Location: 135 E. Lake St., Chicago, IL 60601
and multiple locations throughout the city
(I've linked a few of the locations I have been to... the experience has always been the same)
A Quick Word:
Giordano's Pizza is another one of the front-runners for people's favorite deep dish in Chicago. And, with all the long lines and busy nights, it may appear as if it is the best. However, after eating the pizza on multiple occasions, I have found many flaws that the other big shots in the city have somehow perfected. Giordano's is authentic deep dish, but each component of the pizza just falls short of its competition. With a flavorless crust and a non-tangy tomato sauce, I could only give them an average rating of 2.5 miles. This is my opinion on the great debate of who makes the best deep dish pizza so try them all out and let me know what you think!
What We Ate:
The deep dish pizza at Giordano's is definitely popular in Chicago; however, out of all the big time restaurants, I like them the least. First of all, the extremely thick crust is not seasoned and not buttery enough for me or many others to crave. Also, it tends to be much drier and more cardboard flavored than the other places in the city. Next, the tomato sauce... the consistency seems like the sauce has been run through a blender for hours. I personally like chunkier tomato sauce with a nice bite to it. Unfortunately, I don't think Giordano's sauce cuts it. Now for the cheese... they have way too much. If you don't eat it fast enough, the cheese solidifies and is too overpowering. Specifically for this pizza, the veggie comes with sautéed green peppers, onions, and mushrooms. I wish they didn't sauté them first because it adds a layer of greasy vegetables inside the pizza. And, finally, the overall pizza, when putting everything together the pizza definitely resembles the deep dish classic of Chicago. However, even with a lot of red crushed pepper, I just don't enjoy this place as much as others.
This is the spinach version of their deep dish pizza. It has both mozzarella and parmesan cheese and a whole lot of spinach. For a detailed description of the pizza, read the above review. The only difference is the spinach does give it more flavor without the oily taste and is a much better pizza option than the vegetarian one above.
The DOs/DON'Ts:
DO:
- If you decide on Giordano's, I would either order take out or get their on an off-hour. There are always massive lines, especially on weekends, and the wait can reach above an hour and a half.
- If you decide to wait in line, definitely put your order in while you wait. This way the 45 minute cooking process will be started as you wait for your table to be ready.
- The thin crust pizza is pretty decent here also.
DON'T:
- If you are from the city, I wouldn't come to Giordano's. Every time I walk by the restaurant, it is full of St. Louis Cardinal Fans or out-of-town baseball team's fans. It's kind of funny because the out-of-towners hound Giordanos, while all the locals (Cubs and White Sox Fans) flock to Pizzeria Uno, Lou Malnati's, and Gino's East.
How far would I walk for this food?
and multiple locations throughout the city
(I've linked a few of the locations I have been to... the experience has always been the same)
A Quick Word:
Giordano's Pizza is another one of the front-runners for people's favorite deep dish in Chicago. And, with all the long lines and busy nights, it may appear as if it is the best. However, after eating the pizza on multiple occasions, I have found many flaws that the other big shots in the city have somehow perfected. Giordano's is authentic deep dish, but each component of the pizza just falls short of its competition. With a flavorless crust and a non-tangy tomato sauce, I could only give them an average rating of 2.5 miles. This is my opinion on the great debate of who makes the best deep dish pizza so try them all out and let me know what you think!
What We Ate:
Veggie Deep Dish Pizza
The deep dish pizza at Giordano's is definitely popular in Chicago; however, out of all the big time restaurants, I like them the least. First of all, the extremely thick crust is not seasoned and not buttery enough for me or many others to crave. Also, it tends to be much drier and more cardboard flavored than the other places in the city. Next, the tomato sauce... the consistency seems like the sauce has been run through a blender for hours. I personally like chunkier tomato sauce with a nice bite to it. Unfortunately, I don't think Giordano's sauce cuts it. Now for the cheese... they have way too much. If you don't eat it fast enough, the cheese solidifies and is too overpowering. Specifically for this pizza, the veggie comes with sautéed green peppers, onions, and mushrooms. I wish they didn't sauté them first because it adds a layer of greasy vegetables inside the pizza. And, finally, the overall pizza, when putting everything together the pizza definitely resembles the deep dish classic of Chicago. However, even with a lot of red crushed pepper, I just don't enjoy this place as much as others.
Spinach Deep Dish Pizza
This is the spinach version of their deep dish pizza. It has both mozzarella and parmesan cheese and a whole lot of spinach. For a detailed description of the pizza, read the above review. The only difference is the spinach does give it more flavor without the oily taste and is a much better pizza option than the vegetarian one above.
The DOs/DON'Ts:
DO:
- If you decide on Giordano's, I would either order take out or get their on an off-hour. There are always massive lines, especially on weekends, and the wait can reach above an hour and a half.
- If you decide to wait in line, definitely put your order in while you wait. This way the 45 minute cooking process will be started as you wait for your table to be ready.
- The thin crust pizza is pretty decent here also.
DON'T:
- If you are from the city, I wouldn't come to Giordano's. Every time I walk by the restaurant, it is full of St. Louis Cardinal Fans or out-of-town baseball team's fans. It's kind of funny because the out-of-towners hound Giordanos, while all the locals (Cubs and White Sox Fans) flock to Pizzeria Uno, Lou Malnati's, and Gino's East.
How far would I walk for this food?
Don't get me wrong - the pizza looks absolutely delicious. It's just that there's so much red, I'm thinking that it'd be great to add some cayenne pepper on top of it.
ReplyDeleteit is a great pizza... just not the best in the city. crust is disappointing. sometimes I think it is better out of the refrigerator.
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