I dined at this restaurant twice the week I was in Chicago for business. On my first visit, I had the 9" Malnati Chicago Classic, which was recommended by the bartender. It took a while to prepare, however the wait was worth it. The pizza was tasty, the gooey cheese stayed on the slices, and the top sausage layer was thick flavorful, not spicy. The thick Buttercrust was delicious and had a perfect light-crunch consistency. Also, you can really appreciate the fresh tomato sauce. I ordered the pizza with a small house salad w/ the House Red Wine Vinaigrette dressing on the side. A very good salad dressing.
On my second visit, I order the minestrone soup and a The "Lou" 6" individual pizza. This pizza was good, but not as special as the M. Chicago Classic. The cheese fell of the slices and was difficult to eat and enjoy, as the slices are very small. I recommend sticking to the 9" pan pizzas if you are ordering for one. The soup came out right away, it was hot and had plenty of pasta in it, not watery or light on the ingredients.
The pizza here is obviously classic and pretty damn good. Can't go wrong with this place. This particular location is a bit smaller. I keep going back and forth between whether I prefer Lou's or Giordano's. It's a tough decision but I think I might slightly prefer Giordanos. Maybe it's the sauce or maybe it's the crust. I don't know. Either way both of these places are delicious. Enjoy it.
Review Source:Love deep dish pizza. Â Just had to get that off my chest. Â
First let me say that I was a tad disappointed with LM's! Â Ordered a veggie and meat deep dish with my family and a salad (can't remember what kind of salad, tho it was huge!). Â I just found the deep dish to be lacking...not satisfying flavour wise. Â Weight and sheer girth was as expected but again, flavour wasn't all there. Â Bland. Â
This is an established chain and crowded (waited a half hour to be seated). Â Dining area was ok. Â Nothing special. Â What kills me is that a friend who lives in Chicago recommended this place to me and I was sorely disappointed. Â I don't know if I missed something here but I just wasn't that happy compared to another chain I've tried here in Chicago.
Terrific deep-dish sausage pizza, I really loved the crust and the very tomato-y sauce! Â I normally prefer thin crust, but I'd eat this any day. Â But what really blew me away about my lunch today on Wells St was the service. We had a tall young blond man (I thought his name was "Rick," but the receipt says Jarrad) who was spot on, and the host staff was friendly and obviously well-trained too. Â
I'm a former server myself, was once the #2 waiter at a high-volume upscale restaurant that closed awhile back, so I know what makes for great service. Â Below are my own criteria for great service. Â In my experience today at Lou Malnati's, they *nailed* every point.
1. Greet my party at the door - if there isn't a line, don't make us wait more than one minute without being greeted
2. A server should greet our table within 3 minutes of being seated, ask for a drink order and tell us the specials of the day
4. Servers must have a thorough knowledge of every item on the menu, especially for customers with common dietary restrictions (vegan, nut allergies, etc.)
5. If our food is taking longer than normal, at least check in with the guests. Â An explanation might not be needed - just don't ignore us. Â Communication goes a LONG way in preventing unhappy guests!
5. Servers MUST do at least a visual check (make direct eye contact, if not verbal contact) within 3 minutes of our entrees being served. Â This is the 3 most important minutes of the entire meal! Â If my food is over/undercooked, not as I requested, if I need more salad dressing, or want another glass of wine WITH my meal, etc. - NOW is the time for those requests to be handled ASAP. Â MOST restaurants in Chicago fail at this basic point of service
6. A great server will notice if I am getting low on iced tea/coffee/water, etc., and keeps it refilled without me having to flag them down
7. A great sever will be able to "read" his customers, and know if they want to be entertained, or left alone and interrupted as infrequently as possible. Â A visual check - the server makes their presence known in case the customer needs anything, but does not interrupt - can be highly effective.
8. Don't disappear when it is time for the check, please!
Vacationing in Chicago and of course I had to taste an authentic Deep Dish Chicago Pizza! I've never been a fan of pizza before this trip. After eating at Gino's East Pizzeria & Lou Malnati's Pizzeria I'm a PIZZA LOVER!
PROS:
+Deep dish pizza is very tasteful
+Affordable
+Great service
CONS: Â
-Wait (given I came during dinner peak hours the wait was about 45 mins to 1 hour long).
-Limited Seating (small restaurant)
AMBIANCE:
Sat outside enjoyed the breeze while enjoying wine w/Malnati Classic Deep Dish.
Inside- was very busy!
Bathroom-fairly clean and has a classic look
SERVICE:
Inside was so packed with no air circulation, so we requested to sit outside. Waitress was pleasant and accommodating. She gave great service.
FOOD:
+Three-Cheese Bread - oeey gooey good!
+Malnati Chicago Classic - filled with sausage, cheese, thick crust, and very tomatoe-y. Butter crust is awesome and light. I got a small pan for me and a friend and we could only finish one slice each (very thick!). We took home a doggie bag w/two more slices left.
+*Fudge brownie sundae-warm fudge brownie w/vanilla ice cream, cookie crumble, chocolate syrup
VALUE:
Decent, $6-$20 items
TIPS:
Hands down on the best carb-a-licious  best Authentic Deep Dish Chicago Pizza!
Long had I heard the lore of Deep Dish Chicago Style Pizza. Ya ya that cocky pizza loving Italian in me scoffed, I've eaten some pizza in my day - What you got Chi-town?
Those, my friends, are the words of a very, very, very sorry young man who totally underestimated the girth, weight, volume...cheese, of a Deep Dish from the Windy City! There was some discussion about which spot was the place to experience the Deep Dish on our way down, however our concierge from the Sax Hotel convinced us that Lou's was the place to go, and once we considered our options she handed us a slip for a complimentary Bruschetta. Awesome, but I soon learned unnecessary!
LM's on North Wells Street is set up like a sports bar shrine to Chicago sporting teams mixed with a traditional pizza joint. It was crowded the day we went despite it being a work day for most and we just barely got a booth for two near the back.
I treated myself to a pint of Blue Moon lager, and sized up the menu. Obviously without question we ordered the pizza, but the trick was what size? After conferring with our server who STRONGLY advised us that for 2 people we not go larger than a small... we scoffed but took him at his word. I must say now to him "thank you for the kind warning on how filling this stuff is - we barely made it through...."
The Malnati Chicago Classicâ„¢
Made with Lou's lean sausage, some extra cheese and vine-ripened tomato sauce on Buttercrust.â„¢ It's authentic Chicago! (we added mushrooms)
6" Individual (serves 1) Â
9" Small (serves 2)
One of the best tasting pizza's I've had. Totally un-Italian in every way, but the butery crust, sausage patti and cheese....and cheese....and cheese. Made me not care.
I'm in a long distance relationship now, and my new love is named Lou. I'll be back again one day darling for more of you cheesy sausiness and your crusty shell. YUM!
"Woohoo! As good as it gets!" Hands down the best pizza in the city of Chicago. I'm really picky about how pizza sauce taste and Lou's sauce is mouth-watering with the crisp crust, yummy cheese and their sausage is out of this world. Whenever I'm in Chicago, I always try to make time to order Lou's pizza when I'm with the family...
Review Source:Best deep dish in Chicago. Â Not a huge sausage on my pizza fan, but I make an exception when ordering a Lou's deep dish. Â They put on a giant patty, that when combined with their sauce and thick crisp crust, make for an unforgettable meal. Â
Tried the online delivery, the pizza heats up great in the oven and tastes great given the circumstances. Â Living in Florida, ordering online is cheaper than a ticket back to Chicago, and really calms the craving when it rises.
LOVED it... We went to Gino's East for our first Chicago style experience per recommendation but I'm glad we went to Lou's for one more Chicago style experience before we left. The butter crust is awesome and light. The sauce is very homemade and with remnants of tomato peels and they use Wisconsin cheese (plenty of it!) which is also very delicious. Well done, yelpers for helping us find this place!
Review Source:I'm originally from NY, so I'm on my pizza high horse and long maintained that Chicago style pizza is not pizza. Â This pizza has changed my mind. Â Comparing NY style pizza to Chicago is like apples and oranges. Â The anti-chicago crowd is either accustomed to what they grew up with or are stubborn (remember most of them are yankee fans). Â Let's not forget that every state has thousands of pizzerias that say "new york style pizza" and every new yorker correctly says "this isn't true ny pizza". Â Well, having finally eaten in Chicago, the same can be said about their style of pizza.
This pizza may have been different, but it was still awesome. Â I ordered a large with pepperoni. Â This pizza was loaded with sauce and cheese. Â The cheese was absolutely delicious, while the sauce was very fresh and had great flavor, despite what others on yelp think. Â The buttered crust had a good flavor and texture.
Some tips are to remember this pizza is filling! Â I split it with one other person and we only consumed 3 slices all together. Â This was do in part because we had cheesy bread as an appetizer, which was okay. Â You're better off skipping the appetizer all together and just get the pizza. Â It's definitely worth the wait!
I'm reviewing this chain based off of its whole "ship nationwide!" thing. I'm sorry, but it makes zero sense. It costs just under $14 for a 9" pizza at the restaurant, but it costs ... ... ... THIRTY bucks to get the SAME thing delivered to your house. Please explain to me how this is a good value? The $14 for 9" in Chicago is fair, but under no circumstance is it okay or reasonable to charge as much as they do -- even if it includes shipping, which it does. For that reason alone, there's no way I can recommend ordering through the mail. It is the very epitome of a rip-off, and it's pretty much robbery.
Review Source:So carb-alicious and delicious this place's deep dish pizza is!
Their baked spinach cheese bread is probably the size of your two fists put together. It is not a big appetizer but it definitely delicious. Definitely order an appetizer because the pizza takes about 15-20 minutes to come out.
The deep dish pizza is so good.. from the sound of a pizza having a lot of cheese, i thought it would be disgusting but when I tried it.. I was so surprised and amazed of how I could not stop eating my slice, and I wanted more!! The marinara sauce is what makes a pizza, and their pizza had a lot of flavorful sauce that it made it the perfect comfort food for the Chicago cold weather.
The restaurant itself is cute, very well designed.. it feels cozy.
I would definitely come back if I was in Chicago again.
Yes yes yes. Â Lou Malnati's is my shit when it comes to Chicago Deep Dish pizza. Â I've been thinking about Lou Malnati's since my last trip to Chicago (December 2010). Â After 2 years, I was back and ready to destroy some Lou Malnati's on my own.
Let me start by saying I'm not a crust person, but the crust his golden, fluffy, airiness, buttery goodness. Â It's good. Â Really good. Â It's what sets it apart from all other places in Chicago.
I ordered the Malnati Chicago Classic. Â Overall it was the perfect balance of tomato and cheese. Â Some of the other places are too heavy handed on one or the other. Â
The tomato sauce on the pizza was fresh. Â Larger chunks of tomato and last processed tasting. Â The cheese wasn't overwhelming the pizza, but was enough to make you savor twirling your folk to get those last strands of melted cheese from the bottom of the plate.
I've tried every place in Chicago except Pequod's.  Until the day comes, Lou Malnati's is the standard bearer for me for  Chicago Deep Dish.
Here's the deal. Â Whatever this is, is good. Â However it's not pizza. Â That's my opinion. Â
It really is more like a pie. Â When you think of pizza you think dough, sauce, cheese. Â Varying thickness of crust etc. That's how it is around the country. Â
What they are doing in Chicago is more like the dean martin song. Â It's pizza pie. Â Buttery, almost flaky crust baked in a pan much like a pie. Â Cheese and meats on the bottom and sauce on the top. Â If you look at this and not know what it is you might think it was a cherry pie etc. Â
It was good. Â However, to me, it wasn't pizza. Â I give it 4 stars because when I look at it, eat it, it was good. Â If I compare this to pizza I would rate it lower. Â So I won't and just take it for what it was in front of me.
Service here was good and friendly.
So Chicago is a great city that I just started getting used to last year because of work. I mean, how can you hate a city that has awesome pizza, steaks, and popcorn (Garrett). But let's jump right into why you are reading this review to begin with. When I first got here, I was searching for the best deep dish pizza I could find and I was excited. I had ordered Giordano's originally and it was solid do not get me wrong but there is nothing like a Lou Malnati's deep dish pizza.
I was actually very fortunate because a co worker was very familiar with the pizza in the city as he had been here a few times and after he had heard my experience with Giordano's he told me that I had to try Lou Malnati's or I would not be getting the right deep dish pizza experience. So that night I order a pepperoni, sausage, and cheese deep dish pizza.
Wow. That is all I can say and even that does not justice to this pizza. This pizza has awesome crust, the toppings are super fresh, and oh man the cheese is outta control. One bite of this gooey cheese is enough to make me start drooling. The sausage is awesome because as opposed to bits of it, it's essentially a sheet allowing you to have the perfect proportion of sausage, pepperoni, cheese, and fresh tomato in each single bite that you take. Don't bother with the other deep dish places in Chicago and come straight here. You will not regret it and please bring me one!!
Great cheese, great, crusts, great quality. Â Every time I've been to Chicago I come down here for some personal pans. Â The cheese is fresh and the crust is buttery and crispy with that distinct after taste. Â Yet, and this is important, there is NO TRASHY feeling at the end of the meal like you'd get at Pizza Hut or most other pizza joints. Â This is tasty, deep dish pizza ,made without so much of that commonly found grease on other crusts out there.
Review Source:The best deep dish pizza I've ever had. And that butter crust is so good it makes you wanna slap someone. Before arriving to Chitown for my 30th birthday this past December, I Â had looked up Lou's on line and vowed that we'd go to check it out. It was only a few blocks away from or Hotel (Almafi) so we decided to walk and check it out - Â Boy were we impressed. the freshest bruschetta I had ever had - with Delicious tomatoes, freshly shaved parm, and good olive oil. The pizza was so good I will definitely order some to go and take it home to Cali! Go and you will see what's up. Wish there was one in California
Review Source:Maybe it's because I ordered a veggie deep dish... but I was not impressed. I was really looking forward to it since all the reviews rave the deliciousness of their deep dish pizza. Also, I figured I am visting Chicago, so it's the best place for deep dish, but actually, the best place I've had deep dish is in the Easy Bay, CA!
It just tasted like a regular pizza to me, nothing special. Lots of tomato sauce and thick cheese. I think it needs more spices to get that kick I am looking for.
Oh geez. Chicago, you have won me over. This is Pizza with a capital P. I've often thought that pizza is something that's generally pretty good but Lou Malnati's takes it to another level.
This isn't just classic Chicago deep dish. It's salty sweet tomato sauce, ooey gooey cheese, spicy sausage, and mushrooms in a trench-deep crisp crust. Yea, that's a recipe to make your mouth water.
My friends and I came for a pre-dinner dinner (don't judge) with the goal of "just one" slice and maybe a beer but I soon realized that it was all silly diet talk. After one forkful of that ooey gooey cheesy magic, I couldn't stop. Not only did we finish a pie that was probably meant to feed an army, but I wanted to order another one and another one and another one.
To top off this pizza perfection, their service was very accomodating. We had initially ordered to go because the wait was pretty long, but when an table opened up, they just let us transfer our to-go order to dine-in, no questions asked.
Definitely worth it to give Lou Malnati's a shot the next time you're in town.
There is no better pizza in Chicago.
Tell me if I'm wrong people! Â We were in town from Charlotte and had been looking forward to trying pizza in Chicago fresh vs having it shipped dry ice. Â We went to Gino's East the day before and it's no contest, Lou Malnati's is so much better. Â We only had a ten minute wait so grabbed a drink at the bar first. Â We ordered the pepperoni, sausage, cheese and oh my - i'd kill for a fresh slice of it right now.
It's fantastic, fresh, and delicious. Â I will continue to order frozen but won't go to Chicago without dropping in for some fresh pie. Â Thanks to Lou's for a great night with excellent food and service!
First time here! We had to stop in for a bite to eat. I have been to their place in the Gold coast... did not like the service but this location has Great service!
Its smaller but the food is great and we did not have to wait long for any part of our meal.
I love other pizza places but this location is a great to go to if your primary pizza place is a no go. I prefer the thin crust, which is what we had.
Give this location a try.!
After writing my review, I was contacted by Lou Malnati's district manager to talk about my experience. Â As reflected in my review, I wasn't crazy about their deep dish pizza --but that doesn't matter. Â I really appreciated Lou Malnati's commitment to customer service, to reaching out, and to doing their best to make it right. Â It's such a simple concept; it's so unusual to find it in today's world. Â It makes me all that much more delighted to join them next time I'm in Chicago to try their thin crust.
5-stars for customer service.
Bottom Line - We thought the Chicago-style deep dish pizza was just okay. If you prefer a crust that is flakey and buttery like a pastry, Lou Malnati's is NOT like that (for that, try Uno's). Otherwise, the food is ok (not fantastic), though the atmosphere is great.
My coworker and I stopped in for Chicago-style pizza because we were in town for work. Â We found this place through Yelp! We were really looking forward to good Chicago deep dish pizza. Â The only place I'd been to in the past that had a great crust was Uno's (another Chicago chain). We decided to sit at the bar since the wait for a table was quite long, and a couple stools opened up at the bar. Â
We ordered:
Small pan classic Chicago ($12.70) - The pizza was okay... the crust had a bit of cornmeal which I don't really like. Â The crust was definitely more bread-y than pastry. We both agreed that we didn't really like it, but there are many who do like this crust. I would have preferred a thinner crust.
Medium Malnati Salad ($7.75) - My coworker ordered this as a starting course, and we shared it. It was huge! Â The salad was quite good, but how could you screw up salad.
Along with 2 sodas ($2.25 each), our subtotal came to $24.95 + 2.20 tax + 4.88 tip = $32.00 total for the two of us.
The bartender was very nice and pretty attentive. Â He answered all of our questions, and we were glad we sat at the bar.
Lets be honest... Lou's is a winner in terms of downtown chicago style pizza.
Lets be honest... It is crowded.
And why would you go to Uno's or Due's? No way.
I would recommend getting the Lou (spinach & mushroom) and plan for 1-2 slices a person. Get the Cesar salad and a beer while you wait.
If you live in CHI, you can buy their pizzas frozen and take them home.
If you want to try Chicago deep dish pizza, this is the place to go. The restaurant is nicely decorated, and the staff is friendly. For an appetizer, I recommend the spinach bread - the portion is small, but it's really delicious.
We had a simple cheese deep dish pizza. I thought was really good, but it's not for everyone. If you do want to try deep dish pizza, this is the place to go. They also ship nationwide, which is awesome if you don't live in the area like me.
Overall, really good, and worth trying at least once.
Skip the long lines at Pizzeria Uno and head to Lou Malnati's! The pizza is better; I heart the butter crust, the sausage that is literally cut as a sheet so that it is distributed evenly though each bite and the fresh tomatoes used in the sauce. Â I'm salivating just writing this review of the Chicago Classic (name of pizza)! The slices looks small but are mighty! Went with my husband and the small was plenty for both of us due to the richness of the toppings and the hearty crust!
I also prefer the dining experience, as Malnati's is a bit less cramped than the typical Chicago pizzeria and the lines are generally shorter due to the multiple locations in high traffic areas. It's hard to cite hard facts, as it's been awhile since I've visited another Chicago pizza parlor (one visit per trip home is about all my diet can handle), but my gut tells me the prices are more reasonable than most as well.
Finally, be sure to check out the jerseys all over the walls. Spoiler alert! Â The Yale Jersey belonged to George W. Bush. Not that I'm impressed by this one in particular, but I will say that the collection overall is impressive and worth note.
Every Chicagoan has his or her favorite pizza place, but I'd blow my diet on Lou Malnati's every day and on Saturdays twice!
Lou's is pretty good pizza, but in Chicago, where pizza joints are everywhere, I have to go with a 3 star, and here's why:
Wait staff is very casual. Â There are a lot of them, too. I had 3 different servers, so wasn't sure who my tip would be going to.
The build-out is good. Very family friendly place. Lots of kids with parents the night I went in.
The price is reasonable. Â
I got a medium deep dish, but after about 3-4 slices, couldn't take another bite, and it wasn't because of the size. It just tasted a bit bland compared to other places I've been - particularly in Chicago.
Not to worry - the food didn't go to waste. There are several vagrants near Trump Tower that I'm sure enjoyed having the leftovers.
I'd try it again for some pasta instead of pizza.
Got the Malnati's Chicago Classic by delivery. Added mushrooms, onions, and garlic. The sausage was pretty much the size of the pizza. It was great, but kind of wished I went there instead to eat it as the cheese wasn't as melted as I wanted when I ate it since it got delivered.
Got the spinach cheese rolls too. Pretty good.
I'll never forget this night! I sat across from a couple of the most recognizable names in online marketing. I was in Chicago attending an internet marketing conference and just so happened that not only had I already eaten pizza from Giordano's nearby the hotel, but I go a second helping (oh goodness!) but with much better company haha.
I remember it like it was... a couple of months ago, although its already been a year haha.
There's this large tall fluorescent sign outside that says, "Lou Malnati's" - you couldn't miss it. We walked in and waited for the rest of our 10 person group to arrive. Inside I felt a sense of nostalgia even though I'd never been there before; but I felt the history speaking through the brick walls and cliche nicely framed photos all over the walls.
The waiting area was a bit cramped; mind you, there were about 10 more people waiting to be seated too. It was packed. I thought we'd have to wait at least an hour before we got a seat, but after about 20 minutes, they brought us in and started walking up the stairs - THERE'S A SECOND FLOOR?! oh yeah.
We got seated on this super long table... wait, there was 12 of us. not 10. It could have been 13 but who's counting? All I know was we were at this pizzaria that people definitely knew about and I'd only heard great things about it.
We ordered 5 pizzas. First they came back with 2 different kinds of salads in huge bowls you'd expect to see from the Olive Garden here in Canada; but without the huge translucent salad tongs. People ordered wine; we all shared - I don't remember the bottles but they were decent to say the least :)
Good gracious! eating one of my most favourite food, sitting with ONLY internet marketing people, sipping wine and having a great time! Could a guy ask for anything more?
Oh wait, the pizza! It arrived... Meatlovers, Vegetarian and a classic Pepperoni. I gotta tell you guys, here in Canada we are ripped off. Any meat pizza I had in Chicago with sausage in it tasted like they just made it the same day and they definitely don't skimp out on it. Everything down to the sauce and the dough had me wishing I had longer to stay just so I could eat here again.
I've only eaten at 2 pizzaria's in Chicago. Lou... you won.
The service was excellent and was amazed that they could wait on us efficiently as they could - well, I don't know if I'd actually call it efficient, but the service was terrific. The food was fantastic.
Overall a 5-star experience.
I was nervous for my first time...
I didn't know what to expect, and I wasn't sure if I'd like it...
I'm so glad Lou Malnati was the guy. I'm no Steve Carell, but it has taken me nearly a quarter of a century to breach this horizon...and it was worth the wait. My friends have told me that Chicago deep-dish can't be measured on the ol' bases spectrum; it's an all or nothing sort of deal. Either you get the goal or you don't...and with Lou Malnati's, you'll score every time. I certainly did.
If you've been around the block when it comes to Chicago deep dish, I'm sure you have strong feelings about where it's best. But this newbie couldn't get over the butter crust, surprisingly sweet tomato sauce, and tender Italian sausage. My boyfriend (who introduced me to Lou Malnati's...yes, we're pretty open about these kind of things) & I enjoyed some cold 312s while we waited for our pie, reclining in the leather armchairs at our table. The chairs made it a little hard to eat our pizza - I leaned forward a lot - but were lovely to relax in before the food came, and after the server departed with our empty pie tin.
I'll be back next time I'm in town. Thanks for suuuuuch a good night!
So After trying a variety of the "best" deep dish pizzas in SF, I had come to the sad conclusion that it was just not my cup of tea. The thick, soggy crust and overwhelming amount of tomato sauce was never appetizing to me.
Fast forward to Lou Malnati's. Try to arrive when they open to avoid the lines! We ordered bruschetta, cheese bread and one deep dish to share. Words cannot describe how amazing everything was. Ingredients were fresh and everything was baked to perfection.
This is how deep dish SHOULD be. Crispy. Savory. Perfectly balanced with just the right amount of cheese and tomato sauce.
I am now a deep dish convert.
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