Chicago is king when it comes to deep-dish pizza, but in an ever-changing restaurant scene full of creative cuisine and fantastic fusion, the old deep-dish standbys don't always cut it anymore. If you're looking for an alternative to the norm, check out our list of thin crust pizzas that are sure to add some excitement to your pizza world.
Lou Malnati's
File under: Not just deep-dish
Delivery: Yes
Lou Malnati's isn't just about deep-dish pizza. Yes, this Chicago legend is famous for it, but it also keeps a little secret neatly tucked away in its kitchen: thin crust pizza. This crispy and buttery thin crust pie comes with your choice of fresh ingredients ranging from mushrooms, spinach and green peppers to sliced tomatoes and anchovies. A 12-inch cheese pie costs $7.90. For an even lighter version, Lou Malnati's also offers low fat cheeses. Check out the new crustless pizza, a gluten-free and low-carb option for pizza-craving Atkins followers. Delivery is available.
Pie Hole
File under: Best thin crust cheese
Delivery: Yes
Scamper on over to Boys Town to check out some of the best cheese pizza the city has to offer. Gouda, goat, Parmesan and smoked cheddar bubble atop a light and buttery thin crust. A 14-inch 'za costs $10.25, but the toppings will set you back a bit more. No matter what time of the night (or morning), Pie Hole's ingredients, like spinach, clams, capers, homemade meatballs and pesto, are always fresh and plentiful. Good thing, too, because the based-on-pizza-size price levies a $2 charge for each ingredient on a medium pie. Fresh basil and garlic are complimentary.
Try a unique specialty pie, such as a red pesto pizza with red pesto, sausage, mushrooms and goat cheese, or the dessert pie, a tasty treat with roasted apples, brie, brown sugar and cinnamon. Feel free to order by the slice ($3) if you're flying solo. The 4 a.m. weekend cutoff makes Pie Hole a great choice for a late-night snack, and delivery costs just $2.
Piece
File under: Hold the cheese, please
Delivery: No
A pizza isn't pizza without cheese, right? Wrong. Piece makes a cheeseless pizza that tastes so good you'll forget all about the absence of cheese and your waistline, heart and arteries will throw a huge thank you party for you. But be careful. This pile o' veggies can be just as addictive as the cheesy stuff. You won't find any two pizzas shaped alike; they come oval-shaped, somewhat rounded and wavy around the edges. A medium pie costs $12.75. The Sunday special will get you a medium pie and a growler of Piece beer to go for just $20. No delivery.
Choose from three different varieties: Red, a traditional tomato sauce and mozzarella pizza; plain, a traditional New Haven pizza with loads of red sauce topped with garlic, extra parmesan and olive oil; and white, a plain crust with olive oil, mozzarella and garlic. Regular toppings range from anchovies and hot peppers to spinach, fresh tomatoes and green peppers. Premium toppings include chicken, clams, fresh basil, artichoke hearts and sauteed mushrooms.
Pizza D.O.C.
File under: Wood-fired to perfection
Delivery: No
People come from all over the city to sample some of Pizza D.O.C.'s amazing wood-fired pies. On any given day you'll find a mix of folks squeezed into one tiny dining room as they wait patiently for thin crust pizza topped with potato and rosemary or tender sausage and fresh mushrooms. The restaurant's initials stand for "Denominazione di Origine Controllata," a designation placed on wine labels to indicate "the real thing." One bite of pizza and you'll know that it's an appropriate choice. D.O.C.'s most popular pie, Pizza Margherita, comes topped with tomato sauce, fresh and dry mozzarella, and basil leaf. A close second, the Pizza Rustic, comes with sweet tomato sauce, mozzarella, red onion, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms and black olives. Though the place gets packed, the waitstaff will never make you feel hurried and parking is a breeze .
Pizza Bubamara
File under: Oregano, basil, tomato, oh my!
Delivery: Yes
Thin crust aside, sometimes it's important to make note of the sauce. Pizza Bubamara puts its heart and soul into its sauce, along with a lot of other sweet and spicy things. Request the spicy tomato sauce (not on the menu) for a little extra zing. A specifically delivery and takeout business, Pizza Bubamara is the epitome of a New York pizza joint, complete with a smoking owner chatting it up with customers as he makes crisp, tasty pizza.
Pizza Bubamara is like the pizza version of a top-notch make your own stir-fry joint; you get to choose from an incredible selection of more than 60 not-from-a-can ingredients while building your pizza. The list of toppings encompasses the standards, but also contains dozens of more quirky options, such as corned beef, pancetta, scallops and strawberries. Many mushroom types are available as well, along with a nice sampling of herbs, cheeses and vegetables.
D'Agostino's
File under: Chewy thin-crust pizza
Delivery: Yes
The great grandfather of all pizza joints, D'Agostino's gets it right the first time. Its popular thin crust pizza contains the perfect amount of cheese and sauce, combined with a large amount of toppings of your choosing. Choose from spicy sausage, fresh vegetables or thin pepperoni spread over a lightly oiled thin crust. Never overly greasy and always delivered hot to your door, this place will definitely be around for another several decades or so. Check out the bar while you wait. Free delivery with a minimum $15 order.
Italian Fiesta
File under: Worth the trip
Delivery: Yes
Ever taste a pizza so good you couldn't find the words to describe it? That's how I feel about Italian Fiesta. Forget Chicago-style pizza, folks: Italian Fiesta is in a class all by itself. Buttery thin crust pizza comes straight from the oven tasting chewy, spicy and slightly sweet. Toppings like shrimp and anchovy are offered in addition to traditional toppings like sausage and pepperoni. They make it a point to distribute toppings all the way to the sides so you won't end up with edge slices full of sauce and nothing else. Open since 1951, this place is strictly take-out, so grab a few friends and plan on gobbling up this pie on the way home. I haven't met a person yet who could wait that long.
Pequod's Pizza
File under: Famous thin-crust pepperoni
Delivery: Yes
Located near Webster Place, Pequod's offers a relaxed, casual environment and award-winning thin crust pizza. You'll never feel guilty after eating here because the pizza tastes so light and the crust is ultra-thin. Cheese flows over the side of each pie atop fresh ingredients like green peppers, tomato and mushrooms. Sausage runs a close second to the pepperoni pizza. Try a half and half.
Pizza Metro
File under: Delicious potato and rosemary
Delivery: Yes
The pizza may be a little pricey, but it's worth it. Order by the slice, half or whole; a whole cheese pizza costs $16. Try the potato and rosemary pizza, Pizza Metro's most popular pie. A close second is the grilled vegetable pie, and the "garbage," which includes everything from ham, Italian sausage, chicken and pepperoni to blue cheese, spinach, grilled red pepper and mushroom, is a tasty explosion of flavors. The crust isn't thin and it isn't thick, but perfectly medium and just as filling as thick.
Vito & Nicks
File under: Chicago's best kept secret
Delivery: No
The people who live in this Southside neighborhood will hate me for this, but I have to tell the world about Vito & Nick's thin crust pizza. This diamond in the rough has been around since 1932. Signature cracker-like crust topped with a homemade sausage sauce, mushrooms and onions is a neighborhood favorite, but most folks are more than satisfied with a simple sausage or pepperoni pie. Check out the '50s decor and grab a cold beer while you wait.
Gulliver's Pizzeria
File under: Thin crust in a pan
Delivery: Yes
Ever had thin crust pizza in a pan? If not, try one of Gulliver's hearty thin crust pies finished with your choice of more than 30 topping options. Fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers and rich alfredo sauce are the perfect complement to crisp (not doughy) crust. Located on the edge of Chicago right next to Evanston, Gulliver's stays true to the pizzeria experience. If you can't stay, order to go.
Subscribe in your favorite reader using the links below. To learn more about feeds and RSS, click here.
