The Chicagoland area is known for legendary pizza, from thin crust to deep dish, and everyone seems to have their own favorite spots to binge at. A poll of 50 randomly chosen students at the high school, Bear Facts decided to put readers’ favorite spots to the test. The three most visited pizza spots; Lou Malnati’s, Giordano’s, and Domino’s.

To give all of the pizzas an equal chance at the title of best pizza in Chicago, I tried the specialty pizzas at each of the locations.

Domino’s: “We’ve made Pizza both Mouthwatering and Moneymaking”

My first stop was Domino’s pizza, located at 890 South Rand Road. This chain is available all around the Chicagoland area and the country. The poll suggested I should try the thin crust pizza.

The pizza had a minimal amount of sauce with a lot of melted cheese on top, accompanied with savory oregano. A negative I would have to point out is that the crust of the pizza was dry and crunchy with a lightly charred aftertaste.

The environment of the restaurant was more of a stop and go place. The wait time for a medium thin crust pizza was around 20 minutes, which was a positive in comparison to the other restaurants I visited. The reasonable price for a 12 inch pizza was also another factor that contributed to my liking of the restaurant, yet it was not enough to make the restaurant my favorite

I would give the restaurant 3 out of 5 stars, due to the lack of a balance between cheese and sauce, along with a burnt crust.

Lou Malnati’s: “Best Deep Dish Pizza since 1971”

My next stop was Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria, located at 1225 Rand Rd,. This pizza parlor had no seating and was a delivery/carry-out based pizza shop, yet that made it no less delicious than the other two stops I visited. The staff at Lou Malnati’s was the kindest of the pizza staffs I had met. The man who was taking my order seemed excited and passionate about his job, which was a refreshing change in comparison to the other two establishments.

The staff told me the “Lou”, named after the restaurant itself. According to the website, The Lou consists of  a “spinach mix (enhanced with garlic, basil and onion), mushrooms, and sliced Roma tomatoes covered with three cheeses, on a garlic butter crust.”

My first impression when I tasted the pizza was confusion over the lack of tomato sauce. I started to enjoy the complex flavors throughout the pizza, though, and every layer came with a new flavor, from the tender tomatoes to the stringy three cheeses that coated the top layer of the pizza.

I would give the pizza a 4.2 out of 5 stars.

Giordano’s:  “The Best Deep Dish Pizza in Chicago”

The final stop was Giordano’s, located on 483 South Rand Road, and in my opinion this is the best place to get pizza. Publications like NBC, CBS, and the Chicago Tribune agree with the title of “Best Pizza in ChicagoLand.”

When you walk into the restaurant, it is easily identifiable as more of a family sit down restaurant. The portions are meant for larger groups, due to the two size options of a 10 inch or 12 inch pizza. I ordered the Chicago classic stuffed deep dish pizza, which the server said was the most popular. The Chicago classic has pepperoni, mushrooms, green peppers, and onions.

The wait time was approximately 40 minutes, which was similar to that of Lou Malnati’s. The pizza cheese with toppings layered the pizza crust and was finished with a chunky tomato sauce covering the surface of the pizza pie. The crust of the pizza was flaky and crunchy, while at the same time not being a dry, hard crust. Giordano’s got the crust perfected down to a science. The recipe has “evolved over 200 years”, according to the restaurant’s website (https://giordanos.com/our-story/).

I would give Giordano’s a 4.8 out of 5 stars.