Special Pizza Review: Pizano's Pizza and Pasta

Date: 08/22/2016
Location: Chicago, IL
Pizza Ordered: Classic Deep Dish
Website: www.pizanoschicago.com/

Though this restaurant is not in New Jersey, I just had to post a review on it. My girlfriend and I were in Wisconsin for a wedding and out flight out was cancelled so we had to scramble last minute and got a flight out of Chicago early the next morning. After driving to our hotel, we decided to go into the city to see the Chicago Bean (or more correctly known as the Cloud Gate). While in the city, we decided it would be sacrilegious if we did not try a true Chicago Deep Dish pizza. After a bit of research and a desire not to walk or drive far, we settled on Pizano's, a fairly large pizzeria only a block from the park. The interior was busy with customers and waitstaff. There were photographs that adorned the walls and the seats were very comfortable. The pizzeria also housed a bar and several TVs where people could watch the latest sports games. Everything felt very authentic. The waiter informed us that the deep dish would take about 45 minutes to reach our table and, at first, I thought this was because of the high population in the restaurant. It wasn't until later that I realized that truly fantastic deep dish pizzas take a longer time to cook than the New York style I'm used to. 

Now before seeing or trying the pizza, I have always joked with people that New York Style pizza is the dominant pizza style in the US. I always joked that Chicago Deep Dish was just a cheese casserole. After seeing and tasting the delicious creation brought to the table, I still think Chicago Deep Dish is a cheese casserole, but it is a delicious one at that. The cheese was so molten, it strung right off the slice as I cut it. The sauce was rich and tangy, but also slightly spicy. The crust was thick and fluffy, but crispy on the outside. This pizza was extremely filling and extremely satisfying. I was worried, at first, that we wouldn't get one of the better, authentic Deep Dish pizzas the area is known for, but after tasting this pie, I know that we made no mistake going to Pizano's. While I am not a local from the area and I don't argue that there are likely even better locations to enjoy Chicago Deep Dish, my girlfriend and I were definitely not disappointed with the pie we got. And though I'm still partial to New York Style, I definitely won't be so hard on Chicago Deep Dish from now on.