Chicago Layover

[SarahZ]

Gino's East is disgusting. Their crust tastes like shredded wheat covered in cornmeal.

I'll give you Lou Malnati's. I love their Chicago Classic. I try to balance Lou Malnati's with Giordano's, just depending on who's closest to wherever I'm staying/adventuring. Sometimes I prefer Giordano's because they use SO. MUCH. CHEESE.

 

[brianpmcdonnell17]

Gino's East is disgusting. Their crust tastes like shredded wheat covered in cornmeal.

I'll give you Lou Malnati's. I love their Chicago Classic. I try to balance Lou Malnati's with Giordano's, just depending on who's closest to wherever I'm staying/adventuring. Sometimes I prefer Giordano's because they use SO. MUCH. CHEESE.

I don't go to Chicago enough to experiment, so recently I have gotten Lou Malnati's after trying it for the first time. Next year when I move to Chicago, I'll make sure to try Giordano's because I have heard many good things about them as well. The only other place I had Chicago pizza in Chicago was Pizzeria Uno, which was disappointed and required an extremely long wait.

 

[Philly Amtrak Fan]

Gino's East is disgusting. Their crust tastes like shredded wheat covered in cornmeal.

I'll give you Lou Malnati's. I love their Chicago Classic. I try to balance Lou Malnati's with Giordano's, just depending on who's closest to wherever I'm staying/adventuring. Sometimes I prefer Giordano's because they use SO. MUCH. CHEESE.

I don't go to Chicago enough to experiment, so recently I have gotten Lou Malnati's after trying it for the first time. Next year when I move to Chicago, I'll make sure to try Giordano's because I have heard many good things about them as well. The only other place I had Chicago pizza in Chicago was Pizzeria Uno, which was disappointed and required an extremely long wait.

Pizzeria Uno is a national chain. They have one in the Philly area. I second the Giordano's nomination.

 

[lstone19]

If you cross the River from Union Station there is a very nice Food Court in the Basement of the Willis( Sears) Tower that has better selections and a more pleasant atmosphere than the Upstairs Food Court @ Union Station.

In The other Direction (in close walking distance) there is Lou Mitchells, a Chicago Institution, Al's Italian Beef, (get the Peppers on your Sandwich) and Greek Town is located a little bit to the West with several excellent places to enjoy lunch.

Recently retired from a job that had me working in Willis Tower for six years. There was no food court in the basement (Lower Level 1 as they call it) - just a single restaurant that closed about a year ago and a donut shop. I believe all Willis Tower restaurants (the ones on the lobby level and 2nd floor) have now closed (except maybe Starbucks) as they renovate and totally redesign the lobby.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

Ahh lobby renovations! I was wondering what happened to the Argo Tea Stand. I always try to get Argo Tea when in Chicago and the Willis Tower location was super close to Union Station and I always got a little kick out of sitting inside the tower with my tea. My last trip this summer I noticed it was gone.

There were quite a few restaurants on the 2nd floor... They are all closed? The lunch spots around the tower must be doing a lot of extra business now.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Thanks for the update, I didn't realize that all of the places in Willis Tower had closed. It's been a couple of years since I was on a layover in Chicago!

SAD!

 

[crescent-zephyr]

Pizzeria Uno is a national chain. They have one in the Philly area. I second the Giordano's nomination.

The Uno and Due are not run as chain stores and have a totally different menu. Uno and Due were the first chicago deep dish pizzas and still operate in their original locations which are both historic and charming.

I've eaten at both over the years and enjoyed them, but I don't think the pizza is as good as Genos or Lou's, but I do think it's better than Giordonos.

For what it's worth, Lou's feels more like a modern chain restaurant to me... Very little charm. (But very tasty pizza!).

 

[MisterUptempo]

What day of the week? There is a nearby food hall that people on this board have talked about, but it is a weekday only location.

It will be a Saturday. But I'll keep this in mind for future trips. Thanks!

Just a thought - You mentioned that your layover is on a Saturday later in August. If that Saturday happens to be August 19th, please be advised that the Chicago Air and Water Show takes place on the 19th and 20th. That could change the dynamic just a little. Attendance has been estimated at over 2,000,000 spectators over the two day show. And while Union Station isn't by the lake, expect lots of attendees to use Metra to get downtown. Plan accordingly.

ETA - The Air and Water Show hours are 10AM-3PM.

 

[NorthShore]

The only other place I had Chicago pizza in Chicago was Pizzeria Uno, which was disappointed and required an extremely long wait.

The real one on Ohio and Wabash or the place by the same name in Union Station which sells crappy pizza?

 

[Bob Dylan]

All you Chicago Pizza fans need to get out of the Windy City and try other types, and also eat some "Chicago Style" 'Dogs and Italian Beef Sandwiches!

Deep Dish Pizza is way Overrated and Costs too Much! YMMV

 

[MikefromCrete]

Forget the deep dish pizza. It isn't worth your time or money. Get yourself over to Roosevelt Road and Michigan Avenue and have an Aurelio's thin crust. You'll be in heaven. After that have a hot dog and an Italian beef sandwich. Those are true tastes of Chicago.

 

[SarahZ]

Deep Dish Pizza is way Overrated and Costs too Much! YMMV

You shut your blasphemous mouth.



Chicago Dogs are disgusting. There. I said it.

Give me a good Polish any day.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

All you Chicago Pizza fans need to get out of the Windy City and try other types, and also eat some "Chicago Style" 'Dogs and Italian Beef Sandwiches!

Deep Dish Pizza is way Overrated and Costs too Much!

 

[Bob Dylan]

Deep Dish Pizza is way Overrated and Costs too Much! YMMV

You shut your blasphemous mouth.



Chicago Dogs are disgusting. There. I said it.

Give me a good Polish any day.

I don't disagree about the Polish (Brats too!

 

[SarahZ]

I don't like onions, tomatoes, sport peppers, or relish.

I do like Vienna Beef dogs, though, so sometimes I'll just order a plain one and put a bit of mustard on it. I can usually get a Polish wherever there are hot dogs, though, so I tend to go for that or a bratwurst.

 

[Ryan]

Deep Dish Pizza is way Overrated and Costs too Much! YMMV

You shut your blasphemous mouth.



Chicago Dogs are disgusting. There. I said it.

Give me a good Polish any day.

Dude voluntarily lives in Texas, so we already know that his taste is suspect.

Any pizza executed well is amazing, be it Chicago, NY, or even the slightly odd "pizza" from St. Louis.

 

[SarahZ]

Yeah, I dig a good NY slice every so often.

I like that they're portable and perfect for eating while walking around, whereas Chicago-style is more of a sit-down meal.

 

[MisterUptempo]

Forget the deep dish pizza. It isn't worth your time or money. Get yourself over to Roosevelt Road and Michigan Avenue and have an Aurelio's thin crust. You'll be in heaven. After that have a hot dog and an Italian beef sandwich. Those are true tastes of Chicago.

As a native Chicagoan, I might have deep dish/stuffed twice a year...maybe. Same goes for most folks I know. If this thread has devolved into a pizza thread, allow me to state that Aurelio's is very good thin crust. But if you really want the best, you have to head out to 84th and Pulaski and get a thin crust at Nick & Vito's (officially, it's Vito & Nick's, but the other way rolls off the tongue easier). Our family first started going here in the early 70's. It's located in a working class neighborhood; looks like nothing from the outside, looks like nothing on the inside, too. But the thin crust is the absolute best. Just be sure to take cash with you. That's all they'll accept.

As far as deep dish/stuffed is concerned, Nancy's has always done a nice one, but since they started franchising, it isn't quite as good, but still solid. The best deep dish in town is Pequod's, near DePaul University.

 

[CraigDK]

Deep Dish Pizza is way Overrated and Costs too Much! YMMV

You shut your blasphemous mouth.



Chicago Dogs are disgusting. There. I said it.

Give me a good Polish any day.

Dude voluntarily lives in Texas, so we already know that his taste is suspect.

Any pizza executed well is amazing, be it Chicago, NY, or even the slightly odd "pizza" from St. Louis.

I've never had "pizza" from St Louis. Now my curiosity is aroused.

That said, I could go for some Detroit style pizza.

 

[Bob Dylan]

"Detroit Style" Pizza??

Description please!

 

[BoulderCO]

Deep Dish Pizza aka Cheese & Tomato Casserole

I'm a "thin crust" guy

 

[Ryan]

I've never had "pizza" from St Louis. Now my curiosity is aroused.

That said, I could go for some Detroit style pizza.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Louis-style_pizza

St. Louis-style pizza is a distinct type of pizza popular in the Midwestern American city of St. Louis, Missouri[1] and surrounding areas. The definitive characteristics of St. Louis-style pizza are a very thin cracker like crust made without yeast, the common (but not universal) use of Provel processed cheese, and pizzas cut into squares or rectangles instead of wedges.

Detroit Style:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2017/02/how-to-make-detroit-style-pizza.html

When did Detroit pizza become a thing? I mean, I know that rectangular pan pizzas have been served in the Motor City since at least 1946, when, according to Pure Michigan, bar owner Gus Guerra and his wife, Anna, decided to throw a batch of her mother's Sicilian dough into a blue steel pan, originally used to carry auto parts, and bake it with cheese and sauce. The pizza emerged with a blackened, lacy, crispy cheese crust all the way around the edges, and a new pizza style was born. Buddy's, the restaurant opened by the Guerras, has been serving it ever since.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Thanks Ryan, I was too lazy to Google it up!

 

[SarahZ]

Jet's has the best "Detroit style", but I didn't know it had an official name. We just call it "square deep dish". The crispy cheese on the toasted, buttery edges is THE reason to get it.

Detroit, IMHO, is better known for coneys.

 

[CraigDK]

Jet's has the best "Detroit style", but I didn't know it had an official name. We just call it "square deep dish". The crispy cheese on the toasted, buttery edges is THE reason to get it.

Detroit, IMHO, is better known for coneys.

That's what I grew up calling it too, I only heard of the phrase Detroit style sometime in the last decade. Although it is a deep dish, it doesn't feel as heavy in the stomach as a typical Chicago deep dish does. And yes, the crispy cheese buttery edges are what define it (at least in my mind).

Now I want a couple of coneys Lafayette coneys... Although I would settle for a couple from National as well.

If only I could find them or the pizza I grew up with somewhere here on the Delmarva peninsula.