When in Chicago, eat deep dish pizza. That was the one piece of advice that everyone gave us when we told them we were headed to the windy city. And like most travellers, we take the recommendations of our friends (both online and offline) seriously! When we asked them where we should devour our first pie, they all suggested Lou Malnati’s. And now we understand why…
As one of the oldest family names in Chicago pizza (Lou opened the first Lou Malnati’s in 1971), this pizzeria is one you definitely need to check out. We decided to visit their flagship location at Rush & State St. (they have 36 now!). With a beautiful patio, two party rooms and a big bar area, it’s their newest and largest restaurant.
Marc – the owner and eldest son of Lou – actually made these pieces himself!
Now on to the food…First of all, their pizzas are handmade from scratch. And their sauce (the most essential component) is rich, tomatoey and amazing. Maybe it’s because they head over to California every year to hand-select the vine-ripened tomatoes for their sauce – now that’s commitment to quality.
Oh, and they get their fresh mozzarella cheese from the same small dairy farm in Wisconsin that has supplied them for over 40 years. We’re talking real, stringy goodness here…
We were expecting deep dish pizza to have a heavy, greasy crust. Much to our surprise, it was flaky and buttery! Their secret recipe has been passed down from generation to generation.
These guys are serious about their pizzas! They even ship Lake Michigan water to their other locations (said to be an essential ingredient in the secret recipe). It was hard to decide what to order, but with the help of our resident expert, this is what we landed on:
1. Malnati Salad – Yes, I ordered salad (this does not happen very often). I’m glad I did because it was like a party in my mouth! I thought the sweet vinaigrette, fresh mushrooms and bacon came together really nicely.
2. The “Lou” Pizza – This was my favourite pie. It had spinach, mushrooms, sliced roma tomatoes and was covered with three cheeses.
3. The Malnati Chicago Classic – This one is great for all you meatl-lovers out there. It’s made with local sausage, cheese and vine-ripened tomato sauce.
4. We had to try the Gluten-Free “Crustless” pizza – A crust made of sausage: that’s all I need to say…
5. And we couldn’t leave without trying the Chocolate Chip Pizza. It’s freshly baked and it’s humongous (feeds at least three people). The vanilla bean ice cream was a nice touch.
So, if the pictures aren’t convincing enough, I’ll spell it out: you need to go to Lou Malnati’s when in Chicago. There is a reason it was voted America’s most ‘life-changing‘ pizza. Good enough for Lady Gaga to devour and for Justin Bieber to order…
Oh, and for those lucky friends living in the US: Lou Malnati’s ships nationwide!
Special thanks to Lou Malnati’s for hosting us. As always, all reviews and opinions are entirely our own.
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