bigfan wrote:
we will just admit that IMU was wrong, that I dont try a number of different Pizza places. To be honest, havent had Lous in quite some time and havent ordered it myself in even a longer period of time.
This list might be a fine example of how wrong IMU was in judging me as someone who doesnt try a varierty of Pizzas....and thats was as of 2011. All the new places Toppers, Blaze, Dimos, Big G's, Si Pi, etc etc...are not even included.....I mean, can we just agree that IMU might have been wrong about his assumptions about me?
EVERY PIZZA PLACE I EVER TASTED- BY RANKING
This does not mean this is the final word on what pizza is the best(and the worst), but it is damn close!
Updated June 20, 2011
RANK PLACE COMMENTS
9.40 Lou Malnatis Simply the best! Best sauce! best cheese! Best Sausage! Deep
8.75 D'agastinos New top thin, taking over from La Gondola + Bonus points for a really good single pizza at Wrigley! Relacing Connies!
8.30 La Gondola Been there a long lon time with them. Quality started falling when they become ultra popular. Hopefully they return, but still very good.
7.90 O Fame Great thin pizza, sometimes too big of a bubble, but great thin. Delivery is terrible and Largest size isn't that big but a very good pizza.
7.50 Barnaby's Another excellent thin. Have not had one in quite sometime, but always solid.
7.40 Chili Mac YES! Chili Mac on Broadway in Chicago. Probably the most surprised I have ever been about a pizza! Have to give Kelly credit here.
7.25 Edwardos Thin, very good very fresh ingredients, all natural.
7.20 Aurelios Another good thin Chicago Pizza, many south burbs would probably be a top of the line pizza anywhere else.
7.15 Bacinos/Giordanos They might both be pissed I lumped them together, but they are very very similar. Deep dish and thin. Both good, never had a bad one. Just saying I have had better.
7.10 Mother Other Kitchen CLOSED Had a great butter crust in Wilmette.
7.10 UNOS / DUE ORIGINAL places only! Another very good pizza, deep dish, still like Lou's better, but would still do either of these places in Chicago ONLY!
7.05 Genos East Good deep dish, still in 4th place of the big 4. Not bad at all, just better deep dish.
7.02 Scoozi! Untraditonal, pizza made in lengths on a long board, but really excellent product! Yes, you can get a sausage pizza.
7.00 Pats Pizza Not sure it is possible to make a pizza thinner than this. A bit greasy, but still good.
6.85 Art of Pizza Consist ant, good, a bit greasy in the crust. Open at 11 AM daily and serves slices, which is a plus.
6.75 CW Napkins Great delivery system, which counts. Slices, Good pizza to eat while working on a project. Yes, my project pizza!
6.50 NANCYS This is the home of STUFFED Pizza. I order it once a year, great for a pig out session.
6.45 VINES Right next to the Cubby Bear. They offer some funky pizza variations, but they will make you a simple pepperoni and it is really good.
6.40 Pizza Capri A thicker thin crust. Lotsa good other stuff here as well.
6.40 Fornello-Irving Park They make a wood oven pizza that just doesn't work for me, but the BEST Lasagna I ever had! I order the Lasagna!
6.35 Carrenos Good thicker thin pizza. Similar to Pizza Capri.
6.15 Village Inn Skokie UPDATED Really good thin crust, good sauce, definite grease. Dropped it a bit, due to just had one and can say have had better ones.
6.00 Petes Pizza Great Pizza for Parties. Huge. Quick. Good delivery.
6.00 Cafe Luigi Close to NY style Pizza in Chicago. Not a NY fan, but this is not bad.
6.00 Pizza Serio Anotrher close to NY style, enjoyable cooked on a real stone.
6.00 Tomato Head Poor mans version of Barnaby's, but still decent.
6.00 Pizza Bellas Pretty Similar to Luigi.
5.90 Pizanos Rudy Malnati. Thinner than Lous, but thicker than regaulr thin. Can taste the similar styles.
5.85 Bricks Only had it once and was not my order, was after a good night, leaving some girls palce at 4 AM, went looking for a diet coke to go, grabbed some slices too! not bad at all.
5.80 Rosatis Only had slices from here. Huge slices, lotsa cheese, good sausage. Selling slices always is a bonus.
5.78 Gullivers Maybe living on historical love here as I have not had it in YEARS, but was always good.
5.75 Palermos Out of many requests from diehards I tried it. Had one from he place on 95th and a few from the one in Wrigleyville. Too much sugar in the sauce. However, I would understand how you would love this pizza if you grew up on it, but I didn't.
5.75 Purgatory Pizza Good place. Good Pizza specials. Thin Unique Cracker Crust. Similar to Barnaby's, O Fame, Tomato Head CLOSED
5.75 Bills Place Maybe it was actually better than I remember, but making me drive to Crystal lake for a pizza raises the bar a bit!
5.75 Carmens An FOBF favorite, I have had the thin, it was good (and free) but being pushed to the stuff, don't think I ever had it.
5.75 APART UPDATED: Pizza was a bit thinner this time and the place was empty. Maybe it was the weather or they didnt handle the hype well.
5.75 Exchequer Pub Downtown on Wabash. Long time place, good thin, heavy toppings.
5.65 IANS The home of the Mac n Cheese Pizza. Funky Combo after Funky Combo. Bacon, Cheese, Potato as an example. It's good, it's different. Slices mainly, late night PACKED!
5.62 Side Street Saloon Corn meal Crust, just a bit too thin! Just missing something, but if I lived closer would pick up more often.
5.60 Pizza Metro It was a good pizza. Had better, but would not be bummed if this was ordered.
5.55 Yakzess/Paddy O splaines Decent pizza, 2 places are really similar. Of course WIngs are better at Yakzees.
5.52 HOME RUN INN A Place I have enver been to! But had many Frozen ones and could only imagine the fresh one is just a better version.
5.50 Cheese to Please Something funny about this pizza, but I loved it growing up.
5.35 Maries Liqour Formerly served at Hi Tops. Good really thin.
5.30 Michaels on Broadway ANother place with Sweet sauce. Not what I like but many do.
5.25 Big Cheese Pizza Needed some more cooking, but had a shot, maybe a 2nd order!
5.15 My Pie Surprised it is still around. Provides a good deep dish.
5.10 John Pizzeria On Western. OK pizza, nothing special, Might order if closer
5.10 Barrys Spot Good thin. Delivery place only. If Barry smiled once I might like it more.
5.10 Congress Pizza Had a good date there once, so maybe I remember this place better than it is, but would go back.
5.05 Calos Pizzeria Ya know when the toppings and cheese are like an inch away from the crust. It was an OK taste, but the crust thing bothered me.
2.04 Paninos Pretty good, but never parking in a shopping center? Strange.
5.00 Chicagos Pizza Way too much salt. Good commercials. Open very LATE! Munchies Cure
4.90 Pronto Za Terrible Location, crust needs some flavor and slices too big to be sold solo if they dont stay up. OK pizza, kind of New York like.
4.80 Phillys Best Similar to the 2 below. Not great, but a slice with a sandwich works.
4.79 John Barleycorn* * Not really a pizza. Calling it a Pizza cone. Hand rolled mini roll, cone shaped with cheese in it. Sauce then on the side. Might bge a good idea to stuff the cone with some toppings? Not bad, but still just an appeteizer. thus the *
4.78 Connies While I have never ate at the Restaurant, if you have been to a Chicago sports event, that's the pizza and it is OK then.
4.77 Daves Italian Kitchen Another one from the history bin. Had it a few times in my yute! Was OK then, so might be not so great as many have said.
4.75 Peuqods I just never liked the pizza. Really bready. Too much Oregano, but some pizzaheads love it. I am just not one of them.
4.61 Whole Foods Yes, they feature fresh pizza and it's OK. Sometimes it's also just a pain in the ass to fight through the homeless people waiting for the free samples and I hate to disrupt the employees discussing when the next rad show will be.
4.60 Mista Pizza First, it was like the owner was pissed I called for a delivery? Next I ordered a large pizza, to which he tells me they only have one size, like everyone should know this. Sausage sucked! Pizza was small thin on a stone. Not terrible, but would never return.
4.60 Bo Jonos Sloppy made pizza, was not tasty at all.
4.58 LA Rosa on Golf Another one from the past! But still cooking, so muist be doing something right.
4.57 Pie Hole Funky spices on this one. Very thin, unique, not for me.
4.56 Nonnas Really undercooked. Put in the Box when cheese melted, no browning.
4.55 lincoln Park Pizza Good for the kids at LPHS , just not for me.
4.55 Villa May Pizza Plenty of hype surrounding this place. was really disappointed. Sloppy thin.
4.51 Vinis Really bready, no real flavor, kinda undercooked
4.50 Gigi's Like a Dominos rip off
4.40 Bubamarra Another place talked up! Just wasn't that good.
4.40 Ranallis UNfalvored crust, sausage not that good either.
4.40 Lauries on Broadway Breadie thin crust. Was like what they consider a good pizza in Florida.
4.40 Leonas I just don't like the sauce. Not sloppy, they do everything else well, just not loving the pizza.
4.40 Renaldis Pizza Just don't like it much. Lack of sauce. But they have other stuff
4.35 Venice Pizza Was a huge pizza, tasteless. Disappointed
4.32 Fireplace Inn Great place to hang! Just wasn't a good pizza!
4.30 Old Towne Pizza Pub Someone must have spilled the salt on my pizza. Ate less than half and left it.
4.27 Chicago Oven Grinders Just never liked it. Questionable on even calling it pizza, but the sauce is more like it was made for a pasta dish. Others love it, they stand in line on the weekends. Not for me.
4.25 Pie Hole Uses some funky spice here. Not for me.
4.05 Orso's Might be risking my life with this bad review, but I think they might have spilled the salt on this one. Had 1 piece, sent it back paid for the drinks and left.
4.00 Pizza Ria/Pizza Baci 2 Places i Wrigleyhood, drunk it's good and that's it.
3.75 Papa Romeos Not good. In the Dominos class. Amy you pizza moron!
3.65 Red Flame Gotta drop a WHO YA CRAPPIN here. "2 Part process" of cooking doug on grill and melting cheese under broiler? Cheese doesn't stick to crust that way!
3.50 Royal Chessman/Villa Rosa CLOSED Another 2 places from my youth. Sometimes, you just feel like a good bad pizza. I can't explain it, but these were the places. Never uniform, nothing measured, no doubt homemade.
2.75 Pizza Rustica Not sure how the place remains open except some people must like the taste of frozen pizza. I hated it.
2.25 Pizza Ria Like Flavored Cardboard. But at 3 Am it's just edible if I had enough JAck and Cokes.
1.50 Bertolinis- Vegas Alleged to be good italian food, but when asked how was pizza I responded with "If we were in Chicago,this would be the second worst Pizza I ever had." And they kicked us out!
1.05 Z Best Pizza CLOSED Former Location 200 N Dearborn Food court. Was like eating Cheese off cardboard and this was with a hangover when anything would have tasted good.
0.00 Shaky's -Acapulco after years of walking by this place and seeing the 5 mins or it is free sign. I had to go for it. 100 pesos, a tortilla, ketchup, American cheese melted is what they called a pizza.
If you have a place "I GOTTA TRY" email me at BIG FAN
Gotta Try List- Phils, Vito & Nicks, Sapore D Napoli, Candellight, Spacca Napoli,DOC, Domincks
Never to be ranked. Dominos, Pizza Hut,Papa Johns, Lil Ceasar, Calf Pizza Kitchen, Homemade Pizza (gotta cook it to be ranked)
Biggie,
Like listening, reading is a skill. Did I miss an Armandos rating?
But also, next time you're thinking about getting out of the doldrums of Scottsdale to get back to Racine, Wi., check out Wells Brothers pizza.