A Guide to the Best Pizzerias in Chicago

Pizza is a huge part of Chicago's food culture, offering a wide variety of styles beyond just the famous deep dish. Here are 10 pizzerias, where you can try this famous food in all its different types. We'll look at old pizza shops that have been around for decades and recent places trying new things with ingredients.

Giordano's is a chain of restaurants famous for its stuffed deep-dish pizzas. Their signature dish has two layers of crust and they use their own cheese recipe!
Customers can make own pizza by choosing up to seven toppings. Besides deep-dish, Giordano's also offers thin-crust pizzas and other Italian dishes.

Lou Malnati's, a family business running since 1971. They have a unique approach to pizza making using a special dough recipe with butter, which gives it a distinct texture.
The restaurant also pays great attention to ingredient quality, ordering tomatoes for their sauce from California, while their cheese is a special mix made just for Lou Malnati's. Even the sausage is made using an original recipe.
For customers with special dietary needs, Lou Malnati's offers gluten-free options and cauliflower crust pizza. For those who prefer to eat at home, they have delivery or you can buy a half-cooked pizzas to bake at home.

Pequod's Pizza stands out among Chicago pizzerias for its caramelized crust. They achieve it through a special baking technique: cheese is placed between the dough and the edge of the cast-iron pan used for cooking.
Unlike classic Chicago deep-dish pizzas, Pequod's offers a medium-thick pizza. Their signature sauce, made fresh daily using their own recipe, gives the pizzas a distinctive taste.
Pequod's is also known for its unusual topping combinations, allowing customers to try new flavors.

Spacca Napoli specializes in authentic Neapolitan pizza. The restaurant uses an oven brought directly from Naples that reaches 900°F (485°C), allowing them to cook pizzas in 60-90 seconds. This gives the dough the texture typical of Neapolitan-style pizza.
At Spacca Napoli, the dough is made with type 00 flour and left to rise for 24-36 hours, making it light. They use high-quality traditional Italian ingredients for toppings - San Marzano tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella cheese.
The owner of Spacca Napoli learned the art of pizza making in Italy and strictly follows authenticity standards. The restaurant's menu changes with the seasons, so they can always use only the freshest ingredients.

Piece is a unique combination of a pizzeria and a brewery, specializing in New Haven-style pizza. They achieve this texture by using a gas oven that reaches very high temperatures.
Besides pizza, Piece is famous for its craft beer, which has won many awards.
The restaurant lets customers create their own pizzas with a wide choice of toppings. Interestingly, a cheese-less pizza is a standard option on Piece's menu. To complete the experience, the place regularly hosts live music performances.

Coalfire is known for its pizzas baked in a coal oven. This oven uses anthracite coal and heats up to an incredible 1500°F (815°C). This way the pizza has a thin, crispy crust, characteristic bubbles, and slightly charred edges. Thanks to the extremely high oven temperature, pizzas get cooked very quickly, keeping the toppings juicy.
Coalfire's menu is limited, but each pizza is made with special attention to ingredient quality. Their signature dish is a pizza with 'Nduja salami, which is very popular among visitors.

Bonci brought Roman-style pizza to Chicago. With dough fermented for 72 hours, they offer pizza al taglio, which is sold in rectangular slices.
Bonci's visitors can enjoy a wide range of toppings that change daily to try different flavors with each visit.
The restaurant tries to use organic and local ingredients when possible, showing their commitment to quality and freshness.

Paulie Gee's offers both traditional and innovative pizzas. The restaurant uses a wood-fired oven imported from Italy, which gives their pizzas a recognizable aroma and texture.
Paulie Gee's menu has a large selection of vegan options, making this place popular among visitors with different dietary preferences. The restaurant is also known for its signature dishes with unusual ingredient combinations, such as honey and sausage.
They constantly experiments with new flavors, using local and seasonal ingredients. Additionally, the restaurant offers a separate menu with Detroit-style pizzas, adding variety to their offerings.

Burt's Place is a legendary place founded by Burt Katz, a pioneer of Chicago-style pizza. The restaurant offers medium-thick pizzas with a daily made secret recipe sauce and caramelized crust, cooked in old cast-iron pans.
A special feature of Burt's Place is that you need to order in advance. The restaurant maintains old-school Chicago pizza traditions, offering an authentic experience that has remained unchanged for decades.

Robert's Pizza & Dough Company is known for its signature hand-stretched dough that creates a perfect balance between a crispy exterior and a soft interior. The restaurant offers a variety of pizzas, with both traditional and creative topping combinations.

One of their standout options is the "Carbonara" pizza, which features pancetta, egg yolk, Pecorino Romano, and cracked black pepper, mimicking the flavors of the classic pasta dish. They also offer vegan and gluten-free options, catering to different dietary needs.

Robert's Pizza is located near the Chicago River, so the scenic views are guaranteed. Their commitment to dough quality and innovation makes them a favorite among pizza enthusiasts in Chicago.