MomSkoop
Illinois pizza culture goes far beyond the big chains that dominate television commercials. From Chicago’s famous deep dish to lesser-known gems scattered throughout the state, local pizzerias have been perfecting their craft for generations. These family-owned establishments often use secret recipes, premium ingredients, and cooking techniques passed down through decades. Ready your appetite as we explore thirteen incredible Illinois pizza spots that locals swear by when they want a truly memorable slice.
1. Pequod’s Pizza: The Caramelized Crust Champions
The hallmark of Pequod’s legendary status in Chicago pizza lore is its signature caramelized crust. Baked in seasoned cast-iron pans, the cheese along the edges transforms into a blackened, crispy ring that pizza enthusiasts travel miles to experience.
Founded in 1970, this Morton Grove original (with a second location in Lincoln Park) serves a style that’s technically pan pizza rather than traditional deep dish. The slightly charred edge provides a perfect textural contrast to the gooey interior.
Locals recommend the pepperoni and sausage combination, paired with a local craft beer for the ultimate Chicago pizza experience.
2. Milly’s Pizza in the Pan: A Pandemic Success Story
Born during the pandemic, Milly’s Pizza in the Pan has rapidly evolved from a home kitchen experiment to one of Chicago’s most sought-after pizzerias. Owner Robert Maleski named the restaurant after his grandmother, infusing family tradition into every pie.
The thick, airy dough creates a canvas for creative toppings like cup-and-char pepperoni, house-made sausage, and honey drizzled with Calabrian chili. Each pizza emerges from the oven with a perfectly crisp bottom and pillowy interior.
Their signature ‘Updog’ pizza features an indulgent blend of mozzarella, ricotta, sausage, and hot honey that regularly sells out.
3. Bartoli’s Pizzeria: Where Family Tradition Meets Modern Taste
Pizza flows through the veins of the Bartoli family. Owner Brian Bartoli, grandson of the founder of the original Gino’s East, brings generations of pizza-making expertise to this Roscoe Village favorite.
Bartoli’s offers both deep-dish and thin-crust tavern-style pizzas, recognizing that pizza preferences in Chicago are rarely one-dimensional. Their deep dish features a buttery, flaky crust that maintains its structural integrity even under mountains of toppings.
The restaurant’s cozy, unpretentious atmosphere mirrors its approach to pizza: straightforward excellence without unnecessary frills. Their spicy Italian sausage, made from a closely guarded family recipe, is a must-try.
4. Zaza’s Pizzeria: New York Style with Midwestern Heart
Bringing East Coast flair to the Midwest, Zaza’s Pizzeria has perfected the art of the New York-style slice in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. The dough ferments for 72 hours, developing complex flavors before being hand-stretched and topped with their signature sauce.
Owner Brett Nemec spent years testing water chemistry to replicate authentic New York pizza texture in Chicago. This scientific approach pays off with a crust that achieves the perfect balance between crispy and chewy.
Don’t miss their white pizza with ricotta, garlic confit, and hot honey – a combination that’s converted even the most devoted red sauce enthusiasts.
5. Dough Daddy’s Pizza: Suburban Sensation Worth the Drive
Hidden in suburban Westmont, Dough Daddy’s has become a pilgrimage destination for serious pizza enthusiasts. Owner Frank Dynek draws on his Polish heritage and Chicago upbringing to create uniquely flavorful crusts that ferment for three days.
Their ‘Grandma-style’ rectangular pies feature a medium-thick base that’s simultaneously crisp and tender. Each pizza receives hand-crushed tomatoes and precisely portioned toppings to ensure perfect balance in every bite.
The ‘Hot Honey Pepperoni’ has developed a cult following with its sweet-spicy-savory combination that showcases why this suburban gem landed on Yelp’s top 100 Midwest pizzerias list.
6. Forno Rosso Pizzeria Napoletana: Naples’ Authentic Ambassador
Certified by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, Forno Rosso brings authentic Neapolitan tradition to Chicago. Their imported wood-burning oven, which reaches 900 degrees, creates the characteristic leopard-spotted char on each 12-inch pizza in just 90 seconds.
Owner Nick Nitti trained with master pizzaiolos in Naples before bringing those techniques home to Illinois. Every detail adheres to tradition – from the hand-mixed dough using Caputo 00 flour to the San Marzano tomatoes grown in volcanic soil.
The Margherita showcases this purist approach with nothing more than dough, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, and olive oil – proving that perfection requires no embellishment.
7. George’s Deep Dish: The Reservation-Only Pizza Experience
George’s Deep Dish operates unlike any other pizzeria – with no storefront, limited production, and an online reservation system that opens monthly and fills within minutes. Owner George Bumbaris creates each pizza personally in a commissary kitchen, resulting in an artisanal experience that’s worth planning ahead for.
The sourdough crust ferments for three days, developing complex flavors before being layered with Wisconsin brick cheese, house-made sauce from California tomatoes, and meticulously sourced toppings. Each pizza weighs nearly five pounds.
Despite the exclusivity, prices remain reasonable – making this perhaps Chicago’s best pizza value if you can secure an order slot.
8. Pizano’s Pizza: The Malnati Legacy Continues
Pizza royalty runs through the veins of Pizano’s owner Rudy Malnati Jr., whose father helped create the original deep dish at Pizzeria Uno in 1943. While his brother Lou founded the eponymous chain, Rudy Jr. established Pizano’s with a focus on both deep dish and thin crust excellence.
Their butter crust recipe remains unchanged since 1949, creating a flaky, rich foundation that supports generous toppings without becoming soggy. The thin crust option, often overlooked by tourists, is actually preferred by many Chicagoans for its perfect tavern-style crispness.
Celebrity fans include Oprah Winfrey, who once declared their thin crust the best in the city.
9. Vito & Nick’s Pizzeria: South Side Tavern Pizza Institution
Since 1946, Vito & Nick’s has been serving what many consider the definitive Chicago tavern-style thin crust on the city’s South Side. The Barraco family’s fourth generation now maintains the cash-only, no-delivery policy that keeps this Ashburn neighborhood institution refreshingly authentic.
Their cracker-thin crust shatters with each bite, topped with fennel-forward sausage and cheese that extends to the very edge. Cut into squares (never triangles), this is the pizza Chicagoans actually eat at home far more often than deep dish.
The wood-paneled interior remains virtually unchanged since the 1970s, creating a time capsule experience alongside perfectly consistent pizza.
10. Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria: The Deep Dish Gold Standard
While technically a small chain with over 50 locations, Lou Malnati’s began as a single Lincolnwood pizzeria in 1971 and remains family-owned. Their consistency across locations has made them the benchmark against which all deep dish is measured.
The signature butter crust provides a flaky yet sturdy foundation for the meticulously layered cheese, toppings, and chunky tomato sauce. Their exclusive sausage blend creates a patty covering the entire pizza rather than scattered pieces.
The Malnati Chicago Classic – with buttercrust, extra cheese, and sausage – offers first-time visitors the quintessential deep dish experience that has remained unchanged for over 50 years.
11. Coalfire Pizza: Coal-Fired Perfection in West Town
Breaking from both Chicago and New York traditions, Coalfire introduced the city to coal-fired pizza when it opened in 2007. Their 800-degree oven creates a distinctive char and subtle smokiness impossible to achieve in conventional pizza ovens.
The thin crust develops beautiful bubbles and blisters while remaining chewy within – a textural contrast that has earned them passionate devotees. Toppings are applied with restraint, allowing the exceptional crust to remain the star.
Their whipped ricotta with honey appetizer has become almost as famous as the pizza itself, creating a sweet prelude to the slight bitterness imparted by the coal-firing process.
12. Spacca Napoli: Bringing Naples to Chicago’s Northside
After a transformative trip to Italy, owner Jonathan Goldsmith abandoned his therapy practice to study with master pizzaiolos in Naples. Spacca Napoli emerged from this passion project, bringing meticulously authentic Neapolitan pizza to Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood.
The centerpiece of the restaurant is a custom-built wood-burning oven imported from Italy. Dough made from Italian flour ferments for days before being hand-stretched, topped sparingly, and cooked at temperatures exceeding 900 degrees for just 90 seconds.
Beyond pizza, the restaurant recreates the social atmosphere of Naples with communal tables and a curated wine list featuring small Italian producers.
13. Pat’s Pizza and Ristorante: Lakeview’s Thin Crust Pioneer
Family-owned since 1950, Pat’s Pizza introduced thin-crust pizza to Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood when most competitors were focusing on deep dish. Their distinctive crust – slightly thicker than tavern-style but thinner than New York – creates the perfect canvas for their generations-old sauce recipe.
The dough receives a 48-hour cold fermentation, developing complex flavors before being hand-tossed to order. Their sausage, made by the same local butcher for over 40 years, features a secret blend of spices that has never changed.
Despite expansion opportunities, the family has maintained just one location, ensuring quality control and preserving their status as a true neighborhood institution.