When most people think of Chicago pizza, they think of the deep-dish pies with cheese on the bottom.  But the best pizza restaurants in Chicago make all kind of pizza.  You’ll find organic, designer pies with gourmet pizza toppings, Neapolitan pizzas baked in wood-fired ovens, and square-sliced tavern-style pizzas covered in Italian sausage.

No discussion of Chicago Pizza is complete without mentioning Pizzeria Uno.  The first Chicago-style pie was served here in 1943, and it was an immediate hit.  So much so that they opened Pizzeria Due on the next block.  The dough is made each morning, and the sauce-to-cheese ratio is just right.  They make healthy, flatbread pizzas here too.  You can choose multi-grain crust and top it with roasted eggplant, spinach, and feta.  But why bother?  If you come to Chicago and want to try a Chicago-style pizza, go to Pizzeria Uno, order a deep-dish with “the works” and repent later.

Lou Malnati’s is the other legendary Chicago deep-dish pizza restaurant.  Lou’s dad, Rudy Malnati, was the chef at Pizzeria Uno, and some even credit him with inventing the deep-dish pizza when he worked there in the 1940s.  The first Lou Malnati’s opened in Lincolnwood in 1971.  Today, there are 30 Lou Malnati’s in the greater Chicagoland area.  But if you don’t live in Chicago, no problem.  They ship pizzas on dry ice to anywhere in the United States.   The buttery crust travels pretty well.

Bacino’s specializes in stuffed pizzas, and several of them are pretty healthy.  The owner, Dan Bacin, is committed to uses the freshest ingredients, and everything here is made from scratch.   Spinach, broccoli, and mushroom are popular selections, but plenty of meat toppings are available.  Bacino’s has been the top selling pizza at the Taste of Chicago for the last 30 years.  The wine list is also a cut above.

Bricks Chicago has been serving gourmet, thin-crust pizzas since 1997.  Try a Creole Shrimp Pizza with spicy shrimp, pesto, red peppers, mozzarella, and gouda or a Sweet Heat with chicken breast, bacon, diced jalapeno, smoked gouda, barbecue sauce, and mozzarella.  If you don’t like any of the specialties, you can create your own with interesting pizza toppings like Maytag bleu cheese, pureed artichokes, or banana peppers.  Bricks has a good selection of microbrews on draught and in the bottle.

Fans of Neapolitan pizza should head to Coalfire.  The coal-burning oven here reaches temperatures up to 800 degrees Fahrenheit, which produced a crispy, yet chewy crust with a little bit of charring.  In a departure from the Naples way, the pizza is topped with cheese first, and then tomato sauce.  Three topping or fewer are recommended — the crust can’t hold up to more than that.  The white pizza with ricotta, mozzarella, Romano cheese and fresh basil is delicious.    And the Pizza Margherita may be the best in Chicago.  Coalfire used to be BYOB, but they’re now serving beer and wine.

The first certified, organic pizza restaurant in the Midwest, Crust serves inventive flatbread pizzas that are cooked in a wood-burning oven.  Try a cocktail made with one of their vodka infusions.  Start your meal with brussel sprouts with crispy bacon, tapenade, roasted peppers, kalamata olives, caramelized onions, roasted garlic, goat cheese, and flatbread pieces, or a winter beet salad.  Then try a pizza with slow-cooked beef brisket, house-made barbecue sauce and pepper jack cheese, or a Carbonara with bacon, béchamel, caramelized onions, peas, and a sunny-side up egg.

Famous for its stuffed pizzas, Giordano’s has been in business since 1974.  Two brothers from a town near Torino, Italy, named the restaurant after their mother, who made a double-crust pizza that inspired the pies served here.  The flaky, buttery crust is what set Giordano’s apart — that and the prodigious amounts of stringy, mozzarella packed inside it.  For something different, try the shrimp pizza.

One of the other great places in Chicago for Naples-style pizza is Sapore di Napoli.  They import many of their ingredients from Italy, including Molino Caputo 00 flour, Bufala Mozzarella, and Calabria salami.   Although the tomatoes aren’t the traditional San Marzanos from Campania, but Stanislaus from California.  In keeping with Neapolitan tradition, toppings are simple and few.   Try Quattro Formaggi with mozzarella, Italian gorgonzola, fontina, and Parmigiano Reggiano or Patate e Rosmarino with sliced potatoes and rosemary.   Save room for some of their delicious gelato — there are more than a dozen flavors nightly.

The Art of Pizza serves deep-dish, thin-crust, and stuffed pizzas.  They also serve Italian-style subs on yummy bread, ribs, wings, and pasta.  But the deep-dish pies, voted best in the city by the Chicago Tribune, are the big draw.  Try the Southwestern stuffed pizza with barbecue sauce, ground beef, onions, and bacon.  Or the special with sausage, onions, mushrooms, and green pepper.  For dessert, have a creamy, ricotta-filled cannoli.

Members of all the Neapolitan pizza associations, including Associazione Pizzauoli Napoletani and L’Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana, Spacca Napoli makes authentic Naples-style pizza in a custom-made, wood-burning oven.  In business since 2006, they import their flour, San Marzano tomatoes, and extra virgin olive oil.  There’s an assortment of novel appetizers like new potatoes, tuna, cucumber, and capers or white anchovies over arugula, cherry tomatoes, and olives.  A nice selection of Italian wines, and some lovely desserts.  When the weather’s nice, you can dine outside on the terrace.

Find more great pizza restaurants here.

1 Comment »

Unlike Neapolitans or Chicagoans, New Yorkers embrace all kinds of pizza. From Roman-style pies with a cracker-thin crust to chewy, Sicilian slices, New York’s pizza restaurants serve whatever kind of pizza you want.

They’ve been making pizza here since the turn of the century with hand-tossed dough, light on the sauce. The classic New York pizza is baked in a coal-fired oven, which gives it a slightly smoky flavor.

You should fold your slice and avoid utensils. But however you eat it, it will likely be one of the best pizzas you‘ve ever tasted. Don’t leave the city until you try at least one slice.

Here’s our list of the best pizza restaurants in New York City.

Di Fara Pizza Margherita

Di Fara’s Pizza is worth the trip to Brooklyn. Owner Dominick DeMarco was born outside Naples and he imports many of his ingredients, including San Marzano tomatoes, from Campania. He creates each pie by hand, as he has for 50 year now. He makes his own sauce using both canned and ripe tomatoes, and it might be the best in the city. He stretches the dough, adds slices of buffalo mozzarella and other pizza toppings, places it on a paddle and pops it in the oven. When it comes out, he grates on some Grana Padana and Parimigiano-Reggiano cheese, adds some fresh herbs, and drizzles some olive oil on top. Expect a long wait.

Another Brooklyn favorite, Franny’s is run by a married couple who are committed to using locally sourced ingredients, many of which are organic. Sources are listed on the menu. If you’re looking for a California pizza, this is the closest you’ll find in New York. Their crust is thinner and crispier than most, and the pizzas emerge from the wood-fired brick oven lightly charred. But what really sets these pizzas apart are the toppings. The sausages are house cured. The vegetables are seasonal and fresh from the market — if artichokes are available, get them. If you love clams, the little neck clam, chile, and parsley pizza is about as good as it gets. Franny’s also serves a dozen appetizers and a couple of pasta dishes each night.

Grimaldi’s Pizza

Rumor has it that when Frank Sinatra wanted a pizza, Grimaldi’s was his go-to place. The pizzas here are baked old-school style in a coal oven. This results in a thin, crispy crust that’s blistered and charred around the edges, and a distinctive, smoky taste. They make their mozzarella and ricotta on site, roast their own peppers, and simmer their own sauce. Antipasto, salads, and calzones are also available. The Old Fulton Street location has great views of the Brooklyn Bridge, which is nice since there’s usually a long wait.

Formerly of Sullivan Street Bakery, Jim Lahey, owner of Co. (pronounced “company”), takes a hands-off approach to his crust. He barely mixes the dough, and then lets it rise without ever kneading it. Their tag line “Our pies are not always round,” is a statement of fact. Most of the time, they’re amorphous blobs of deliciousness. The light, airy crust is topped with crushed San Marzano tomatoes or béchamel, veal meatballs, caramelized onions, quail eggs, guanciale, or roasted cauliflower. If you don’t want pizza, order a plate of wonderful artisanal cheeses and salumi.

A Staten Island tavern that’s been owned by the same family since 1937, Denino’s Pizzeria is famous for its crust. In fact, their motto is “In crust, we trust.” While most pizzerias use cornmeal to slide the pie on and off the peel, Denino’s uses bread crumbs. After being cooked in a brick oven, the crust is thick and chewy on the inside, crunchy on the outside. The most popular pizzas here are the MOR (meatball, onion, and ricotta), and the Garbage Pie with sausage, meatballs, pepperoni, mushrooms, and onions.

In business since 1929, John’s is a New York legend. Every serious pizza lover, which is to say every New Yorker, has had a pie from John’s. And most have come back for more. Everyone from Jack Black to Regis Philbin is a fan. Their pizzas are coal-fired with a crisp crust and tasty toppings like fresh garlic, fennel sausage, and ricotta. Calzones, a couple of pastas, a side salad, and meatball subs round out the menu. John’s doesn’t accept credit cards and it doesn’t sell slices, just whole pies.

If you’re looking for an authentic Neapolitan pizza, come to Kesté on Bleeker Street. The owner, Roberto Caporuscio, is the president of the Associazione Pizzaiuoli Napoletani, which means he learned pizza making in Naples and follows the precise guidelines of the organization. The oven is made with mud imported from Campania and it produces a charred, blistered crust with high sides that are lighter than air. The balance of mozzarella to San Marzano tomatoes is perfect. And his Pizza Margherita is the best you’ll find this side of Italy. Although it’s not traditional, the butternut squash puree, smoked mozzarella, and artichoke pizza is sensational.

The first licensed pizzeria in New York, Lombardi’s is the place to try authentic New York-style pizza. They’ve been in business since 1905, and they’re still making pizzas the way they did then — in a coal-fired oven. The pizza toppings here include sliced, homemade meatballs, sautéed spinach, Citterio pancetta, Rosa Grande pepperoni, imported anchovies, wild mushrooms, house-smoked peppers, and San Marzano tomatoes. The white pizza with three cheeses is delicious, and the calzones are excellent.

Find more recommended pizza restaurants.

1) Di Fara’s Pizzeria
2) Franny’s
3) Grimaldi’s Pizza
4) Co.
5) Denino’
6) John’s
7) Keste
8) Lombardi’s Pizza

View Best pizza restaurants in New York in a larger map

Di Fara Pizza Marggherita Image Flickr: SpecialKRB
Grimaldi’s Pizza Image Flickr: brianholsclaw

1 Comment »

Serious pizza fans know that the mother of all pizzas is served in Naples. It may not have been invented here, but it certainly was perfected here. And there’s little argument that the best pizza in Naples comes from Da Michele. The real contest is for second place.

Since Da Michele only makes two kinds of pizzas — marinara and margherita — ordering is a snap. The family has been making pizza since 1870, and some of the tables seem to date from then. There’s almost always a line, which has only gotten worse since the publication of Eat, Pray, Love. But most of those who are queued up know their pizza will be worth the wait. Da Michele also serves a baked calzone called a ripiena. They’re closed on Sundays, so plan accordingly.

Di Matteo Pizza Margherita

With a more ambitious menu than most of the pizza restaurants in Naples, Ciro a Mergellina is a great choice when someone wants pizza and someone else doesn’t. It’s located right on the waterfront, and it has the freshest fish in Naples. Have it grilled or deep fried, or served with pasta. Their spaghetti alla vongole is excellent. And their pizzas are really good too. Top off your dinner with their delicious home-made gelato.

Also near the waterfront, Da Ettore is on Santa Lucia Boulevard facing Castel dell’Ovo. The service here is better than at most Naples pizzerias. In fact, the waiters are part of the entertainment. In addition to fantastic pizzas, Da Ettore also serves wonderful calzones, a frito misto with veggies, potato croquettes, and rice balls, fried zucchini blossoms, and fresh seafood.

Not far from the Archaeological Museum, Lombardi a Santa Chiara opened around the turn of the century and today, it’s still owned by the same family. You can dine upstairs or downstairs at the bar. There are plenty of pasta selections to choose from and the vegetable antipasto is very good. But pizza is the real reason to come. You’ll find some interesting pizza toppings here including Lardo (cured pig fat) and smoked provola cheese.

One of the oldest pizza restaurants in Naples, Pizzaria Brandi opened in 1780, and it was here that the Pizza Margherita was born. Italy’s first queen, Margherita di Savoia, tried the pie in 1889 and it was named in her honor. It’s one of the most conveniently located pizzerias, so you can have lunch here and then continue your sightseeing. The décor is charming with wood beams and framed photographs on the walls. And there’s some seating outside. For those craving more than tomatoes and cheese, there’s seafood pizza or rocket and bresaola. If your arteries can handle it, try all Toto, a deep-fried pizza.

Right across the street from Da Michele, Trianon has been serving terrific pizza for years. Recently, reviews have been mixed, so check it our before committing. If there’s no line and no locals, head for Da Michele. If Trianon is packed too, it’s probably back up to par. With 29 different pies on the menu, Trianon offers more variety than other Naples pizza restaurants. And they offer unusual pizza toppings like friarielli — a cousin of broccoli.

In business since 1936, Di Matteo is best known for it’s pizza fritta — deep-fried dough filled with ham, ricotta, mozzarella, provola, and a little pork fat. When President Clinton came to Naples for the G7 summit in 1994, this is where he ate. It’s located on a lovely street in the old part of town. Order some arancini (fried rice balls) or potato croquettes to munch on while you wait for your pizza.

See our list of the best pizza restaurants in Rome here.

1) Da Michele
2) Pizzeria Trianon
3) Ciro a Mergellina
4) Da Ettore
5) Lombardi a Santa Chiara
6) Pizzaria Brandi
7) Di Matteo

View Pizza restaurants in Naples, Italy in a larger map

Di Matteo Pizza Margherita Image Flickr: dawvon

No comments »