Best Pizza: Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria

You can’t tell me deep dish pizza is only a tourist-favorite if you’ve never visited Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria.

I’ve had my fair share of deep-dish pizza growing up — the grocery store’s preservative-filled-frozen kind, the out-of-state-imitation kind and the I-claim-to-be-deep-dish-but-I’m-actually-just-a-large-thin-crust kind. 

But none of these compared to the deep-dish pizza I got when I flocked to Lou Malnati’s every time I visited family in Oak Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. And, let me tell you, The Lou tastes just as good now as it did when I was 9 years old. 

So when I came to Evanston for college, I was ecstatic to find out the beloved pizza chain had a place in our little suburb. 

Look, sometimes the dining hall’s odd combination of pizza toppings and MOD Pizza’s floppy bread just doesn’t do it. But then I think about the Chicago-style thick crusts on Sherman Avenue, and I’m craving those simple, yet delicious, deep-dish pizzas. 

Sayonara Allison dining hall’s pizza-turned-dessert and macaroni pizzas. I’m here for the real stuff — Lou’s garlic Buttercrust and Deep-Dish Veggie Pizza.

Not a fan of deep dish? That’s okay, the restaurant has plenty of alternatives. Go for the thin crust versions of our Chicago favorites, or even crustless if you’re feeling adventurous.

Not even a fan of pizza in general? You’re in luck because the pizza shop has an assortment of pastas, sandwiches and salads — Malnati-style. 

So if you’re looking for a getaway from regular old pizza crusts or want to give your out-of-town friends a taste of Chicago culture, make sure Lou Malnati’s is a stop on your tour.

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