Chicago Style Pizza was first created at Pizzeria Uno by Ike Sewell in 1943. The idea was to create a pizza that was a whole meal. The pizza is heavy, thick and typically eaten with a knife and fork.

Chicago Style Pizza has several variations.

  • Deep Dish: Baked in a 2-3 inch deep pan, it consists of a crust, cheese, topping, and a thick layer of tomato sauce.
  • Stuffed Pizza: Similar to deep dish, but with an additional thin layer of crust set on top of the toppings and then covered by another layer of sauce.
  • Thin Crust: Thin crispy crust with a little bit of sauce a fair amount of cheese and toppings. It is typically cut into squares rather than wedges.

There are no restaurants in Davis but there are a few in nearby cities:

—I am not really a pizza snob, but I'd say BJ's definitely specializes specifically in Chicago style. It was my favorite place to get pizza when I lived in San Diego and I'm thrilled it's finally up here. At the very least it's awesome and the closest to Davis. Plus you can get a pizookie for dessert and no other pizza place can top that!

-I agree, BJ's bills themselves as Chicago-style.

There are also places that claim to have Chicago Style Pizza, but are not. Papa Murphy's claims to have a Chicago Style Stuffed Pizza, but lacking the deep dish needed to cook it and hold in all the ingredients, it falls a bit short.

Frozen Uno's pizza is also available at supermarkets.

* Patxi's Chicago Style Pizza in SF is pretty good. I went there for dinner last night. Their deep dish pizzas are INTENSE. Its on Hayes, about three blocks west of Van Hess. Try it next time you are over there. - Julien

Discussion

what does this have to do with Davis?

People in Davis eat it, there may be a few displaced Midwesterners in Davis looking for it. That is why I created this page originally. Just because it isn't in Davis proper does not mean it shouldn't be here. If you notice, all there are a LOT of pages related to things outside of Davis, but are part of the Davis experience. - RogerClark

I hear what you're saying, but according to the information above there's nowhere in Davis to get it. It seems like a food list page with "Chicago Style Pizza" on it and an outgoing sac-wiki link might be more appropriate. This page says nothing other than "you're SOL", which makes it seem silly to have a dedicated page to it. —DomenicSantangelo

There's lots of silly pages here, that what makes it fun, that and there is no Sac-wiki to link to. It is more than just what is physically in Davis it is from a Davis perspective. If you live in Davis and want something specific (i.e. Chicago Style Pizza), it may not be in town, but at least you know where you can find it. It could probably be integrated into another page, but it isn't doing any harm by being here. - RogerClark

The fact of absence is a useful fact when looking for something. It is certainly different than absence of fact, as it would be if this page were deleted. I'm not saying that there should be pages that say "Polar Bears — none in Davis", but there are enough pizza joints to warrant a search for a Chicago style pizza. This page provides the answer to that search - there ain't no sich beast in the area. — JabberWokky

  • Also, Zelda's is only 15 miles from Davis... a distance someone could even bike if desperate enough. This page definitely provides useful info to Davis residents. —Jevan

There's a Chicago Style pizza place opening up in Vacaville. It's call BJ's, does any know of this place? Does it have a reputation already? —MichelleAccurso

  • BJ's is apparently a mostly west coast chain. I haven't been to one so I have no clue, but the site makes it look more like a TGI Chilibee's sorta place that happens to have their interpretation of Chicago Style Pizza. I will hold off completely judging it until I try one out, but initial impressions are not good. —Chicago Style Pizza Snob
    • Ok, I have tried it and I would go there for non-pizza related fare, but it is a rather good Pan Pizza. —Chicago Style Pizza Snob

Papa Murphy's "Chicago Style" pie, as mentioned above, is very good value, and pretty tasty. I'm not sure what the original comment referred to, as the pie comes in its own baking pan, which browns the bottom nicely and contains all the ingredients just fine. I think it is the only "Chicago Style" pizza available in Davis. — ChrisLambertus

As a native Chicagoan, I've been quite pleased with Chicago Fire. Their stuffed pizza is excellent and authentic, and even better, their thin crust is the cut-into-squares stuff that used to be the only delivery option on the South Side. The only issue is that they tend to get very crowded on weekends. Between the wait for a table and the wait (~40 minutes) for a stuffed pizza, it's not the place to go if you want a quick meal. — nmwallace

As a "displaced Midwesterner," I am glad for this page, because I want to know where I can get good Chicago pizza without the $300 round trip! —deeray82

Hi deeray82 and everyone, for true Chicago style pizza, go to www.loumalnatis.com and order some pizzas to be delivered to Davis. I honestly think that is the only way to get genuine Chicago style pizza, at least for a Chicago native (I'm from Northbrook). I went to a "Chicago Style" pizza place up near Santa Rosa and it was a total joke, and really disappointing. Lou Malnati's online pizzas are frozen, but when heated are quite good and pretty close to their restaurant pizza's quality. They are expensive, though--I think $90 for a three pack + cheesecake. :-/

 

 

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