Lou Malnati’s

A Chicago staple since 1971, @loumalnatis delivers a prototypical example deep dish pizza... I might even call it archetypical. But Joe, you might ask: what exactly is “deep dish”?

A lot of people think Chicago-style pizza is all the same: a “cheese casserole” - the least astute armchair pizzaioli will even say things like “it’s just for tourists”, ignoring the huge count of such pizzerias in the city. Setting aside Chicago thin crust style (which is having a well-deserved moment), there are three primary types of Chicago pizza: 1) Stuffed pizza - with two crusts, sometimes 2-3” deep (@giordanospizza) 2) Deep dish - one deep crust, 1.5-2” deep (@loumalnatis, @ginoseast) 3) Pan Pizza - thinner, with a crispy often Detroitish caramelized crust (@pequodspizza, @burtsplacepizza)

Lou Malnati’s is textbook “deep dish”. This being a Chicago review - let’s start with the fennel sausage. Here, it is one giant patty of Italian Sausage across the entire pizza. That sausage is cooked fully within the pie, giving it a steamed texture rather than a seared crust, but its uniformity helps with bite consistency. Abutting the sausage, the cheese is low-moisture mozzarella placed in heavy, even layers, resulting in a gooey core along with the sausage. Then, the pizza is topped with an uncooked crushed tomato based sauce.

The crust uses a butter-based dough (not lard, like some other Chicago pizzerias), laminated and baked to a firm, flaky consistency that avoids the oil-logged base found in lesser versions. It holds its structure - despite the quantity of toppings it holds, with a subtle sweetness and toasted edge.

Overall, it’s a prototypical deep dish: balanced, filling, and true to its lineage.