What's the best deep dish pizza in Chicago? I say Moretti's--you?

I haven’t figured out yet if most pizza eaters are strictly split into Deep Dish Lovers and Thin Crust Enthusiasts pizza camps. I fall into both based on daily variables such as hungriness, feelin’-fat-feeling-of-the day, and, of course the knowledge of what pizza type is good at the designated pizza place. This article is for the Deep Dish Lovers—Moretti’s deep dish pizza is my favorite in town, and I want to know what yours is.

I would argue that basic deep dish pizza eaters almost certainly know of 2 kinds of Chicago deep dish pizza places—Giordano's and Gino’s East. Of the 2, I am infinitely more partial to Gino’s East, but that’s a whole different article. Perhaps a great number of Chicagoans have also sampled a piece of Moretti’s pizza pie. I am not certain of this because there are only 5 locations in town, albeit pretty strategically placed to cover all corners of Chicagoland (Edison Park, West Loop, Schaumburg, Fox Lake, and Bartlett).

In terms of the locations, I’ve been to the Edison Park and Schaumburg restaurants and both have always been crowded--and not in an annoying way but a fairly fun way. You get a mix of families and young adults; everyone seems to feel pretty comfortable with the atmosphere and not warring over common disturbances like the Families’ Baby Bunch versus the Skateboarder Clan of Kids Chillin’ on the Weekend. Moretti’s Edison Park location has a huge outdoor seating location that is quite picturesque at times with flowers, trees, and hanging lights as the backdrop. I would say in terms of location, Moretti’s is the perfect pizza place to bring a group of people who are just looking to unwind after the week, without any drama or moodiness.

Moretti’s deep dish is a perfect combination of your basic deep dish pizza expectations. The crust isn’t too chewy nor is too flaky. It doesn’t have an overabundance of flavor nor texture. It does just what you expect a good crust should do, supporting the pizza in its strength and allowing its toppings’ flavor to settle in. The tomato sauce is perfectly balanced on the pizza. It obeys the number one rule of not ruining a deep dish pizza by not being too excessive on your pizza slice—it’s not chunky nor is it soupy. The tomato taste is pleasant and works well with an addition of pepper flakes, but actually doesn’t really need them either.

Working our way towards the top of the pizza, the cheese is mmm-mmm-mozzarella good. (Is that how you describe your mozzarella too? I’m not sure how else to accurately articulate a good piece of cheese.) My only criticism is it’s a bit chewy and does that whole bit of where you bite into the cheese, and then and you’re pulling at the rest of it away from your mouth. I’ve tried a number of Moretti’s toppings, and I can’t really complain about any of the choices; they are usually pretty fresh and tasty. But if you were to select a meat topping, I would suggest pepperoni (plenty of spice and cut pretty thinly). On the vegetable side, there’s actually 2 toppings that make the winning combination: spinach and mushroom. *kissing fingers and going “mwah!”*

That’s my take on the best deep dish pizza in town. (And my take involves a lot of what should “not” happen on a deep dish pizza, yeah?) Now I want to what your favorites are.

Let’s vote. Favorite Deep Dish in town?

1. Moretti's
2. Giordano's
3. Gino's East
4. Other