Nice environment. The staff was friendly and on task. I just thought the pizza itself was not that great.

We were looking for a good Chicago style pizza. And we found it. Few people recommended this restaurant. And it didn't disappoint! Very good fresh pizza, decent prices (for Chicago), and service was great. Special shout out to our server Kyle- best service we received while in Chicago. Everything's was prompt, great suggestions and considered of our little ones. read more

I tried to order online, only to encounter many glitches in their ordering process. Then, having eventually made my order, got a message from the tracking system that my order had been cancelled. I tried to call the location to try to sort it out, but nobody answered the call. I know from previous experience that their pizza is exceptional, but this is unacceptable. If they charge my card for the order, I fully intend to sue them for the refund. What had been my favorite "Chicago" pizza has been ruined. read more

I look forward to going to Lou Malnati's on Montrose, but this time I was disappointed with one item. We ordered drinks and appetizers, including Italian Beef Bites, a new menu item, so I decided to try it. It seems that they wrap the bites in dough and then deep-fry them. What a let-down. I tried one; it tasted like the dough was undercooked and very salty. Not sure if it was the au jus or the dough. I tried my other appetizer, the meatballs, which were perfect. The drinks were good, and our server was very attentive, always around to see if we needed anything. I usually give 4 or 5 stars, but I have to drop one star because of the Italian Beef Bites. read more

Delicious pizza, awesome happy hr 3-5:30pm! We happened to arrive during happy hour and what a great experience! We got deep dish and thin crust personal pizzas, meatballs, bruschetta, rumble in the jungle and malnati mule cocktails all for$5 each! What a great meal for a great price! read more

See all

I have no idea why the little girl on the phone told me that a small was big enough for 2 people. That small was a big as my hand. I'm 150 pounds and i could finish the whole thing. What a joke. Quite lying to people. Seriously so frustrating to wait 25 min when youre hungry just to get a tiny a$$ pizza. Pequod pizza all the way is better. The crust here at Lou's is disgustingly bland. read more

Lou Malnati's Pizzeria - Small - Deep Dish Cheese - Pizza Near Me - Lincoln Square, Illinois

This was our 3rd time to a Lou Malnattis as it has become our go to when in chicago. The service was super friendly from the moment we walked in.The pizza was delicious and filling as always. read more

See all

I ordered a personal pizza for take out and it was delicious!! I did the deep dish veggie with pepperoni. There were a ton of toppings on it and the tomato pieces were so juicy. It was cooked perfectly, I was debating requesting it to be cooked extra but I'm glad I didn't. read more

Lou Malnati's Pizzeria - Pizza Near Me - Lincoln Square, Illinois

Food is great, but service and management are poor. - Server acted offended we pre/ordered a pizza, and then ran down how to act differently when we enter the establishment if we've done so. I'm sorry but your restaurant *SUGGESTS* in their reservation instructions to pre-order. That's a you problem not me - brought me a different beer than offered and again took no responsibility, blaming it on others - we had an OpenTable dining certificate to use, and it took them a while to analyze it, and then the manager came by and acted like we were thieves or scammers. Ended up not accepting it and then treating us like garbage on the way out. It's not my fault that your account accepts them, that's your issue not mine. But what an incredible way to ruin a customer experience. The manager was a super jerk. read more

We travel to Chicago a few times a year. We recently started a search for the best deep dish pizza. We are still looking. Lou Malnati's Pizzeria is the second place we've tried. The first received two stars, so we're moving up. We had a 5 pm reservation on a Monday. The place was pretty empty. The indoor space had a bit of a cool vibe to it. Our waiter was helpful and generally available when needed. We were hungry. We don't always get appetizers, but mozzarella sticks were recommended so why not. The sauce was good, but the mozzarella sticks were nothing special. We ordered The Lou because it was pretty darn close to what we normally order when it comes to deep dish pizza - spinach and mushrooms. The pizza was tasty and I loved the sliced Roma tomatoes on top. The cheese had a nice pull and the flavor was pretty good. It wasn't outstanding. We compare all deep dish pizzas with Zachary's in the East Bay (we lived in Hayward, CA for seven years) and Lou Malnati's left us wanting more. We are heading back to Chicago in June and we'll continue our search for the best deep dish pizza Chicago has to offer. read more

See all

Placed an order for delivery, order was delivered to be ready for delivery by 6:10pm called the store to check if the order has been picked up at 6:45pm and I was told that the driver had already picked it up. 7:20pm I get a text that the driver has just picked up the order, 7:35pm still don't have the pizza. I guess if you want soggy pizza this is the spot to order from! read more

This place is ridiculously over rated, the pizza wasn't med at best, cold when delivered, continuously giving inaccurate information, I was very disappointed and they will NEVER hear from me again! read more

I ordered a deep dish pizza and appetizer on 5/15/2026. The food was delicious as I knew it would be, but what I'd like to highlight is the service I received for my order. My order was taken by Jacob, who informed me he was the manager. He was kind,courteous, and efficient. Thank you Jacob. Logan read more

I provided Malnatis with feedback on the deep dish pizza disappointment from a few weeks ago. They sent me a nice follow up email and indicated a second email would follow to thank me for my feedback. I never received that second email. Nonetheless, we decided to give them another shot tonight. Exact same experience with a ridiculously thick crust and almost no cheese. The crust was overcooked and dry. This pizza just does not qualifies as deep dish. Again, I'm throwing out half a pizza because nobody wants a second piece. To mitigate our risk, we also ordered a thin crust pizza tonight. Unfortunately, that pizza was also overcooked, and the crust was quite hard. At least the Malnati's salad was really good. They sent me an email tonight again asking for feedback on this latest order. I completed the entire form twice, providing detailed feedback and photos, only to have the app fail twice when I tried to submit it. So, Malnatis, after several decades of you being my favorite pizza place I'm sad to say we're done. I've attached a picture of the second deep dish pizza that we received tonight. read more

Lou Malnati's Pizzeria - "deep dish" from 1/16/2026 - Pizza Near Me - Lincoln Square, Illinois

See all

My first time in Chicago so of course i had to try some deep dish. I have had Unos at home but the real thing is 10 times better! The personal pan was just enough for me. They lay the sauce on the bottom and the toppings on the top of the cheese. I was so happy enjoying this, i took some to go and even brought it back home to DC to eat. read more

See all

Ambiance is fine. Waitress was a bit impatient and inattentive. Fried ravioli was cold inside. They must be throwing them directly into the fryer from the freezer. We tried 3 deep dish pizzas. Very low quality. The crust is meh, the toppings are meh. The Margherita pesto tastes almost the same as "the lou." read more

Went here for lunch with my sons. I had never had deep dish pizza and was worried I wouldn't like it - seemed like too much! What we liked: - very friendly server - The "Lou" was very tasty - not as heavy as I expected with a nice amount of spinach so at least you can convince yourself you're getting some of your veggies in - the butter crust is VERY nice - we also ordered a thin crust pizza with sausage and tomatoes - it was delicious What wasn't perfect: - the ravioli with sauce (maybe a bad idea to order pasta at a pizza place?) - it's a long wait for the deep dish (they do warn you, though) read more

Lou Malnati's Pizzeria - Deep Dish The Lou - Pizza Near Me - Lincoln Square, Illinois

Ordered carry-out (one small pizza) through app and ready time was 7:27pm (placed order at 6:57 pm. Arrived at 7:28 pm, checked in, told 'it will be right up' and proceeded to have to wait 17 minutes before pizza was brought to counter (meanwhile in the app it said my order was complete). I understand if pizza takes time to make, or the restaurant is busy - but then build that time into the app. No apology offered by woman at the counter. When I asked when my order was because of had been 15 minutes she said 'oh, give me a minute, I have to check in the other people'. No issue with the pizza - just issues with service and app. read more

We ordered ahead of time and had the best deep dish in Chicago! The staff was nice and answered our questions over the phone. We didn't eat in the restaurant but ordering online was easy. read more

See all

A nice location, good service and apps, but only an okay pizza. In Chicago this time around, and there's a few things I got to try when I hit the city. The first up was a true Chicago deep dish pizza, so I found the closest place around to get one and made the trek. The location's pretty nice. It's mostly street parking but I think there was a lot not too far away. They have a nice terrace area and some roll-down openings to let some air in. Our server was nice but did take a while to get to us. The place recently opened so there wasn't many people there. The slow service would be a deterrent though if I was expecting expediency. We get the bruschetta and wings to eat while we wait for the pizza to cook. The wings are delightfully crispy and not overcooked. the hot honey was a little spicy, but not overly spicy. was more honey forward than spice. The bruschetta was great. garlic-y, fresh, with good tomatoes and just enough cheese to give it the salt it needed. Then came the pizza, which the server promptly took slices out and put on our plates. They ruined the picture, but it's a whatever. If this is Chicago style pizza, then I can respect the form but I am not a fan. The crust was very crispy, very cracker-like, with the flavor of butter. I really liked the sauce, the tomatoes were bright and fresh and the sauce was seasoned perfectly. The cheese was there, but very much just straight up mozzarella. The sausage "disk" that surrounded the pie was pretty novel but didn't really add anything other than a dense meat layer. Everything was executed correctly, the pie was cooked properly and everything was seasoned well. But this style of pizza is not my preference. It felt like I was eating a ritz cracker pizza with a sausage patty on it. Pricing wasn't too much. If memory serves, came up to 60 for a medium with two apps. A little pricy, but a fairly thick pizza. Overall, this location does a good job of representing Chicago's pizza style. They use fresh ingredients and have a good attention to detail. It's not for everyone, but it's a good place to try. read more

See all

My friend and I went to a Lou Malnatis for lunch and it was great! The food was good and the wait time was quick! But most importantly the service was amazing!!! The server we had--Emily-- was kind, patient, and friendly. She always had a good energy and was always there if we needed something. Definitely give her a raise bro :))) read more

OMG, the chicken Alfredo is amazing. The portions to go are so generous. The ambience is great and the customer service is amazing as well.

I ordered the pizza from here last week and the pizza was delivered sideways. Of course it was ruined. I called the business and the manager made it right by sending me another pizza out immediately. Great customer service and great food thank you. read more

So we order sausage and onion large pizza for take out. Girl took Order and repeated twice. We also requested Well Done. My wife arrives to pickup and they come out with sausage and anchovy pizza and offered to replace it no charge. They make new pizza and it's brought out to my wife after waiting for 35 minutes and it's basically raw!! What is going on! We'll avoid this place. Since the family sold a large portion of the operation, quality has taken a dive! We also ordered salad med they gave us a large and we ordered blue cheese dressing, they gave us balsamic! read more

When it comes to the great Chicago deep dish debate, I am a solid Lou Malnati's supporter. And the North Center location is as good as any. The servers were friendly, and the pies were warm, buttery and cheezy, exactly what I expected. We also got a fresh, crisp salad to balance things out. A great location when you're feeding a hungry band of college kids - we got a table for seven, no problem. And the drink refills just kept coming to help us wash down the pies. Just writing this review makes me want to go back and grab another slice! read more

See all

I keep coming back to this place because it's so close, and they just keep messing up! No more. Not a well-run operation since it happens so often. This time, ordered carry out. Got home, wrong pizza, no salad dressing. Place was empty, so no idea why. The time before, the pizza was made terribly the toppings didn't come close to covering the crust (see the photo) And several messups before that. Just so disappointing... read more

Lou Malnati's Pizzeria - Pizza toppings don't cover the crust - Pizza Near Me - Lincoln Square, Illinois

I don't know what's going on at this location. But our family has had multiple issues here over the years and won't be going back anymore. Pre-COVID we sometimes were left sitting for ages; one time our server just seemed to disappear for 20+ minutes and nobody else came by. We finally flagged down someone else because we wanted our check so we could leave. In the past few years we've had some weird pickup/delivery experiences: soggy pizza, missed items. But this past week took the cake. We called ahead to order a pizza and reserved a table on the patio for a late dinner. We were told no problem; there was plenty of seating. When we got there 20 minutes later, the host told us very matter-of-factly that the patio was about to close. It was 8:45 and the restaurant was closing at 11, according to the hours listed on their website. When we pointed out that we had just made the reservation and asked why nobody mentioned the patio closing, the person at the host table said the person who took our reservation "wouldn't have known the patio was closing" which seemed really odd. Do the employees not talk to each other? Why were they accepting reservations then? We were getting ready to just take our food to go when we discovered there was a table just inside the restaurant but adjacent to the patio; the door next to the table was open. So we asked about sitting there and were told the door would be closed shortly as well, which came across like someone shutting the door in our faces. The whole interaction was odd and not at all customer-friendly. They did not honor our reservation and would not even leave a door open. It was as if they didn't want us there at all. So instead of having a full dinner there, with a meal and drinks and dessert, we left in disgust that the restaurant management seemed completely uninterested in serving us. The dining room was not exactly full, either. So although our family loves Lou's pizza, we won't be patronizing this location anymore. read more

Went for Happy Hour yesterday. Really nice space - had an inside table with outdoor vibe due to open design. Can't beat the price. Individual pan or thin pizza for 5.00 plus a choice of draft beers, wines and a few summer cocktails also 5.00. Lovely way to spend a late afternoon on the North Side of Chicago. Highly recommend. read more

We visited for lunch and the waiter was a great help and never rushed us. We ordered a large deep dish (the first one on the list). There was 4 of us and depending on your appetite 1 piece will satisfy you and 2 you'll feel full. Great tasting sauce. Not doughy as many deep dish and we had water and it was a great time and loved the cleanliness and some of the decor. read more

I am surprised that I've never reviewed Lou Malnati's before. This one opened up in my neighborhood several years ago and since then it was the go-to for pizza. I haven't had pizza much in the last two and a half years so I haven't used them as much. I'll be honest: Lou's is my favorite pizza, at least for deep dish; they use more tomato sauce than I like, I think. But their thin crust in particular is really good! Tonight we ordered and because they were going to be a few minutes late (really few, like 5-10) they have us a call and let us know. They offered us a small token of appreciation due to the inconvenience and that was completely unexpected but very much appreciated. read more

Lou Malnati's Pizzeria - Lou's thin crust. Half sausage and half pepperoni with black olives and jalapeños. - Pizza Near Me - Lincoln Square, Illinois

if you're looking for Chicago style deep dish, the only chain that I typically recommend is Lou Malnati's. It is also the few places where the salad is on par to the pizza. remember that most pizzas take about 40 minutes in the oven so make sure you give yourself enough room to get appetizers or drinks beforehand. This is right of LINCOLN SQUARE and North Center neighborhood. I personally am a big fan of this location because in the summer it has an outdoor space that connects right into the indoor section . My experience with the servers here has always been top notch. #pizza #deepdish #chicago read more

The pizza is great but the service is always hit or miss at this location, whether dining in or carrying out. During my most recent experience, my husband and I placed an order for pick-up. You can select your pick-up time and you receive a confirmation. I understand that things will go off-schedule here and there. However, my husband went to go pick up our order and waited almost an hour past our confirmed pick-up time. AN HOUR! That is completely unacceptable. Also, I was stuck at home and was hangry beyond belief. I almost went down there myself, and Lou's, you do NOT want hangry me to come down there, trust me. Get your act together!!! The world is falling apart; all you have to do is give people their pizzas on time!!! The manager gave us a coupon for a free pizza and appetizer for next time, though, so I have to give some credit for that. And I guess this means there will have to be a next time. Sigh. read more

First time trying Lou malnatis. It was good, but I prefer Pequods. If you're looking for a deep dish with a less bready crust and a sauce more like crushed tomatoes, then this is the place. I do like that you can get the pizza cooked well done here read more

I love Lou Malnatis. I grew up eating Lou Malnatis. I was excited when Lou Malnatis opened a store nearby. That being said i feel its impossible for them to get any order right 9/10 times the order is wrong. Talked to Ed the manager of the store he was sad "the order wasnt up to their standard" sadly Ed the order was up to your standard which is disappointing. I still love Lou Malnatis so order from a different location read more

Lou Malnati's Pizzeria - Thought by chance i made the mistake - Pizza Near Me - Lincoln Square, Illinois

See all

The pizza at Lou Malnati's typifies what is the best of midwestern pizza especially with its butter crust. The service is open and friendly. They are thoughtful in their descriptions of the menu. The ambiance captures a true genuine pizza parlor for families and friends. Great communal eating experience. read more

I ordered a pizza for delivery and it took two hours. I called the driver and he kept telling me 5 minutes every ten minutes. I called the office and was told"accidentally" hung up on but they didn't bother to call me back. I was also told that uber eats was responsible for the late delivery and I didn't order through uber eats and would never. They parked me on hold to speak with a manager. They don't take care of their customers read more

Ok so this place was fantastic. The food was amazing. We took our waitress Jesse's recommendation. The classic chicago with spinach and feta...wow. It was fantastic. What really made this experience special was Jesse. She was probably the best waitress I've ever had...? From the start she was cracking jokes with us and giving us recommendations for our trip. She suggested we go to Andersonville, which we did, and it was amazing!!! Such great shopping in that neighborhood. My boyfriend and I left wanting to be her friend, so Jesse If you see this girl, give us a follow on Instagram: caucasian.zaddy sorrycharliemurphy Thank you Jesse for giving us such an amazing time. She has such a special energy and Lou's is very lucky to have her. 10/10 if you go, ask for Jesse. Zach and Louis read more

The setting is very nice and the legendary pizza was ok (nothing to write home about). However, the young server was downright unfriendly and unresponsive. Despite a mostly empty restaurant, someone in our party requested a water refill and she just rolled her eyes. Perhaps this is part of their vibe, but I wouldn't waste my time or money in the future. read more

Was in town for a boy's weekend with friends from all over the country One lives in the area and the rest of us wanted to try Chicago deep dish pizzas He took us here and it was great. I live in NJ so know good pizza and this did not disappoint If looking for a good spot a must go read more

I rarely write reviews but I felt compelled to do so...I was absolutely thrilled to share how incredible (and above exceptions) my group party for my daughter turned out. We had 50 guests and from start to finish, I am thankful for the exceptional help by Billy and her team in making this party a success! The atmosphere was filled with joy and laughter, the ambiance was cozy. The food was delicious and the staff was attentive. A special thanks goes out to Felipe and Vanessa for their dedication and enthusiasm. It really makes a difference when you know that they genuinely want to be there and take care of you! My teenager daughter commented "My party was so much fun and much better than I expected". Thank you to Lou Malnati's at Lincoln Square for helping me give my daughter a beautiful send-off to college! read more