River North - Lou Malnati's Pizzeria

About Lou Malnati's Pizzeria Considered the oldest family name in Chicago pizza, Lou Malnati's is as rich in history as its pizza is in flavor. Lou Malnati got his start in the 1940's working in Chicago's first deep dish pizzeria. He took his pizza expertise to Lincolnwood, a northern suburb of Chicago, where he and his wife Jean opened the first Lou Malnati's Pizzeria on March 17, 1971. Lou was known for his fun-loving character as well as making Chicago's best pizza. Loyal patrons lined the streets on opening day for a taste of his delicious deep dish creations. Lou always thought it was funny that an Italian should open a pizzeria in a Jewish neighborhood on an Irish holiday.

Save Money: Until 2pm every day, get a personal sausage or pepperoni pizza plus soup or a house salad for about $6.

Parking: If you can't find metered parking, try the pay garage on Hubbard and Wells.

For "real Chicago pizza", fans hit up this "top-notch" chain "staple" that "sets the standard" with its "deep-dish butter crust" pies made "just right" with the "perfect" ratio of cheese to sauce – and its "crisp" thin-crust pies and "big", "not-to-be-missed" salads are a hit too; service is generally solid (if occasionally "slow"), and if the decor is considered just "fine", well you "don't go...

Lou Malnati started his pizza operation in 1971 in the suburbs, and his sons, Marc and Rick, opened this location in the trendy River North area in 1986 to carry on the family tradition. Burnished wood, comfortable booths, high tables with stools and tile floors give the century-old building a traditional-upscale feel, which is enlivened with sports memorabilia that includes framed shirts of...

When it comes to deep-dish pizza in Chicago, it all comes back to this institution that is so confident in its pies that it ships them overnight to most anywhere in the U.S. This old-school spot...

Pros

+ great pizza

Chicago-style deep-dish pizza since 1971.