Zachary Hartstone

Review of Chicago Pizza Tours

We recently took a trip to Chicago and being someb...

We recently took a trip to Chicago and being somebody who is addicted to great food, all i could think about is Pizza, so what better kind of tour than a pizza tour?!
We booked this tour expecting to hit all the majors. We expected Pizzeria Uno, Lou Malnatis and Giordanos. We were a little surprised when Danny, our tour guide, said we weren t doing any of those. Now at the beginning it disappointed me, but by the end of this magical pizza journey Danny took us on, i was left unbelievably happy and full!

Our first stop was where we met, Pizanos. We learned from Danny that this restaurant is actually in the Malnati family but is run by Rudy Malnati Jr. the son of Rudy Malnati who was THE GUY behind the pizza at Pizzeria Uno. We got to sample both their deep dish and their tavern style which, according to Danny, is the pizza eaten most often by native Chicagoans. The deep dish was their vegetarian pie with fresh sliced tomato on top and a sauce that will knock your socks off! The tavern style pie was sausage. Sausage is the #1 topping in Chicago and Pizanos orders from the Anachini brothers and this special blend made only for Pizanos is amazing! Jam packed with seasoning and it really sets the pizza apart!

Next stop, Flo and Santos. More tavern style pizza but this time with flare. We had a Chicago beef pizza with shaved beef and spicy Giardiniera, awesome! Then with the heavy polish community in Chicago (another fun fact from Danny) we had their polish sausage and sauerkraut pizza, salty and delicious! Then he brings out a s mores pie (my wife s favorite) and we use that to cleanse the pallet before we move on to the next!

Third stop, PEQUODS! I ve read lots about this place and it did not disappoint! Danny knew i was counting down to this one so he made sure i ended up with two slices. This was another sausage pizza but this was different. The sausage was more of a patty than small pieces. The flavor was out of this world! Danny said he has tried time and time again, but Pequods will not give up their source. On top of the sausage, this sauce was hands down my favorite. I like a heavy sauces pizza and the robust flavor that this brought to the table was second to none! Then when you think you have had it all, you get to the crust! The chef in the back sprinkles cheese on the crust before it hits the oven. When it comes out you have this crispy crust with a Caramelized cheese on top and WOW!

Last spot on the tour was Coalfire. Now this is not your Chicago style Deep Dish or your tavern style but this is more of a traditional looming NY pie but cooked in a coal fire oven. Danny told us the oven is normally up to 900 degrees and can cook the pizza in under 90 seconds, and he wasn t lying. Pizza came out quick, hot and looking magnificent. Out of all the pizza, this one definitely had the best presentation. You take a slice and between the grease of the cheese, the saltiness of the pepperoni and the creaminess of the fresh Ricotta on top, this pizza is something special!

Now that I ve spoken about the pizza, let s talk about the tour. And by that I mean Danny. A pizza tour without a fantastic guide is just a few restaurants, but Danny was INCREDIBLE! The knowledge he possessed, not just about pizza but about the city was incredible. You can tell his passion isn t just pizza, it s about his community. He had facts for days, jokes, personality and made 4 hours and 3lbs or pizza feel like a casual outing amongst friends. I would recommend this pizza tour to ANYBODY i know visiting the city, but they HAVE to get Danny. I feel like anybody else will fall short. Chicago was an amazing city and i can easily say this tour with Danny was my favorite part!!