Uno Pizzeria and Grill is now a nationwide franchise. Here is where it all began, in 1943, when former football star Ike Sewell and restaurateur Ric Riccardo opened Pizzeria Uno. They originally had planned to open a Mexican eatery, but after the place was decorated, they sampled a meal and Riccardo became ill. It is said that he fled to Italy, then finally returned, at which point the partners stripped away Hispanic décor and made their place a pizzeria. They decided that normal pizza, as then served in a handful of Italian restaurants around town, wasn’t hefty enough for Chicago appetites. So they came up the recipe for deep dish.
Cooked in a high-walled round pan, deep dish pizza verges on being a casserole, its crust thick and substantial with a profound crunch, spread out across the pan in reefs and shoals of biscuity breadstuff. It is loaded with mozzarella cheese and chunked tomatoes. Big sheets of fennel-spiked sausage are a common option. As in any pizza parlor, many ingredients are available, including anchovies and broccoli, extra garlic and extra cheese.
Warning: Even on a slow night, you will wait a minimum of forty-five minutes from the time you walk in the door until the pizza arrives at your table. These big circular meals are that thick, and unlike traditional flatbread pizzas, need to be slow-cooked like the savory pies they are.
Sunday | 11am - 10pm |
Monday | 11am - 10pm |
Tuesday | 11am - 10pm |
Wednesday | 11am - 10pm |
Thursday | 11am - 10pm |
Friday | 11am - 10pm |
Saturday | 11am - 10pm |
Other Nearby Restaurants
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Merichka’s
Crest Hill, IllinoisSaturday-night splurge meals are Merichka’s specialty, but the Roadfood lure is Poor Boy Steak — an under-$10 sandwich sopped with margarine & garlic.
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Pequod’s Pizza
Chicago, IllinoisPequod’s zesty, saucy deep-dish Chicago pizza is known for its “caramelized crust” cheese rings.
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Tufano’s Vernon Park Tap
Chicago, IllinoisTufano’s is an old school Italian restaurant with casual setting and low prices. Lemon chicken is a Chicago city icon.
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Hoosier Mama Pie Company
Chicago, IllinoisSome of the best pies in Chicago, the Midwest — best anywhere! — are baked and served at the storefront restaurant Hoosier Mama.
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Firecakes Donuts
Chicago, IllinoisThe donut, the whole donut, and nothing but the donut. That’s what Chicago’s Firecakes is all about: some of the best donuts anywhere.
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Byron’s Dog Haus
Chicago, IllinoisPlump Polish sausages with crisp skin; succulent hot dogs dragged through the garden; fine skinny French fries: Byron’s Dog Haus is a great taste of Chicago.