Where To Find The Best Deep Dish Pizza In Chicago: Our Top 5 Favorite Picks

My kind of town, Chicago is…Wrigley Field, The Magnificent Mile, Navy Pier, and of course, the deep dish pizza in Chicago – a spin on a classic dish that is as original and authentic as the Windy City itself. As a major metropolitan area, you can get pizza all over the city. But when it comes to the deep-dish specialty pizza, we’ve found a handful of places where you can get the best deep-dish pizza in Chicago.

As we all know, pizza’s humble origins begin in the gardens of Italy, where the freshest, sun-ripened tomatoes are puréed and accompanied by olive oil, garlic, oregano, and fresh basil. These authentic ingredients blend perfectly with an underlying thin, light crust for a delightfully herbal masterpiece.

In the US (some say perfected in New York), the tomato sauce is slow-cooked, and the crust is thicker, supporting more cheese, more sauce, and an endless variety of toppings.

Now on to Chicago pizza. As legend would have it, some artful and inventive pizza chefs took the original pizza concept in an entirely new direction.

Dating as far back as 1926, culinary artists including Severio Rosati at Chicago Authentic Pizza, Ike Sewell at the original Pizzeria UNO, and Rudy Malnati, UNO’s original pizza chef, redefined a classic, resulting in Chicago-style pizza.

Taking a thick pan, they literally turned the traditional pizza upside down, resulting in pie-like layers. The sauce became the top layer, covering the cheese and toppings. The thickness of the new creation takes a mandatory forty-minute baking process to produce a glorious tower of pizza perfection – the Chicago deep-dish pizza.

So, where does one begin a tour to experience the best deep dish pizza in Chicago? Read on to find out!

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5 Best Restaurants For Deep Dish Pizza In Chicago

The Original Pizzeria UNO On Ohio And Wabash

29 E Ohio St. // +1 312-321-1000

This is the starting point on your journey, the very genesis of deep-dish history. The ambiance is as authentic as the food, with signature checkerboard tiles, an ornate tin roof, and cozy tables and booths packing in the happy patrons.

What to try – The individual 7” Numero UNO: Sausage, pepperoni, onions, peppers, mushrooms, chunky tomato sauce, mozzarella, romano, and a local draft beer.

You’ll quickly see why this Chicago institution has now become a national chain of over one hundred restaurants, including locations as far away as Honduras, India, and Saudi Arabia!

Fortunately for you, you can also stay right at home to try one of the best deep dish pizzas in Chicago.

Lou Malnati’s On North Wells Street

439 N Wells St. // +1 312-828-9800

Malnati’s is a small, intimate space decorated with iconic jerseys from legendary Chicago sports teams. The bar is a friendly gathering place, where you’re likely to strike up a conversation with a fellow pizza lover.

What to try: The ‘Lou’ – a deep dish with mushrooms and onions, featuring a layer of Roma tomatoes and three kinds of cheese cradled with Malnati’s signature garlic butter crust. All I can say is “wow” – it’s like a party in a pan!

For an unforgettable deep dish pizza in Chicago, Malnati’s is the place.

Giordano’s On Rush Street

730 N Rush St. // +1 312-951-0747

Spacious, modern, bright, and bustling, this is a totally different experience than the smaller pizzerias described above. Bright, theater-like signage outside makes it feel like this is the place to be.

You can pull up at some of the huge flat screens in the expansive bar area to watch a game and the mandatory forty-minute bake time just flies by.

What to try: The Famous Stuffed Individual Deep-Dish, with your favorite toppings. Power through the piled high layers loaded with cheese for a meal to remember. Sounds simple, but the complexity of the layers and the combination of only the best ingredients make this a “best of” all deep dish pizza in Chicago.

Pizano’s On State Street

864 N State St. // +1 312-751-1766

This came highly recommended (actually from the bartender at Pizza Uno) as one of the originals.

The story here is that Rudy Malnati (Lou’s brother) and his son Rudy Jr. launched the chain while Rudy’s wife, Donna “Momma” Malnati made the dough balls in her basement from a secret family recipe. The resulting specialty pizza, with a thin crust, rivals the deep dish competition.

What to try: The Thin Cheese, which comes in medium or large only, so be sure to bring a friend or two. If you’re going to go to one of Chicago’s best pizzerias, to get one of Chicago’s best pizzas, what better than to share?

Pequod’s on Fernald Avenue In Morton Grove

2207 N Clybourn Ave. // +1 773-327-1512

Pizza chef Burt Katz launched his restaurant in the 60s and created the “Pan Pizza” and became known as the “Father of the Caramelized Crust”, a unique variation where the ingredients lay on a puffy crust.

In the baking process, a crispy edge of cheese caramelizes, turning lacy and dark.

Many natives of Chicago tout this as best of all Chicago pizzas, even though not as well known as the more popular places listed above.

A bit of trivia – Burt was a fan of great literature, naming his restaurant after the whaling ship in Moby Dick.

What to try: The 7” Personal Pan Pizza loaded with your favorite toppings. This is a must-try spin on the theme if you want to say you’ve done it all!

Ok, so now you have the history of Chicago pizza, the five best places for pizza in Chicago, and the menu for these pizzas. Whether you consider the deep-dish pizza a rival to more traditional pizzas is ultimately up to you. But you have all the best pizzas represented here – pan pizza, thin-crust pizza, and Chicago’s best – deep dish pizza.

What I can tell you is that Chicago natives are proud of their culinary heritage and invite you to give it a try; you won’t go wrong with a Chicago pizza. Now go out and enjoy…Mangia!

Visiting other destinations in Illinois? Check out our other delicious guides:

Check these articles and be amazed by the delicious pizza recipes you can try in the US:

Which of these deep dish pizza in Chicago do you most want to try? Let me know in the comments section below!

Favorite destinations include Italy, Singapore and and New Orleans. They enjoy taking in the local culture and cuisine (including great wines and local breweries), listening to live music and exploring nature when hiking or kayaking.

Nathan

Travel writer and owner of the blog. My work has been featured on Fodors, Eater.com, International Living, and Great Escape Publishing, among many others. My story? Nearly six years ago, I left my job at an Oklahoma City law firm and embarked on a journey around the world. At the time, I thought I would only be gone for 6 months, but the more I traveled, the longer my bucket list became. Flashpacker describes how I travel. Rather than traveling as the normal world wise backpacker and staying in hostel dorms, I prefer a more comfortable experience, and typically stay in private rooms, take Ubers instead of taxis, and now use a suitcase instead of a backpack. Foodie, on the other hand, describes one of the key reasons why I travel. I love to pick a central “base camp” and then explore the surrounding area, really immersing myself in the culture and interacting with the people, and enjoying and exploring the food of an area is an essential part of this experience.

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Odis

Sunday 12th of September 2021

That is fine about Chicago I'm sure that they do have the best deep dish pizza but I'm in Toronto and I've always tried finding a good deep dish pie here with no luck I wish you would do an article on that help us Canadians LOL I'm sure a lot of us would thank you very much

Kevin Rudolph

Monday 6th of September 2021

Rosati's has 2 websites with the same story. Myrosatis.com and rosatispizza.com.They each have the same story but different locations and menus. Did the company/family split?

JOHN MUSSO

LOU MALNATI'S IS THE BEST - #1 IF YOUR GOING TO EAT LOU MALNATI'S PIZZA YOU SHOULD ONLY ORDER THE "MALNATI CHICAGO CLASSIC" SAUSAGE, EXTRA CHEESE, AND BUTTER CRUST. YOU SHOULD NEVER ORDER OTHER TOPPINGS BECAUSE IT'S NOT THE AUTHENTIC " MALNATI'S CHICAGO CLASSIC" THIS IS THE PIZZA THAT MADE LOU MALNATI'S PIZZA FAMOUS. ALL THOSE OTHER TOPPINGS CHANGE THE TASTE OF OF THE PIZZA. IF YOU WANT THOSE TOPPINGS ORDER A THIN CRUST PIZZA BUT NEVER ON A DEEP DISH PIZZA. NOTE: ALTHOUGH UNO'S AND DUE ARE THE ORIGINAL DEEP DISH PIZZAS IN CHICAGO THEY DON'T MAKE THE PIZZAS AS THEY ONCE DID. THAT'S BECAUSE THE MALNATI'S (COOKS & MANAGERS) LEFT UNO'S IN 1971 TO OPEN THEIR OWN FIRST LOCATION IN LINCOLNWOOD. ALSO THE ORIGINAL GINOS ON RUSH AND LATER GINO'S EAST ON SUPERIOR DON'T TASTE AS GOOD AS WHEN THEY FIRST OPENED. I KNOW BECAUSE I WORKED THERE. GINO'S EAST AND UNO'S BOTH FRANCHISE NOW AND THEY DO NOT MAKE THE PIZZA THE SAME AS THE ORIGINAL CHICAGO LOCATIONS. WHO KNOWS WHY BUT THAT'S WHY SO MANY HAVE CLOSED THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. IF THEY WERE GOOD THEY WOULD STILL BE OPEN. THINK ABOUT IT. THAT'S WHY YOU WROTE THE ARTICLE TO BEGIN WITH. THE PUBLIC HAS SPOKEN. ALL THE OTHER PLACES YOU MENTIONED ARE JUST VARIATIONS OF CHICAGO DEEP DISH PIZZA NOW AND DON'T COMPARE TO LOU MALNATI'S. UNFORTUNATELY THAT INCLUDES THE ORIGINAL UNO'S, DUE, AND GINO'S EAST.

Brian Breckler

Thursday 2nd of September 2021

I grew up in Morton Grove, I don't know how many Pequods I have eaten, but absolutely perfect. Gino's East was another personal favorite. I am glad my sister and I learned how to make deep dish pizza, because 26 years in minnesota....i miss chicago style pizza. Unos was here a couple years but shutdown...damnit' now I'm hungry

Ric

You forgot Connies pizza in Chinatown. It’s at 2723 Archet ave