Right off the plane, my gf and I decided to hit up Lou's for our first encounter with Chicago deep dish... and unfortunately, it was a total letdown.
We ordered the Malnati Salad and Spinach Bread to start off with. The salad was full of bold flavors that hit the taste buds, flavor after flavor... truly amazing and something unlike I've had before. The balance of sweet, salty and that acidity from the vinegar was PERFECT. The spinach bread was pretty good, but nothing spectacular here.
Onto the pizza: pepperoni and mushroom deep dish, butter crust. I'm not sure if it was an off day, but we felt totally skimped on toppings and cheese. We both agreed that all we tasted was a flat, under-seasoned tomatoey base; it literally tasted like the sauce was straight from a can, untouched. The crust was golden, but was pretty bland in its crispy state. It tasted absolutely nothing like how I expected it to taste.
I REALLY wanted to love this place. After reading review after review in planning our trip, needless to say... Lou's didn't live up to the hype.
Even though we went to a small bit of effort to pre-order for a group of 20+ people and made clear what time we would arrive, our orders were not even close to being ready upon arrival. However the manager on duty, Mike, did apologize and accept blame and made good with free desserts for one-and-all. Under the circumstances that was fair and appreciated.
Review Source:What can I say....I love Lou Malnati's and living in Arizona I come back to Chicago and have to eat here. The new Gold Coast location is roomy, comfortable and provides outdoor seating (not when I was there in winter) via an area that can be opened by a garage door of glass. Â The menu is the same at every location. I'd have given them 5 stars but the staff was a little slow to respond and check in. When arriving we had two children (one is 3 yr and one is 18 mo) but they only gave us one children's coloring placement/crayons. Â No one appeared at the table after we were seated so I had to hunt down the hostess for another set. Â The food is simply amazing. We had deep dish pepperoni/sausage and a thin crust cheese. Â It was delicious and worth the trip!
Review Source:round three...
so, my boyfriend and I had a change of heart and decided to venture back in to Lou Malnati's to give you another shot.
and let me say this time....we were not disappointed!
Kristie, our server was by far one of the best waitresses we've had in the city...very personable, welcoming, and genuine! you could just tell she loved her job!
also, the food was delicious! i don't know if this place changed kitchen staff or management, but everything just seemed more put together then our last years experience.
sorry to underestimate you lou malnati's in my last years review,
but this time you really proved yourself!
we will be back!
:)
Favorite spot in all of chicago!! The pizza is incredible and dont even get me started on the Malnati's salad. I crave it everyday!
I LOOOVE the thin crust pizza here because it is just like the deep dish crust, but a bit thinner. When you arent too hungry, this is the perfect meal to hit that pizza spot.
Recently moved into the neighborhood (Gold Coast location) and thought this place was going to be a tourist trap. Â Boy were we wrong. Â My wife and I ordered the deep dish sausage special and after our first bite we turned to each other and said in unison "this is the best pizza I've ever had." Â We've been back every week. Â
Their thin crust version is now in our repertoire, as well, and the service is also a bonus. Â Whenever we have guests in town, LM's has made our regular rotation. Â We recommend it to everyone. Â Â
Only downside I've seen thus far is that you can't split toppings (say half sausage, half pepperoni) without them charging you for two. Â Doesn't matter though - you can't find a better pizza in town.
Fantastic! Â Their butter crust is the best! Â This location is super busy on weekend nights, but accommodated our very large group with ease. Â Parking is a bit tricky (there is a pay lot around the corner with limited parking spaces, but the attendants are prompt and polite--bring your ticket into Lou's for validation).
Review Source:After having Giordano's our first day in Chicago we were certain it was our favorite... Hold the phone... Lou Malnati's has topped them all today!
Other than a short mid-afternoon wait, after calling ahead and being told there was no wait, we experienced a great overall value and would recommend this location at Gold Coast.
The pizza was excellent, salad to kick things off was equally fresh, and, to top the day off, we had the baked cookie for two with vanilla bean and whip!
Service was awesome and the atmosphere was friendly, warm, and very enjoyable!
When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, thats AMORE!
If you don't love pizza (and a killer salad, sandwich, steak, etc), then get outta here!
Pizza is phenomenal. Hands down one of my favorite Chicago favies. Their salads are also SO GOOD. I ordered a spinach salad with goat cheese, pear and a vinagrette, and just melted over it. Everything was extremely fresh! I was so thankful that my mom knew about this place.
The interior decor is charming and colorful- perfect for all ages. A great spot to bring the fam too!
This is some of the most delicious pizza found in Chicago! Â Their combination of ingredients has really perfected the Chicago Pizza. Â I like to think it's the sauce. Â In addition to having a stellar recipe, Lou Malnati's will make a pizza any way you like it. Tomatoless pizza? You got it! Extra extra onions! Done! Â Be sure to order too much pizza for your table. This way you can doggie bag it and eat it later. It's delicious hot or cold!
Review Source:As tourists, my husband & I knew we must have deep dish at least once while in Chicago. We asked a few locals for the best spot, and Lou's was the obvious answer. We got the "Lou" and it was incredible- I never wanted it to end! My mouth is legit watering at the thought of the gooey cheese. We also got the spinach bread as an appetizer (you have to wait at least 30 minutes for the pizza to cook) and it was to die for- I definitely could have made a meal of just that.
The service was wonderful, as well. Our hostess & server were both very knowledgeable, friendly, & accommodating. Loved the decor, too. The exposed brick and the glass "openness" of it made for such a pleasant dining experience.
If I am ever in Chicago again, this will most certainly be my first stop!
Best Chicago-style pizza CHAIN around.
The key word here is "chain." Â This means that if you're looking to get snobbish about your Chicago-style pizza, then you should probably adventure elsewhere.
Yes, because this place is a chain, the pizza has been designed to appeal to the largest swath of people possible. Everything from the ingredients to the crust (which I wouldn't really call "true" Chicago-style crust) is made for mass appeal, the middle, the mediocre. It's basically the J.Crew of chicago-style pizza joints.
But, if you aren't sitting on a high-horse when you eat here, then you'll enjoy it. Â This *is* consitently delicious, quality pizza that owns other pizza restuarant chains.
Don't get me wrong, I'm as willing to stick my nose up about pizza as your next laughably misguided fool. Â I'd absolutely agree that if you're looking for a pizza "experience," you should look elsewhere. Â If you're just looking for some unpretentious pizza yummy in your tummy, you can't go wrong here.
I LOVE Lou Malnati's. I have made my rounds to the other local Chicago style pizza stars, but this is my main squeeze. The prices are fantastic, it brings a great atmosphere for large groups or pizza dates, and the food is just top notch.
Traditional deep dish, great service, low cost, and great beers on tap. What more could you ask for?
All cheese, no crust. Coming to Chicago for the weekend, I was so excited to get my Chicago deep dish fix. I was so disappointed in this pizza. We deviated from Gino's East  this time around because of all the great reviews for this place, but word to the wise, go to Gino's instead. This was the weak point in a great culinary weekend in Chi-town.
Review Source:Lou Malnati's is my favorite of the chain deep dish places (I'm not a huge fan of deep dish so take that for what it's worth). I've been to this location twice and, while I probably liked it better as an Anthropologie, both times were with large groups and they have always been very accommodating and provide good service. Also, the baked cookie ice cream thing is such a guilty pleasure...
Review Source:Once again, I find myself humbled and speechless.
I'm almost ashamed that I profess to love pizza and yet I've never had the chance to eat a deep dish pizza slice until now. And if I might channel my inner meme spirit: ermahgerd ah ruv! Ish sho derishious! (Omgod I LOVE. It's so delicious!)
Why Lou Malnati deserves a 4 star rating:
1. My mother is a person who's palate is much harder to please than my own. She had an unfortunate experience with deep dish pizza the last time she was in Chicago, but after one bite off Lou Malnati's pie, she became an avid fan. And she hates cheese so double the props to Lou~!
2. Quoting my brother on this, but on whim, he said that "the x-factor to a good deep dish pizza is the crust". And indeed, I would have to concur. That crust was so addicting! Crunchy and crisp on the outside, doughy chewy goodness on the inside. Â nom!
3. Taste : outstanding! We ordered the classic Lou Malnati pizza with sausage and my goodness-- so yummy and filling! I was afraid at first that it would be overwhelmingly cheesy, meaty, oily, and heart-cloggingly unhealthy, but that wasn't the case! The sausage was juicy and savory; it gave a nice meatiness to the dish. The tomato sauce was all-around delicious as well-- I'm not sure what they did with them tomatoes but there was a nice robustness to the sauce. The first thing that popped into my head after the first bite was "Yum. The taste of classic". And despite the amount of cheese I'm sure was invested into the pizza, my stomach didn't feel uncomfortable or overwhelmed at the end of the meal. Instead, I was quite content! :)
4. Service: quick and efficient. Thankfully we came in just before the wait time for securing a table got long so yay! And yes you have to invest another 20 -30 min for the pizza to be made and cooked but when it comes out, you'll be glad you waited!
Verdict: the pizza was just plain delicious.
Things to note:
1. order a salad if you are super hungry! Family Size portion was perfect to share among five people.
2. not a fan of pizza? try out the spaghetti with meatballs -- something about Lou Malnati's treatment of tomatoes, but that sauce is just magic. Yummy in my tummy! (or well, it was for my dad's tummy keke)
happy chow~ can't wait to come back to Chicago to try this pizza again!
I'm sure you've heard legends of their deep dish pizza...the one with a FULL LAYER of SAUSAGE. Â That's right. Â You won't know the glory until you've tried it. Â This stuff is pretty awesome when it comes to classic deep dish in Chicago. Â Their thin crust pizza is pretty good too, but the deep dish is where it's at. Â
What's more, the cookie dessert. Â It's so good. Â They cook a cookie to hot perfection in a pizza dish and top it with ice cream. Â Lots of places do this, but no one does it as hot and perfect as this place. Â Boy do I love it. Â I just can't eat it as often as I'd like!
Great deep dish pizza, right amount of sauce, right amount of meat. Crispy buttery crust. Like how they keep the ingredients simple. Everything was delicious, even when I reheated the leftovers the next day! The cheese was incredibly stretchy like they way it should be. Didn't leave me thirsty for water...I would have another slice at a heart beat if I had the stomach for it.
Review Source:Having never been to Chicago obviously the search for the city's best deep dish was on the trip itinerary.
There are great debates as to who reigns supreme in the pizza pie realm out here in the Windy City. You'll have people cluck about the big 3 -- Gino's East, Giordano's, and Lou Malnati's. Â My friend, Kyle M. (or The Doctor as we all like to call him), says that no one's got anything on LOU!!
We went halvies on a large of the Lou (vegetarian) and I believe the Malnati Chicago Classic.
I'll be honest, and I almost fear being this honest but...I wasn't wowed. Maybe I don't know what makes a Chicago deep dish a CHICAGO deep dish but I've had some pretty good deep dish in San Francisco. I never was a deep dish fan until Paxti's. So when I dove into my first slice of Lou's I was left wanting more.
I think the one thing I did really like about Lou's was the crust. It didn't get soggy, in fact, it was pretty crispy with a light buttery taste. Â Next trip out, gotta try the others. Â Until then, this place stays at a 3 out of 5. Â Sorry bout it, Doc.
You can't visit Chicago and not get a deep dish pizza! I was very glad that my co-workers was craving for some deep dish pizza and since we never have been to Chicago we asked our co-workers which spot they would recommend. They mentioned Lou Malnati's. Oh my was it delicious! We each ordered our own individual deep dish pizza and each an appetizer to share.
I ordered the Lou's deep dish which came with tomatoes and mushroom. I also ordered the wings. The pizza was really delicious and the wings were just amazing. It is a total must try! As for the service, our server was very friendly and was on point with the refill of our drinks.
I would definitely recommend this place if your looking to hang out and have a few drinks and craving for some delicious food.
Visited Saturday night. Wait was long but usually for good food that's not a problem. Â However with so many pizza places in town the competition is thick. Â Sadly compared to the other less well known places the same cant be compared to the thickness of the deep dish at Lou's.
Thin crust vs thick, not a huge difference. Â Wings though were very good. Â Price was reasonable. Â That is a plus. Â Maybe quality was sacrificed in the name of speed. Â Either way, decent but not the best I've had in the city. Â My take? Overrated.
Before I even came to Chicago, my friend suggested Lou Malnati's over Giordano's. My feelings for Giordano's notwithstanding, I will say that I can understand why there is a split in opinion with regards to Lou's and Giordano's. All I can say is, either one's good for me because this was also some bomb ass pizza all day err day.
The difference I suppose is that it isn't "stuffed" like Giordano's. I kinda have a differing opinion on what constitutes deep dish and I'm not sure this actually cracks deep dish, although it's still considered deep dish I guess. Either way, it's good.
Got the Malnati Chicago Classic with some hot giardiniera + butter crust...man, I am in pizza heaven here. I guess because it's not as cheesy as Giordano's, you can definitely taste the toppings more. And they are some damn good toppings. God I wish they shipped individual pizzas instead of having to pack in six pizzas in one.
I thought that the quality of the pizza was pretty good. Â It was nice to make a visit to my old Gold Coast neighborhood, especially because it was a weekday and other areas can be dead on weekdays. Â I'm not sure if it's because I've grown up with the Chicago-style pizza or what, but I didn't leave the place thinking that it was the best I've ever had. Â This is a very solid location that will give you a good selection of toppings and good service. Â
It's nice to not be rushed. Â It's also great to have individual options. Â A few places in the city are bad about allowing you to have an affordable personal pan. Â
There were definitely some jerks who were way too obsessed with the game. Â The place is spacious enough that it didn't get in the way of having good conversation. Â I'd recommend Lou Malnati's if you're in the area and don't want to spend a fortune at some other locations on the same block. Â If you've never had Chicago-style deep dish, try it out here. Â If you want an awesome thin crust slice, I'd recommend a hole in the wall to-go place in the surrounding area.
Lou's is tied at my top for deep dish pizza with Giordanos. I love a LOT of sauce, which is where I sometimes run into trouble with Lou's. I love the chunky tomatoes, though! Pizza here is always awesome. I'd eat here once a week for the rest of my life and be perfectly content. You can't get much more Chicago than a slice of Lou's with a 312.
This specific location is fabulous. Great decor, our server (Karina?) was polite and not overbearing, they got our friend a birthday cookie with candle and sang to him...everything was awesome. I'd come back here just for the ambience of this place alone!
Lou Malnati's is the place to go for authentic Chicago deep dish pizza!
The location was great, the food was delectable, and the service was top-notch. I am currently living in southern California, but originally am from Chicago so when I went back to visit for a week, I knew I had to stop by Lou Malnati's for a slice of their deep dish pizza. I definitely would recommend ordering an appetizer and/or salad because it does take some time to cook, but I assure you that the wait is worth it!
Normally, I would have loved to have given Lou's a gleaming and super positive review, as I have done in the past (<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/lou-malnatis-pizzeria-buffalo-grove#hrid:Uutji2fRpcrr5BTv0jTPUg">http://www.yelp.com/biz/…</a>), but this time they really dropped the ball.
I flew to chicago with my girlfriend a about a week ago for some fun time in chicago after taking the bar exam. We had a wonderful dinner, and cooking experience, at Graham Elliot's place, and I was looking forward to eating Lou's sunday before we went to the cubs game and flew home; secretly the whole trip was planned around Lou's.
We had planned to go to the gold coast location right when they opened so that we could make it to the game on time. We got there at 1130, and they were supposed to open at 11, and the doors were both locked and it looked like it was deserted inside. I double checked online to make sure I had the right time, and even waited around until noon on the off chance they had changed the opening time.
When I called, the only options were a voice message that stated their hours of operation and nothing else. So i double checked the hours of operation on the website and even tried calling all of the other city locations and it was the same thing over and over. There was nothing posted on the door and nothing on their mobile website, the main website or on their phone message.
As you can imagine I left pretty upset and had to settle for another chicago pizza place. I called later in the day just out of curiosity, and learned that they had a company picnic until 4pm. However, for people like me and the others who wanted to eat there they really dropped the ball and didnt notify anyone. Even a small sign on the door would have been better than nothing, i would have been upset but at least I wouldn't have been clueless.
So on this occasion Lou's really messed up and I know I was not the only one who waited outside for some sign of life inside, but I hope in the future they get their stuff together so other don't have to wait for no one to show up.
So it's not New Haven-style pizza. I get that. And the thin crust style back home will never be replaced by this.
BUT, we came here as part of the Chicago Food Tours and I really enjoyed the pizza. Â The crust was buttery and the pizza was quite filling, even for just a slice. Â Nice atmosphere, friendly people too. Â
Nice local place and a far cry from the chain "Pizzeria Uno's" that are cheap imitations. Â Would definitely try again when I return to Chicago.
Lou Malnati's, you made me give Chicago pizza another chance.
This is my second time trying Chicago pizza, My first taste was at Gino's East. Horrible experience there -- long wait and it was way too bready/tough to eat. I hated it and told myself I'd never eat it again. So after hearing so many good things about Lou Malnati's and that it will change my opinion on chicago pizza, I decided to give it a try.
Overall, it was pretty tasty. I loved the crust more than anything so crispy/crunchy. I didn't get tired of eating it. We went with the Chicago Classic deep dish. Good stuff. I could only eat a slice and a half but it was really good.
Tip: Order the MALNATI SALAD. That was FREAKIN GOOD. If I had to choose, I'd get the salad again over the pizza. The sweet dressing was down right amazing.
^
Malnati Salad
Romaine lettuce, diced tomatoes, black olives, sliced mushrooms, crumbled Volpi salami and gorgonzola cheese. Tossed with Lou's famous dressing with a touch of romano cheese.
Pizza was mediocre, drinks were mediocre, order accuracy was close, and the service was pretty good. It is nice that they will take your order while you're waiting for a table. It helps buffer the long wait times. The pricing was surprisingly reasonable given the location and popularity.
Given the number of great pizzerias in Chicago, I'd leave this one for the tourists.
Best deep dish out there! I've been a fan of Lou's forever and anytime I'm in town I try to get some pizza. My friend had her rehearsal dinner here and once again proved that Lou's is the only way to go when having pizza in Chicago. Aside from the amazing pizza the service was outstanding.
I love love love the sausage pizza and I won't eat sausage pizza ANYWHERE else. Seriously. If you aren't in a pizza kind of mood then have a salad, they're outstanding! The one with the salami crunchies on it is the best on there is. We used to have Lou's every Sunday night but now that I live out of state I have to come home to get some delicious pizza.
The BEST CHICAGO DEEP DISH I HAVE TRIED TO DATE!!!
Let me start by saying the Italian Margarita is grrrrrrreat! I started with a house salad with the sweet vingarette dressing. It was good and fresh. I shared a 9" Signature Chicago Pizza with a friend. Believe it or not! The four slices defeated us. We each could only eat one slice, after having an appetizer each. My only sadness was that the salad components (tomatoes and cucumbers) were chopped a bit smaller than needed to be to pick up with my fork.
I admit, I'm not a Chicagoan - I'm a New Yorker, so we have a very different type of pizza. Â But truth be told, I think all pizza is delicious. Â Who can refuse dough, cheese, and tomato sauce in any form? So I am not one of these pizza nazis who have to insist it's only done right in the "old country," or only New York thin crust is tops, etc.
Anyway, back to the review. Â I'd only had true Chicago style pizza once before at Giordano's, and I have to say that version gave me a very daunting impression of Chicago style pizza. Â I was left believing that Chicago style pizza is just a giant cake of cheese, but Lou Malnati's corrected that.
Here, the crust has a distinct buttery crisp deliciousness, and there isn't SUCH an overload of cheese that you don't enjoy the toppings lost in goo. Â It's a really good size.
We had both the Chicago and the Lou - one is meaty and one is vegetarian. Â I appreciate that there is a special veggie pizza, as most places think only meat can be special.
Having read some of these reviews in advance, we made sure to order the spinach bread and the chocolate chip cookie pizza. Â Both are good additions. Â The spinach bread is a shockingly dense little package of mainly cheese. Â The choco chip cookie pizza is also a wonderfully decadent way to end a wonderfully decadent meal.
We also had some nice crisp calamari that was notable for not being sogged in oil, and got some local beers on tap. Â
Biggest plus -- this location is open until midnight, and there is no real last order, so you can head out to Second City, take a walk down here and get a great dinner. Just beware that all the food takes time to prepare, so if you're starved, you might go bad with the wait!
Finally - nice outdoorish seated area (it's covered, but you can avoid the freezing AC in the summer and enjoy the cool Chicago night air.
Disclaimer, my review rating is strictly on the dessert...which was consumed after an okay deep dish pizza dinner in the comfort of their open aired covered patio in the arms of a cushy leather armchair.
Three little words that will make me melt: Chocolate Chip Pizza. Â When you join their Birthday club, you get a free dessert...so that's what I did. Â Two things that are great on their own are greater together. Â A soft fresh baked hot chocolate chip cookie pizza topped with cold vanilla bean ice cream (I opted for no whip cream). Â
At first I was telling my hubby, "babe I'm kinda full so you'll probably get to eat most of the cookie pizza." Â Yeah, one bite and it didn't matter how full I was going to be, I couldn't resist and we ended up splitting it. Â It was one orgasmic bite after the other, and perhaps I had one or two more spoonfuls than him. Â We left with me saying over and over again, "we really should go there just for dessert!"
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