CHIReview
photo credit: Sandy Noto
Jimmy's Pizza Cafe
Included In
Besides hostile winters, the 1990s Bulls, and elections where dead people vote, Chicago is famous for deep dish pizza. We like it, and we’re really f*cking good at making it. But spend any time here, and it’s obvious that Chicago is actually pretty open-minded on the pizza front. This city welcomes any style, as long as it’s delicious. So we’re not ashamed to say that we’re big fans of the fantastic New York-style pizza at Jimmy’s Pizza Cafe.
If you’ve ever been to a New York slice shop, this Lincoln Square spot will feel familiar. It’s a casual place, with a bunch of big, thin-crust pies on display. You pick a slice, it gets warmed up, and they hand it to you on a little paper plate. And the piece of pizza on that plate isn’t just “good for Chicago.” It’s objectively excellent.
photo credit: Sandy Noto
You’ll find some consistently available options - like cheese, pepperoni (a.k.a. little cups of greasy goodness), and a white pizza topped with blobs of ricotta. But they have rotating specials, too. For example, a fantastic bacon, date, and walnut pizza, or one with goat cheese and arugula. Each large, foldable slice has the perfect balance of high-quality toppings on top of a chewy and delicious crust - plus (when appropriate) just the right amount of grease. There are even little packets of pepper flakes, oregano, and parmesan cheese for you to use. All in all, it’s enough to make any New York transplant happy—or at least less homesick.
Jimmy’s also has some non-pizza things on the menu, like garlic knots and a few salads. These are fine, and worth ordering if you want to round out the meal, or appease any salad-ordering buzzkills. You can also order full-sized pies for delivery or carry-out, but the whole specialty ones are pretty expensive. So our favorite way to eat the pizza here is by the slice, just as nature (and New Yorkers) intended.
If you ask a New Yorker about the Chicago pizza scene, there’s a good chance you’ll get a passionate (as well as obviously ignorant and factually incorrect) speech on the horrors of deep dish. But when you don’t feel like trying to convince them, just send them to Jimmy’s. It’s a spot that everyone can agree on, no matter what kind of pizza they’ve been taught to believe in.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Sandy Noto
Cheese Pizza
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Jimmy’s Signature White Pizza
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Pepperoni Pizza
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Sausage Pizza
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Quattro Funghi Truffle
BDW Pizza
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Jimmy’s Garlic Knots
photo credit: Sandy Noto