by Sean Curtis

Created on: May 31, 2007

Chicago is world-renowned for it's deep dish pizza, which was invented in early 1940s. Deep dish is also sometimes referred to as "stuffed pizza" or "Chicago-style pizza." Pizzeria Uno is widely accepted as the first to come up with the deep dish pizza. It's debated whether owner Ike Sewell or chef Rudy Malnati were responsible for coming up with the pie.

If you want great thin crust pizza, you're in the wrong city. New York has long held the title as thin-crust capital of the world. In Chicago, you have to get the deep dish.

So who's got the best deep dish in town? Some would say Pizzeria Uno, now just "Uno," has been doing it the longest and the best. Other say Lou Malnati's (founded by Rudy Malnati's son Lou). You'll find the occasional Chicagoan singing the praises of Gino's East or Edwardo's, both favorites of the downtown Chicago lunch crowds.

But if you ask this humble Chicagoan, the can't-miss deep dish pizza is Giordano's. The crust somehow defies physics by being both crispy and soft at the same time. The cheese is stringy, delicious, and plentiful. Giordano's is not afraid to use the toppings. The pizza is stuffed to the gills with delicious toppings - so much so that one piece of the deep dish will typically fill a person up. Of course, that never stops me from going back for a second. And if you like sausage on your pizza, Giordano's has the tastiest in town.

With locations in all over Chicagoland, it's hard to be far from a Giordano's. Some would argue that there's just too many locations for the franchise to maintain quality control. But I say, if you got a great thing, go with it.

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