# NY or CHI pizza? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 17, 2012, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-or-chi-pizza/625384 "2012-06-17T00:54:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-or-chi-pizza/625384/21 "2012-06-17T06:14:55Z")
All pizza is the food of the gods. That said, all three Chicago styles blow away NYC style. But I will admit to being biased, being born and raised in the Windy City. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-or-chi-pizza/625384/22 "2012-06-17T11:04:37Z")
Really depends what I’m in the mood for. And it depends on what you mean by Chicago style and New York Style. I voted “other.” Here would be my breakdown: 1. Coal-fired New York-Neapolitan pizza (like Totonno’s or Grimaldi’s) 2. Thin crust Chicago/Midwest tavern style pizza 3 (tie) Your standard New York style slice 3 (tie) Deep dish 3. Stuffed The regular NY slice isn’t anything to write home about. It’s good, but it’s nothing exceptional. Same way as I feel about deep dish. Places like Totonno’s or Grimaldi’s truly are gems. Chicago also has wonderful coal-fired/wood-fired joints like Great Lakes (which was at some point named [best pizza in the US](http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2009/05/alan-richman-gq-magazine-best-top-25-pizzas-in-the-us-america.html)), Coalfire, Spacca Napoli, Nella’s, etc., but it’s not an indigenous style, so I’m not counting it. If I’m allowed to consider all styles and all pizza options in Chicago and New York, then Chicago would be my city, without a second thought. There are just so many different pizza styles, done well, represented here: Midwest tavern-style, deep dish, stuffed, Quad Cities, Neapolitan, Italian bakery-style, New Haven-style, etc. However, I don’t think there’s a really good representation of regular New York style pizza here, which is fine, as I said I’m not particularly enamored by it. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-or-chi-pizza/625384/23 "2012-06-17T15:52:11Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > New York style made in New Jersey. 'Zactly. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-or-chi-pizza/625384/24 "2012-06-17T16:57:01Z")
I’ve never had the real thing, but I generally find that pizza tastes better on a thinner crust. And I really loved Pizza Hut’s New York style pizza. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-or-chi-pizza/625384/25 "2012-06-17T18:37:30Z")
Neither…or both…it all depends on my mood. Good pizza is good pizza, no matter what kind of crust it has, or what toppings are on it. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-or-chi-pizza/625384/26 "2012-06-17T21:21:01Z")
NY pizza = cardboard + cheese. Don’t know why I ever left Chicago. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-or-chi-pizza/625384/27 "2012-06-17T21:23:00Z")
Question: have the people who vote for NY actually ever tasted a Chi-style pizza THAT WAS NOT MADE IN NY? Because, if you have, there’s no comparison. But, of course, typical NY attitude: only things NY-ish are good, and the rest of the country only exists as a whim. ---
**Author:** ![PJMom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/2acd7d/32.png) [@PJMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PJMom)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-or-chi-pizza/625384/28 "2012-06-17T21:29:04Z")
Chicago stuffed pizza (the two-crusted Carmen’s or old Edwardo’s type) is the best, but sometimes only a thin crusted pizza will do, in that case I want (and am currently salivating over even thinking of) a NY style pizza. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-or-chi-pizza/625384/29 "2012-06-20T14:40:13Z")
NY all the way. Chicago-style isn’t even pizza, it’s cheese pie. If you like that, fine, but it ain’t pizza. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-or-chi-pizza/625384/30 "2012-06-20T14:53:19Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > NY all the way. Chicago-style isn’t even pizza, it’s cheese pie. If you like that, fine, but it ain’t pizza. Exactly. North Jersey is the best, with Staten Island a close second. I fell for the New Haven hype and tried them all. They’re decent but a step below. I’ve had Chicago-style pizza in Chicago (forgot the name but it was highly recommended by some of my colleagues out there). I admit it was delicious, but it is more gourmet and not a “staple” type food like NY-style. I could eat Ny-style pizza every day, but definitely not the Chicago version. I guess where you stand on this depends on where you sit. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-or-chi-pizza/625384/31 "2012-06-20T15:15:45Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > Question: have the people who vote for NY actually ever tasted a Chi-style pizza THAT WAS NOT MADE IN NY? Yes. > [@](#): > > Because, if you have, there’s no comparison. I agree. NY wins, no comparison. > [@](#): > > But, of course, typical NY attitude: only things NY-ish are good, and the rest of the country only exists as a whim. That’s a lot of whining. I think you’re taking this way too seriously. ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-or-chi-pizza/625384/32 "2012-06-20T15:21:41Z")
I like both and I like other varieties, it all depends on what I’m in the mood for. Sometimes I’ll take Sicilian style over both. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-or-chi-pizza/625384/33 "2012-06-20T15:37:48Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > New York style made in New Jersey. That’s like me saying “I love Chicago-style pizza that’s made in Waukesha.” That just doesn’t make sense. Next thing you’re going to tell me is that your two New York football teams don’t even play in New York. Anyway, it’s Chicago all the way for me – either deep dish or crispy thin crust cut in squares as the pizza gods intended. Of course, pizza is like sex. It’s hot and greasy and you get cheese and sauce all over the place. No wait… ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-or-chi-pizza/625384/34 "2012-06-20T15:40:43Z")
I’ve not tried Chicago. But New York pizza was my crack cocaine when I was there a couple months ago. I can’t imagine anything else as good. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-or-chi-pizza/625384/35 "2012-06-20T16:01:42Z")
New York - I prefer my cheese on top of the sauce (although I did see a recipe once that called for a layer of sliced mozzarella, then sauce, then more cheese) - for that matter, I prefer sauce over slices/chunks of tomato ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-or-chi-pizza/625384/36 "2012-06-20T16:02:03Z")
If I just need a slice to get me through the day, NY. It’s filling–but not uncomfortably filling–and it’s hard to screw up. It’s also cheap and plentiful in the northeast. I lived off pizza slices when I was in grad school, in northern NJ. But if I were going to a sit-down restaurant, NY pizza would not be on my menu. It’s not special and doesn’t offer that much of an experience. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-or-chi-pizza/625384/37 "2012-06-20T16:11:40Z")
I’ve had Chicago-style many times while visiting there. It can be quite good – right up there with some of the more average NY pies I’ve had. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-or-chi-pizza/625384/38 "2012-06-20T16:13:47Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > NY all the way. Chicago-style isn’t even pizza, it’s cheese pie. You mean Chicago-style deep dish. Unless someone really messed up your Chicago-style thin crust. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-or-chi-pizza/625384/39 "2012-06-20T16:45:39Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > That’s like me saying “I love Chicago-style pizza that’s made in Waukesha.” That just doesn’t make sense. Next thing you’re going to tell me is that your two New York football teams don’t even play in New York if you want the hear Italian accents behind the counter come to a pizza place in Northern Jersey. If you want your pizza made by Eastern Europeans go to NYC. Not to say there aren’t great pizza places in NYC. Dininos in Staten Island comes to mind or Grimaldi’s. But in general the neighborhood pizza joints in NJ are better than the ones in NYC. Many of the pizza makers left NYC and relocated to New Jersey. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2012, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-or-chi-pizza/625384/40 "2012-06-20T16:57:40Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > NY all the way. Chicago-style isn’t even pizza, it’s cheese pie. If you like that, fine, but it ain’t pizza. Oh, hush. There is room for many different styles of pizza out there. The more, the merrier. Deep dish is not that far removed from traditional Italian/Sicilian styles like sfincione–it’s just heavier on the toppings. [Here’s a slice of deep dish.](http://slice.seriouseats.com/images/2011/08/20110817-166110-Chicago-Pizzeria-Due%27s-Uno%27s-Sausage-Slice.jpg) And [here’s a page with a couple of picture of sfincione.](http://essenzaindivisibile.it/2008/10/02/che-soddisfazione-lo-sfincione/) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-or-chi-pizza/625384.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-or-chi-pizza/625384.md?page=3)