About Lou Malnati's
Lou Malnati's Pizzeria is an American Chicago-style pizza restaurant chain headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois. It was founded by the son of Rudy Malnati, who was instrumental in developing the recipe for Chicago-style pizza, and it has become one of the Chicago area's best-known local lines of pizza restaurants.
The Bottom Line:
Lou's is a popular chain for tourist's in Chicago, and one of many choices in the city where you can get awesome deep dish. Many of their locations are convenient for visitors to the city (often in high foot traffic locations), and can occasionally be crowded, but the pizza itself is always amazing and they have loads of different options. It's near the top of my list of favorite pizza restaurants in the area and a great place to start for any deep dish rookie.
Our Rating:
Pro's
- Multiple Locations
- Unique Options
- Fresh Ingredients
Con's
- Busy Enviornment
- Touristy
- Costlier than Alternatives
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Just about everyone knows that Chicago is the home of Deep Dish Pizza. Whether you're from the city, or visiting from out of town, everybody wants to find the best pizza restaurant in the Windy City.
If you're at all familiar with some of the most popular pizza chains in Chicago, then it's likely you know of Lou Malnati's. This family chain has been serving up awesome slices and pies for decades, and has grown to be one of the most popular destinations on any Chicago pizza lovers list.
With 56 locations in the Chicagoland area (plus some additional locations in other states), the growth of this chain has been incredible, and they owe their success to the delicious food they serve and a high level of quality that they maintain.
If you're new to this menu, you could start off with a simple cheese pie, but why not go for one of their most popular creations on the menu, known as "The Lou."
This deep dish creation includes a spinach mix (enhanced with garlic, basil & onion), mushrooms and sliced Roma tomatoes covered with three cheeses, on a garlic buttercrust. The buttercrust isn't standard on their pizzas, but for an additional charge, you can add it to any pizza and I strongly encourage you do so.
Because of its well-known status in Chicago, most of these restaurants, especially the ones in downtown locations like on Michigan Ave, Gold Coast, River North, or West Loop, are extremely crowded on a daily basis. If that's something that you're ok with, or even excited by, then show up to any location for a delicious meal.
On the other hand, try showing up at an off hour or one of the locations further away from the Loop and you can enjoy the same high quality meal with a less hectic and chaotic environment. Either way, you can be sure that the food will be amazing.
While Lou's is obviously best known for their pizza's on the menu, there are a lot of other great options to choose from starting with awesome appetizers (personally I recommend the Calamari Fritti, but the chicken wings are also surprisingly good coming from a pizza restaurant.
If you're looking for a slightly healthier option, they do have salads on the menu though I admit I have not actually tried one myself.
And it wouldn't be a real tried and true Chicago restaurant without a Beef Sandwich on the menu. I've tried this one a few times, and while it might not quite compare equally to a Mr. Beef classic, it's still a great option to supplement any pizza meal.
Overall, come for the pizza, but know there are other options on the menu as well for people who might be looking for some other options or tasty items to accompany the pizza main course.
I recommend Lou Malnati's to anybody looking for an awesome next pizza meal with your friends or family. And you can get all the great options delivered straight to your door with Lou Malnati's food delivery. And stay safe with contactless delivery. Order today and enjoy!