Pizzeria Uno/Pizzeria Due, Chicago

It is said that back in 1943 Ike Sewell of Pizzeria Uno invented the Chicago style deep dish pizza. Today Pizzeria Uno still is a great place and the pizzas are indeed of excellent taste. Lots of toppings, cheese and tomato sauce and a tasty crust. Because of the thick toppings even a smaller pizza might be enough for one person.

Today Pizzeria Uno is a franchise company with several restaurants in different states and Pizzeria Due just across the street of the original Pizzeria Uno. But you should definetely try the original restaurant where the deep dish was served first.

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one of the rivals for the best chicago deep dish pizza and since being in Chicago, I have to taste this version of the Deep Dish Pizza since they claimed to be the original inventors of the deep dish pizza and even my favorite lou malnati's pizza's creators father and son worked in pizzeria uno in the 1950's. The first Uno's was established in 1943 by former University of Texas football star Ike Sewell and his friend, former World War II G.I. Rick Ricardo, in the River North neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois (just facing the large Bloomingdales Department Store). Sewell originally intended to open a Mexican restaurant because "there wasn't a really decent Mexican restaurant in Chicago then." While Sewell and Ricardo are known as the owners of the original restaurant, a 1956 article from the Chicago Daily News asserts that the original recipe was created by chef Rudy Malnati, the father of Lou Malnati. Pizzeria Uno claims to have originated the deep dish pizza. In addition to the traditional Uno restaurants, Uno offers a limited menu (predominately their pizzas) at stadiums, service plazas, and airports. Also, Uno-branded pizzas, both thin-crust and deep-dish, are available in both fresh and frozen forms in many supermarkets in the United States.

Favorite Dish: the deep dish pizza and the italian Sandwhich and the costs of a small deep dish pizza meal at Pizzerria Uno is $ 6.99 and the italian sandwhich which is another chicago food icon is about $ 5.99 an order.

Yes, we had to go to the original Pizza Uno, again around the corner from our hotel. The service was good, the :45 wait for the deep dish pizza didn't seem so long. We squeezed into the small booth & enjoyed the memorabilia. Enjoyed the pizza, salad & chicken wings. We all ate & seemed pleased.

There was one ladies room stall & a woman with a few little girls. I finally gave up and ran back to the hotel.

Favorite Dish: Pizza!

The girls wanted to try Chicago deep dish pizza and heard that Pizzaria Uno or Due was the place to go. It definately is a popular choice. We were able to get a seat pretty fast inside, although our preference would have been outside (full). Inside the tables were close together and full and the restaurant is noisy. We were told upon ordering that a pizza would take 45 minutes. It took all of that and more. We enjoyed margaritas and hot wings (excellent) while waiting.

Then the pizza came... if you call that a pizza! I guess I'm not used to deep dish pizzas because this thing seemed more like some kind of casserole. Our waitress told us most adults eat 2 pieces. I could only eat half of one (although the margaritas and wings may have been partly to blame).

I did get a be claustrophobic as time passed. While the girls finished their meal I went outside to sit and get some air. I was stunned to find a huge crowd waiting outside. It seems the Bears game had gotten out and locals were waiting to feast.

Favorite Dish: We had a pepperoni and sausage pie with veggies only on my portion. The wings were really good. And the margaritas were passable. I found the pomegranite margarita a little too sweet for my taste.

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Pizzeria Uno and Pizzeria Due are two of the oldest and best Italian restaurants in Chicago.
They're both located downtown across from Bloomingdale's
There's indoor and outdoor dining. The traffic isn't too heavy on this street, so it's not so bad dining on the outside.
The indoor dining has a calm, quiet atmosphere.
It's nice and the prices are reasonable.

Favorite Dish: The deep dish pizza is the only reason I go to this restaurant.
They have deep dish varieties such as shrimp/spinach and their famous sausage pizza.
These things are huge, like a large pie. Even though they come in personal pan size, you're going to have left overs, trust me.
The sausage pizza in my favorite; Mainly because the way it's made.
They make the first layer of crust and lay a large, round slice of of Italian beef sausage which covers the whole bottom of the pizza. Then they pour cheese on top of that and then put a secod layer of crust. On top of the second layer, they put more cheese, sauce, and toppings such as mushrooms, olives, etc.

You can also custom make your own deep dish by telling them what ingredients you want.
They have vegetarian-friendly selections as well.

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Allan and I have eaten at both Pizzeria Due and Pizzeria Uno for 40 years. It used to be our favorite pizza in a long list of great pizza establishments in Chicago. On Thursday, August 9, 2007, we walked to Wabash and Ontario to eat at Pizzeria Due. It was such a disappointment. Of of all, you go inside and place your order. The pizza takes 45 minutes so you have to pre-order. It's always jam-packed; thus, there is a long wait. We sat outside on a bench and watched the people and cars. We were called about 35 minutes later and taken into the room with the large bar. We were seated at one of those uncomfortable high round tables. This one was especially small and wobbly. We ordered drinks and a house salad to split. The salad came in one dish so we had to eat out of one dish. The salad was not fresh. I just ate a few bites. Allan was hungry so he finished it off but agreed that it was less than mediocre.

Once our pizza came, [we ordered a medium pepperoni deep dish], I was famished. Because the table was so wobbly, every time either of us cut the pizza, it seemed as though everything would fall off the table.

The pizza was good but not good enough to have to go through that ordeal again.

Favorite Dish: Pizzeria Due serves appetizers such as soup, garlic bread, veggie dip, and buffalo wings. They offer salads such as Caesar and Spinach as well as house salad. They offer only two kinds of pasta: Pomodoro [Penne with meatless marinara sauce] and Spaghetti [with meatballs].

Sandwiches consist of Italian Beef, Meatball, Italian Beef and Sausage Combo. They do offer Desserts such as spumoni ice cream, Chicago cheesecake, a brownie bowl, an Uno Deep Dish Sundae, and Mega-sized Deep Dish Sundaes.. I cannot believe I've never tried one of their desserts, but after pizza, I'm too full to try one.

Now known as the Uno Chicago Grill.

Pizza Uno is where deep dish pizza was - according to local legend- created. Deep dish pizza is associated with Chicago - thus it has become known as Chicago-style pizza. Funny thing is that the creator, Ike Sewell, is from Texas.

Ike Sewell developed his pizza - which has a thick flaky crust- in 1943. Pizza, which was known as tomato pie- was just becoming popular in America. Soldiers had tried it in Europe during the war and pizza places began to open in New York and Chicago. Pizza did not become a national phenonemon until the 1950s.

Uno's is now a chain around the country. Reviews in other cities appear to be positive- so maybe the food translates better when you don't have to wait to be crammed into a little room (others have described it as cosy).

Favorite Dish: The last time I was here, the meat in our pizza was undercooked so we ended up picking out what we could and eating around it. This was especially disappointing considering that we had waited over an hour for a table. Still we had friends in town who just had to try out the place- never again! There are much better places in Chicago to get a really great deep dish pizza (Eduardos, Giodanos, Gino's).

Don't plan on going anywhere but home after your meal. First of all, you never know how long the wait will be (the pizza itself take 45 minutes to cook and you have to wait to be seated). Then, you will be either too full to do anything or have lots of leftovers that will need refrigeration.

Pizzeria Uno does warn that it takes a long time to make a deep pan pizza but we figured it would be worth the wait.

When our pizza finally arrived I was very disappointed. It is deep as promised, but its also heavy, doughy and topped with way too much tomato sauce - all I could taste was tomato while chewing a mound of dough. I only ate a quarter and gave up.

Compare that to the wonderful pizzas of Italy, thin bases, smothered in all sorts of toppings and only a smear of tomato - theres really no comparason.

I expect all deep pan pizzas are the same so maybe its unfair to pick on this restaurant, but it is the one we visited,.

Pizzeria Uno is always a definate stop for me on my frequent trips to Chicago. The pizza there is by far the best I have ever had and the atmosphere lets you know you're in Chicago. I have not had the opportunity to dine at Pizzeria Due, but I would guess that the pizza there is most likely very similar. I have ate at the Pizzeria Uno restaurants that are located in the suburbs and other cities and they all have delicious food, but the pizza at the original Pizzeria Uno on East Ohio Street and North Wabash Avenue just seems to have the best pizza overall. The pizza there is very delicious and very filling and I'm not lying when I say that it is my favorite pizza so far. If you're looking for a quick bite, Pizzeria Uno may not be the best place as there is usually a longer wait to be seated, but if you feel like eating the best pizza and your downtown, Pizzeria Uno is a must stop.

Favorite Dish: The Prima Pepperoni deep dish pizza is my choice almost every time, it's delicious and very filling.

Uno's and Due's are the stalwarts of Chicago Pan Pizza. If you want real Chicago pizza, these are the places to go - they are essentially the same restaurant, a block away from each other. DO NOT confuse these with the pizza chain Uno's, which can be found everywhere in the country. The name was liscened out years ago, but the bozo who owns Uno's wouldnt allow them to bake the pizza, so the stuff you get at those Uno's isnt remotely like the Chicago original. Gino's East is another option for authentic 'za, but Giardano's, Bacinos, Edwardos, etc are a different breed , and while very good, not like Unos at all.

This place is great for kids, except for the often very long waits. The good thing is that you can always sneak out to ESPN zone nearby to play some games whle you wait.

Favorite Dish: The Italian Sausage on the pizza is like a think patty all over the pizza. My kids strongly prefer the plain cheese, and I prefer to douse it with plenty of parmesan, oregano and pepper flakes.