While food discussions are almost always based on opinions, here are a few FACTS followed by opinions:
DEEP DISH pizza is not STUFFED pizza.
DEEP DISH - Pizzeria Uno, Pizzeria Due, Lou Malnati's, Gino's East, Pequod. None of them offer anything called Stuffed pizza. Deep dish is not a thick dough normally. Pizza Hut pan pizza is what I call thick dough.
STUFFED PIZZA - Giordano's, Nancy's, Bacino's, Eduardo's. None of them have deep dish pizza on their menus.
These are the biggest of all, and in my opinion my least favorite of any kind of pizza. They have two layers of dough - deep dish does not.
firecommander3565 said - "Being from Chicago, for 44 years, I can tell you Lou Malnotis, Uno and Due are not frequented by regular Chicagoans. If we want a Great Deep dish, it is from EDWARDO's."
Eduardo's is known for it's Stuffed Pizza, they never had deep dish, and most Chicago pizza eaters know that. Lou Malnati's is always frequented by local Chicagoans. The Lincolnwood location is the #1 location and usually most consistent. Uno and Due are tourist destinations mostly, that is true. Same for Gino's East on Wells and Ontario (the only location that seems to get it right). Malnati's benefits because they are primarily in the suburbs, so the tourists don't go there.
Don't judge a pizza by how it tastes when a frozen one is shipped to you! You shouldn't even judge a pizza when you take it to go. It has to be eaten at the restaurant to really experience it at it's best.
I was never a big Uno or Due fan. They are not in a great location (parking impossible, you have to pay in a garage) and are far from my house. They are also very inconsistent. I had one of the best deep dish pizzas ever at Due once. I've also had lousy ones. One trip will not always be enough. Try to remember that.
Gino's East has a lot of locations, but again, inconsistent at all of them. The one near Uno and Due is the one to try.
Eduardo's, Giordano's, Bacino's - all average. Bland crusts, acidic sauces, just not that good overall. Obviously many people like them, but Eduardo's by my area closed up, so that goes to show you my influence on the area!
As previously mentioned - Pizzeria Uno the chain that all you guys see around the country is NOT Chicago style deep dish pizza. It is horrible pizza, and I can't believe Uno sold out like that.
Chicago has over 1,000 pizza joints and most of them have the real pizza of Chicago - thin crust. The problem with thin crust is that a lot of them are lousy. However, there are still many places that have great thin pizza.
We also have New York style pizzas, but nothing really like New York style. Just like deep dish pizza getting turned into something else entirely out of the city, same thing for New York style. We don't have coal fired ovens anywhere.
Let's also remember that different regions of the country are used to a certain type of dough. The New York style is very elastic and chewy. Some people can't stand that. I like it sometimes. But not all the time.
I like to have a little of everything (thin, deep dish, New York, stuffed-rarely now). There are other variations as well - Pan pizza is similar to deep dish being cooked in a pan coated with oil, but that's where the similarities stop. Pan pizza always has cheese and toppings on top of the sauce and the dough is usually pretty thick. Then you have Sicilian style, Naples style, San Francisco corn meal crust, etc. I'm sure I'm leaving a lot out, but I can't go on forever.
One more fact (so I've read) - Chicagoans eat more pizza than anyone else in the world. I eat it 3-5 times a week!
