My first ever Chicago style deep dish pizza! And Lou's did not disappoint. I will be recommending this place if anyone asks me for places for Chicago deep dish pizza (I like Lou's more than Giordano's). Be aware that the pizza takes 20-30 minutes to make!!! Not a grab and go pizza spot. Next time I'll be trying the Lou since I heard its better than the Malnati!FoodThe Malnati, or the Chicago Classic, is a deep dish pizza that was cooked perfectly. A good amount of sausage slices and tons of tomato sauce on top. The crust was super good and cooked very well too. Compared to Giordano's crust, Lou's is WAY better! Deep dish pizza is very interesting because it's feels more like you are eating pizza flavored pie.AtmosphereCasual atmosphere and definitely feels like the interior caters to tourists. There's a map of Chicago with a great big metal sign with STATE ST on it. Noise level pretty average with casual conversations in the back at lunch time.PricingMy first ever Chicago pizza so don't have much experience to compare the prices to other Chicago pizzas. The small pizza (says it serves 2 but I ate the whole thing) was $21 and definitely filled me up.ServiceService was super good. My server explained any questions I had and was very friendly. Estimated times for when the food would come out were given and I never felt like I was wondering when the food would come out.OtherLocated right on State street and within walking distance from many hotels in downtown Chicago.
The best Chicago deep dish pizza I’ve ever had. Service was perfectly attentive and with a smile. What is special about the crust is you can tell that they proof it properly and you can taste a little bit of the yeast and the texture is perfectly textured. Also the crust is not excessively thick. Also you can get a chunky tomato or non-chunky tomato sauce on it. Don’t miss this version of Chicago deep dish pizza.
In my past visits to Chicago I had tried deep dish at Giordano’s and have since decided thin crust is the deal for me. During this visit I decided to try Lou Malnati’s thanks to all the rave reviews.Let’s just say it exceeded all our expectations. Of course I didn’t order deep dish so this is not a review for the Chicago signature pizza! We ordered a made to order garden vegetarian thin crust and bruschetta. This was after a 50 min wait thanks to the several people ahead in line of us. The wait was totally worth it. The flavors from garlic and basil burst beautifully on our tongue, one of the best made bruschetta served on golden bread.The thin crust pizza was brought to us and sliced real time. Wish I could post a video of it. That experience combined with the flavors and an impeccable crust sealed our second take out order next day.The check for a medium pizza with five toppings and bruschetta was about $47 minus the tip but well worth the experience!
We actually ate at Lou Malnati's twice. Once on our won and once on the walking food tour. Deep dish pizza is a Chicago tradition so you have to go to Lou Malnati's.
Great classic Chicago style pizza full of toppings and sauce with excellent service and fun atmosphere. A definite must stop.
Limited time in the city...do no trouble yourself with getting pizza here. It was an 1:30 min wait and 40 min at the table to get two deep dish pizzas. It was an extreme waste of time. The service is extremely slow. We gave our name at the front table, they said they we should preorder which we did and then went to another restaurant had a drink, 1:30 min later, got a txt that our table was ready, got seated in 15 min after, the pizza apparently was not ready even though it was pre ordered, then we proceeded to wait 40 min for pizza. It just felt ridiculous!
Long wait but we were there at 4pm on Friday, 45 min to get a table. Chicken chunks were very good, honey barbq had a nice flavor. My husband absolutely loved the butter crust deep dish, I needed more cheese - We both had individual deep dish perfect size . He loved sausage . I didn’t care for flavor of crust but liked how it was flaky & light. My husband who eats pizza everywhere says best he’s ever had. We may disagree on that one. Staff were pleasant & attentive.
We went to the one located on Michigan Avenue for lunch, minimal wait time. Ordered ' Deep Dish The Lou' along with Minestrone soup and Iced tea. All the items were spot on! The quantity was sufficient for 2 and so filling that we ended up taking some pizza back to the hotel. Service was great and staff was very attentive!
1st time in Chicago & I had to try some authentic Chicago Deep Dish pizza & this spot didn't disappoint.The bruschetta was fresh & the bread wasn't to hard. A lot of times when I get bruschetta the bread is just too hard to go with the wonderful ingredients. Their bread was perfect, not to soft not too hard.The pizza was the perfect size & was excellent. I have a trip scheduled for Chicago next year with the family & I can't wait to take them by here.Only reason for the 4 star was the service. Coming from a customer service background this is always a sticking point for me. I look at a lot of variables when rating on this (area of country, culture, setting, etc)The staff wasn't bad or rude but I didn't feel "welcomed" as a tourist which was known by them. After being around the area for a few days I noticed that this seemed to be the attitude of the area. So it is what it is.Being from the south my southern hospitality definitely comes with wherever I go & I look at that as a critical measurement when I go to an establishment, how do you make me feel when I come in to your place.Overall it was still a great "authentic" Chicago experience
Really terrible deep dish, everyone in my party of 5 hated it. Do not waste your money. I have no idea why it has a good reputation at all.