Pizzeria Uno - Chicago, IL

Posted By Michael Stern on February 16, 2003 4:20 AM

Pizzeria Uno was created in 1943 and still has a nostalgic mid-century ambience. When Ike Sewell opened it at the edge of the Chicago Loop and introduced deep dish pizza to the world, Italian food was, to most Americans, exotic and adventurous. Non-Italians who knew anything of pizza considered it a little beat, a slightly eccentric sort of dish for coffee-house types and Bohemians. Those of us old enough to remember that era are reminded of those attitudes when we step down the couple of stairs into the semi-subterranean bar and dining room of Uno’s. It’s dark in here; the floor is vintage black-and-white tile. On the wall above the bar are hoary maxims celebrating The Good Life, as swingin’ epicures wanted it in days of yore:

Fill the glass if it is empty
Empty the glass if it is full
Never leave it empty
Never leave it full.

And…

A man should hear a little music
Read a little poetry
& see a fine picture
Every day of his life.

If you hear bongo drums in the background, you understand.

Now, about the pizza. It’s great. And it’s unique. The crumble-crusted, richly-topped pies served at the original Uno’s are in a class above those you’ll get in any of the mediocre Uno’s franchises around the country. This is truly soulful pizza, its crust as fine and fragile as savory shortbread, its layer of cheese crowned with a great drift of savory sausage which, in turn is blanketed by chunky crushed tomatoes. It is knife and fork food, for sure.

As in any pizza parlor, many ingredients are available, including anchovies and broccoli, extra garlic and extra cheese. Our favorite is the rugged, clumpy sausage that covers virtually the whole pie. There are other items on the menu, including Italian beef and a really good Italian salad topped with giardiniera, but it’s pizza that has put Uno’s on the map for almost sixty years.

Warning: Even on a slow night, you will wait a minimum of forty-five minutes from the time you walk in the door until the pizza arrives at your table. These big circular meals are that thick, and unlike traditional flatbread pizzas, need to be slow-cooked like the savory pies they are.

Overall Rating

Sausage pizza

Numero Uno

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Posted By Mike Gordon on July 19, 2008 11:16 AM

I have eaten at Uno's and its sister store down the street, Duo's, many, many times. This is Chicago pizza at its finest. Try the large Uno's with garlic and you will be in pizza heaven. Both locations serve the same quality food and both get packed, so unless you go during an off-hour be prepared to wait for a table. You place your pizza order when you leave your name at the hostess stand, so that speeds it up a little bit but, as the Roadfood.com reviewer said, it takes a good while to actually cook the pie so don't be surprised if it takes an additional 45 minutes once you sit down at your table.

The only negative I have about it is that the tables and booths are very small and they pack you in like a sardine. The waitstaff has also been known to be less then attentive but I will put up with anything for this pizza. It's that good!

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Posted By Warren Corson on January 2, 2005 10:14 AM

I was in Chicago for a work related seminar and definately had to try this Uno's after reading Roadfood. With all due respect to Jane and Michael, who's opinions I greatly value, I just didn't think it was anything to jump up and down about.

I sat at the bar, and must admit the atmosphere in the place is great. Like a great old city tavern. Chicago has such great character. I ordered the individual sausage pie. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I can honestly say the pizza was no better than at any Uno's I've ever visited. The crust was kind of dry and hard; not worth eating on it's own like it usually is at Uno's. The sausage was good, nicely flavored, but otherwise it was a very boring pizza, certainly not one of Chicago's finest.

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