Lou Malnati's, Chicago

When my friends told me they were taking me to this restaurant I kept thinking they were saying Illuminati's. It really is Il Lou Milnati's. Well it was some of the best pizza I have had to date. They had a great pizza crust, delicious sauce, and great tasting toppings. Pizza is made fresh so order quickly and get drinks and converse with friends. It is worth the 30-45 minute wait.

Favorite Dish: Chicago Deep Dish

A little hole in the wall, call and pre-order as the pizzas take a while to cook, then you are seated in a non-descript room with bench seating and tables while your nose is assailed by the most delectable smells to ever emerge from a pizza parlour. Finally the waitress brings the pie and you get your first look at the "famous" pizza. Dig in and eat hearty. You will want to bring the pizza back home in your suitcase.

They have a frozen section in the restaurant for take home pizza which you bake off in your own oven. That is great if you live in Chicago and can come by and pick one up. If you are a true deep dish lover or a "convert" like me, well then you know how hard it is to find great deep dish in Southern California or anywhere else outside of Chicago. No worries Lou Malnati's will ship their freshly made, flash frozen pizza to your door. It is easy with the miracle of dry ice and the UPS man was quiet envious when he saw the box. Lou's shipping price is built into the price of the pizza and it is quite reasonable too. Each pie is 9 inches and generously serves 2 maybe 3 people. They have monthly specials like their heart shaped pizza for Valentine's day. Frozen pizzas do not have a "long freezer life" so store them only a month or less in the freezer.

Favorite Dish: Deep dish pizza hands down is my favorite dish at Lou's. This was pizza the way pizza should taste. Now many may disagree with me but for this pizza lover Lou Malnati's reigns supreme. I like the sauce because it has crushed tomatoes in it, with just the right blend of herbs and spices that give it a bit of a kick. A generous helping of cheese and olive oil make for a delectable pizza. Add your favorite toppings and dig in. The pizza does not reheat well so try not to leave any leftover.

Check out the website you won't be disappointed. http://www.loumalnatis.com

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After a very busy day touring Chicago, it was time to eat. We picked LOU MALNATI'S PIZZERIA famous for its "Buttercrust Pizza in the Pan". Well I must say, it was absolutely delicious. We ordered two large pepperoni pizzas for all of us - Hans and Lori, Kat and Kris, Robert, Kristi and David, who joined us for dinner.
Also available at Lou Malnati's are soups, salads and sandwiches, Lasagna and Spaghetti.

Lou Malnati's is a nice casual Italian restaurant with great food for all. A nice indoor restaurant also boasts a small patio outside to watch the traffic and the people stroll by on Wells St. downtown.

Favorite Dish: I suggest coming before the starvation sets too deeply in, as if you were to order the famous Chicago style deep dish pizza, you will wait 30-40 minutes for your food. The pizza was to die for, but you will also find Italian fare such as lasagna and spaghetti on the menu as well, to name a few.
Antipasto salad is good here too, and you get a great portion size--a medium size bowl is perfect for 3-4 people.

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On Saturday, May 20, 2006, we had a VT Lunch in the Lincoln Park area of Chicago at the Lou Mainati"s.

As always, our "Leader of the Pack in Chicago" (better known as Dabs--Kristi), organized the meeting so we could welcome Steve (spgood301) to Chicago from New York. The weather certainly cooperated with her plans! It was a sun-fill (70+degrees) day in our beautiful city.
It was 100% perfect attendance plus one.

At the get-together were:

(spgood301)Steve, New York
(cwhit22), Lake Villa, IL
(MJB123), Martin, Chicago
(DSwede), Dave, Homeless now, awaiting assignment to Spain
Dabs, Kristi, Hammond, Indiana
David, Kristi's husband, Hammond, Indiana
(Shekago)Lisa, Chicago and New Mexico
Anne, Lisa's guest from Chicago
(Deecat), Dee, Libertyville, IL

I noticed that there were several big groups of people in the same room, but service was good, our waiter was efficient and prompt.

I sat between Martin and Dave, and we had several interesting conversations. Anne and Lisa sat across from Kristi and David and next to Steve, our guest of honor.

Charles was detained (because of transportation), but I'm glad he showed up and added to the spirited conversations, especially those pertaining to foreign foods!

Favorite Dish: We all ordered various kinds of pizza. Martin, Steve, and I all ordered Individual small deep dish pizzas with butter crust. They are perfect for one person with about four medium-sized slices per pizza. Lisa, Anne, Dave, Kristi, and David had two full-sized pizzas that were shared. The cost was reasonable with about $10.00-$11.00 per person, which included drink, tip, and tax!

As usual, the Lou Mainati's Pizza was delicious.

Martin and I were walking back to the Red-Line when we decided to stop for a coffee drink at the corner Starbuck's. It was such a beautiful day that we had our drinks outside, continuing conversations about travel, literature, and movies. A perfect end to a perfect day.

Lou Malnati's Pizzeria was recently named the best pizzeria in Chicago, and that's quite an honor since Chicago Pizza is famous world wide.
I organized a VT meeting for my dear friend Mehmet (mehbos37) from Istanbul Turkey.
We met at Lou Malnati's, along with Dabs (Kristi), MJB123 (Martin), and Erik707 (Erik).
Since Erik was there when I arrived, we had drinks at the bar and had a great conversation. The bar at Lou's is a fun place for conversation (and for having a great Amoretta Stone Sour).
The place is casual, always crowded, yet they do not rush you; rather, they accomodate your every wish. As for the pizza--it's excellent, especially if you request "butter crust".
Chicago deep dish pizza is hearty and must be eaten with a knife and fork. Malnati's deep dish "dough is patted out by hand and raised up high on the sides of a seasoned deep dish pizza pan." THE CRUST IS NOT THICK, but it is pulled high on the sides. This kind of pizza places slices of mozzarella cheese directly on the dough. Then the ingredients that you order are placed on top of the cheese. Next, the pizza is topped with a fresh tomato sauce (with whole chunks of pear and plum tomatoes) and finally topped with a light sprinkling of cheese and spices. Oh, so delicious!

Favorite Dish: The night of our VT dinner, we also shared a large (and I mean LARGE salad) while the pizza was in the oven.
I love the individual pizzas (four pieces) because you can order whatever you wish and do not have to worry about sharing likes/dislikes with others. My favorite is mushroom, onion, and pepperoni.

Lou Malnati's Pizzeria is the place to go for AUTHENTIC Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza, which uses the recipe that Grampa Rudy Malnati helped create in 1943. They say that the secret is their "flaky buttery crust as well as the tomato sauce." The Malnati brothers go to California and meet personally with the tomato growers to insure the quality. However, Rick Malnati swears that the true secret is in the Chicago WATER. He says, "Only Chicago's finest Lake Michigan water can produce a truly delicious Chicago style deep dish pizza crust!"

I had Chicago style deep dish pizza before ,but it was the first time I ate that legendary pizza at the source,Chicago..

Favorite Dish: Dee (deecat) had organized a VT meeting at Lou Malnati's for me and Kristi (Dabs) Martin (MJB123) and Erik (Erik707) also joined this very enjoyable dinner..

Everyone was so friendly and they had remarkable knowledge about Turkey..
Martin surprised me most when he asked about Chatalhoyuk (The oldest city in the world of 9.000 years located inland Turkey)

It was a night to remember..

No trip to Chicago is complete without stuffing yourself with a deep dish pizza. It is a pizzeria, but doesn't look or feel like a pizzeria, if that makes sense. Comfortable restaurant feel. Clean and good service, although deep dish takes 45 minutes- an hour to bake!

Favorite Dish: Regular deep dish filled with pepperoni and mushrooms!!!!