Everyone knows that when in Chicago, you eat pizza. From the dough recipe to the thickness of the pizza crust to the taste of the sauce, Chicago takes it very, very seriously.
With so many pizzerias and pizza restaurants to choose from, it can be hard to find a classic Chicago style pizza.
To help you out, we’ve pulled out the best pizza places in Chicago that we’ve been to, and come recommended by our readers, friends and family, that we think will appeal to a wide variety of pizza lovers!
Don’t worry if you prefer New York-style pizza, we’ve included one on this list. But only one! Come on, you’re in Chicago, not Brooklyn! Forget your thin crust pizza, it’s all about the deep dish!
10 Outstanding Pizza Places in Chicago
Whether you’re in town for a day or a weekend be sure to stop by one of these Chicago pizza places for a sensational culinary experience. It’s definitely one of the top things to do in Chicago!
1. Gino’s East Pizza
If it’s your first time visiting Chicago, Gino’s East is a great place to go to experience what Chicago deep dish pizza is all about.
You’re in for a real treat if you’ve never tasted cornmeal crust. Chicagoan’s can all agree that having a solid cornmeal crust is part of what makes deep dish pizza so dang good.
Gino’s is a classic, famous Chicago pizza restaurant with two stores in Chicago, Magnificent Mile and South Loop, as well as a restaurant in Lake Geneva in Wisconsin, Wheaton in Illinois, Los Angeles and Singapore.
Their pizza is consistently delicious and makes for the perfect place to kick back after a day exploring Grant Park or The Art Institute. The pizzeria in South Loop is easily accessible on foot from the park.
Many people will tell you Gino’s East is where you go for the best deep dish pizza in Chicago. It’s a solid choice, however it isn’t my favorite…
- Address: Gino’s East: 521 S Dearborn St, Chicago, IL 60605
- Hours: 11.00am – 9.00pm Sunday – Thursday, 11.00am – 10.00pm Friday and Saturday
2. Pequod’s Pizza (aka where to get the “REAL” best deep dish in Chicago)
There is no better place than Pequod’s Pizza! Trust me on this one.
The tomato sauce is perfection, toppings are plentiful, and I’ll tell you there is something so wonderful about the perfect amount of crunch to their golden crust.
Venture out to the Lincoln Park neighborhood for lunch or dinner at Pequod’s Pizza.
A word of warning: deep dish pizza takes around 40 minutes to cook so order one of their fabulous apps like the jalapeno peppers or a salad to hold you over until the pizza is ready.
- Address: Pequod’s Pizza: 2207 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago IL 60614
- Hours: 11.00am – 2.00am Monday – Saturday, 11.00am – 12.00am Sunday
3. Spacca Napoli Pizzeria
In the heart of Ravenswood you’ll discover Spacca Napoli, which specializes in Neapolitan style pizza.
Typically, Neapolitan pizzas (pizza from Naples) have a flatter base, and usually go easy on the toppings. It’s prepared with a simple dough, raw tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, and olive oil, and that’s about it!
Of course, you can add Italian beef, sausage, or ham if you love meat, or go for a spinach and ricotta for vegetarians.
Step inside and you’ll instantly feel as if you’ve been transported into an Italian grandmother’s home in Italy.
The aromas, the art, the carefully selected ingredients, wine and music selection create the perfect setting for your Neapolitan meal.
For starters I’m absolutely head over heels for the caprese with buffalo mozzarella and my go to pizza order is always the Capricciosa pizza with tomatoes, black olives, mushrooms and artichokes. Yum!
Oh and pre-warning, sometimes the base can get floppy so you may need to use a knife and fork!
- Address: Spacca Napoli: 1769 W. Sunnyside Ave. Chicago, IL
- Hours: 5.00pm – 10.30pm Monday – Thursday, 12.30pm – 10.30pm Friday – Sunday
4. Jimmy’s Pizza Cafe
I realize not everyone gets excited about deep dish pizza, and that is totally okay.
How many people do you know would turn down New York style pizza? Not one? My thoughts exactly.
That’s where Jimmy’s Pizza Cafe in Lincoln Square comes in.
Maybe it’s a bit crazy I’m recommending a New York style pizza joint in Chicago, but I strongly feel it would be a sin if I didn’t, because frankly this place is phenomenal.
At this casual eatery you can order pizza by the slice or whole pies. You can choose whether you want pan pizza or deep dish, and you can build your own pizza with your own toppings.
I like to keep it classic at Jimmy’s and order plain cheese or pepperoni, with a side of garlic knots. They also make really great beignets too!
- Address: Jimmy’s Pizza Cafe: 5159 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60625
- Hours: 5.00pm – 9.00pm Monday, 9.00am – 9.00pm Tuesday – Thursday and Sunday, 9.00am – 10.00pm Friday and Saturday
5. Happy Camper Chicago
For a trendy pizza joint, you must pay a visit to Happy Camper in Old Town (they have five locations across the city). Inside you’ll be wowed by the creativity of this place. Old school campers converted into seating, a bullet bar, and a neon sign of the great lakes. It’s the coolest!
Happy Camper serves fabulous cocktails and of course they make some killer pizza!
The menu is extensive with nearly 30 different creations to choose from, or you can create your own.
My favorite is the the Dime Piece topped with chicken, jalapenos, cream cheese, chili flakes, garlic and olive oil.
Luckily they are open for lunch, dinner and brunch on the weekends. Bonus! They are open until 3 am for late night pizza on the weekends.
Hot Tip: If your order their hangover iced coffee at brunch it may come with a donut on the side. You can definitely count on having a great time at this Chicago pizza restaurant.
- Address: Happy Camper: 1209 N Wells St, Chicago, IL 60610
- Hours: 11.00am – 11.00pm Monday – Wednesday, 11.00am – 11.30pm Thursday, 11.00am – 1.00am Friday, 10.00am – 1.00am Saturday, 10.00am – 10.30pm Sunday
6. Robert’s Pizza and Dough Company
Robert Garvey is a NY native and certified pizza maker from the Scuola Italiana Pizzaioli.
Over more than 20 years, Robert has been on a quest to create the perfect slice, fine tuning his dough recipe to ensure it stays chewy in the middle, and crunchy at the edge.
From the first bite to the last, you won’t find a more succulent taste!
Robert’s Pizza was also the Winner of the Open Table Diner’s Choice Award in 2023, and has been featured in the Top 50 Pizza Restaurant list in 2021, 2022 and 2023!
- Address: 465 N McClurg Ct, Chicago IL
- Hours: 12.00pm – 9.00pm Monday – Thursday, 12.00pm – 10.00pm Friday, 11.00am – 10.00pm Saturday, 11.00am – 9.00pm Sunday
7. Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria
Lou’s is one of the oldest family-owned pizza restaurant in Chicago, opening their doors in 1971. But Lou’s pizza career didn’t start there. He began working for the first deep dish pizzeria in Chicago in the 1940s.
Lou is not only known for his amazing pizza making skills but also for being a nice guy, with a fun-loving character and a cheerful attitude.
After Lou passed away in 1978, his eldest son, Marc, took the reigns.
Keeping true to traditional pizza making fashion, but combining hand selected produce, exclusive sausage blends, fresh mozzarella, and all handmade from scratch, you won’t get tastier than this!
The recipe has been a family secret for generations. Come and see why Lou’s is one of the local’s favorite joints!
- Address: 439 N Wells St, Chicago, IL 60654, United States
- Hours: 11.00am – 11.00pm Sunday – Thursday, 11.00am – 12.00am Friday and Saturday
8. Burt’s Place
Ok, so it’s not exactly in Chicago, but Burt’s Place is so renowned we couldn’t leave it off this list.
Known as the only deep dish pizza Anthony Bourdain ever loved, and was also hailed as the pizza that kickstarted Robert Maleski’s obsession with pizza making – Burt’s Place has earned itself a reputation the supersedes some of those pizza joints located in the heart of Chicago.
Burt Katz started his pizza career back in 1965 when he launched Gulliver’s, and then Pequod’s (the same mentioned earlier), before finally opening Burt’s Place in 1989.
Not only is the pizza good, but the vibe is always buzzing. The decor, with its covered gazebo and industrial-style interior, feels inviting and casual. The kind of place you could sit with a beer for hours and talk to the locals.
Sadly Burt passed away in 2017, but his legacy lives on in every bite from Burt’s Place.
- Address: 8541 Ferris Ave, Morton Grove, IL 60053
- Hours: 4.30pm – 9.30pm Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday, 4.30pm – 10.00pm Thursday – Saturday, Closed Monday
9. Vito & Nick’s Pizzeria
Another family-owned institution is Vito & Nick’s Pizzeria, which has been serving Italian style pizza for 90+ years.
Vito and Nick are a father and son, who started making pizzas back in 1923, and expanded in 1932.
In 1945, his son joined the business, and they’ve been working together ever since.
They are famous for making mouth-watering, delicious pizza using inexpensive ingredients.
Get an original Sicilian style pizza but don’t pay a fortune for it!
- Address: 8433 S Pulaski Rd, Chicago, IL 60652
- Hours: 11.00am – 8.30pm Monday – Thursday, 11.00am – 9.30pm Friday and Saturday, 12.00pm – 8.30pm Sunday
10. Paulie Gee’s Logan Square
Paul Giannone, also known as Paulie Gee, is the founder of the iconic Paulie Gee’s Pizzeria in Brooklyn, New York, who has opened several branches around the country.
The Chicago branch, located on Logan Square, is the place to go for a taste of this nationwide famous pizza.
He’s well known for creating popular Neopolitan-style thin-crust pizzas and is every bit worth the hype.
They are the US Pizza Cup Winner, and well deserved!
- Address: 2451 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60647
- Hours: 5.00pm – 10.00pm Monday – Thursday, 5.00pm – 11.00pm Friday, 9.00am – 2.00pm, 4.00pm – 11.00pm Saturday, 9.00am – 2.00pm, 4.00pm – 10.00pm Sunday
Final Thoughts
So there you have it, those are the best places to find pizza in Chicago. As you might have noticed, many of these are family-owned, tavern-style pizza joints – and that truly is where you find the best pizza.
Chicago pizza is not about who can make the deepest dish, but about sitting down with your family after a hard day of work and enjoying something hearty and delicious.
Whether you’re looking for a classic pie crust or a NY style thin crust, there are no better restaurants for getting to know good Chicago pizza than these.
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Any burning Chicago pizza questions or comments? Tell us below in the comments!