CHIReview
Bob’s Pizza
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We want you to know two things about Bob’s Pizza. For one, there is no “Bob”— the owners just liked the name. Two, this place makes “Pilsen-style” pizza, which is not a thing. But like how America had to pretend the Jacksonville Jaguars were a real organization during their first year as an NFL expansion team, we’re treating it like it is.
So what’s the deal with Bob’s (fake person) Pilsen-style (also fake) pizzas? Unlike the Jaguars, they’re great.
In fact, we like the pies at this counter-service spot so much that we’re starting a petition to make it a certified Chicago pizza-style. The fantastic hand-stretched dough is made with beer, which gives the crust a wonderful yeasty flavor. It’s soft and foldable, with a puffy, bubbly edge, and has a nicely-charred undercarriage. They nail basic pizzas like cheese or pepperoni by using high-quality toppings along with a nice blend of local cheeses, and their tomato sauce is the perfect mix of acidic and slightly sweet.
photo credit: Sandy Noto
The other thing that makes Bob’s stand out is their short list of specialty pies. These pizzas are good enough to hold their own against Bebu’s, one of the best hand-tossed pizza spots in the city - particularly the spinach pesto and stracciatella, topped with prosciutto and sun-dried tomatoes. There’s also the slightly disconcerting pickle pizza, made with mortadella, garlic cream, and an intimidating amount of sliced pickles. It sounds like a hundred miles of bad road ending in regret, but we promise that it tastes like a fancy ham sandwich and you should order it.
Even though Bob’s is BYOB, it feels like a bar - it’s small and dark inside with a few flat-screen TV’s and a vintage Atari table, which is a thoughtful touch for a place currently under review by the Chicago Department of Pizza Style Regulation and Licensing. But we don’t care if it gets licensed or not because while Chicago is known as a deep dish city, we’re not pizza sociologists. Our job is to tell you when we find a great pizza spot, and even if “Pilsen-style” pizza doesn’t really exist, Bob’s has made it a reality for us. Anyways, who are we to tell Blake Bortles and Nick Foles that they played for a fake team.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Sandy Noto
Spinach Pesto And Stracciatella
photo credit: Sandy Noto
Bob’s Pepperoni Pizza
photo credit: Sandy Noto
Pickle Pizza
photo credit: Sandy Noto
More Pizzas, Because Why Not
photo credit: Sandy Noto
Hot Blue Cheese Fries
Meatballs
photo credit: Sandy Noto