It’s easy to get overwhelmed by Chicago’s pizza delivery options. There are almost too many different styles available - from deep dish to thin-crust, and everything in between. Before you start to feel like you’re suffocating under a blanket of cheese, take a deep breath. Our guide has all the information you need for a crowd-pleasing experience, whether the crowd in question is your family, your coworkers, your Quidditch team, or just you on your couch.
The Spots
A very strong contender for the best pizza in Chicago. Eating Pequod’s at home, preferably on the couch, is encouraged, because it makes your transition to the inevitable deep-dish-induced nap very easy. This is pan-style pizza, and what sets it apart is its “caramelized” crust, a.k.a. the burnt edges of crispy cheese surrounding the pie. The crust itself is thick and airy, with a great crunch, and the pies only have a little bit of sauce. It’s not a gooey cheese bomb like your classic deep dish pizza, but it’s still a hefty pie, and it’s definitely been proven to drastically reduce productivity.
If you want deep dish (and not the pan-style variety), order Lou Malnati’s. It’s the best version of classic Chicago-style pizza, meaning its sauce is on the top, with the cheese and toppings underneath. The crust is buttery and flaky, there’s a ton of cheese, and the whole thing is pretty much a gooey and delicious mess. The weight of it when the delivery person puts it in your arms might make you nervous, but just go with it. Treat it like it’s your baby and you’ll be fine.
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Paulie Gee’s, from Brooklyn, might at first seem like an unnecessary addition to the Chicago pizza scene. But if you haven’t already, you need to try these Neapolitan pies. Go for any variety that comes with hot honey (and order extra honey to go with it). In case you’re also ordering for a vegan, know that the vegan options on the menu here are actually good. Just make sure not to tell anyone from New York that you like this place. Their pizza egos are big enough already.
If you’re a New Yorker missing your big, foldable slices of pizza, Jimmy’s is the solution. The shop is a primarily by-the-slice operation serving classic New York style pizza, but they deliver their full-size pies, too. They have all the basic options, like a plain cheese pie with red sauce and a garlicky white pizza topped with blobs of ricotta, plus daily pizza specials. If you’re a Chicagoan who’s curious about “classic” NYC pies, it’s best to try this in the privacy of your home, where no one else will see you. Order some garlic knots, too, while you’re at it - they’re really good.
Piece has New Haven-style pies, which have a soft and chewy crust, lots of red sauce, and parmesan cheese instead of mozzarella (if you do want mozzarella, you have to ask for it). The pizzas are large, and their topping list is extensive enough to allow you to create some interesting combinations. They even have “Hot Doug’s Atomic Sausage” available (from the famed hot dog shop that closed a few years ago), which is great if you like spice, or if you still haven’t accepted that it’s gone.
Roots is great for a few different reasons. One, the pizza is really good - it’s Quad-Cities style, meaning it has a slightly sweet crust that’s cut into rectangles, and most of the toppings are under the cheese. Their menu is extensive, with a rotating group of pies designed by local chefs, and almost everything (including their mozzarella) is made in-house. And lastly, they have giant selection of really great salads. So you can even satisfy that person in your group who keeps repeating that they “only want a salad.”
You’re in a phase of your life where you know that there are deliverable pizzas out there other than Domino’s and Papa John’s, but you occasionally crave cheap, delicious, life-saving pizza like the kind you ate back in college. Homeslice’s pies have the same kind of fluffy, soft crust and slightly sweet sauce as those college town places, but with better quality ingredients, and plenty of toppings to choose from.
Parlor falls into the “college dorm delivery pizza” category, along with Homeslice. It’s the same kind of non-polarizing (no debates about deep dish vs. thin crust), crowd-pleasing pizza. With Parlor, there’s the added benefit of solid bar food on the menu, too. So go ahead and order one of their pies, along with mozzarella sticks and nachos, and turn your house into a college bar for the night.
Order from the West Loop location
Order from the Wicker Park location
D'Agostino's Pizza & Pub
If the job of ordering pizza for a big group has fallen to you, D’Agostino’s is an excellent choice. It’s great office party pizza - the kind that manages to still be satisfying hours after it’s been left to congeal on a conference room table. It’s thin, cut into little squares (perfect for stacking on paper plates), and has a thick layer of cheese that still tastes good cold. The crusty pieces on the outside are the best, though, so don’t wait too long to claim your portion.
This is drunk food at its finest. It isn’t remarkable pizza, but Big G’s offers the kind-of-weird-but-actually-pretty-good slices designed with late night eating in mind. Some of the pizzas here sound like they were made using a Chopped basket, with options like BBQ beef and french fries, s’mores pizza, and mac and cheese. But you should embrace it. They’ll also deliver by the slice, so you don’t have to wake up and face the fact that you ordered a whole pizza topped with lasagna the night before. But also, if you want to do that, you can.
Order from the Lakeview location
Order from the Taylor St. location
