Recently I saw scrolling TikTok and came across the most delicious looking deep dish pizza I’ve ever seen. In 48 hours, I had convinced Andy to make the 6 hour drive and we were on our way! Spoiler alert: That deep dish was a huge disappointment.
That’s right, a pizza with a cheese pull like that was majorly disappointing 🙁
Don’t worry, we did end up finding life-changing pizza (I’m not exaggerating, I still think about it) and I’m going to tell you where to find it!
First up – the disappointing pizza:
I don’t want to start any pizza wars but Lou Malnati’s Pizza is not it.
Sorry Lou & sorry any Lou Malnati fans out there. The crust was delicious, perfectly buttered and garlic salted. The Marinara sauce was a 6/10, but the “sausage cake” thing was a weird texture. Plus the cheese, the biggest star of the show, was basically rubber. The pizza is served hot and immediately, so there is no reason for rubbery chewy cheese but that’s what we got. Also, décor was 2/10 as soon as I walked in and saw beige plain walls I had a gut feeling I was not in the locally-loved-hole-in-the-wall I was expecting. I’m by no means a pizza connoisseur but I am lactose intolerant and was willing to go through a night of torture for some delicious deep dish. Thankfully for my gut, I didn’t eat any of the cheese. The garlic bread was a solid 9/10 though.
All that aside, if you’re looking for a deep dish recommendation the best I can give you right now is Giordano’s. I know it’s touristy and a chain but it’s the best deep dish I’ve had in Chicago thus far, although Uno’s is next on the list. I’m looking for more local places to try, so give me some recommendations!
Fun Fact about Chicago Pizza: A lot of Local’s tell you to ditch the Deep Dish and get Tavern Style
If you’re a tourist like me, you’ve probably never heard of tavern style pizza. It’s essentially a cracker thin crust pizza cut into squares. Sounds basic but if you go to the right spot it’ll be the best pizza you’ve ever had. Even if you’re not a thin-crust fan I challenge you to try this anyways!
Maybe it’s not the most “instagramable” pizza, but the camera doesn’t have a stomach so who cares. This masterpiece was created at Vito & Nicks. It’s important to go to Vito & Nicks and not Vito & Nicks 2/Vito & Nicks Frozen. I don’t know the whole story, but the waitress implied the latter options are owned by non-family members without the original recipe. Trust me, you want the original recipe.
When you walk into Vito & Nicks you know you’re in a local favorite. You see the Italian flag colors, an old bar, those iconic red-but-clear plastic glasses, and decorations everywhere. Some of which are commemorating their 100th year in business as of 2020!
This pizza has the thinnest, flavorful, perfectly cooked crust I’ve ever had. The green peppers taste slightly pickled, which adds a nice zing when paired with their signature sauce. The cheese is hard to mess up on a thin crust pizza, so this was standard and not unnecessarily covered in cheese which my stomach appreciated. We got pepperoni and green peppers as our only toppings but they had plenty to choose from at reasonable prices. There is a reason they’ve been in business for 103 years, and it’s because they have the best pizza on the planet, or at least in the mid west. (New Yorker’s, don’t come for me, I’m headed there soon!)
That’s it for the pizza related news – I could only suffer so much lactose in one 24 hour period. To read more about our spontaneous road trip to Chicago, including free activities, our first hostel stay, and more food, check out this post.
Make sure to let me know where you’ve found the best pizza at so I can visit it on my future trips! Our next big trip takes us from Ohio to California, so all recommendations (pizza or otherwise) are welcome!
If you’re ready to stop planning and start driving, hit the road in as soon as 4 weeks with a customized road trip plan from yours truly! Just head here to get started with my free Adventure Quiz.
-Taysia