If you go, skip the deep dish stuff, it is indeed just for tourists. Or go downtown to Uno’s or Malnati’s (which both seem to have turned into franchises when I wasn’t looking, so I’m skeptical that they’re still decent) and try it. Truly good pizza is thin-crust (or even better IMO, “cracker” crust), and very widely available in the Chicago area. My fave back in the day was Wayne’s Pizza in Arlington Heights (it’s been a couple decades since I’ve had their pizza, YMMV) but pizza of their caliber is not unusual in the area; you might go through 2 or 3 takeouts before finding Pizza Nirvana, but its worth the exploration.
I hear people say that alot, but it is nonsense. I love chicago style stuffed pizza, and get it whenever I can. Of course I have the standard thin crust as well, but Chicago style pizza is certainly not only for tourists.
Californian’s can likely get Uno’s pizza at a a place called BJ’s resteraunt and Brewery. I hated the place. I don’t think Chicago style pizza is very conducive towards personal pan pizza’s. Besides, I prefer stuffed pizza. I’m not a big fan of Lou Malnoti’s or any place that uses that huge plate-o-crumbled sausage.
Interestingly, I worked at Waynes many years back. It’s still good stuff.
The west coast has fine pizza in my experience, but they tend to fancy it up with weird ingredients like artichoke hearts and such.
God, I’m probably going to get flamed here, but I find most Chicago pizzas fair-to-middling. HOWEVER, there is a wide cross section of styles represented here, and the exemplars of each style are, indeed, some of my favorite pizzas in the world. For Chicago thin/cracker-crust, it’s Vito and Nick’s (my favorite non-Neapolitan/East Coast style pizza in the world). For deep dish, Burt’s in Morton Grove. For East Coast (supposedly New Haven, with the coal-fired oven and all, but it seems more of a hybrid) style, Coalfire. For Neapolitan in a wood burning oven, Spacca Napoli. For stuffed, Art of Pizza. For Italian bakery-style sheet pizza, D’Amatos. And I am a sucker for the cracker crust pizza that is ubiquitous here in Chicago (and around the Midwest), but not so well-known elsewhere. I like the fact that I have so many pizza styles just a short drive away.
It is good stuff, but I don’t really consider it pizza per se. And it takes forever to make, so ordering it at a busy place can take 45 minutes, so I’d rather not.
Wow! That’s awesome. How weird is it that we’d “meet” here. 
Sigh, it probably depends a great deal on the area. I’ve lived in the San Jose area and gotten pizza from dozens of places over 20 years. The very best pizza (and we’re talking thin crust, not pan) I’ve had would rate as just okay where I grew up. Which I find extremely puzzling – there is no lack of Italians in this area, and decent to extremely good Italian food. But pizza, not so much. Perhaps the LA area has had better luck, I have no idea.
Could it be regional bias? I’ve had great pizza in the LA area (I can’t remember where exactly now) at some little corner shop owned by a transplanted New Yorker. It was a classic NY style pie, with the signature thin, but foldable crust that puffs out at the edges. NYers, I’ve found, in general, think Chicago thin crust is crap, and vice versa. Perhaps it’s a matter of what you grew up with? Some people love pan pizzas; my preference is towards thinner styles where the quality of the crust is the most important (Neapolitan styles). Chicagoans seem to be more sauce-is-boss, lots of cheese people.
Wow, you have no idea what it’s like elsewhere, do you? God damn, I miss having a variety of pizza styles to choose from; you’re so lucky in that regard. Hang on while I give an example: they but orange cheese on pizzas here. Yes, really. Yes, this is widespread. They got no clue what a pizza is. Thank your lucky stars and patron saints you have what you have.
OK. Maybe it’s not regional styles then. Orange pizza on cheese is an abomination anywhere. My reference point is more travels through the East Coast which, for me, is a kind of pizza heaven.
That’s certainly possible. I have little respect for pizza with a floppy crust, which would probably be well-regarded in the East. But you can get this style if you look for it in Chicago. I cannot say the same about here.
The best Chicago style pizza is Papa Del’s in Champaign. Garlic, mushroom, and green peppers. Mmmm mmm. Cracker crust is fantastic too.
Woo! I just visited family in Chicago, and had all this stuff that you can’t get (either easily or at all) where I live:
- A Gyro, in pita w zatziki.
- A couple honest to God Chicago-style hot dogs (with those soggy fries that go together so well)
- An Italian Beef
- A sausage n mushroom Pizza from Wayne’s, still extremely good thin-crust after all these years.
I have reached Foodtopia. Foodvana. Foodapalooza. Chicagogasm.
I’ll be pissed if his ass order Buffalo-style wings - from Florida!
I can’t stand food-snobs. People like what they like. 
NYers, in general, think everything in this country outside NY is crap.
Calling NY “regionally biased” is like calling Michael Jackson “a tad eccentric.” If they ran the USA, they’d pave the midwest, send the people to reeducation camps, and we’d all be living in Co-op Cities with nothing to eat but foldable pizza-by-the-slice and egg cream.
hey… :mad: 
There used to be a pizza place here in St. Louis that my U of I alum friend said must be using the exact recipe from Papa Del’s. It was called Pizzeria della Piazza and they had absolutely fantastic deep-dish/stuffed pizza. I cried a little bit when they closed (the place was popular, but I think the owners were lawyers primarily and ran the place as a hobby/side deal, I don’t what the deal was with their closing, though).
For barbecue in St. Louis, Pappy’s Smokehouse in midtown. http://www.pappyssmokehouse.com/
He’s from* Hawaii.* Don’t make Dwayne come over & hit you.