Chicago deep dish, tavern-style and everything between

This guide is for anyone trying to sort out what “Chicago pizza” actually means, whether you live here and want to settle an argument or you have visitors in town for a weekend. It covers the five things people mean when they say it: deep dish, the tavern-style thin crust most locals order on a Friday, the Neapolitan and New York places that have taken hold in the city, the suburban shops with their own traditions, and the frozen and shipped pies for eating it somewhere else.

Each stop below has a reason for being on the list and a practical detail: how to get there, what parking looks like, and when the line is longest. Hours change, so check before you go.

Deep dish: the tourist question, answered honestly

Here is the honest answer. Most Chicagoans eat deep dish a few times a year, usually with out-of-town guests, and it takes 35 to 45 minutes to bake. Order it once, do it well, then move on.

Pequod’s Pizza, Lincoln Park

The pizza to order once is at https://windycitymagazine.com/business/pequods-pizza/ at 2207 N Clybourn Ave, at Webster Avenue. The pan pizza has a ring of caramelized cheese baked onto the edge of the crust, the thing every other deep dish place in town is now copying. Pequod’s own site lists hours of 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Saturday and until midnight Sunday, and says reservations are recommended for dinner. Carry-out pickup runs out of a separate storefront two doors down at 2211 N Clybourn Ave. The Clybourn Metra station (Union Pacific North and Northwest lines) is a few blocks south, the No. 74 Fullerton bus stops nearby, and the Brown Line at Armitage is a 15-minute walk. Street parking on Clybourn is metered and the side streets are permit zones, so expect to circle.

Lou Malnati’s, Lincolnwood

The chain has 61 Illinois locations, so pick the first one. https://windycitymagazine.com/business/lou-malnatis-pizzeria/ opened at 6649 N Lincoln Ave in Lincolnwood on March 17, 1971, per the company’s history page, and the same building is still open, with a full bar and reservations. Hours on the location page are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, until midnight Friday and Saturday, and until 10 p.m. Sunday. The butter crust is thinner and flakier than Pequod’s. Lincolnwood is off the L grid, so you drive; Lincoln Avenue at Pratt is the landmark.

Milly’s Pizza In The Pan, West Town

The newer name in pan pizza is https://windycitymagazine.com/business/millys-pizza-in-the-pan/, which Robert Maleski started in a Logan Square ghost kitchen in 2020 and moved from Uptown to 925 N Ashland Ave in the summer of 2025, per Time Out. The pizzas have the same caramelized edge as Pequod’s, and the shop makes a set number each day. Hours are 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, or until sold out, and the shop is closed Monday and Tuesday. Ordering online ahead is the only reliable way to get one. Pies run $20 to $37. The Blue Line at Division is a four-block walk east; the No. 9 Ashland bus stops out front.

Tavern-style: what Chicagoans actually eat

Tavern-style is a cracker-thin round pizza cut into squares, made to be eaten with one hand while holding a beer with the other. The corner pieces are the prize. Sausage is the default topping, and a large runs $20 to $30 almost everywhere.

Vito & Nick’s Pizzeria, Ashburn

The standard is set at https://windycitymagazine.com/business/vito-and-nicks-pizzeria/ at 8433 S Pulaski Rd on the Southwest Side, where the site says they have made cracker-thin crust since the 1950s. The pizzeria is cash only. Hours run from 11 a.m. Monday through Saturday and noon Sunday until close, with last orders 30 minutes before closing, and the pizzeria is pick-up and dine-in only, no delivery. There is no L stop nearby; the No. 53A South Pulaski bus runs past, and most people drive.

Pat’s Pizza, Lincoln Park

On the North Side, https://windycitymagazine.com/business/pats-pizza-and-ristorante/ at 2679 N Lincoln Ave has been in the Pianetto family since Nick Pianetto Sr. opened at 3114 N Sheffield in 1950, per the restaurant’s about page. The dining room opens at 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1 p.m. on weekends; takeout starts earlier, at 3 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. Friday through Sunday. The Brown Line at Diversey is a half-mile walk and the No. 11 Lincoln bus stops at the door. Street parking is tight and mostly permit-only after 6 p.m.

Candlelite, Rogers Park

Up on the Far North Side, https://windycitymagazine.com/business/candlelite/ at 7452 N Western Ave dates to 1950 and makes thin-crust tavern pizza in a bar setting, with a white pizza on the menu alongside the usual sausage. Dinner service starts at 5 p.m. on Monday; check the site for the rest of the week. The No. 49B Western bus is the transit option, and the Howard Red Line stop is a long walk east, so this is a drive-or-bus place.

Kim’s Uncle Pizza, Westmont

The best of the newer tavern pizzas is in the suburbs, at https://windycitymagazine.com/business/kims-uncle-pizza/ at 207 N Cass Ave in downtown Westmont. The three owners started with free pizza raffles on Instagram in 2018, ran a Bridgeport shop, then bought the old Uncle Pete’s and opened here in the summer of 2022, per their story page. Hours are 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, and the phone line opens at 3 p.m. Call early; the pies sell out. The Westmont Metra station on the BNSF line is a block away.

Neapolitan and New York in the city

Spacca Napoli, Ravenswood

For true Neapolitan pizza, the place is https://windycitymagazine.com/business/spacca-napoli-pizzeria/ at 1769 W Sunnyside Ave in Ravenswood. Owner Jon Goldsmith is a certified pizzaiuolo, and the oven was built by artisans from Naples, per the restaurant’s site, which says the pizzeria is coming up on 20 years. Reservations are by phone at (773) 878-2420. The Brown Line at Montrose is a block away and the Ravenswood Metra station is about the same, which makes this the easiest pizza in the guide to reach without a car.

Coalfire, West Town

Coal is the other oven. https://windycitymagazine.com/business/coalfire-pizza/ at 1321 W Grand Ave bakes a thin pizza in a 1,500-degree coal-fired oven. The West Town room is open 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, noon to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon to 9 p.m. Sunday, and closed Monday. The No. 65 Grand bus stops out front; the Blue Line at Grand is about a 15-minute walk east. Street parking on Grand is metered.

Paulie Gee’s, Logan Square

The Brooklyn import is https://windycitymagazine.com/business/paulie-gees-logan-square/ at 2451 N Milwaukee Ave in Logan Square, with wood-fired pizzas topped with things like house-made vegan fennel sausage and bacon jam, plus Detroit-style “Logan Squares.” Hours are 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, until 11 p.m. Friday, and 11 a.m. start on weekends. The Blue Line at California is a few blocks southeast.

Pizza Lobo, Logan Square

For New York slices, https://windycitymagazine.com/business/pizza-lobo/ at 3000 W Fullerton Ave is a bar first, with big foldable slices, a dog-friendly patio and bocce. The Logan Square room is open noon to midnight daily, slices only after 11 p.m.. The No. 74 Fullerton bus runs to the door; the Logan Square Blue Line stop is a 15-minute walk.

Robert’s Pizza & Dough Company, Streeterville

Downtown, https://windycitymagazine.com/business/roberts-pizza-and-dough-company/ at 465 N McClurg Ct sits on the Ogden Slip with a riverfront patio. The thin crust comes from a dough recipe owner Robert Garvey worked on for two decades, per the site,. Hours are noon to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon to 10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. The site lists discounted parking at 456 E Illinois St with a three-hour limit and validation from the host. The Red Line at Grand is a 10-minute walk; the patio closes for the season once the weather turns.

Suburban pizza traditions

Burt’s Place, Morton Grove

The pan pizza at https://windycitymagazine.com/business/burts-place/ at 8541 Ferris Ave in Morton Grove is the direct ancestor of Pequod’s: Burt Katz opened Pequod’s in Morton Grove in 1970 before selling, then ran Burt’s Place for decades. The restaurant closed in 2015 after Katz retired and reopened under new owners in 2017. The pan pizza is $19 on the restaurant’s online ordering page, and the shop sells a limited number of frozen pizzas. The Morton Grove Metra station on the Milwaukee District North line is across Lincoln Avenue. The room is small, so call ahead.

Aurelio’s Pizza, Homewood

The south suburbs have https://windycitymagazine.com/business/aurelios-pizza-homewood/ at 18162 Harwood Ave in Homewood, the flagship of a chain Joe Aurelio started on Ridge Road in 1959. The Harwood Avenue building is a converted warehouse that opened in December 1977, per the company’s history page, with a full bar and party room. The sausage is crumbled, not chunked. Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The Homewood Metra Electric station is about a half mile west.

Frozen and shipped: bringing it home

Home Run Inn, Little Village

The frozen pizza in every Chicago grocery freezer started at https://windycitymagazine.com/business/home-run-inn-pizza-31st-street/ at 4254 W 31st St, a tavern the Grittani family opened in 1923. The company began par-baking and freezing pizzas for corner groceries in the late 1960s and went nationwide in 2022, per the history page. The 31st Street restaurant is still open, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The No. 35 31st bus runs past; there is no L stop close by.

Shipping deep dish

Pequod’s ships nationwide through Goldbelly and sells frozen pizzas online, per its site. Lou Malnati’s ships through Tastes of Chicago, its own mail-order company, with standard shipping included; two deep dish pizzas run about $80 shipped at press time. Burt’s Place sells a small run of frozen pies for pickup only. Milly’s does not ship.

Good to know

• Checked September 28, 2026.
• Deep dish takes 35 to 45 minutes to bake. Order it when you sit down, or call ahead.
• Vito & Nick’s is cash only. Milly’s and Kim’s Uncle sell out; order or call before you drive.
• Patios at Robert’s and Pizza Lobo close or shrink in winter. Vito & Nick’s closes on Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Know a place that belongs in this guide, or a detail that has changed? Send a correction.