Best deep dish in Chicago. Hands down. There are a few locations scattered throughout the Chicago-land area. This one is take out or delivery only.
There are some secrets to getting the best experience possible. The biggest one is get the pizza UNCUT! Otherwise, the juices will seep all over and you'll have a big soggy mess when you get home. You want that butter crust to be as crispy as possible to get full enjoyment!
I highly recommend the Lou's. Perfect balance of toppings and flavors. You can always add pepperoni or sausage to it if you want some meat. I'm personally not a fan of the Malnati Chicago Classic. But if you are a sausage lover then this is your pie. The thin crust is pretty good too. I love how crunchy and buttery the crust is.
I grew up in Chicago but now live in NYC. I don't know if I've totally converted to NY style pizza but every time I go back home, I'm a little disappointed in that Lou's just doesn't seem to be as good as I remember it was when I was younger. Have the ingredients changed?
There's nothing particularly bad about this location. I called in my order for "The Lou's", it was ready for pickup when they said it would be.
Deep Dish Pizza is how Chicago earned its winning reputation and Lou's Lincolnwood & this little express carry-out location lives up to this outstanding distinction. Always  a great fan of anything with vegetables on it.  My personal favorite is deep dish with, Spinach, Mushroom, extra cheese, and sliced Tomato on top.  Dine In not a big fan, but there is a convenient location for carry out to make you & your friends the envy of ANY Ravinia Lawn Concert as you have easy access for jumping on the Highway taking you there.  Once you are a regular & know how the crust SHOULD taste you may come across an occasional older crust uncooked for too long and put in the necessary complaint.  If possible, don't settle for less and return your unfinished Pizza , if convenient. The Sausage Pizza is only 1 star , as there is a giant full frisbee loaf of sausage roll under the cheese...overload ;-(
Review Source:Best pizza in Chicago, but mediocre service.
Get the pan pizza AND the thin crust. Â Also get the lou malnati salad. Â Writing this is making my mouth water. Â
I'd recommend ALWAYS getting carry out. Â Nothing beats ambiance like the comfort of your own home. Â This is a good place to grab food for an evening in with a movie.
This is not my normal location - but I was in the neighborhood, so we ordered pick-up. I believe they ONLY do pickup at this location... but I could be mistaken. Either way, it's the famous Lou Malnati's pizza and was delicious. You have to get the deep-dish, as that's what they're famous for, but I've also had the thin crust which is quite tasty in it's own right. :) Â Enjoy!
Review Source:This is a carry out only location. I ate here A LOT when I worked in Skokie and it's good to see nothing has changed. This is the location where I REALLY appreciated Lou's. This was a location where my order had been messed up (it happen's) and the manager on duty (I believe it might have been a Malnati) realized my order got mixed up with someone elses. Free dish the next time around. Over a 14 month period, I only had 2 wrong orders. Considering I ate there 1 to 2 times/week, those are very good averages. During the peak times, the quarters can get a little tight but that's probably the only "problem" I had. Solid people, solid service all around. Pretty fast adn set proper expectations as it relates to actual order times (if they say 15-20 minutes, that's the case).
Review Source:Lou Malnati's is by FAR the best deep dish pizza in all of Chicago. To me it is the "true" Chicago deep dish, crust is amazing, ingredients are always fresh and they are always generous with their toppings. Please don't compare this to NY style thin crust, Lou's is in a league of their own.
I'm very passionate about my pizza, in all my years I've never had another slice of deep dish that came close to the quality and amazing flavor of Lou's.
Lou's is the BEST, if I could give 6 stars I would!
Oh, Lou's. I love you so. With your buttery crust, your just-perfect pepperoni, and your ability to absolutely COVER a pizza with toppings. And that cheese! So gooey-tasty. I had to try the mozz sticks, like I do just about anywhere that offers...and they did not let down. Only been to Lou's once and I'd love to be back to see if its just as good as memory serves.
Review Source:This place never disappoints! Â If you want the gem of all deep dish pizzas, this is IT! Â They use the sweetest most ripened tomatoes for their savory pizza sauce. Â It is like no other. Â When you ask for the sausage deep dish, boy do they cover every inch of that pizza with supreme sausage. Â The cheese is unlike those other chain pizzarias that taste waxy and fake. Â Their cheese is smooth and purely wholesome. Â Last but definitely not least, Â this is the only pizza place where I do not throw away the edge of the crust. Â It is actually the "icing to the cake". Â
When I think of this pizza, Â I reminisce of a farmer picking the ingredients straight out of their farm. Â Yes, the pizza tastes THAT fresh!
Actually dined in this time. Got my favorite sausage pizza with butter crust but this time I got a medium instead of a personal so I could share. Very oddly the pizza's crust came out much crunchier which I figured was due to the longer cook time it took to cook a medium versus the personal. I figure from now on I will only order the personal because I like the crust softer.
We also got a "family size" salad thinking that since it was twice as much money as the side salad it'd be twice as large. NA UH! It was MASSIVE and we'll be eating salad for the next few days!
Since my birthday is coming up next week and I'm signed up for emails from the restaraunt they sent me a coupon for a free desert. So my cousin and I tried the chocalate chip cookie pizza. It took a while to actually find the cookie under the massive amounts of ice cream and whip cream. But when we did it was like striking gold. Very very good.
Total tab with tip for two people and lots of left overs was $42.00. Not bad considering we took half a pie home and more than half that salad.
Lou Malnati's Pizzeria is one of the *best* places you can visit for authentic, high quality Chicago style pizza. I spent many years in Chicago (and agree with other reviewers who wish they'd franchise out to other cities like the Bay Area) and always make it a point to visit Lou's at least once when I'm in the city visiting family. I've eaten Lou's pizza for probably ~10 years by now - despite trying other options in the area, most never compared to Lou's. This location is only carry out / delivery, so be prepared to enjoy your pizza at the location of your choice.
Since I only order deep dish Chicago pizza (why order anything else when I'm in town?), I can only offer my (glowing) commentary on that. Lou's crust is deliciously crusty without getting too doughy, and they include only quality ingredients (lots of cheese, delicious fresh tomatoes, etc.). All of this is available at extremely reasonable prices (seemingly much cheaper than competing deep dish chains) with enough to feed plenty (most folks I know who love Lou's intentionally order bigger pies than needed in order to guarantee themselves leftovers =D). Definitely order the pizza uncut and take a moment to admire it before diving in. Most importantly, savor it ... some of us don't get the privilege of eating Lou's nearly enough =).
I can see why people would give this place five stars, but I just can't get into the crust. I find it simultaneously too doughy and too crunchy. They always load the deep dish with way too much cheese and not enough tomatoes. I only live five minutes away, but delivery usually takes 1-1.5 hours. I haven't tried anything other than their deep dish and thin crust pizzas, so I can't comment on the quality of their other food.
Review Source:Lou Malnati's is par excellence for Chicago style pizza. I wish they would franchise in other cities (hello, San Diego!). Uno's Pizzeria can conceivably be considered Chicago style pizza, but Uno's is to Lou's as Lovie Smith is to Vince Lombardi.
My family is from Chicago, and I visit grandparents here once every year or so. We always make it to Lou's. And we always order the sausage and peppers pizza before we leave the house (it takes 45 minutes, so it's THE way to do it).
The last time I was here, I got up to use the ladies room. I was rounding the corner back to our table when I heard my grandpa on his cell phone to his doctor requesting a refill for his Viagra prescription. GAWD, Grandpa! I don't wanna hear that!
Even that terrible image in my mind did not mar my experience at Lou's though. Their crusty is crusty, even with a lot of toppings it doesn't get doughy. Their salads are the best I've had at a pizza joint.
The atmosphere is very family friendly (as long as your kids don't know what Viagra is), with lots of sports paraphernalia adorning the walls. We never have a problem with the service.
If you are a tourist to Chicago, skip Uno's (you can get that anywhere, jeez). Go here.
I grew up on this particular branch of Lou's. My family ordered take-out here pretty much every Friday for the eight years or so we lived in Wilmette, not even counting the summers I was home from college. We tried other pizza places in the area, but none of them ever compared. For both deep dish and thin crust this restaurant can't be beaten. Even though I've found other pizza I've liked in my new home in California (even giving some 5 stars!), I've never found anything that is quite as amazing as Lou's pizza. My personal favorite is a The Lou pan pizza. I also like their thin crust quite a bit and love that they have the option for low-fat cheese on all their pizzas. If you come to the Chicago area you definitely owe it to yourself to eat this pizza! Run, do not walk, to the nearest location.
Review Source:I heart Lou's and it is BY FAR the best deep dish pizza in Evanston. I have also grown fond of their thin crust as well over the years. So hot, so much flavor (ask for butter crust) and just a Chicago tradition. Hell, Lou's been out Bobby Flay for best deep dish (was there really even a competition). If you haven't tried Lou's and are in Chicago you need to go now (you aren't a true Chicagoian until you have). My brother and best friend who both live out of Chicago make this their staple stop when they come into town. My only reason for four stars is that it isn't my favorite deep dish pizza, but it is up in the top 10 for me.
Review Source:So far, of all the Lou's, this is my favorite Lou's. You need to order it properly though and prep it right when you get home.
Here is the process in simple, easy to follow steps on how to order and prepare the BEST Lou's Pizza ever.
1. Order your pizza by phone 45 minutes before you plan on eating. *Make sure you order it UNCUT!* Don't slice it, dice it or anything else. You want a WHOLE UNCUT PIE! I recommend sausage, spinach and mushroom on butter dough.
2. Just before you leave your house (or have your assistant stay home), preheat your over to 350.
3. Arrive in parking lot and park at the bank side.
4. Go inside and eat the free pizza they set out for the people waiting for pizza. You will now be even MORE hungry. Pay for your pizza and go to your car.
5. Drive as fast as safety and the law allows while maintaining pizza integrity. Do not do any high G turns that will make the pizza slosh around. Straight line speeding is fine. Just don't do any abrupt acceleration or deceleration. The goal is to make it home in one piece. The pizza, not you. I can guarantee whomever is at home is more concerned about the pizza than you at this point.
6. Arrive home and make a beeline for the kitchen. Unwrap the box and enjoy the smells that is the pizza. But do not EAT!
7. Place pizza NAKED on the middle rack, and wait 10 minutes @ 350 degrees in the oven. This waiting time is TORTURE, I understand. Use this time to set the table, or prepare a salad or just simply stare at your oven window with the light on while counting down the seconds. I swear I've never done the last one before...
8. Remove pizza and slice it into 6 equal slices( assuming a Large or bigger pie. if you need any smaller, you should order a large anyway). 8 equal slices if there is a need to. Any more than that is EPIC FAIL and you deserve to be shot after being tried for TREASON to the Pizza Nation.
9. Savor every bite of this fine work of ART! Do not disgrace the pie with any addition of your own other than cheese sprinkles or red pepper flakes. Most of all, DO NOT EAT IT NEW YORK STYLE. Those NYC folks don't know pizza, at all.
That is your guide to the perfect Lou's Pizza.
I grew up eating Lou Malnati's and now that I'm home for break, we decided to get some for dinner. We ordered a thick crust sausage with low-fat cheese and extra tomato sauce. I've never actually had sausage at Lou's but it was really good! Â
It took about 30 min for the pizza to be ready. I like the carry-out restaurant because they are pretty efficient and the staff are nice (seems like everyone is a high schooler).
Anyways, I recommend everyone to try Lou's at least once and they have more than 20 locations in Illinois! Â btw- the restaurant was just in a Food Network show with Bobby Flay.
As an out-of-towner who is not a fan of deep dish pizza and does not regularly eat it, my opinion of this place might not be in line with the rest of the reviews. Â Still, the pizza was good. Â Lots of toppings. Â Well prepared. Â Pretty tasty. Â I've had better. Â But I would eat there again.
Review Source:I LOVE Lou Malnati's pizza and think it is the best in Chicago by far! Â We picked up a deep dish from here (it's not a sit down location) and we were blown away. Â Mind you - we regularly pick up from the Lincolnwood location as well as the Lincoln Park and Wells Street - but this pizza was perfection...not too salty, not overcooked, and good distribution of toppings.
Review Source:This is a solid 4-star place. Â I just finished off a sausage and mushroom thin crust, and it was good. Â The crust is great, it's a little different than most other thin crusts around town. Â You'll definitely get the olive oil/buttery crust flavor too. Â The toppings were well-seasoned and cooked (I hate getting raw/undercooked veggies on top of my pizza). Â And for $16.37, the large made for a great family (of 3) dinner.
One note of interest - they have free pizza samples! Â FREE PIZZA SAMPLES. Â
Also, parking can be tough in that lot (blame the Japanese restaurant next door). Â But, if you go later in the evening, you should be able to find parking in the bank's lot.
Lou's is a great place for thick or thin crust pizza. However, I prefer their thin crust. Until about a year ago, the sauce or crust had a strong olive oil aroma/flavor, which I loved. I don't know if they went to a different brand of olive oil or if they cut back, but it's definately not the same.
I usually order a salad with house dressing--a vinagarette--which is tastey and sweet.
It's best to arrive a few minutes earlier than your scheduled pick up time. That way you can sample the pizzas they setup for waiting patrons.
Parking is tough in this strip center's lot. You may have to drive around for awhile to secure a spot.
This is a carry-out only location.
Ok, do not even waste your time on those other Chicago pizza joints. Â Lou's is simply the best. Â Having grown up in the Chicago area, I've tried them all and honestly, Lou Malnati's is heads above the rest. Â Every time I make it home to visit, I make sure that the visit includes a trip to get some deep dish veggie pizza. Â I've even bought the frozen ones and created inventive ways to bring them back to DC with me.
The crust is perfectly light, the sauce sweet and yummy - all tomatoes. Â If you like sausage, then this is the one for you. Â Big old sausage patty right on top. Â Of course, there's tons of cheese. Â It all bakes together to form what I call "A little piece of Chicago delight."
Lou Malanati's is like the city of Chicago served in pie form. Â Not only does their delicious pizza embody the definition of 'deep dish,' but it also personifies the city that deep dish was first created in.
Lou's starts with great ingredients, real quality stuff. Â How can you tell? Â Because they don't process to death. Â Thick cuts of tomatoes, buttery crust that isn't dough but isn't crispy (Goldilocks crust!), top notch cheese that you can pull into long strings, and big meaty slices of whatever topping you choose to get. Â Just like Chicago, you've already got a good collection of quality bits from all different places that are thrown together. Â Â Add the 'Chicago fire' of cooking, and the pie comes out of the oven like the city rose from the ashes of the fire...that much more delectable and ready to take on the culinary delights of anyone you dare cross it!
Order your pie uncut, so when you get it to your table, it will still be piping hot. Â Take a big wiff and enjoy the symphony of smells. Â Take a slice, be civilized and use a fork and knife please, and let the party in your mouth begin! Â This pizza is like ambrosia brought down from the heavens. Â Plus, you never have to worry about ordering too much because Lou's makes GREAT leftovers.
Overall, Lou's is just the best Chicago-style Deep Dish pizza. Â The Wilmette location only delivers, but that is just as well since you can enjoy this pie anywhere.
This particular location is carry out only, but dine in or carry out, Malnati's is the best deep dish pizza. Â I love the traditional layer of sausage and my wife loves the Lou's special (tomatoes, mushrooms and spinach with cheddar cheese) The salads are also great, make sure to ask for the house dressing. I am not a huge fan of thin crust, but I like their's a lot. Â If you desire desert (which after a few pieces of Lou's and a salad is hard to do), they have Eli's Cheesecake. Â A Chicago tradition and a must if you have out-of-towners unfamiliar with Chicago visiting.
Review Source:You want some of the best Chicago style pizza in town?! Â YOU'VE FOUND IT! Â Don't waste time with those high profile pizza chains. Â And when you go in to pick up your delicious, mouth watering, pizza...don't forget to snag some free samples by the door.
Tell em Scott sent you...it won't get you anything and they will probably ask you, "Who the F%& is Scott?" Â But you can say it anyway.
Might I suggest the thin crust "Lou's" and then a pan style "Deluxe" with crumbled sausage...oh yeah...they can give you a layer of sausge if you choose.
They also deliver all over the US. Â For you NoCal folks...it's Hella good and 100 times better than Zach's.
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