Chicago's Heavyweight Pizzerias Still Number One and Undefeated!

Recently the Chicago Tribune questioned whether deep dish Chicago style pizza is losing the pie wars to some super fancy thin crust pizzas that have warmed their way from the brick ovens to Chicagoans hearts and stomachs.

The demise of the pizza as heavy and large as man hole covers is probably premature.

There are three strong heavy weight contenders to beat back the thin crust light weights: Pizzeria Uno, Gino's East Pizza and Lou Malnati's Pizza.

Each is a little different from the other, but these bruisers still pack a knock out punch to their thin crusted contenders.

Pizzeria Uno, according to the Pizzeria Uno web site, had it's beginnings in 1943, when Ike Sewell made the first of the deep and wide pizzas, and it became so popular he had to open another restaurant close by called Pizzeria Due.

A little later, in 1966, Gino's East opened east of Michigan Avenue and began serving a similar pie. Visitors to the original location were encouraged to scribble graffiti on the walls and ceilings. Many left their initials and other comments on the walls, including me.

In the early 1970s, Lou Malnati opened his first pizzeria in a northern part of the city, Lincolnwood, to fill the needs of hungry suburbanites who once lived in Chicago and were missing their weighty pies. This was prior to Pizzeria Uno and Gino's branching out across the city and country (and now the world) with franchise units.

In the Chicago Tribune report, the skinny contenders topped their pizzas with greens and slim veggies and toppings that looked all too healthy for a down home pizza crave.

Most of the locations that are nibbling at the crusty heals of the Big Pizza Three, are located in upscale areas of the city. Fine for the Gold Coaster in their penthouses and two million dollar brownstones, but not even fit for the same ring as the pizzas that made Chicago famous.

There are a number of fine thin crust pizza places in Chicago. Up north you have Villanapolie's. Down south you have Barraco's, Polarmo's and the very best of the thin crusters, Vito and Nicks.

Chicago's Deep Dish Pizza fills a primitive need for meat and bread. Those three smart operators knew that this basic need could be met by layering it on good and thick and smearing it with a little tomato sauce and heaps of mozzarella cheese.

This is no split decision. It's still a knock out for the heavy weights, Pizzeria Uno, Gino's and Lou Malnati's.

The following web sites were used to compile this report:

Gino's East
www.ginoseast.com

Pizzeria Uno
www.unos.com

Lou Malnati's
www.loumalnatis.com

Chicago Tribune
www.chicagotribune.com