CHICAGO'S PIZZA (Wrigleyville)

Checked out Chicago's Pizza yesterday afternoon in Wrigleyville before heading into the cubs game for yet another loss to the Padres. (*sigh*)

Until this afternoon, I knew Chicago's Pizza as the only slice still open at 5am when you were fall down drunk. So, suffice it to say, I was very excited about trying this place outside of its stereotypical setting.



This was a by the slice, take out order, however, so I did not get a taste of Chicago's potential. Also, to make things worse, the lady working there had a brilliant idea of not heating up my slices despite the fact that they had been sitting there all afternoon. I guess they just didn't want me to like their product. Lucky for them, a truely great pie can be enjoyed hot, lukewarm or cold...so I wasn't scared.



The STUFFED slice:


Stylistically, it's in the ballpark of Chicago classics Giordano's & Baccinos (heavy on the cheese, spaghetti marinara-style sauce, thick flour crust). I won't go into the debate of whether stuffed is better than deep dish or if thin is better than all, etc. All pizza is great and all styles have their awesomeness.

In this case, it was a little bland; nothing really stood out. I wouldn't go as far as to call it bad slice, just kinda "meh". Not the best I've had but I wouldn't kick it out of bed, ya dig?


The THIN CRUST:


Again, similar to competitors 'Dano's & Baccino's. Cheese is good and not too dough-y. Sauce is good but not great. Again, "meh."

One big flaw, though: it suffers from the dreaded bite-and-pull-the-whole-coat-of-cheese-off. Goddammit, get with it people!


All in all, I would call Chicago's Pizza, "Giordano's without the magic." It has everything it needs to be awesome, but for some reason, it falls short. However, this could have simply been the result of the problems I listed above. I dunno, maybe I'll have to have another go at it.

One thing is for sure, though: It's a solid place to order at 5am when you're blind drunk.

6 out of 10 slices.