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    Lou Malnati's Pizzeria

    3.9 (190 reviews)
    ModeratePizza, Italian
    Open 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated a few days ago

    Order Lou Malnati's Pizzeria Takeout or Delivery

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    LOU MALNATI'S PIZZERIA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Navya V.

    Chicago = deep dish. Deep Dish = Lou Malnati's. Lou Malnati's = Delicious! This place definitely requires a reservation ahead of time if you are planning to have a sit down experience. The pizza options are vast and modifiable. When the pizza is brought out to you, the server puts on a show with cutting the pizza and doing a fun cheese-pull of the slice before serving it. There are frozen deep dish pizzas available for sale here, if you want to take home the experience as well.

    Brandon F.

    We had to try the Chicago style pizza when visiting Chicago! We came here for dinner in the evening. There is always long lines for these restaurants given their popularity and well known thing to do when visiting chicago. We put our name in and walked around for about 30-45mins before our table was ready. The staff here are really great and attentive despite having so many tables to attend to. We were not personally impressed by the taste and style of chicago style pizza! Definitely a personal preference for us, but we would still recommend you give it a try!

    Probably the most delicious pizza I've ever had in my life. Order it.  Deep Dish Malnati Chicago Classic Deep Dish Malnati Chicago Classic
    Erini N.

    I've tried deep dish, pizza, and other places in Chicago. Every time I visited, and I've never really gone back for it because it hasn't been that impressive. Until I tried this pizza and now I understand all the rave. If you want to try real deep dish pizza in Chicago, THIS is where you need to go. It takes a lot of time to make, almost 45 minutes, but all ingredients are made from scratch.

    a sign for lou malnati's pizzeria
    Michelle M.

    Although I seriously questioned where our Uber was dropping us off, the restaurant ended up coming through. I must say I prefer Giordano's as an out of towner. Maybe I just don't have refined deep dish pizza taste yet. Regardless, it was good and while the waitress wasn't leaping to wait on us (we were literally the only people there and we think she was annoyed at our arrival...) she was nice enough. I think the hardest worker there was the delivery driver who went and came back several times just while we were there. He was all go the whole time. We also got the Caesar salad but it came unmixed so I felt like we needed to prepare it ourselves. Still a solid early dinner on the way to Midway.

    a slice of pizza
    Miles S.

    Deep dish is mandatory when you visit Chicago and this spot is known to back up it's top quality reputation. You'll be grateful for the crispy edged, fluffy pies filled generously with tomato sauce and cheese!

    Cheesy bread. Better than the pizza imho.
    Steven T.

    Now I've had Lou Malnoti's twice now. Just a few days ago at a less popular location and another time years back when my girlfriend (now my lovely wife) brought me back half a personal pizza through airport security, on the plane, and into my fridge--yeah I TIED THAT KNOT, SON. I could not believe how delicious that pizza was despite it not being fresh. The cheese, the sauce, oh man--THE CRUST. For those curious, I got to taste the "Lou" and "Meat" personal sized pizzas (tip: dont get tbe largest size; soggy crust is eww). I vowed to return to Chicago just for another bite of this pizza. Sadly, both Pequod's and Lou's let me down. Where did all the flavor go? Now I will be upfront and admit I've made some errors in trying to rediscover the pizza I once had. I am eating at a different Lou's and the size of the pizza we ordered was a 14" vs a personal 7" (4x bigger than a personal). The flavor was just non-existent; where was the robust, zesty tomato sauce I remembered? And the fear of all pizza lovers... wet center crust. And really, the blame cannot really be placed on anyone. Maybe cooking 14" pies is just a terrible idea in general. I waited quite a while for my rekindling with this pizza and I was severely let down. It's just embarrassing that you rave to your friends and temporary roommates that "this is it, boys. Get ready!" And everyone is in agreement that there is absolutely nothing noteworthy from destroying your caloric intake. Maybe it's because I'm not from here, but I found the service to be quite lacking. My friend ordered a Diet coke to go and the waitress literally brought out an empty paper cup and plastic lid for his half finished diet coke (which, yes, he was on his way of finishing). I'm hoping for better vibes if I visit a different location but it might be a year or two before I fly in and try again. I should have been a bit worried that we were the only table during our long stay.

    Chicago Classic (top), The Lou (bottom)
    Alika N.

    No visit to Chicago would be complete without trying deep dish pizza. We ordered the Chicago Classic and the Lou. The pizza takes around 30 minutes to prepare because of its thickness. I recommend calling ahead to put in your order before going to the restaurant. The Chicago Classic is made with sausages, cheese, and tomato sauce. Each bite was delicious and had a piece of sausage in it. The Lou had spinach, mushrooms, and sliced tomatoes all covered in cheese without any tomato sauce. I enjoyed the classic more because the the sauce tasted so good! Both pizzas also had a nice crispy crust. Our waitress was so welcoming! She heard it was our first time in Chicago and gave us a Chocolate Chip Pizza on the house. She said that it's a popular dessert and we couldn't leave without it. This was a chocolate chip cookie cooked in a deep dish pan topped with ice cream, whipped cream, and cherries. It was soft yet crunchy on the outside. I was already full from the pizza but couldn't get enough of the dessert!

    Vivek P.

    Service was a little slow, but the food made it worth waiting. The pizzas had a nice balance of cheese, sauce and toppings and they came out hot and fresh, making it a delightful dining experience. Ambiance of the restaurant was average, but not a deal breaker.

    Salad
    Tracy M.

    This was delicious! Ordered Chicago Classic + pepperoni pizza. Rich, thick flaky crust was just as I'd remembered! WARNING- this pizza is very filling.. We are 1-2 pcs each! It's NOT like regular thin crust.. Chicago Deep dish pizza is in a category all its own. 4 ppl ate a large w/2 pcs left over. The salad with red wine vinegar dressing was a perfect compliment to the pizza. So glad we stopped here!

    These are some BIG I mean really really huge chickens wings. They are seasoned well but huge [GMO] for sure.

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    5 months ago

    Best pizza in town always fresh good service clean restaurant will come back eating at Lou's for 45 years

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    3 years ago

    Great food great service. I would recommend their pizza over any other. Just ordered and picked up saved $13 for not paying DoorDash.

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    Great pizza and pasta, lots of locations so I go there a lot. There is one right by our home so maybe that's why I'm there all the time.

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    4 years ago

    The pizza is delicious!! Well cooked, fresh ingredients I didn't take a picture cause we ate it all . Next time !!

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    Lou Malnati's Pizzeria Reviews in Other Languages

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    Pequod's Pizza

    Pequod's Pizza

    3.9(9k reviews)
    5.7 miDePaul
    $$

    We had a reservation at Pequod's this past Saturday, it was a gorgeous Chicago night, so traffic…read morewas awful (making us 5 minutes late, sorry), but Sean was very accommodating and nice to our group. We had a great time catching up with friends in a cozy corner booth upstairs. Service was great, appetizers were hot and delicious and the pizza, as always, was fantastic! I'd give it 10 stars if I could, thanks guys!

    I'm pretty new to the deep dish game and really most Chicago style pizza but Pequod's was the best…read moreintroduction I could ask for! Reservations: We were visiting Chicago and I was able to snag a reservation a week early but the time slots were either really early (before 4 PM or after 9:30 PM). Thankfully, I was able to turn on notifications for cancellations and got a better time slot, I'd recommend looking earlier than a week out if you want more flexibility Food: The pizza was all build your own style which was pretty nice! We did a small deep dish and it was great and incredibly filling, the small pizza was a lot of food for 2, I will say, but we wanted it to come in the cast iron pan. The blackened crust was incredible. After getting over the fact that I was eating pizza with a fork and knife, I really enjoyed it but I can't say I'd repeat this often for the sake of my health haha. It was a bit too heavy for me to want to have consistently but I'm sure that's part of the experience. I'd love to come back and try the pan style pizzas since those receive a lot of praise and are probably easier to eat more of Ambiance: this place is way bigger than I thought with multiple floors, the interior was great with the brick all around and a game or two always playing

    Photos
    Pequod's Pizza - Small deep dish with pepperoni

    Small deep dish with pepperoni

    Pequod's Pizza
    Pequod's Pizza - Veggie pizza

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    Veggie pizza

    Lou Malnati's Pizzeria - Deep Dish Malnati Chicago Classic

    Lou Malnati's Pizzeria

    4.0(8k reviews)
    5.3 miRiver North, Near North Side
    $$

    Spent 5 days with my son in Chicago and this was our first stop. We're staying at the River north…read morearea and I made a reservation for Monday 7pm. However we arrived earlier than scheduled and we ended up getting settled at our hotel so we walked and went in early. We arrived at 4pm and they let us in - was perfect because it wasn't busy. It's my son's first visit to Chi-town so I think this is a good first meal. We got the Chicago meatballs so we can eat something as the deep dish pizza takes 30 mins. The meatballs are flavorful and filled us up until we get our pizza. We picked the Malnati's Chicago classic - medium. The butter crust is really good and the cheese to meet ratio is balanced. While it is deep dish - it didn't feel like it's super thick, I think the butter crust was the difference. It was quiet when we arrived and we were seated in the dining area by the back in the ground level. There was only 1 group and another couple when we arrived so it wasn't loud. I'm sure when it's peak hours it'll be more festive and busy. Great first meal - order some starters if you're hungry. Medium was quite big for 2 people but good if you want to have some slices to-go.

    My first time having deep dish pizza! It wasn't bad. Was expecting more flavor to the sauce so the…read moreall of the reviews raving how good the sauce was. If you're in Chicago, you definitely have to try a deep dish pizza. Service was good. The wait time for a deep dish pizza is 30 minutes so be sure not to come starving. I also recommend making a reservation ahead of time. We came on a Saturday at 2pm and the wait was 1.5 hours for two people but we already had a reservation so there was no wait

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    Lou Malnati's Pizzeria - Inside

    Inside

    Lou Malnati's Pizzeria - Caesar Salad

    Caesar Salad

    Lou Malnati's Pizzeria - Pepperoni, mushroom, and jalapeños. I wasn't impressed with the taste.

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    Pepperoni, mushroom, and jalapeños. I wasn't impressed with the taste.

    PIZZ'AMICI - Pepperoni and hot honey pizza

    PIZZ'AMICI

    4.1(129 reviews)
    4.2 miWest Loop, Near West Side, West Town

    Finally finally FINALLY!!!! I got here and tried the pizza! This has been on my Chicago food bucket…read morelist ever since it opened. We ended up doing a walk-in on a Sunday night and showed up at 8 PM one hour before close. This worked out for us because we got a really good seat after only waiting for 20 minutes. Service is good and timely- the hostess was super kind and helpful. We started with some cocktails- a Negroni & a spritz (both were good & pretty strong). Then we split the Caesar salad and a pizza with half sausage/olive and mushroom/onion. Yeah, the pizza did blow me away- the crust is perfectly crunchy and so so thin. I wouldn't even describe it as traditional tavern style pizza because I think it's a really crunchy crust- but it's definitely wayyyyy better than Dimi Dimi (that's the most comparable crust imo). The sauce has a slight spice to it, and the whole pizza just feels very layered in terms of flavorful profile. The sausage was also spicy but very good and I absolutely loved the mushroom and onion duo. Sometimes when you go to a certain pizza places, it doesn't feel worth it, but all the ingredients felt elevated here and the pizza had an elevated taste. The Caesar salad had a nice light dressing and a ton of cheese. I wish that the lettuce had a bit more of a crunch to it, but they seemed to use butter lettuce. The inside feels like a classic Italian joint, but it's very small and simple Overall, so glad that I finally went and although it's not a place that I would go regularly because I live far, I would definitely come back!

    If you love cracker thin tavern style pizza, you should absolutely try pizzamici…read more The pizza tastes fresh, the crust is perfect, the pepperoni is halal and phenomenal. I could eat a whole pie by myself I think.. its that addictive. The cheese pie is really good too and the entire pie tastes fresh with great ingredients. Service was super fast and the ambiance is small, but cozy inside. Truly recommend to try tavern style in Chi!

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    PIZZ'AMICI - Inside

    Inside

    PIZZ'AMICI - Caesar salad

    Caesar salad

    PIZZ'AMICI - Inside

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    Inside

    Sharpie’s Pizza and Cocktails - P.E.S.T.O.

    Sharpie’s Pizza and Cocktails

    4.2(40 reviews)
    5.2 miNoble Square, West Town

    Excellent service. Bar seating…read moreTable seating. 3 TV where they show sports. They showrd world cup games. Monday - $1 chicken wings. The wings are double fried but the meat stays moist. Big bang buffalo- standard buffalo. Can't go wrong. Hot honey- pretty good, honey flavor, some sweetness Garlic galaxy glaze- this is really good if you like garlic flavor. I would get this again. Bayou in the sky- super super good. I would get this again. Hint of spice, hint of sweet. Carolina bbq- tasted like straight deli mustard. I would pass. The pizza, even though they advertise Detroit Style pizza, their take is more like Focaccia style pizza. They provide nice crunch, not enough sauce. Pretty airy dough. Drooling mushroom- they offer lots of mushrooms on top but the rest of the pizza was not too great. Next time, I would get Ham Radio- pepperoni, bacon, sausage, got and sweet pepper.

    Absolutely amazing experience from start to finish. To start…read moreoff our server, Eli was so nice so knowledgeable helping us run through the menu He took incredible care of us throughout the night! That's at the tone for what became unforgettable night. Had the space debri salad which is basically a Greek salad with potatoes and I think in Italian vinaigrette Soooooooooooo for it!!! So delicious After getting it, my buddy had to get one too haha One of us had the moonwalk cheese, we go out for a lot of pizza together, and he said it was he thought his favorite of anywhere. Another one of our crew got the pepperoni pile up loved. And I got the sweet and salty space candy pizza With bacon, pineapple, pickled red onion, goat cheese, sambal. Genius, the goat cheese, instead of ricotta was the move for this pizza! All the flavors worked in perfect harmony.Nothing short of amazing. Cozy spot, super cool atmosphere, couple of old school arcade games like ninja Turtles let's goooo We had so much fun. The drinks were absolutely excellent as well. Oh my God cannot forget this drink program. Galactic gift basket and Jedi mind trick sooo fire. Speaking of perfect harmony, everything at sharpies coexist in a lovely harmony from the all the staff, to the vibe/ambiance and absolutely killer pizza and food. WILL BE BACK! Check em out! If ya know ya know

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    Sharpie’s Pizza and Cocktails - Takeout Pizza Box

    Takeout Pizza Box

    Sharpie’s Pizza and Cocktails - Kale caesar salad

    Kale caesar salad

    Sharpie’s Pizza and Cocktails

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    Lou Malnati's Pizzeria - pizza - Updated September 2026

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