Lou Malnati's Pizzeria

🏆BEST DEEP DISH ALERT🏆 Along with Giordano’s, Lou Malnati’s is the other half of the Big 2 Chicago deep dish mavens. Lou’s is actually the O.G. in the deep dish game, established in 1971 in Lincolnwood, a suburb of Chicago. The major difference separating these two styles: Giordano’s is HEAVY on the cheese, while a Malnati’s pie is SWIMMING in sauce. Using California vine-ripened tomatoes, Lou’s sauce is sweet, tangy and bursting with flavor, a chunkier crushed tomato rather than puréed sauce. They also used sliced fresh mozzarella as opposed to the shredded cheese, which is delectably creamy, melts in your mouth and seems to be a nice compliment to the sauce. The dough is definitely more “dessert pie-like,” flaky, buttery, golden brown with a crispy & crunchy crust around the edges. This is also a noticeably thinner pie than the over-stuffed Giordano’s version. With a sprinkle of Parmesan on top, this is a feast of flavor and edges out Giordano’s as the best deep dish pizza in Chicago. While I still prefer a thin & foldable NYC slice, Lou Malnati’s is a welcomed change of pace pie and well worth a trip to Chi-town.