Hey, we had our trip and I just wanted to thank everyone for the suggestions.
Ultimately stuff ended up getting changed around last minute and we didn’t have as much time to do everything as we hoped (always the way), and the planetarium was still closed so we skipped the museums altogether for a walk along the river and some time in Millennium Park and going to the Buckingham Fountain.
For food, Pequods ended up being too busy but we met some friends in town and went to Lou Malnatis instead. Ended up doing Luke’s for a Italian Beef and, legitimately one of the best Polish sausages I’ve had in my life. Also went to the Nutella Cafe for the kid (which was fine. You know what you are getting in a place like that.) Because flights home got moved we ended up not having the second half day we expected so that was pretty much it in your city. It wss foggy as heck so we didn’t go up in Willis Tower either. But all in all we had a nice time.
Oh, we did take your advice and move our hotel closer to the loop. And we took the architectural boat tour which was a huge win for me and my wife, the kid was bored to tears, but she got to go to the Nutella Cafe so it’s all a wash.
Thanks all. Hopefully we come back and do a proper visit sometime soon. It was fun.
What did you have and what did you think?
We did pepperoni because it was the only topping everyone could agree on.
It was good! I don’t know exactly what I expected but it was both better and different from my expectations. We also had what I think was called tavern style (thin and cut into squares?) and it was also good, though I liked the deep dish better.
I would go again.
Man, worst case on the boat tours and you’re on a boat texting on your phone, still great!
An absolute highlight of the trip!
We are going to have to plan a trip to Chicago some time where the point of the trip is to be in Chicago for several days and not just use it as a nearby airport to other things.
Yes, in the end it is a matter of taste. My favorite Chicago thin crust pizza of all time is right here in the Beverly Hills section of Chicago. It is a pretty small place called “Fox’s Beverly Pub” on South Western Avenue just south of 99th Street. If you aren’t from my area, there’s a good chance that you’ve never even heard of it. My favorite deep dish pizza is Giordano’s in the Hyde Park section of Chicago.
You can always do half & half. While I won’t say pepperoni is an uncommon topping here, I will say sausage is by far the preferred porky topping with Chicagoans, at least. Now you have a decent benchmark for deep dish for the next time you’re in town!
Sounds like you had a good time and got to try some good food and see the city.
Hmm, that’s right near some family of mine, I’ll have to check it out next time I’m in the area. Just a couple blocks away on 95th is Roseangela’s, which I like a lot. Have you been?
I definitely second @Jasmine’s recommendation of Fox’s in Beverly (they have a number of locations, but I can only vouch for the Beverly one.) Great thin crust there, similar to my favorite Vito & Nick’s (or Nick & Vito’s if you’re from the neighborhood.) I’ve never tried Roseangela’s – I’ll keep it in mind next time I’m out there.
If it’s the same Fox’s as Orland (143rd?) and Mokena (187th) then I agree it’s good, but wouldn’t be my favorite thin crust.
eta looks like it isn’t. Definitely on the list.
It is. I don’t know what those locations are like, though, hence only being able to vouch for the one on Western. Like I like the Palermo’s on 63rd (when I’m in the mood for a sweeter sauce a la Aurelio’s) but don’t like the one on 95th as much. Or the only Home Run Inn I’ll go to is the one on 31st.
Oh, huh. There are two different websites, but have the same backstory in the about section, I wonder why.
Never been to the Palermo’s on 63rd, but there used to be one on 131st that I worked at. Yeah, the sweet sauce can definitely hit the spot. Looks like 95th is about where our experiences meet. Barraco’s on 95th is pretty good too.
No, but if you’re giving it a recommendation, I might try it even though it is very hard for me to tear myself away from Fox’s. When they opened up the Homerun Inn pizza place on 109th and Western, I gave it a try because it is supposed to be so great. It was pretty good, but I went right back to Fox’s and haven’t been to Homerun Inn since.
Yeah, I’ll recommend it. My go to is just sausage. I think they have pretty good meatball sandwiches too. The rest of the menu never wowed me. They just finished remodeling because some car crashed into it, I prefer the old shithole inside (it’s not super nice or anything now), but what’re you going to do.
Yeah, Home Run Inn is very different. It is thin crust, but it’s a quirky thin crust that is a bit denser and more buttery (?) than a tavern-style thin crust like Fox’s. Definitely has a completely different flavor and texture to it. I have to be in the right mood to enjoy a Home Run Inn. Same with something like Barnaby’s of Northbrook. Very good pizza, quirky crust that I have to be in the mood for.
I have to confess, pepperoni on Chicago pizza is entirely benign and appropriate and makes me seethe. Italian sausage is, to me, such a superior topping, it was only relatively recently I came to fully realize what an outlier our region’s preferred pizza pork really is.