Food Fight: Who makes Chicago's best deep dish pizza?
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Pizano's veggie pizza with giardiniera. Photo: Carrie Shepherd/Axios
Deep dish pizza has gone from a Chicago staple to a special occasion meal, but that hasn't made locals any less opinionated about where to get it.
State of play: Tavern-style is the "true" Chicago pizza, and some purists (and outsiders) love to malign the hefty local dish.
Yes, but: Every once in a while we all need some of that ooey, gooey, cheese-pulled, crusty pizza invented in Chicago.
Ground rules: Pan and stuffed pizza are off the table. Today's fight is deep dish.
Carrie's pick: Pizano's. I'm a big fan of their thin crust, which reminds me of Rockford pizza (shout-out to Capri), but the deep dish delivers with piles of slightly salty cheese, cornmeal-forward crust and a decent amount of sauce.
- Pro-tip: Order it well done, which will crisp up those edges and make it less runny on the inside.
- Extra pro tip: Ask for Marko if you're eating at the Gold Coast location.
Monica's pick: Lou Malnati's will always remind me (happily) of childhood birthday parties and, for that, I return to the butter crust, fennel sausage and lumpy tomatoes at least once a year.
- This week I tried Lou's new Maxwell Polish deep dish and, let's just say, it's better to keep these two classics separate.
Justin's pick: I always thought stuffed pizza was deep dish, but I've been yelled at enough times to accept they're different.
- I picked Labriola on Michigan Avenue. It serves a more traditional deep-dish pie, putting the emphasis on the sauce and toppings instead of just piling on the cheese.
- I ordered the Classic Chicago pie with green peppers, onions and mushrooms. I left the sausage off this time.
The downside? A 14-inch carryout pizza cost nearly $50 after tax, service charges and tip. That being said, I'm going to eat leftovers for a few days so it evens out.
- Still, I think it's better than the rest, and I'm willing to (food) fight anyone who says otherwise. 🤣