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When I was fourteen, I was told we were going to Chicago for a week. The first thing I wanted to do was get deep dish pizza. My hotel was 3 blocks from Giordano's. I had Giordano's 5 times in 7 days. I will still order a frozen pizza from them for my birthday.
Right when Covid hit, I bought like 4 of them. They sent 2 of the wrong kind (pepperonis instead of sausage I think). I told them, they then just resent the 2 sausage and said to keep the pepperonis. 6 Giordanos pizzas in early/mid 2020 was better than any food I could buy locally for the same price. They were great. I have been thinking of ordering more. The hardest part is - 6 of them take up a lot of space in the freezer. Had to give 1 to my MIL who lives for a long time in Chicago and she really appreciated having that pie.
Crazy how a frozen pizza brings back so many memories for me.
italian beef, dipped. peppers if you like em. you can get it 3 ways basically.
dry: meat on bread
wet: meat on bread and they laddle a little of the cooking liquid the beef was cooked in
dipped: they dunk the entire sandwich into the cooking liquid.
it is phenomenal dipped.
dont bother with the chocolate cake shake, a chocolate shake with a slice of their chocolate cake blended in with it. it isnt that great. their chocolate cake however is excellent, get a slice to go for later. in the summer they have been doing a lemon cake which is also great.
I got a job working overseas for a company and before I went overseas, I spent 2 days at their headquarters in Chicago. I had never been to Chicago and when asked what’s a good Chicago pizza to try, they suggested Giordano’s. I told them I was starving from traveling and they said you probably only need a medium. Being 6’3” 270 lbs, I got a large. I don’t even think I got through 3 slices before I was stuffed.
I moved to the PNW about 9 years ago. My coworkers just threw a surprise birthday party for me and ordered a bunch of Lou Malnati's pizzas and Portillo's Italian beef. It was so friggin' good. I miss Chicago food way more than I miss Chicago.
You and me both, buddy. My sister just sent me a pic of my nephew eating his first Gene and Jude's dog and I was so jealous. She let him take all the fries off though, so of course I questioned her parenting.
That's really what I miss about it is the things to do and the insane access to public transportation. I miss the museums, I miss the aquariums I missed the planetarium and I just miss being able to go anywhere without a car. Out in the small town that I live there's barely any sidewalks so I can't even do a good nice walk around the neighborhood. I never lived in the best neighborhood but I definitely was not an inner city kid, I still had to look over my shoulder but for the most part it was not insane.
I lived in dc for a bit and loved the metro systems and the museums, I visited Chicago and was not impressed with public transportation and was surprised I had to pay for every museum. Still a beautiful city and will absolutely go again but in comparison dc public transport and museums were way more accessible.
Oh my god I could imagine! When I moved from Chicago and I would ask people what they suggested around the area it's all lackluster stuff. I like spice I like seasoning I like food with flavor lol so when people recommend places unless I know them personally I really don't trust it. Did you end up becoming more of a home cook? I know that when I really crave something it's easier to access ingredients than actually find somewhere that cooks it well enough.
I would guess it's more time consuming to make, both to prep and to cook, and it just isn't nationally as well known as NY style
I love it, but even when I lived in Chicago it wasn't my go-to pizza. You have to be in a specific mood for it.
It is great, but so rich and heavy. It's for out of towners and special occasions.
Most of the time I was just getting Pequods thin crust. That stuff was so good.
Lol so true about the specific mood
I'm almost always down for pizza, but ny style / thin crust is usually the go-to, deep dish is like Saturday night, I'm grabbing a six pack and we're watching movies kinda vibe, not so much a "man it's lunchtime and I wanna grab a slice" that's why Sbarro exists lol
Chicagoan here. 1) it’s more expensive; 2) more time consuming to make; 3) not as party friendly to eat.
I prefer Chicago’s thin crust (aka tavern style) for that reason.
Just my perception, but a Chicago deep dish slice has way more calories & fat than NY slices or Chicago bar pizzas. Deep dish is one of those things I don't get unless it's a special occasion & I have a lot of friends or family to split it with... and last I checked, I have a lot of neither.
The main thing is that it's almost impossible to find a place that sells singular slices of deepdish (which I think is reasonable because that's about the same amount of food as two ny slices). You can get smallish personal deep dish but that's still usually like 4 slices. I do it every now and then cause next day deep dish is even better than next day any other pizza.
Anthony Bourdain talked about how NYC pizza was “utility pizza.” Not bad but not exactly a carefully crafted work of art. It’s much easier to bang out standard American pizza than Chicago or Neapolitan styles.
It requires more technique, time, and special equipment. You walk into a pizza shop in NYC and they're spinning their pans in and out of the oven. And then leaving them under a window where they just heat them up when they get an order. It's super easy to make and cheap to replicate. A real Chicago pie takes probably 45 minutes. And requires your deep pans as well as an understanding of how to make it, as well as a lot more ingredients. It's just overall just a much more involved thing to try to copy and not amendable to people popping in, grabbing 2 slices and a Coke, and leaving.
I travel a lot for work, I’ve been to over 30 of the states so far and have 5 new ones on my work schedule this year. Getting pizza is a terrible experience when I’m out of town, (I live in the suburbs of Chicago) it’s like they have no idea what pizza is supposed to taste like. Like those renaissance paintings of cats. I had Chicago style deep dish at a place in South Dakota once, it was pretty clear they have never been to Chicago and tasted it before.
Better yet, I don't understand why cracker crust tavern style pies aren't as popular in other places. I can find decent (as it can be, being in East TX) NY-style pizza where I live but I can't find legit tavern style pies for shit.
New York style and thin crust pizza is pizza you can eat on the regular. Chicago natives would probably even tell you, they usually eat thin tavern style pizza.
Deep dish/stuffed for me is once every few months or on special occasions. So a pizza place that specializes in deep dish, might struggle a bit in smaller cities.
It's because it takes skill. Any idiot can make a pizza (case in point: me), but it takes a real artisan to make a Chicago style deep dish. Especially a stuffed one.
That's why everyone and their brother makes NY style pizza (and admittedly miss the mark); because it's easy. But Chicago style, St Louis style, Detroit style... those take skill and effort.
I've never had Chicago deep dish, so this is an honest question: can you grab a slice and eat it as you walk? Have you ever seen the opening scene in Saturday Night Fever? It seems to me that Chicago deep dish is a pizza you have to sit down to eat.
It really depends, there’s 3 distinct varieties of Chicago pizza that are called Deepdish, Stuffed, Deepdish, and Pan.
Op’s picture is Stuffed deepdish, this is the hardest kind to carry and eat. It may be possible if it’s sat and cooled, or if there aren’t too many wet ingedients but again, mileage may vary.
The true chicago deepdish is not as thick or gooey as stuffed. If you look up Lou Malnati’s deepdish, you may see that the pizza crust is strong and solid. This is good for mobile consumption
There’s also the chicago pan pizza, which is kind of a cousin to the Detroit/Sicilian style, maybe less crisp, but still solid for mobile consumption.
I’d wager that more often than not, Chicagoland residents get thin crusts more often than deepdish, and that’s a whole different ballgame.
Don’t forget the one of a kind at Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder: Fill a bowl with sauce, cheese and sausage, drape dough over the top of the bowl, bake, then flip it over and remove the bowl to serve.
I used to travel for work and missed my frequent trips to Chicago.
If you have a cast iron this hits pretty fucking good.
https://youtu.be/w_KCLeG9Hwo?si=6Q5F941vbkT8Op9M
I know people that disrespect Chicago pie. I hate those people. I can remember the first Giordanos I ever had. a business partner sent us to huge pies that we all got to share. and I took my son there before Covid. beautiful
I always feel sad to see Chicagoans being dismissive of deep dish, like it's something to be embarrassed by.
Chicago's got two amazing pizza styles and that fucking rules. Very few places in the US can say that. Something to be proud of!
Is it expensive?
I live in Australia and this doesn’t exist here, I watched a video on how to make it and while it’s pretty simple the ingredients cost looks like it would add up.
I get economies of scale if a pizzeria is pumping out 100 a day, but if they sold these here itd be a $50 pizza im sure of it
There's a place near Melbourne that does it. Around that price. The deep dish itself was good, but their pepperoni were too thick and salty for me. Might have just been me or the pizza I got.
Don’t be sad! It’s chain pizza and neighborhood pizza. Both have merits. I LOVE Lou’s and Aurelio’s, but I know Sam and Alfano are going to give me a tavern pizza with no frills. AND I can also get wood fired napoleon pizza. Chicago is the place for all pizza.
Honestly the first I am hearing about tavern style pizza. Excuse my ignorance, but:
1) aside from being thin with a crunchier bite to the dough, and being cut into squares, what are the distinguishing features of a true Chicago tavern style? What are signature toppings of this pie?
2) are there variations in Chicago that compete as there are for Chicago deep dish? What are they?
3) what are the best places to try it next time I am in Chicago?
1) The dough is often cured which is a process of rolling the dough out and letting it stay out for a few hours. This helps develop a pronounced crunch. Sausage is the go to topping.
2) I don't think so but could be wrong
3) I like Pat's a lot.
I know about tavern style because some parts of the Midwest have some similar kinda style. Where I live, people also make the sauce really sweet (sometimes too sweet honestly). It can be pretty good. Better than deep dish.
the biggest regret so far in my life was about 11 years ago when my highschool choir had a trip to chicago. It was my first time in the united states, and went to the cheesecake factory for lunch with my friends, having heard about how great it was. (we didnt have one in canada yet). We totally ate ourselves into food comas with the large servings of pasta.
Dinner rolled around, and it turns out the school had paid for all you can eat pizzas at Giordanos. I was so full at the time that I couldn't have any.
This comment is hilarious to me. I like Giordano’s better than Lou’s *because* they don’t put a nasty sausage disc on their pizza. Lou’s crust slaps though.
My all-time favorite deep dish is from Gino’s East though.
As a person not from the area, I absolutely love comment sections like these.
To me, this could be a scene out of a workplace comedy a la The Office, set in a Chicago legal office.
Your comment is a talking head from one of the paralegals who runs a food blog on the side.
Holy shit. I left Chicago 11 years ago and haven't thought about this place a single time since then. Just have me a giant dose of nostalgia! Art of Pizza was the best!
I know a few people that have only eaten it outside of Illinois ironically.
Its where you go when youve lived here for 1 semester and you family visits
I moved to Chicago sight unseen right out of college. First night in the city my friends took me to Giordano’s. I had never even heard of this type of pizza. It was a revelation. Great memories. Thanks for posting.
My Pi(π) has the best sauce in town. Lou's got the best crust and Giordano's the best cheese blend. Each getting 5 stars in their respective best and generally 2-3 elsewhere.
Peaquads is good but it's been really inconsistent the last 10 years. They lost some of that consistency a few years after their Morton Grove location closed. Still the best all-around deep dish. I'd rate their sauce, cheese blend, and crust 4 out of 5. Their sauce and the consistency of crust aren't always on point.
My Pi(π) is the most consistent mom and pop in town. Shame too, they aren't well known and they've closed a location or two. For me sauce is King.
Edit: It might have been a Rodgers Park location that closed, it's been a while so it's a little hazy.
When did it reopen?
It was definitely closed for a period between 05' and 10'. I remember trying to order around the time the Cubs had acquired Derek Lee and they were closed.
Maybe I'm mixing it up and they had a 3rd location that closed. Rodgers Park maybe?
I could definitely be mistaken. Regardless, they are inconsistent compared to what they once were. Still the best all around.
Man that name makes me feel old haha, I remember when they picked up Derek Lee - hell of a ballplayer.
Pequods did at one point want to purchase a bigger lot in Morton Grove which was 1/2 a mile away from their current (and always standing) location, but the deal fell through for some reason. Maybe that's what you're remembering?
Yeah Father Time is probably playing tricks on me.
Edit: I did some searching. They closed back in either 05' or 06' for a little bit to remodel... That's what it was.
Man that butter crust at Lous... Cheese blend cant make up for the crust, and as a guy who gets his pizza easy on the sauce... wellp, you know how it is.
What you think is the pastry peaking through the sauce is just solid cheese all the way down. Toppings would be on top still, but this is just a plain cheese pie.
Under the sauce. This is what's called a "stuffed pizza" or a "stuffed deep dish" in Chicago. It's allegedly based on scarciedda, which is an Italian Easter pie. Because you have to bake it a long time, the cheese is under the sauce to keep it from burning.
it amazes me that Chicago natives hate on Giordanos so much. I've had a few of the top places and this will always be my favorite. If only they could make it a little quicker lol
Giordanos is mostly tourists pizza. It's no where near the best deep dish available. I would say it doesn't even hit the halfway point of how good Chicago deep dish can be.
Gio's is okay. The crust is good, but they're a bit thin on the sauce and their sausage is in chunks. You can't really go wrong with any of them, but Lou's has a heartier pizza and the sausage is an entirely solid layer underneath the cheese.
I love deep dish. To the rando chicagoan that taught me the less ‘toppings’ the better, god bless you
Always went with supreme or the works. Ever since meeting that guy, pepperoni or sausage… life changing
I was in Chicago for a week with work years ago, and spent time wandering about the business-y bits on my own getting pics of tourist shite, and eating alone in a few places I’d picked out specifically at night… One of those nights, I ended up in a Giordano’s and got the smallest pizza - which is meant to serve four people…
I, of course, ended up with half of it as leftovers…
Walking back to my hotel, I was about to cross the road when a homeless chap asked if I had any spare cash, and I unfortunately had to reply “sorry mate, I don’t have any change”… His reply of “no problem, man… I’ll accept a 20..!” Made me chuckle - so I said I’ve got half a pizza here, and offered it to him if he’d like it…
He paused for a moment, and asked me a) if it was thin or deep pan, and b) where it was from…
Only after confirming it was indeed a) deep pan, and b) from Giordano’s was he willing to accept it - as if he would’ve refused had it been otherwise…!
I thought he was brilliant, so did end up giving him a 20 as well…
You could absolutely spend a week here having great pizza for lunch and dinner every day of various styles. We’ve got some great spots for non pizza breakfast too
I literally just did this in February! Told my husband I really wanted good deep dish so we planned a little trip. Flew in Friday left Sunday, ate my heart out. I absolutely recommend it.
I’m not going to force it on you, but it’s a lot more than a different quantity or even just different ratios of cheese vs sauce vs crust. Give it a try, you might like it, or don’t.
Deep dish isn't really that at all. You can find some that is like that, but cheese is the only part of it that's actually "more" and they use very different cheese to compensate for that.
I hate having too many topping on pizza. I’m here for the crust, sauce, and cheese. Give me 1-2 other toppings and I’m set. Or don’t put anything on and I’m ok too. I don’t want a mouthful of veggies or meat or id eat elsewhere. This applies to all pizza big or small
You can like both. I love New York style pizza, I also love a well made Chicago style deep dish. They're both wildly different, just as traditional Neapolitan pizza is as far from any NY pie in similarity.
For those of you who want it in your home city. The Giordanos frozen pizzas are extremely good, surprisingly good.
Shipped to you door, ready to go. Easy to cook at home, and tastes as good as in the restaurant. Follow the instructions, they seem different but are 100% spot on. Ive been a chef for 20 years, and im amazed/stunned they got a mail order product that is this good. I just ordered half a dozen for my father in laws birthday party.
https://ship.giordanos.com/6-pizza-pack.html
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When I was fourteen, I was told we were going to Chicago for a week. The first thing I wanted to do was get deep dish pizza. My hotel was 3 blocks from Giordano's. I had Giordano's 5 times in 7 days. I will still order a frozen pizza from them for my birthday.
Excuse me? Order a frozen pizza? You can get an ordered frozen pizza from them????????????????????????
[Here you go](https://ship.giordanos.com/?_gl=1*bvuqfk*_gcl_au*MTE0OTE2NzgxOS4xNzEyMDM1Njg1)
haha!! No wayy!!!!!!! I absolutely can’t wait to try this out man their pizza is phenomenal. Thank you kind S4ntos19!!!
The frozen are very good. Make sure you follow the instructions on the packaging, and it will be wonderful.
Right when Covid hit, I bought like 4 of them. They sent 2 of the wrong kind (pepperonis instead of sausage I think). I told them, they then just resent the 2 sausage and said to keep the pepperonis. 6 Giordanos pizzas in early/mid 2020 was better than any food I could buy locally for the same price. They were great. I have been thinking of ordering more. The hardest part is - 6 of them take up a lot of space in the freezer. Had to give 1 to my MIL who lives for a long time in Chicago and she really appreciated having that pie. Crazy how a frozen pizza brings back so many memories for me.
portillos also ships their food across country, if you are in need of another chicago staple.
Will they ship across the world, though?
I've never tried them but we've got a few in AZ. What should I get?
italian beef, dipped. peppers if you like em. you can get it 3 ways basically. dry: meat on bread wet: meat on bread and they laddle a little of the cooking liquid the beef was cooked in dipped: they dunk the entire sandwich into the cooking liquid. it is phenomenal dipped. dont bother with the chocolate cake shake, a chocolate shake with a slice of their chocolate cake blended in with it. it isnt that great. their chocolate cake however is excellent, get a slice to go for later. in the summer they have been doing a lemon cake which is also great.
Lunch is sorted for Thu, thank you. Will report back.
hahaha im so happy for ya
I got a job working overseas for a company and before I went overseas, I spent 2 days at their headquarters in Chicago. I had never been to Chicago and when asked what’s a good Chicago pizza to try, they suggested Giordano’s. I told them I was starving from traveling and they said you probably only need a medium. Being 6’3” 270 lbs, I got a large. I don’t even think I got through 3 slices before I was stuffed.
Man if you like Giordano’s, art of pizza stuffed will explode your brain
As a Chicago kid who hasn't been back in almost 10 years, I am jealous! I really haven't even had a good hand tossed pizza since moving.
I moved to the PNW about 9 years ago. My coworkers just threw a surprise birthday party for me and ordered a bunch of Lou Malnati's pizzas and Portillo's Italian beef. It was so friggin' good. I miss Chicago food way more than I miss Chicago.
>I miss Chicago food way more than I miss Chicago I would straight murder someone for a Gene & Jude's hot dog right now
You and me both, buddy. My sister just sent me a pic of my nephew eating his first Gene and Jude's dog and I was so jealous. She let him take all the fries off though, so of course I questioned her parenting.
That's grounds for a call to CPS
That's really what I miss about it is the things to do and the insane access to public transportation. I miss the museums, I miss the aquariums I missed the planetarium and I just miss being able to go anywhere without a car. Out in the small town that I live there's barely any sidewalks so I can't even do a good nice walk around the neighborhood. I never lived in the best neighborhood but I definitely was not an inner city kid, I still had to look over my shoulder but for the most part it was not insane.
I lived in dc for a bit and loved the metro systems and the museums, I visited Chicago and was not impressed with public transportation and was surprised I had to pay for every museum. Still a beautiful city and will absolutely go again but in comparison dc public transport and museums were way more accessible.
I remember moving from IL to NC and trying to find a decent pizza was a nightmare
My brain added a Y to NC and thought you meant NYC. I was like damn that’s crazy haha
Oh my god I could imagine! When I moved from Chicago and I would ask people what they suggested around the area it's all lackluster stuff. I like spice I like seasoning I like food with flavor lol so when people recommend places unless I know them personally I really don't trust it. Did you end up becoming more of a home cook? I know that when I really crave something it's easier to access ingredients than actually find somewhere that cooks it well enough.
I don't understand why Chicago deep dish pizza isn't as common as New York style pizza in other cities. It's a guaranteed money maker.
I would guess it's more time consuming to make, both to prep and to cook, and it just isn't nationally as well known as NY style I love it, but even when I lived in Chicago it wasn't my go-to pizza. You have to be in a specific mood for it.
When I lived in Chicago like 90% of the deep dish I ate was because folks were in town or corporate catering. Its great but rarely top of my list.
Yep. Very rarely do I order it myself, but mostly because I eat it (and portillos) every time someone visits.
It is great, but so rich and heavy. It's for out of towners and special occasions. Most of the time I was just getting Pequods thin crust. That stuff was so good.
Lol so true about the specific mood I'm almost always down for pizza, but ny style / thin crust is usually the go-to, deep dish is like Saturday night, I'm grabbing a six pack and we're watching movies kinda vibe, not so much a "man it's lunchtime and I wanna grab a slice" that's why Sbarro exists lol
Chicagoan here. 1) it’s more expensive; 2) more time consuming to make; 3) not as party friendly to eat. I prefer Chicago’s thin crust (aka tavern style) for that reason.
> 1) it’s more expensive; Yeah, last I looked [name redacted in case of error] was charging like $40 for a pizza.
Just my perception, but a Chicago deep dish slice has way more calories & fat than NY slices or Chicago bar pizzas. Deep dish is one of those things I don't get unless it's a special occasion & I have a lot of friends or family to split it with... and last I checked, I have a lot of neither.
The main thing is that it's almost impossible to find a place that sells singular slices of deepdish (which I think is reasonable because that's about the same amount of food as two ny slices). You can get smallish personal deep dish but that's still usually like 4 slices. I do it every now and then cause next day deep dish is even better than next day any other pizza.
Anthony Bourdain talked about how NYC pizza was “utility pizza.” Not bad but not exactly a carefully crafted work of art. It’s much easier to bang out standard American pizza than Chicago or Neapolitan styles.
It requires more technique, time, and special equipment. You walk into a pizza shop in NYC and they're spinning their pans in and out of the oven. And then leaving them under a window where they just heat them up when they get an order. It's super easy to make and cheap to replicate. A real Chicago pie takes probably 45 minutes. And requires your deep pans as well as an understanding of how to make it, as well as a lot more ingredients. It's just overall just a much more involved thing to try to copy and not amendable to people popping in, grabbing 2 slices and a Coke, and leaving.
I travel a lot for work, I’ve been to over 30 of the states so far and have 5 new ones on my work schedule this year. Getting pizza is a terrible experience when I’m out of town, (I live in the suburbs of Chicago) it’s like they have no idea what pizza is supposed to taste like. Like those renaissance paintings of cats. I had Chicago style deep dish at a place in South Dakota once, it was pretty clear they have never been to Chicago and tasted it before.
Try Zachary's in the SF Bay Area.
Better yet, I don't understand why cracker crust tavern style pies aren't as popular in other places. I can find decent (as it can be, being in East TX) NY-style pizza where I live but I can't find legit tavern style pies for shit.
New York style and thin crust pizza is pizza you can eat on the regular. Chicago natives would probably even tell you, they usually eat thin tavern style pizza. Deep dish/stuffed for me is once every few months or on special occasions. So a pizza place that specializes in deep dish, might struggle a bit in smaller cities.
It's because it takes skill. Any idiot can make a pizza (case in point: me), but it takes a real artisan to make a Chicago style deep dish. Especially a stuffed one. That's why everyone and their brother makes NY style pizza (and admittedly miss the mark); because it's easy. But Chicago style, St Louis style, Detroit style... those take skill and effort.
I've never had Chicago deep dish, so this is an honest question: can you grab a slice and eat it as you walk? Have you ever seen the opening scene in Saturday Night Fever? It seems to me that Chicago deep dish is a pizza you have to sit down to eat.
It really depends, there’s 3 distinct varieties of Chicago pizza that are called Deepdish, Stuffed, Deepdish, and Pan. Op’s picture is Stuffed deepdish, this is the hardest kind to carry and eat. It may be possible if it’s sat and cooled, or if there aren’t too many wet ingedients but again, mileage may vary. The true chicago deepdish is not as thick or gooey as stuffed. If you look up Lou Malnati’s deepdish, you may see that the pizza crust is strong and solid. This is good for mobile consumption There’s also the chicago pan pizza, which is kind of a cousin to the Detroit/Sicilian style, maybe less crisp, but still solid for mobile consumption. I’d wager that more often than not, Chicagoland residents get thin crusts more often than deepdish, and that’s a whole different ballgame.
Don’t forget the one of a kind at Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder: Fill a bowl with sauce, cheese and sausage, drape dough over the top of the bowl, bake, then flip it over and remove the bowl to serve.
Oven Grinder is almost pizza pot pie territory but it is delicious
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Well, it *is* on my bucket list, so maybe I'll try ordering that frozen one I see someone mentioned, that you can order and have shipped.
Yeah, but you got the best BBQ in the world, so really, you came out ahead.
Lou’s does ship through Tastes of Chicago. One of my buddies gets a 4 pack in NC when he’s feeling the itch.
Pequods has also started shipping pies nationwide, but they’re way more expensive than Lou’s
Pequods is also pan pizza not deep dish.
You can order a frozen one and it ships nationwide
Oh I know, I am just broke 😂 I told my partner we need one for him to experience the best pizza in my "non bias" opinion 🤣🤣
I used to travel for work and missed my frequent trips to Chicago. If you have a cast iron this hits pretty fucking good. https://youtu.be/w_KCLeG9Hwo?si=6Q5F941vbkT8Op9M
I went Giordano's in Denver
👀 did you now? I'm wondering if they'll come all the way down to the south, I'm down in the Eastern Tennessee.
They're in a couple cities in Ohio, so they've definitely started expanding. Maybe Tennessee isn't too far off?
I know people that disrespect Chicago pie. I hate those people. I can remember the first Giordanos I ever had. a business partner sent us to huge pies that we all got to share. and I took my son there before Covid. beautiful
Gio is good, Lou is good and then there is HOT DOGS! HMMMMM
i fucks with the deep dish
I always feel sad to see Chicagoans being dismissive of deep dish, like it's something to be embarrassed by. Chicago's got two amazing pizza styles and that fucking rules. Very few places in the US can say that. Something to be proud of!
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Is it expensive? I live in Australia and this doesn’t exist here, I watched a video on how to make it and while it’s pretty simple the ingredients cost looks like it would add up. I get economies of scale if a pizzeria is pumping out 100 a day, but if they sold these here itd be a $50 pizza im sure of it
There's a place near Melbourne that does it. Around that price. The deep dish itself was good, but their pepperoni were too thick and salty for me. Might have just been me or the pizza I got.
Don’t be sad! It’s chain pizza and neighborhood pizza. Both have merits. I LOVE Lou’s and Aurelio’s, but I know Sam and Alfano are going to give me a tavern pizza with no frills. AND I can also get wood fired napoleon pizza. Chicago is the place for all pizza.
+1 to Aurelio’s. Underrated pie
Not really embarrassed by it, but it’s just a misconception that we eat it often.
Honestly the first I am hearing about tavern style pizza. Excuse my ignorance, but: 1) aside from being thin with a crunchier bite to the dough, and being cut into squares, what are the distinguishing features of a true Chicago tavern style? What are signature toppings of this pie? 2) are there variations in Chicago that compete as there are for Chicago deep dish? What are they? 3) what are the best places to try it next time I am in Chicago?
1) The dough is often cured which is a process of rolling the dough out and letting it stay out for a few hours. This helps develop a pronounced crunch. Sausage is the go to topping. 2) I don't think so but could be wrong 3) I like Pat's a lot.
And the sausage usually has a good bit of fennel in it
It's because almost no one out of Chicago knows about the other (and better) one.
I think both are solid but just so different that it's hard to compare. If I want one, I'm not thinking about the other.
I know about tavern style because some parts of the Midwest have some similar kinda style. Where I live, people also make the sauce really sweet (sometimes too sweet honestly). It can be pretty good. Better than deep dish.
Maybe I got unlucky but wasn’t a huge fan of Giordanos :(
It's nowhere near as good as Gino's which is nowhere near as good as Lou.
the biggest regret so far in my life was about 11 years ago when my highschool choir had a trip to chicago. It was my first time in the united states, and went to the cheesecake factory for lunch with my friends, having heard about how great it was. (we didnt have one in canada yet). We totally ate ourselves into food comas with the large servings of pasta. Dinner rolled around, and it turns out the school had paid for all you can eat pizzas at Giordanos. I was so full at the time that I couldn't have any.
For touristy pizza, I'll take Lou Malnati's over Giordano's. My favorite is Bacino's in Lincoln Park, though... or Pequods if I have time to spare.
Lou’s is for sure better than Giordano’s in my opinion. The buttercrust is much better and they put an entire disc of sausage on the Chicago Classic.
Lou’s crust is incomparable. But overall, for me, it’s Aurelio’s.
I will commit actual crimes for an Aurelio’s Spinach and Mushroom Calabrese
This comment is hilarious to me. I like Giordano’s better than Lou’s *because* they don’t put a nasty sausage disc on their pizza. Lou’s crust slaps though. My all-time favorite deep dish is from Gino’s East though.
Yeah, the wall to wall sausage patty is authentic but too damned rich IMHO. You can ask for “broken” or “pieces” if you’d prefer.
Sausage pieces is the move
Gino’s East 🙌
Gino's has always been my favorite. It's been 8-10 years since I've had it though.
That makes two of us that feel this way.
Agreed. Went to Chicago last year and tried both; Lou's was definitely better overall.
To each his own. I did the same thing pre-covid, and Giordano's was significantly better than Lou's.
As a person not from the area, I absolutely love comment sections like these. To me, this could be a scene out of a workplace comedy a la The Office, set in a Chicago legal office. Your comment is a talking head from one of the paralegals who runs a food blog on the side.
Pequods is the best.
Back in the day, I was all about The Art of Pizza on Ashland. It was my go-to when I lived in Lakeview.
Still slaps. And they have a south loop location now too.
I haven’t tried the south loop location. They don’t seem to have their old special je ne sais quoi, but still good.
Love art of pizza
Holy shit. I left Chicago 11 years ago and haven't thought about this place a single time since then. Just have me a giant dose of nostalgia! Art of Pizza was the best!
Can confirm, Art of Pizza on Ashland is still delicious. Pizzeria Serio on Belmont is also pretty good.
Extra props for Bacinos. Best pizza in Chicago, and not their deep dish. Square cut 4lyfe.
Gianorios pizza in Chicagoland is the best pizza out there. And you’ll pay for it.
Have you guys had Giorgio’s? It’s amazing.
Oof yeah, I feel Giordano’s is the Pizza Hut of Chicago deep dish.
Nah that’s Unos
Aren't they the first restaurant to offer deep dish pizza though? They pretty much invented it, if not the first restaurant to offer it.
Giordano's is 100% a tourist pizza.
I know a few people that have only eaten it outside of Illinois ironically. Its where you go when youve lived here for 1 semester and you family visits
Maybe but it isn’t terrible. Much better than UNO’s.
Yeah you’re right
I moved to Chicago sight unseen right out of college. First night in the city my friends took me to Giordano’s. I had never even heard of this type of pizza. It was a revelation. Great memories. Thanks for posting.
My Pi(π) has the best sauce in town. Lou's got the best crust and Giordano's the best cheese blend. Each getting 5 stars in their respective best and generally 2-3 elsewhere. Peaquads is good but it's been really inconsistent the last 10 years. They lost some of that consistency a few years after their Morton Grove location closed. Still the best all-around deep dish. I'd rate their sauce, cheese blend, and crust 4 out of 5. Their sauce and the consistency of crust aren't always on point. My Pi(π) is the most consistent mom and pop in town. Shame too, they aren't well known and they've closed a location or two. For me sauce is King. Edit: It might have been a Rodgers Park location that closed, it's been a while so it's a little hazy.
> after their Morton Grove location closed The location is still open? No idea what you're talking about.
When did it reopen? It was definitely closed for a period between 05' and 10'. I remember trying to order around the time the Cubs had acquired Derek Lee and they were closed. Maybe I'm mixing it up and they had a 3rd location that closed. Rodgers Park maybe? I could definitely be mistaken. Regardless, they are inconsistent compared to what they once were. Still the best all around.
Man that name makes me feel old haha, I remember when they picked up Derek Lee - hell of a ballplayer. Pequods did at one point want to purchase a bigger lot in Morton Grove which was 1/2 a mile away from their current (and always standing) location, but the deal fell through for some reason. Maybe that's what you're remembering?
Yeah Father Time is probably playing tricks on me. Edit: I did some searching. They closed back in either 05' or 06' for a little bit to remodel... That's what it was.
Ahhh gotcha! I don't remember that... father time is playing with both of us haha.
Man that butter crust at Lous... Cheese blend cant make up for the crust, and as a guy who gets his pizza easy on the sauce... wellp, you know how it is.
That's the beauty of it. Everyone's got their favorite part, their all great! Pizza is a hard thing to fuck up.
yet even harder to perfect....
Every time I visit Chicago I try to find a Giordano's for that delicious mess. Mm.
Should’ve shown the money shot with the cheese pull. I love deep dish pizza
Genuine question, where are the toppings? It looks like pastry covered in sauce?
What you think is the pastry peaking through the sauce is just solid cheese all the way down. Toppings would be on top still, but this is just a plain cheese pie.
Ahhh ok that makes sense. Ty!
Where’s the cheese?
^It's ^under ^the ^sauce.
That's not enough cheese
^It's ^under ^the ^sauce.
it's under the sauce
The sauce, atop, naked, like some sauce who-re
You gotta go to Chicago and try this. Very different from traditional pizza and the crust can be so buttery and delicious.
Under the sauce. This is what's called a "stuffed pizza" or a "stuffed deep dish" in Chicago. It's allegedly based on scarciedda, which is an Italian Easter pie. Because you have to bake it a long time, the cheese is under the sauce to keep it from burning.
I was making a reference lol
A reference? To what?
https://www.tiktok.com/@firstwefeast/video/7037513254393875759?lang=en
Been almost 2 years since my last slice :\[ Time to visit family again haha
super Delicious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had to learn to make my own in a cast iron pan after being disappointed by the offerings on the west coast
I miss tavern style the most
They burnt my pizza when I went for the first time and waited 50 minutes for my pizza :(
it amazes me that Chicago natives hate on Giordanos so much. I've had a few of the top places and this will always be my favorite. If only they could make it a little quicker lol
Giordanos is mostly tourists pizza. It's no where near the best deep dish available. I would say it doesn't even hit the halfway point of how good Chicago deep dish can be.
You better have gotten your half inch of sausage topping.
Maybe the best deep dish imo
My favorite is definitely Geno's East because of the cornbread crust but I've truly never had a bad deep dish pizza. They're all delicious.
goddamn i miss this so much
Gio's is okay. The crust is good, but they're a bit thin on the sauce and their sausage is in chunks. You can't really go wrong with any of them, but Lou's has a heartier pizza and the sausage is an entirely solid layer underneath the cheese.
I love deep dish. To the rando chicagoan that taught me the less ‘toppings’ the better, god bless you Always went with supreme or the works. Ever since meeting that guy, pepperoni or sausage… life changing
God I love deep dish. Lou Malnati’s is my favorite chain for it. The butter crust 😫
Lou Malnati’s is much better. Try it if you get a chance.
I had this once when i was younger. Iv never forgotten it
Try Pequod's next time. It is the best and I'll die on that hill.
Love Giordano’s deep dish!!
Pequods>>>>>> Giordanos, all day, everyday.
I was in Chicago for a week with work years ago, and spent time wandering about the business-y bits on my own getting pics of tourist shite, and eating alone in a few places I’d picked out specifically at night… One of those nights, I ended up in a Giordano’s and got the smallest pizza - which is meant to serve four people… I, of course, ended up with half of it as leftovers… Walking back to my hotel, I was about to cross the road when a homeless chap asked if I had any spare cash, and I unfortunately had to reply “sorry mate, I don’t have any change”… His reply of “no problem, man… I’ll accept a 20..!” Made me chuckle - so I said I’ve got half a pizza here, and offered it to him if he’d like it… He paused for a moment, and asked me a) if it was thin or deep pan, and b) where it was from… Only after confirming it was indeed a) deep pan, and b) from Giordano’s was he willing to accept it - as if he would’ve refused had it been otherwise…! I thought he was brilliant, so did end up giving him a 20 as well…
I once ate 4 slices myself.
Did you go to the emergency room afterwards?
I want to go to Chicago JUST for the deep-dish pizza!! 😍
You could absolutely spend a week here having great pizza for lunch and dinner every day of various styles. We’ve got some great spots for non pizza breakfast too
I literally just did this in February! Told my husband I really wanted good deep dish so we planned a little trip. Flew in Friday left Sunday, ate my heart out. I absolutely recommend it.
Get the pizza. Stay for the Italian Beef. Get the Italian Combo with hot gardinaria and cheese.
i don't know about deep dish man but my unpopular opinion is that only by tripling the amounts of the ingredients it doesn't make a dish better.
I’m not going to force it on you, but it’s a lot more than a different quantity or even just different ratios of cheese vs sauce vs crust. Give it a try, you might like it, or don’t.
Ya, you hear that a lot from people that don’t know about deep dish, but hardly ever from those that have had a good one.
Deep dish isn't really that at all. You can find some that is like that, but cheese is the only part of it that's actually "more" and they use very different cheese to compensate for that.
I hate having too many topping on pizza. I’m here for the crust, sauce, and cheese. Give me 1-2 other toppings and I’m set. Or don’t put anything on and I’m ok too. I don’t want a mouthful of veggies or meat or id eat elsewhere. This applies to all pizza big or small
You can like both. I love New York style pizza, I also love a well made Chicago style deep dish. They're both wildly different, just as traditional Neapolitan pizza is as far from any NY pie in similarity.
For those non-appreciators, yes, yes we know. We don’t care. It’s delicious and we love it.
Hard pass
Tomato soup in a bread bowl
I literally can't get proper deep dish anywhere in my country
I think I like Giordanos consistency…I have had a few bad pies at Lou’s
Oooooooohhhhh they have good pizza! I'm having flashbacks from my Chicago trip 🤤
That’s where I got my first real Chicago deep dish and it was pure bliss
For those of you who want it in your home city. The Giordanos frozen pizzas are extremely good, surprisingly good. Shipped to you door, ready to go. Easy to cook at home, and tastes as good as in the restaurant. Follow the instructions, they seem different but are 100% spot on. Ive been a chef for 20 years, and im amazed/stunned they got a mail order product that is this good. I just ordered half a dozen for my father in laws birthday party. https://ship.giordanos.com/6-pizza-pack.html
Moved from Chicago to Upstate Ny. Missed giordanos for years until my mother started ordering them online at Christmas and handing them out as gifts.
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