Chicago is a food city. From the classic Chicago dog with onions and mustard (no ketchup) to the myriad of international dishes found in family-owned restaurants throughout the city, Chicagoans know how to eat. Of all the kinds of food we proudly call our own, however, one of them stands out above the rest – thick-crusted Chicago-style, deep-dish pizza.
Deep-dish pizza has become synonymous with Chicago cuisine and draws in both tourists and locals alike. Everyone seems to have their favorite deep-dish brand, and their passion for it rivals that of Cubs and Sox fans on the day the two teams face each other on the diamond. With all the hype and pizza pride in this city, it’s hard to imagine that the multibillion-dollar pizza industry in the United States wasn’t even popular until the 1940s.
Originating from the flat, oven-baked bread called focaccia, pizza was first made as an inexpensive staple for the poor in Naples, Italy. In 1889, however, the queen of Italy, Margherita, changed its reputation. According to legend, she and her husband, King Umberto I, became tired of French cuisine and requested pizza from Naples’ Pizzeria Brandi instead. When Queen Margherita discovered her favorite pizza toppings – mozzarella, tomatoes and basil – the Margherita pizza was born.
Yet despite her blessings, the popularity of pizza would not cross the Atlantic until the 20th century.
Pizza arrived in the United States in the wake of tragedy. Mount Vesuvius erupted April 7, 1906, leaving Naples in ruin. Many Neapolitans, already facing poverty, high taxes and cholera, decided to immigrate to the United States. And they took their pizza tradition with them.
The first pizzeria opened in New York City, but for Chicagoans like DePaul senior Ali Sean, Chicago-style taste comes in first.
“I went to New York last summer, and the pizza there was nothing compared to Chicago’s pizza,” he said. “There is no other way to get pizza other than Chicago-style.”
The rivalry between the thin crust New York-style pizza and the deep-dish Chicago-style pizza started after the end of World War II. American soldiers returning from their European battles craved pizza, and their hunger turned this once ethnic treat into an American suppertime tradition. The rivalry began because Issac “Ike” Sewell did not believe that the thin Neapolitan crust was satisfying appetites.
Sewell wanted a more filling pizza, so he decided to give Chicagoans an alternative to the Italian tradition. He founded Pizzeria Uno, located at 29 E. Ohio St., in 1943 and offered customers a three-inch corn-flavored crust, three cheeses and a chunky tomato sauce. His pizza business gave him so much success that just 12 years later, Sewell added to the Chicago tradition when he opened Pizzeria Due just down the block.
Thus began the Chicago-style pizza tradition. And Chicagoans have stuck to it hard and fast.
“I went to New York, and they had a Chicago-style pizza place – nothing like it,” said DePaul senior Danielle Bielawski. “It’s got to be from Chicago.”
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DePaul students’ deep-dish recommendations:
Hannah Feagans
Age:20
Hometown:St. Louis, Mo.
Favorite Pizza: Deep dish from Giordano’s
Major:Chinese Studies and Environmental Studies
“I’m from St. Louis, and the pizza there is not so great, so it’s a nice change of pace to eat Chicago-style pizza.”
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Elijah Bond
Age: 18
Hometown: Lincolnwood, Ill.
Major: Health Sciences
Favorite Pizza: Chicago style from Lou Malnati’s
“(Lou Malnati’s) is too good not to like. If you try it, you’ll know exactly what I mean. I usually get the Traditional Lou. It’s the deep dish with a layer of sausage on the whole pizza.”
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Tehaynish Demilew
Age:19
Hometown: Chicago, Ill.
Favorite Pizza: Deep dish from Giordano’s
Major:Health Sciences
“The texture of the bread and the cheese is very moist and delicious. It’s the variety of textures and the sauce. I usually don’t like tomatoes in the sauce, but Giordano’s makes it so good that I won’t say no.”
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Grant Mills
Age:18
Hometown: Louisville, Ky.
Major: Art, Media & Design
Favorite Pizza:Prefers thin crust from Frascelli’s in Louisville
“My mom is Italian, and I was taught to eat pizza by folding it. I feel like there is a piece of cake on the bottom of (Chicago-style pizza).”
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Jessica Gutierrez
Age:21
Hometown:Berwyn, Ill.
Major:Philosophy
Favorite Pizza: Chicago style from Connie’s in Chinatown
“The crust is so thick, and it’s really cheesy. If it’s a special occasion like someone’s birthday, we’ll go to Connie’s.”
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Local slices to check out
Lincoln Park deep dish
1) Pequod’s Pizzeria
2207 N. Clybourn Ave.
Other crusts: thin crust
2) Pat’s Pizza
2679 N. Lincoln Ave.
Other crusts: thin crust & double crust
3) Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria
958 W. Wrightwood Ave.
Other crusts: gluten-free & thin crust
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Loop campus deep dish
1) Exchequer Restaurant & Pub
226 S. Wabash Ave.
Other crusts: thin crust, crispy crust
2) Pizano’s Pizza
61 E. Madison St.
Other Crusts: thin crust
3) Gino’s East Sports Bar
521 S. Dearborn St.
Other Crusts: thin crust
