The pizza here is not New York–style or Chicago-style, nor is it exactly New Haven or Neapolitan. Beholden to no particular geographical bias, Coalfire takes the best elements of the most beloved traditional pizza styles and forges something more satisfying than any of them. The bubbly crust, almost ornate at the cornicione (the pizza’s outer … Read more
Crumbles of goat cheese and gooey mozzarella canoodle with caramelized onions, olive oil, and ungodly amounts of garlic. 3352 W. Foster Ave., 773-649-3114
Beef and chicken shawarma tastes shockingly good topped with tomato sauce, four cheeses, olives, herb oil, basil, and oregano at this 12-seat Lane Tech lunch fave. 3539 N. Western Ave., 773-472-7444
These crispy chewy slices are so addictive you’ll finish one before you remember to fold it. 5159 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-293-6992
Pizza chic: nibbling on a pie made from 00-quality (finely ground) house-milled flour at a high-top marble table under a crystal chandelier. And when that pizza is topped with chunks of incredibly juicy lamb merguez and rich dabs of sheeps’ milk feta, you can almost feel a warm Adriatic breeze on your back. Nice in … Read more
Named for Ferris Bueller’s immortal sausage king of Chicago, this standout is equal parts sweet, salty, and bitter, and the springy thin crust crisps and bubbles in all the right places. 108 N. Green St., 312-600-6090
Over the past 14 years, Billy Jacobs has made this one of the highest-grossing indie pizzerias in the nation, winning countless awards and adding gimmicks such as live-band karaoke on Saturday nights. Small wonder its misshapen pies—hand-formed and minimally topped as the New Haven style demands, cooked in a gas-fired oven—are as good as ever. … Read more
A mile high with thick crust, mozzarella, tomato sauce, and impossibly sweet, juicy sausage, this pie fell right off Chicago’s deep-dish tree: Mama Louisa learned her craft at Pizzeria Due. 14025 S. Cicero Ave., Crestwood, 708-371-0950
In 1940, when this place opened, “special” meant sausage, green peppers, onions, and mushrooms baked in a gas-fired oven. It’s still terrific, especially on Saturday night, when a strolling trio lends a retro kind of seasoning. 4127 W. Lawrence Ave., 773-725-1812
There are more atmospheric pizzerias than this cavernous spot with booths and laminate tables, where a gruff and tatted cashier serves your $4 slice on a paper plate dropped unceremoniously on a tray. Doesn’t matter one bit, though, when said slice is what New York–style pizza is in its best moments: cheese melted to a … Read more
