Chicago has the best deep dish pizza in the world. Don’t believe any claims to the contrary. It would be about as foolish as to believe that Ab-Stimulator machine will melt away fat while you eat sit around eating pizza.
If it were that easy, everyone would be thin. If perfect deep dish pizza were that easy, I could get some outside of Chicago. But I can’t.
Now the one thing that is debatable is which of Chicago’s deep dish divas are the best. You’ll hear lots of talk about Gino’s which is not bad and a classic Chicago destination if you are near Michigan Avenue. Then there’s Due’s and Uno’s which are pretty decent and better than what you get in other cities but not worth the interminable wait on weekends due to the tourists.. Not that I don’t love tourists! If there weren’t any tourists I wouldn’t have an audience. But I don’t like it when they clog up my hometown comfort spots, that’s all.
So, typically, the first thing I do when I get into town is head straight to the nearest Lou Malnati’s . Luckily, there are outlets in Lincolnwood, Highland Park, Buffalo Grove, Wilmette and Northbrook, so it’s relatively easy to get a fix. Some locations are carryout only but all sell pizzas frozen so you can heat it when you need it.
What makes it so good, you should be asking?
Lou’s pizza starts with a perfect crust. It’s crispy as the best thin pizzas, but it’s baked in a deep pan and it‘s just slightly sweet. The cheese, the first layer in these pizzas, is not so thick that you choke on it or rich that you develop a sudden lactose intolerance. The "sauce" is really just crushed tomatoes that have been seasoned. From here, you pick your own toppings. The best in my book are the spinach, when I’m needing vitamins, or the sausage when I’m doing a total pig out. You have to really like Lou’s sausage to order this pizza because there is a full layer of sausage from edge to edge, making it a sort of meat pie, which is another factor that makes it so unique.
Calling 1-800-Lou To Go has helped me beat many a bout of homesickness. Within two days of ordering, packs of two, four or more pizzas arrive at my door frozen in dry ice. Lou’s certainly feels the pain of transplanted Chicagoans and also packs up Italian Beef, Eli’s cheesecake and Carson’s Ribs to go.
Still, there’s nothing like having the real thing served hot from the oven by someone who also calls "Cheecaahgo" home and knows that nothing else will do but Lou's.