The 10 best deep dish pizzas in Chicago

Deep dish is the pizza visitors ask about and the one plenty of Chicagoans only eat a few times a year, usually when someone from out of town is in the car. This list covers the pan pies and stuffed pizzas that hold up on repeat visits, from a Clybourn Avenue room in Lincoln Park to a counter on 63rd Street in Clearing, with two suburban stops that earned a place on history alone. Tavern-style thin crust is left off on purpose.

The list favors a crust that stays crisp under a pound of cheese, a sauce that tastes like tomatoes, and a kitchen that turns out the same pie on a Tuesday as on a Saturday. Expect to pay for a whole pie at most of these places, from about $19 for a basic pan or stuffed pizza to $30 for a 14-inch specialty pie, and to wait 40 minutes or more while a pie bakes. A few shops sell slices or personal pans for under $10.

How we chose

The order comes from how consistently each pizzeria shows up across independent local coverage, including Eater Chicago’s deep dish map (updated September 2, 2026), Time Out Chicago’s ranked list (June 23, 2026), the Infatuation’s ranking (August 2025) and reporting in the Tribune, Sun-Times and Block Club. Longevity counts, so does a named and dated award, such as a Jean Banchet nomination or a Tribune taste test, and so does the breadth of reviews rather than any one site’s star rating. Ties broke toward places that make a limited number of pies and sell out, because that usually means a kitchen paying attention. Every entry was checked against the business’s own site on September 28, 2026 for its address and current operation.

Hours and prices below come from each business and change without notice. Call ahead if you are making a special trip.

Pequod’s Pizza

The caramelized crust started with Burt Katz, who opened https://windycitymagazine.com/business/pequods-pizza/ in Morton Grove in 1971 and rang each pan with mozzarella so the cheese browned against the metal. The Clybourn Avenue restaurant that followed is the one most people mean when they say the name. The dough is airy and a bit chewy, the sauce is bright, and the burnt-cheese edge is the reason to come. Pequod’s takes the top spot on longevity and breadth of coverage: Eater Chicago keeps the pie on its deep dish map, and Time Out and the Infatuation both rank the restaurant in their top three. Order a personal pan for a solo lunch, or a sausage pan pie for the table.

Hours: Mon-Sat 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.; Sun 11 a.m. to midnight

Address: 2207 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago, IL 60614

Why they made the list

• The restaurant’s own site notes an appearance in season two of The Bear.
• Time Out reported a 7-inch personal pan pizza for $9 on weekday lunches in June 2026.
• The Lincoln Park room stays open until 2 a.m. Monday through Saturday, which is rare for deep dish.
• Order online for carryout if the wait for a table runs long, and expect a wait on weekend nights.

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Milly’s Pizza in the Pan

Robert Maleski started https://windycitymagazine.com/business/millys-pizza-in-the-pan/ in 2020 as a pandemic project out of a Logan Square ghost kitchen, named for the grandmother who taught him to cook and built on the pan-pizza style of Burt Katz. Each pizza gets a ring of caramelized mozzarella and a focaccia-like base, with toppings that change and carry odd names. Time Out ranked the shop first in the city in June 2026, and the Infatuation did the same in 2025. Milly’s sits second here rather than first because Pequod’s has the longer record, but on a given night this may be the best pan pizza in Chicago. Order online ahead, because only a limited number of pies get made each day.

Hours: Wed-Sun 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.; closed Mon-Tue

Address: 925 N Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Why they made the list

• The pies moved to a storefront in Uptown in 2022 and then to Ashland Avenue in West Town, and a second shop opened at 3409 N Broadway in Lakeview in 2026.
• A 10-inch Clickbait with olives, mini peppers and Calabrian chilis is $25, and the 14-inch is $30.
• The restaurant’s press page lists a 2025 Jean Banchet Award nomination for best pizza.
• Pizzas come uncut unless you ask, and there are no reservations.

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George’s Deep Dish

A Greek flatbread is the starting point at https://windycitymagazine.com/business/georges-deep-dish/, where owner George Bumbaris builds a 48-hour cold-fermented sourdough on a lagana-style recipe, dusts the bottom with cornmeal and lets the edge caramelize. Toppings sit on top of the sweet red sauce instead of under it. Time Out gave the shop the number two spot in June 2026, and Eater Chicago wrote that the crust will likely spoil other deep dishes. George’s lands third because the two shops above have longer records or wider coverage, not because the pizza is any less good. This is a small operation with small output, so reserve an order slot online days ahead.

Hours: Wed-Mon 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. or until sold out; closed Tuesdays

Address: 6221 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60660

Why they made the list

• The menu names pies after famous Georges, including the Halas’ Classic, Weasley’s Spicy Red Top with sausage, fire-roasted red peppers and ricotta, and Clooney’s ER with meatballs and bacon.
• The shop’s site warns that walk-in waits on busy nights can pass three hours.
• The last pickup time is 9 p.m., and the kitchen closes earlier whenever the day’s pies sell out.
• Clark Street parking is metered, and the No. 22 Clark bus runs past the door.

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Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria

Every chain has a first store, and for https://windycitymagazine.com/business/lou-malnatis-pizzeria/ that is a corner of Lincoln Avenue in Lincolnwood, where Lou and Jean Malnati opened on March 17, 1971. The pie has changed little since: a flaky, buttery crust the company trademarked as Buttercrust, chunky tomato sauce on top, and the Malnati Chicago Classic with a sheet of sausage that covers the whole pizza. The company now runs about 80 restaurants across four states, which is why this is the safe, consistent choice rather than the adventurous one. Fourth place reflects that consistency and 55 years of history more than any single critic’s ranking.

Hours: Mon-Thu 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Fri-Sat 11 a.m. to midnight; Sun 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Address: 6649 N Lincoln Ave, Lincolnwood, IL 60712

Why they made the list

• Lou’s father, Rudy Malnati Sr., worked at Pizzeria Uno in the 1940s, which is why the family says they had a hand in creating deep dish.
• The cheese has come from the same Wisconsin dairy for more than 40 years.
• Wikipedia cites a 2025 Yelp ranking that named Lou’s the top pizza chain in the country.
• The original has a full dining room and a bar; most other Lou’s locations are carryout and delivery only, and frozen pies ship nationwide.

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Bartoli’s Pizzeria

Fred Bartoli helped found Gino’s East in 1966, and his grandson Brian Tondryk opened https://windycitymagazine.com/business/bartolis-pizzeria/ on Addison Street in 2013 using a version of the family recipe. The pie is on the lighter end of deep dish: a flaky crust, mild mozzarella and a sweet, peppery tomato sauce, with extra sauce on request. Nonna Bartoli’s spinach and cheese pizza is the one Eater Chicago singled out, and the Union Stockyard is the meat-heavy order. Bartoli’s ranks fifth on repeat critic placement, including a spot on Eater’s deep dish map again in September 2026, and on the practical fact that slices are sold by the piece, so you can try the pie without committing to a whole one.

Hours: Check current hours before you go.

Address: 1955 W Addison St, Chicago, IL 60613

Why they made the list

• A second shop opened at 658 N Ashland Ave in West Town in 2020.
• The restaurant’s site lists a 2016 Chicago Tribune best pizza pick and a 2017 Food & Wine nod.
• Addison Street parking is metered and tight; the Brown Line’s Addison stop is a couple of blocks east.

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Cipriani’s Pizza

Stuffed pizza on the Southwest Side means https://windycitymagazine.com/business/ciprianis-pizza/, a counter-service spot on 63rd Street a few blocks from Midway that has made pies since the 1960s. A stuffed pizza here gets a second thin layer of dough over the cheese and toppings, then sauce over that, and the toppings run all the way to the edge. The Infatuation ranked the pie fourth in the city in 2025 and pointed to the fresh, acidic sauce and a flaky, buttery crust. Cipriani’s sits sixth because the shop shows up on fewer lists than the places above, though the low prices and the pie itself argue for a higher spot. Order the Cipriani’s Special with sausage, green pepper, onion and mushroom.

Hours: Check current hours before you go.

Address: 5840 W 63rd St, Chicago, IL 60638

Why they made the list

• A cheese stuffed pan pizza starts at $19, the Cipriani’s Special starts at $24, and a baby cheese stuffed for one person is $8.50.
• The menu says every stuffed pizza takes at least 40 minutes, with pickups at 45 minutes and deliveries closer to an hour.
• Booths are available for eating in, and the shop is a better bet than an airport slice if you have time before a flight.

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Burt’s Place

After selling Pequod’s in 1985, Burt Katz and his wife Sharon opened https://windycitymagazine.com/business/burts-place/ in 1989 in Morton Grove, and for a generation this was the pan pizza people drove out of the city for. The shop closed in 2015 when Katz’s health failed, and he died in April 2016. Jerry Petrow and John Munao, who trained with Katz before his death, reopened the restaurant in 2017 with the recipe intact: a caramelized crust like Pequod’s but with a sweeter sauce, best with sausage or a single topping. Burt’s ranks seventh on repeat critic placement and history; the Infatuation ranked the pie fifth in 2025 and Eater Chicago kept the shop on the 2026 map.

Hours: Check current hours before you go.

Address: 8541 Ferris Ave, Morton Grove, IL 60053

Why they made the list

• Anthony Bourdain filmed a No Reservations segment here in 2009, and Saveur put the pie on the cover in October 2007.
• The base pan pizza is $19 on the online menu, and frozen pies are sold in limited numbers.
• The online ordering page is the reliable way to check whether the kitchen is taking orders on a given day.
• The Morton Grove Metra stop on the Milwaukee District North line is a short walk.

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Pizzeria Uno

Ike Sewell opened https://windycitymagazine.com/business/pizzeria-uno/ at the corner of Ohio and Wabash in 1943, and by most accounts this is where deep dish began, though Lou Malnati’s and others dispute who actually built the recipe. The pizza still comes out of a cast-iron pan with a thick layer of cheese under sausage and sauce, and the room in the old brownstone basement looks the part. Uno lands eighth because the pie is history first and pizza second: worth one visit for the story, even if critics rank the pan pies farther north ahead of the original. Order the classic sausage deep dish and give the kitchen the time a from-scratch pie needs.

Hours: Mon-Sun 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Address: 29 E Ohio St, Chicago, IL 60611

Why they made the list

• When the original ran out of space, Sewell opened Pizzeria Due on the opposite corner, and both are still open.
• The national Uno chain grew out of this address and now has locations from Boston to Saudi Arabia, but the Ohio Street original still cooks from its 1940s recipes.
• The restaurant takes reservations and runs cooking classes on the deep dish.
• The Red Line’s Grand stop is a short walk south and west.

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Giordano’s

Brothers Efren and Joseph Boglio brought their mother’s double-crusted Easter pie from the Torino area and opened the first https://windycitymagazine.com/business/giordanos/ on the South Side in 1974. The stuffed pizza that resulted is the tallest thing on this list: mozzarella and toppings under a second layer of dough, then tomato sauce spread over the top, cut into slices that need a fork. Eater Chicago’s 2026 map says the pie is for people who cannot get enough cheese and that it is not for everyone, which is fair. Giordano’s ranks ninth on reader recognition and history rather than critic scores, and the Rush Street location is the one to know downtown.

Hours: Sun-Thu 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Fri-Sat 10:30 a.m. to midnight

Address: 730 N Rush St, Chicago, IL 60611

Why they made the list

• The chain now has more than 40 Illinois restaurants and shops in Florida, Indiana, Minnesota and Nevada.
• The Rush Street restaurant has a full bar, a patio, event space and reservations.
• Stuffed pies take longer than pan pizza to bake, so build that into dinner plans.
• Street parking near Rush and Chicago is scarce; the Red Line’s Chicago stop is a block west.

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The Art of Pizza

Deep dish by the slice is the draw at https://windycitymagazine.com/business/the-art-of-pizza/, an Ashland Avenue storefront that has fed Lakeview for more than 30 years and still sells both pan and stuffed slices from the counter all day. The crust is golden and flaky from well-seasoned pans, the sauce on top is spiced with dried oregano, and Art’s Special with sausage, onions, mushrooms and green peppers is the order Time Out recommends. Eater Chicago’s 2026 map calls the shop a Lakeview classic and one of the few places in the city selling deep dish slices. Tenth place comes down to a counter-service pie that critics like but rarely rank at the top.

Hours: Sun-Thu 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Fri-Sat 11 a.m. to midnight

Address: 3033 N Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60657

Why they made the list

• The restaurant’s site cites a Chicago Tribune taste test that ranked the deep dish first and a Thrillist top pick, though neither is dated on the page.
• Orders can be placed from 9:30 a.m., delivery starts at 11 a.m., and last orders are taken 30 minutes before closing.
• A slice is a fast way to compare a stuffed pie against a pan pie without buying two whole pizzas.

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Also worth knowing

Two taxi drivers, Sam Levine and Fred Bartoli, opened https://windycitymagazine.com/business/ginos-east/ at 162 E Superior St in 1966, and the cornmeal-crust pie is still made from the dough Alice Mae Redmond developed for them.

Rudy Malnati Jr., whose father worked at Pizzeria Uno in 1943, opened https://windycitymagazine.com/business/pizanos-pizza-and-pasta/ in 1991, and the State Street location at 864 N State St makes a thinner, buttery deep dish on his mother’s dough recipe.

On the Southwest Side, https://windycitymagazine.com/business/angelos-stuffed-pizza/ has made stuffed pizza at 4850 S Pulaski Rd in Archer Heights since 1992 and lets you add toppings like frijoles and nopales.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best deep dish pizza in Chicago?

Pequod’s Pizza in Lincoln Park tops this list on longevity and breadth of coverage, with a caramelized cheese crust that dates to Burt Katz’s 1971 original. Milly’s Pizza in the Pan and George’s Deep Dish, ranked first and second by Time Out in June 2026, are the two newer shops most likely to beat that pie on a given night. Both make a limited number of pies and sell out, so order ahead.

Is deep dish or tavern-style more popular in Chicago?

Deep dish is the pizza visitors ask about, while plenty of Chicagoans only eat it a few times a year, usually with someone from out of town. Tavern-style thin crust is the everyday order for many locals and is left off this list on purpose. Several of the pizzerias here, including George’s and The Art of Pizza, sell both.

How much does deep dish pizza cost?

A basic whole pie runs about $19 at Burt’s Place and Cipriani’s, and Milly’s charges $25 for a 10-inch specialty pizza and $30 for a 14-inch. Cheaper ways in exist: Cipriani’s sells a baby cheese stuffed pizza for one at $8.50, Time Out reported a $9 personal pan at Pequod’s on weekday lunches in June 2026, and Bartoli’s and The Art of Pizza sell deep dish by the slice.

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