Lou Malnati's Pizzeria — Restaurant in Chicago

I grew up eating New York-style pizza, I like the Detroit-style, too, and even that thin, cracker-like crust you get in Columbus, Ohio. The only Chicago-style pizza knowledge I had when I walked into Lou Malnati‘s was gleaned from a visit to a Giordano‘s outside Dayton, Ohio. I actually liked Giordano’s.

The pizza I had at Lou Malnati‘s was not my thing. The salty crust lacked a distinct flavor. Moisture from the vegetables—I ordered a personal-sized “Lou“ , which comes topped with garlicky spinach, mushrooms, and sliced roma tomato—had leaked through to the plate. The whole thing was pretty much sopping wet. So it was awkward to eat as well, neither my hands nor a fork and knife seemed fully appropriate.

My meal was saved by a small house salad very well dressed with a lemony garlic concoction (think creamy caesar without the anchovy punch), and croutons that didn’t make my skull rattle. If you forget to ask them to hold the onions, know that they are sliced into rings and easy to set aside. There was about 1/4 of a medium-sized onion sliced on the plate.

I was also impressed by the service and the general manner of operations. I waited about 10 minutes for my table, but I was able to place my order right after checking in. I understand the pizzas take about 30-40 minutes to make, so the head start was appreciated. The servers and hostess were all polite and helpful.

I was visiting Chicago for the first time, and a colleague who lives in the city recommended this place. There are several locations. I think everyone who visits Chicago should try Lou Malnati’s because people around here really seem to like it. I would be interested to try one of their pastas, but as I looked around the crowded dining room, I saw...

Highlight: The best deep dish Chicago style pizza!!!

This is a great place close (walking distance) to the navy pier in Chicago downtown. It is open till late in the evening so it's a good place to go to after touring the downtown in the evening and visiting the Buckingham fountain and the navy pier in the beautiful evening lighting. The place has ample seating, and I didn't have to wait in line to dine in. The staff is very friendly and when I called in beforehand to check if there is wait, they were prompt in responding and guiding me. I had to wait a little before the waitress came to my table to take the order, but I was in no hurry so it worked out well. Once my order was taken I was attended to promptly as the food was ready. The bruschetta was really nice , the bread crisply done, and their parmesan is really flavorful. The highlight of the evening was ofcourse the deep dish pizza which they serve in a personal size as well which makes it very convinient for a single person dining.

Lou Malnati's offers customized cooking and flavoring for the pizza so I was able to order a well done butter crust pizza which was totally worth the wait and the price. I had first tasted deep dish at Giordano's and ended up hating it for it's long wait, pizzas bready texture and an improper balance of sauce , but the pizza at Lou Malnati's was totally different. The garlicky buttercrust with it's parmesan kick was crisp and loaded with flavor in every bite and was perfectly balanced with the right amount of pizza sauce and cheese and vegetables. All in all I would 100 percent recommend you to visit this place and give Chicago's deep dish a try while being able to customize how you want the pizzas crust to be...

My first ever Chicago style deep dish pizza! And Lou's did not disappoint. I will be recommending this place if anyone asks me for places for Chicago deep dish pizza (I like Lou's more than Giordano's). Be aware that the pizza takes 20-30 minutes to make!!! Not a grab and go pizza spot. Next time I'll be trying the Lou since I heard its better than the Malnati!

Food The Malnati, or the Chicago Classic, is a deep dish pizza that was cooked perfectly. A good amount of sausage slices and tons of tomato sauce on top. The crust was super good and cooked very well too. Compared to Giordano's crust, Lou's is WAY better! Deep dish pizza is very interesting because it's feels more like you are eating pizza flavored pie.

Atmosphere Casual atmosphere and definitely feels like the interior caters to tourists. There's a map of Chicago with a great big metal sign with STATE ST on it. Noise level pretty average with casual conversations in the back at lunch time.

Pricing My first ever Chicago pizza so don't have much experience to compare the prices to other Chicago pizzas. The small pizza (says it serves 2 but I ate the whole thing) was $21 and definitely filled me up.

Service Service was super good. My server explained any questions I had and was very friendly. Estimated times for when the food would come out were given and I never felt like I was wondering when the food would come out.

Other Located right on State street and within walking distance from many hotels in...