Lou Malnati's Pizzeria — Restaurant in Chicago

I went to Lou Malnati's and the food was great. My low rating is because of the horrible server that was assigned to me. HORRIBLE. Just some background on how their system works before you seated. Assuming there is a wait, which is most of the time due to their popularity, you wait in line to get your name on the waitlist. Then, if you are ordering a deep dish pizza, you then go into another line to pre-order your pizza as the pizzas can take 45min-1hr. to make. After you pre-order your pizza, you wait for your text letting you know when your table is ready. Even after you get seated, it will take another 15-20min. before you get your pizza. You have time to order other items from the menu when you get seated. It's only the deep dish pizza that needs pre-ordering. Well after going through the whole process and then waiting for 50 min. to get my text that my table was ready, I was finally seated. The server Emanuel came by and confirmed my pre-ordered pizzas. I ordered the buffalo wing appetizer and asked if I could have 2 flavors. He first said yes, no problem. Then he says no and says well maybe but it would depend on the size of the order. I wasn't thrilled that he couldn't make up his mind but I just ordered a larger size. The traditional and lemon pepper wings were great. But after Emanuel brought me my wings, he just left, not giving me time to even ask him for a plate and utensils. So I sat there looking for him. After about 10 minutes, I finally spot him and ask for a plate and utensils. No apologies or acknowledgment of the lack of plates or utensils. After enjoying my wings, I wait another 30 minutes before I see him again. I ask what is going on and he says that the pizza would be right out. Well, I wait another 15 minutes before he finally brings me my 2 pizzas. But when he brings it out, it's practically stacked on top of each other where one pan is actually sitting on top of the bottom pizza. Not just above it, but actually resting on top of it, where the bottom pizza has a indentation of the top pan. I would normally return that pizza as I don't know how clean that pan is, but I did not considering that I have been there almost an hour already. He asks me if I would like a refill on my water and I say yes. The water never came. HORRIBLE server. Now the food was great. I ordered the Malnati Chicago Classic and added pepperoni and also The "Lou". Both were great. I also went to Giordano's and I personally liked Lou Malnati's much better. No question for me about who has better deep dish. The sauce was much richer and had more flavor at Lou's. Giordano has a great chopped...

My first ever proper slice of Chicago pie...yum!

I surprised my boyfriend to a trip to Chicago for his birthday and Lou Malnati's was on his list of pizza places to try out. I made a reservation for 6 people on Open Table on a Sunday night and the restauraunt messaged me suggesting to preorder our pizzas. I preordered our 2 pizzas via message on the app.

Upon arriving we had to wait about 15+ minutes to be seated despite having a reservation. Once seated the dining area is very cramped and we were seated at a circular table and had little room to maneuver around. Our friend mentioned they were seated at a long table before with 6 people so bummer they couldn't do that on our visit.

When we were ordering our food, I was surprised to find out that the restaurant did not receive my preorder for our pizzas so we had to wait the 40 minutes or so. I'm not sure if it's because I messaged on the app and maybe I should have called instead. It was a bummer especially everyone was very hungry. My friend ordered a Caesar salad which the kitchen forgot, so she got her food very late into the meal.

We ordered appetizers and they were very delicious, from the fried calamari to the cheese bread. It was enough to satisfy us until our pizza came. Once the pizza came, we enjoyed every bite of it. The crust was buttery and flaky, and the meat and sausage was a huge layer. Super yummy and wish I could have it again! My friends also ordered a thin crust spinach and cheese pizza which was also pretty good. Mid-meal, our friend's salad came in but unfortunately she said it was very dry. They went very light with the dressing.

Our server was great, but staff is very understaffed at this location. Our server told us Sundays are particularly slow but during this season (early December) is very busy so they don't schedule enough employees. Hence, the wait for everything took a long time from the kitchen. He kindly comped our friend's salad and apologized for it coming late.

4/5 for the food, but it was inconvienent not having my preorder come through from my Open Table reservation. Service and wait time was very lacking and long due to being...

Zero (0) rating if there’s an option.

My recent visit to Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria was rather disappointing, and I feel compelled to share my experience. As an eager out-of-state traveler, I had eagerly anticipated my visit, fueled by the substantial hype surrounding this establishment. Regrettably, it failed to meet my lofty expectations. Despite its warm, inviting ambiance, the deep-dish pizza offered paled in comparison to Uno’s in terms of flavor and overall quality.

My primary source of disappointment stemmed from the agonizingly long wait time. I found myself enduring a seemingly interminable 2 hours and 40 minutes for my meal, a frustration that grew with every passing minute. When the food finally arrived, the quality didn’t justify the excruciating delay. It appeared to be a reheated pizza, far from the advertised deep-dish experience. In fact, it resembled more of a typical pan pizza from a chain like Pizza Hut. The supposed buttered crust felt more akin to stale, expired crackers.

Adding to the dismal experience was an unpleasant odor that permeated the restaurant, akin to dirty socks or a neglected gym locker room. This olfactory assault unquestionably detracted from the overall dining atmosphere. Notably, I observed other diners at nearby tables voicing their own grievances about their experience.

In hindsight, I deeply regret succumbing to the hype that surrounded Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria. Given the chance for a do-over, I would have opted for Giordano’s, a seemingly superior choice for an authentic Chicago deep-dish pizza experience.

It’s essential to emphasize that my intention in sharing this feedback is not to undermine the business but rather to provide candid insights to both management and, more crucially, prospective customers seeking the pinnacle of Chicago’s deep-dish culinary offerings. Despite management’s attempts to downplay our concerns with a condescending attitude, I believe in the importance of transparency and honesty in the realm of culinary...