places goes, so far I’m the most obsessive person I know. The following are my reviews of places I can remember going — and I welcome and encourage opinions, raves, disagreements, and so on.

I don’t want anyone to be kept in suspense, so I’ll start with the winner.

Art of Pizza - 3033 N. Ashland Ave

This is the best pizza in Chicago (and the surrounding northern suburbs) of the places I’ve tried so far, and it would take a lot to beat it. They have slices available all the time, and each of the three varieties they offer (thin, deep-dish/pan, stuffed) is best-of-breed for Chicago. New York pizza purists may not think that the thin is as good because they will not be pleased by anything that doesn’t have that New York patina on it, but whaddatheyknow? The stuffed is where it’s really at for me. The sauce is just the right level of spicy, the cheese is tasty, and the crust is buttery without being greasy. No one we’ve taken here has been underwhelmed.

The wife and I used to go there all the time when we lived closer, and we have always been treated very well when we go, even though we’re strangers again. I think a lot of people miss this place because it’s small and has very little seating. They are, however, in the process of expanding. For what it’s worth, the Chicago Tribune rated this place highest in a survey a few years ago. As far as I can tell, they actually got it right.

Read on for O So Many More.

Giordano’s - 2 locations tried

This was the first place we tried after moving to Chicago; they’re everywhere, so that’s not hard to believe. The location in Logan Square, on Milwaukee just north of Diversey, was pretty bad. The pizza was barely passable. We’d studiously avoided them since then, until moving to Evanston. We have since been to the location on Davis a couple times, and have had much better experiences. I would say it’s tied for my second favorite, although it’s a somewhat distant second. The crust is nowhere near as good on the stuffed pizza, but otherwise they make a tasty pizza.

Olive Mountain - 610 Davis St

This place is an odd ball for the list. It’s a Mediterranean restaurant that happens to have “mediterranean pizza”. Not knowing what that meant, we ordered one from them along with something we thought was more safe (a tagine) just in case. Turns out it’s very good. It’s definitely not the same thing as what you get at a typical pizza place — the crust is softer, and there’s olive oil and garlic instead of tomato sauce — but it’s quite tasty for what it is. The tagine, on the other hand, was a little bland. We ordered from them recently, and I had a chicken sharwarma sandwich in addition to some pizza; it was better than the tagine, so I can recommend this place as one to try if you’re in town.

Gino’s East - 3 locations tried

We went to the one on Rush Street first, I think. ’s brother recommended it, and I definitely appreciate the cornmeal crust aspect of this pizza. The pizza that I make at home uses store-bought cornmeal crusts, and I like that a lot. That said, the rest of the pizza is, to me, merely fine. It was kind of greasy, and not as flavorful as my favorite. The one on Diversey seems to get a lot of business, and the atmosphere is a bit of an improvement over the Rush below-ground location. There used to be one in Evanston on Green Bay Road, but it was closed by the board of health (awesome!). Before that, I tried a slice, and it was just regular, not-especially-great thin crust pizza.

Pete’s Pizza - 3737 N Western

I’ve never walked into Pete’s, but they are a favorite of my mates of Tin Horse fame. Since I’ve never handled the ordering, I don’t know exactly what their offerings are, but I have had their thin-crust pies several times. They’re flavorful in the toppings and cheese — I don’t remember the crust being a big deal, but it was definitely fine. It might have been Pete’s that was responsible for first experience with the “other” kind of Chicago-style pizza: the square-cut pizza. Instead of cutting the pizza into triangles, you do cross-cuts, making 16-24 or more squares with varying amounts of crust. Chicago isn’t the only place where you find this, but I’m told that it’s one aspect of pizza that is typically Chicago, if not invented here.

Gino’s North - 1111 W. Granville Ave

No affiliation with Gino’s East. This is a dive right next to the Granville red line stop. We tried a thin crust pizza one night because it was close, and while it wasn’t great, it was definitely good, better than expected I’d say. Unfortunately, I don’t remember much else about it, except that they serve pizza starting around 4. According to Metromix, it’s been around since 1941. It has a lot that local color sort of character going for it.

Lou Malnati’s - 1850 Sherman Avenue, Evanston

Lou Malnati’s is another one that’s all over the place in Chicago and the surrounding burbs. It was the closest place to our halfway house in Evanston right before finding our apartment, and it was good enough that we’ve been back a time or two. Their deep dish seems to be their specialty, and that’s what we’ve had. It’s good, but greasier than it should be, especially if you get the Butter Crust. I was thinking, with a name like that, it would match Art of Pizza, but it doesn’t. The regular crust is fine (doesn’t taste that much different really), and less greasy, so if you go there, I say don’t bother with the butter crust.

Pizzeria Due - 619 N Wabash

Pizzeria Uno is a place I have patronized in cities around the US over the years, and have resolved to avoid. It’s always really greasy, not that good. Fortunately, the original two restaurants here are considerably better. The pizza is definitely edible, good enough if you happen to go in. If it weren’t located in downtown and always ridiculously busy, I would consider going again, but the food is definitely not good enough to justify the logistical hassles.

Pizza Capri - 962 W Belmont

In the Tribune’s pizza survey Art of Pizza topped, this place was listed second. We’ve been once or twice, and unfortunately I can’t remember much about it now. I remember thinking it was good, but that’s the best I can do. It’s close to the red/brown line Belmont stop, so if you’re in the area, I think it’s definitely worth going.

Old World Pizza - 7230 W. North Ave, Elmwood Park

This place came in third in the Tribune review, so I decided to stop in when I was in Elmwood Park for a gig. I had a thin slice, and it was fine. If I lived in the area, I’d go again, but it’s definitely not worth making the long drive out there from here.

Tedino’s - 5335 N Sheridan Rd

We got a stuffed veggie pizza from Tedino’s when we lived in the old neighborhood. It was decent, but the crust was not too great — good texture, but kind of bland.

Chicago’s Pizza - 1919 W. Montrose

I tried a slice here a couple years ago. It was fine, but nothing to warrant repeat visits. I’ve heard recommendations for this place, but nothing strong enough to make me go back.

Gigio’s Pizza - 1001 Davis St, Evanston

This place bills itself as New York style pizza, and if it is, I need to stay away from New York. The sauce didn’t taste like much, the cheese was bland, and it was generally pretty lame.

Pizza Ria - 1599 N Clybourn

I had a coupon for a free slice from this place. Their slices are big, like what I remember from my limited New York pizza experience, close to a quarter pizza. If you’re hungry and coming off the red line at North and Clybourn, you could do worse.

Portofino’s - 843 Dodge Ave, Evanston

The most recent taste test. Overall, underwhelming. I’d read that the pizza was very fresh, with extra-fresh ingredients. I can’t say the ingredients taste old or anything, but thin slices is all they offer, and they’re not any better than okay. I have also tried a calzone which was passable, to see if cooked-to-order was any better. Overall, it’s okay, but not worth making a trip.

Piero’s Pizza - 335 Ridge, Wilmette

Not too far from the Wilmette Library, this place doesn’t do slices, but offers all the kinds of pizza you usually find in the area. We tried the vegetarian. As I’ve said often, it was fine, but not good enough to warrant making a trip back.

Whole Foods - 2 locations

I’ve tried the pizza at the deli at Whole Foods in Evanston and “Lakeview” (you can’t see the lake from there, but that’s where the store says they are). They only offer thin slices, but they always have interesting vegetarian options, featuring things like artichokes and goat cheese, so I’ve gotten theirs a few times while shopping. Definitely good for that purpose, although I wouldn’t necessarily go there to buy a whole pizza unless I were a student at Northwestern (they get a discount, I believe).

Papa John’s - 1745 Benson Ave

I’m just being a completist here. They’re not terribly expensive, they deliver, so we’ve ordered on a couple lazy evenings. The pizza is not very good, as you probably know.

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There are a couple other places I am likely to try some time.

Pequod’s - 2207 N. Clybourn Ave

This was strongly recommended to me by a client, who says it’s the best pizza in town. I have tried several times to evaluate that assertion, but their Chicago location (there’s also one in Morton Grove, I think) was under construction for several months, and I haven’t been back since they opened at full capacity.

La Gondola - 2914 N Ashland Ave

This place is across the street from Art of Pizza, and they don’t do slices, so the chances of actually eating here are slim. I saw a mention or two about them on Chowhound when I was looking for pizza recommendations a couple years ago, where it was compared favorably with my fave, so maybe one day I’ll resist Art of Pizza’s gravity and try a pie.