IN SEARCH FOR THE BEST PIZZA IN CHICAGO AND SURROUNDING BURBS

What we mean by none of that stinking root beer is simple. If you like the fast food style pizza, you’ve come to the wrong place. We are going out to find those pizzerias in Chicago and get a fresh pie right out of the hot oven. A pie where they make the crust when you order it. Not “wham bam thank you ma’am” throw the frozen pizza in the oven style. So we say “None of those stinking pizza chains.”

MONTH OF JUNE 2024

60TH PIZZA

J.W Hollstein’s Saloon, 17358 Oak Park Avenue, Tinley Park, Illinois, 60477

2nd Pizza of 2024 (1st appearance by J.W Hollstein’s Saloon)

What do you do on a rainy Saturday afternoon? Beer and pizza of course. As we found ourselves bellied up to the bar at J.W Hollstein’s Saloon, where they offer free pizza Fridays. My mum always said, “Johnny you are a dollar short and late to the party.” Which is true a day late, but it’s okay because any day is beautiful day for pizza and beer. At Hollstein’s I was impressed with the tapped beer list and the food menu. The food menu is not huge, but they have stuff besides pizza. This was a great day for fresh beer out of the tap and sizzling hot pizza from the oven.

I have been to Hollstein’s saloon once prior to my visit for pizza. The bar is beautiful with windows looking out on Oak Park Avenue which is street with all kinds of shops, restaurants and bars in walking distance. The beer garden was absolutely gorgeous. We stayed inside on this rainy day.

Beside my likes for tapped beer, this Saloon offers a variety of cocktails and drink specials. The pizza unlike some pubs or dives is not frozen as they have a thin crust that comes in variety of sizes. The ingredients list they offer is decent, but not a mile long listing like some places. We went with the big daddy. The biggest pizza on the menu at 16 inches. We went all sausage. We wanted some spice and went half giardiniera.

The bartender was Reagan, yes like the U.S President Ronald Reagan. She warned us this pizza was hot. More on her in a minute. The pizza was hot and was not a disappointment. The sausage was spicy and with the giardiniera I worked up a nice sweat. Good… no going to the gym today for me. The crust was crunchy and thick edges as it was chewy on the bottom. The crust definitely held the ingredients as there was no electric slide going down. The slices were cut big and I have no problem with that. The sauce was the perfect amount that had some nice spices mixed in there. The cheese was oozy and the perfect amount. The giardiniera had a nice kick and was crisp. Looked good under the blanket of oozy cheese. This pizza was just greasy enough without being too greasy.

Not sure I want this former Bears jersey on my wall in my man cave. Brandon Marshall was coo coo for coca puffs during his time in Chicago. This Saloon is the perfect place to watch a game as they have multiple televisions with lots of sports action going on. The bartender Reagan was outstanding. Just makes the visit better and well worth it going back to this establishment. Maybe this time we will get there for free pizza Fridays. You have to order drinks for free pizza, it’s not just your garage sale or flea market style of people looking to get something free. Leave your doggy bags at home as well. Not many thin crust pizzas accomplished yet this year in 2024. I have this Saloon number one in my 2024 thin crust pizza list this year. I have the Saloon in my top 15 for my all-time thin crust pizza power rankings sliding in at number 14. Look for the JW Hollstein’s Saloon on my beer page as well in the future of this blog. It’s well worth talking about.

2024 THIN CRUST PIZZA RANKINGS

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	JW HOLLSTEIN’S	TINLEY PARK
2	NANCY’S	ALSIP

THE OVERALL POWER RANKINGS OF PIZZA IN THIN CRUST

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	PALERMO’S	OAK LAWN
2	FLO & SANTO’S	CHICAGO
3	ROSANGELA’S	EVERGREEN PARK
4	NICK & VITO’S	CHICAGO
5	ANGIE’S	CHICAGO
6	NICK’S	CHICAGO RIDGE
7	KRAPIL’S	WORTH
8	MILANO’S	CHICAGO
9	BEGGARS	MERRIONETTE PARK
10	ED & JOE’S	TINLEY PARK
11	DURBINS	EVERGREEN PARK
12	FOX’S	OAK LAWN
13	ROSA’S PIZZA & ITALIAN RESTAURANT	CHICAGO RIDGE
14	JW HOLLSTEIN’S	TINLEY PARK
15	WISEGUYS	CHICAGO
16	CHUCK’S PIZZA	CHICAGO
17	LITTLE FRANK’S	BURBANK
18	PIZZA PLUS	HOMETOWN
19	NINO’S	ALSIP
20	JOE’S ITALIAN VILLA	PALOS HEIGHTS
21	MAMA VESUVIO’S EAST	PALOS HEIGHTS
22	BLARNEY STONE	OAK FOREST
23	WALDO COONEY’S	CHICAGO
24	CLANCY’S PIZZA PUB	OAK LAWN
25	GRASSANO’S	OAK LAWN
26	TATA’S	CHICAGO
27	JOE DANIEL’S	PALOS HEIGHTS
28	JULLIANI’S	PALOS HEIGHTS
29	PHIL’S	OAK LAWN
30	BARRACO’S	EVERGREEN PARK
31	PAPA JOES	CHICAGO RIDGE
32	CONTE’S	CHICAGO
33	SAL’S PIZZA & AUTHENTIC ITALIAN FOOD	CHICAGO
34	COPPER TOP	OAK LAWN
35	NANCY’S	ALSIP
36	HOME RUN INN	DARIEN
37	NONNA’S	OAK LAWN

MONTH OF FEBRUARY 2024

59TH PIZZA

Nancy’s Pizza, 11513 S. Pulaski avenue, Alsip, Illinois, 60803

1st Pizza of 2024 ( Second Appearance by Nancy’s Pizza)

Nancy’s past blogged post: Deep dish Ranked 3rd on Deep Dish/Stuffed Crust power rankings

When I was younger, I always liked the comic strip Nancy in the town’s bigger newspaper. She’s no longer around as most of the classics have moved on from the comic section that we remember from our days growing up. The newspapers these days are like a skeleton of their former selves from the past. Like a dinosaur holding on to dear life. One Nancy is still alive and kicking. Not sure how many Nancy’s are still around Chicago and the surrounding burbs. I Imagine quite a few but the numbers I think may have gone south on this chain. I’ve had Nancy’s more than once and I have had love for their deep dish. I remembered the thin cracker crust pizza they used to have. On the menu, it seems like it’s still there. They delivered a thin crust pizza, but not the cracker thin that I recall. No worries because it was still a tasty pie and we indulged. We ordered some of the restaurant’s bread sticks as well.

You can say the amount of bread sticks you like to order, as we did three which included a marinara dipping sauce. The sticks were very buttery.

The sticks reminded me of focaccia, very nice and chewy. Which brings up the old argument of butter versus, well you know….

You know you are smoking the good stuff when your refrigerated items start talking to you.

The thin crust pizza we went simple on with all sausage. The sausage was mild. The sauce was sweet with a tang. I thought it could use a tad more sauce. The crust was chewier on the bottom than the edges. It had the perfect amount of cheese. Overall, this was decent pizza. Some places do better on the thin crust than the deep dish. My feelings are Nancy has mastered the deep dish and could use a little work on perfecting the thin crust.

We had the thin crust delivered which went smoothly like an well oiled machine. The delivery driver and the person who answered the phone provided excellent service. I was bigger fan of the appetizer on this round, as the bread sticks were remarkable. Obviously this is the first pizza blogged of the year so it will be in the drivers seat in 2024 for now. Overall, I have Nancy’s thin crust coming in at 35 on the Richter scale.

THE OVERALL POWER RANKINGS OF PIZZA IN THIN CRUST

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	PALERMO’S	OAK LAWN
2	FLO & SANTO’S	CHICAGO
3	ROSANGELA’S	EVERGREEN PARK
4	NICK & VITO’S	CHICAGO
5	ANGIE’S	CHICAGO
6	NICK’S	CHICAGO RIDGE
7	KRAPIL’S	WORTH
8	MILANO’S	CHICAGO
9	BEGGARS	MERRIONETTE PARK
10	ED & JOE’S	TINLEY PARK
11	DURBINS	EVERGREEN PARK
12	FOX’S	OAK LAWN
13	ROSA’S PIZZA & ITALIAN RESTAURANT	CHICAGO RIDGE
14	WISEGUYS	CHICAGO
15	CHUCK’S PIZZA	CHICAGO
16	LITTLE FRANK’S	BURBANK
17	PIZZA PLUS	HOMETOWN
18	NINO’S	ALSIP
19	JOE’S ITALIAN VILLA	PALOS HEIGHTS
20	MAMA VESUVIO’S EAST	PALOS HEIGHTS
21	BLARNEY STONE	OAK FOREST
22	WALDO COONEY’S	CHICAGO
24	CLANCY’S PIZZA PUB	OAK LAWN
25	GRASSANO’S	OAK LAWN
26	TATA’S	CHICAGO
27	JOE DANIEL’S	PALOS HEIGHTS
28	JULLIANI’S	PALOS HEIGHTS
29	PHIL’S	OAK LAWN
30	BARRACO’S	EVERGREEN PARK
31	PAPA JOES	CHICAGO RIDGE
32	CONTE’S	CHICAGO
33	SAL’S PIZZA & AUTHENTIC ITALIAN FOOD	CHICAGO
34	COPPER TOP	OAK LAWN
35	NANCY’S	ALSIP
36	HOME RUN INN	DARIEN
37	NONNA’S	OAK LAWN

In 2023, we will remember the fallen pizza places that fell off the map in the Chicagoland area for whatever reason. 

MONTH OF JULY

Traverso’s Italian Restaurant was an icon in Orland Park, Illinois for 47 years on 156th and Harlem avenue. Two brothers, John and George Traverso, opened up a pizza kitchen in an old pub in Mt. Greenwood back in 1962. Traverso’s has been a pizza institution on the south side for decades. Unfortunately I never was able to get to their establishment in Mt. Greenwood or the restaurant in Orland Park. I came close a few times as the idea with family was kicked around regarding going there, not knowing it was going to close up shop. I’ve heard from family and friends over the years that Traverso’s made a great pizza. The local yokel Barraco’s in my neighborhood, which in my opinion is overrated, purchased the Traverso’s Orland Park location. Barraco’s has branched out with multiple locations throughout the Chicagoland area over the years. In some way, we hope the Traverso family will resurrect their pizza some day in the future. For now we will take a moment of silence in remembrance of this former fallen pizza institution that came close to 50 years of excellence.

58TH PIZZA

Ed & Joe’s Restaurant and Pizzeria, 17332 Oak Park Avenue, Tinley Park, Illinois, 60477

4th Pizza of 2023 (1st Appearance by Ed & Joe’s Restaurant and Pizzeria

Ed & Joe’s Restaurant and Pizzeria is located in the little downtown section of a south suburb in the Chicagoland area called Tinley Park. It’s a main street by the train station with all kinds of little cute shops, pubs, and plenty of options to eat at all kinds of mom and pop restaurants. It was the middle of Summer and the town had the street closed in the middle of the week for their annual car show.

Oak Park Avenue is one of those blocks where couples walk and get a bite to eat or a dessert on summer night. On this early evening, the locals and out of towers get to walk the street looking at hot rods, muscle cars, sports cars, or something vintage from decades ago. It makes a nice evening to enjoy the show & then find a place where you can sit down and enjoy a fantastic meal. That’s where we stumbled on Ed & Joe’s when we were in the mood for some pizza. Ed & Joe’s has pizzas, pasta, sandwiches, and a deep menu of salads and appetizers, plus more.

They have a restaurant and full bar area with all kinds of drinks and spirits. If you like music or musical instruments, Ed & Joe’s has live music and cool instruments showcased behind the bar.

I was a big fan of the selection of craft beers on tap. The bar area looked like a place you could watch a game with some drinks and food to settle the rumble in your stomach. We took a table in the restaurant part and we picked a nice starter after they quenched our thirst with the drink order.

We went with the Ed & Joe’s Snack Attack which was a variety of almost everything, it seems, on one platter. The snack attack featured mozzarella cheese sticks, wings, onion rings, breaded zucchini, and cheese cubes. Plenty of great sounding appetizers as next time, the Cheese Freak basket will have to be ordered. The Snack Attack comes with some dipping sauces and they offered a few different kinds. We went with the marinara and ranch which is a combo with which you can’t go wrong. The Snack Attack was very addicting. Very addicting.

Bring on the pizza!! Ed & Joe’s has a big pizza menu that features thin crust, gourmet style, & specialties up the wang, Stuffed crust, deep dish, build your own, and the great pizza of the month.

We went with the tavern style pizza with the standard sausage which was delightful. The edges of the crust were thin and crunchy. I thought the bottom of the crust was crunchy as well. Ed & Joe’s uses a sweet mild sauce. The sausage seems likes it is made in-house. There was a good amount of meat, well spaced, and it had some spice to the sausage. This creation was covered in multiple cheeses. All cut up in little squares. Each bite melted in your mouth with cheese that stretches across the room. After my first bite, I knew we must come back here and get this place on the regular rotation.

With the car show on hand on this particular night, I had to park the car a few blocks away from Ed & Joe’s, which has plenty of parking on a regular night. I passed by the fire house and what caught my eye was the steel beam they had on display in front. This steel beam was part of the World Trade Center from 9/11. I blog about the food and give you some U.S history at the same time. Say, “Thank you!!!”

2023 THIN CRUST RANKINGS

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	ED & JOE’S	TINLEY PARK
2	TATA’S	CHICAGO

Not many pizzas were blogged this year so far in general. As we have to do better. I have the Ed & Joe’s Restaurant and Pizzeria in the drivers seat for the 2023 Thin Crust Power Rankings. I have Ed Joe’s in my top ten coming in at number ten for the All-Time Thin Crust Power Rankings.

THE OVERALL POWER RANKINGS OF PIZZA IN THIN CRUST

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	PALERMO’S	OAK LAWN
2	FLO & SANTO’S	CHICAGO
3	ROSANGELA’S	EVERGREEN PARK
4	NICK & VITO’S	CHICAGO
5	ANGIE’S	CHICAGO
6	NICK’S	CHICAGO RIDGE
7	KRAPIL’S	WORTH
8	MILANO’S	CHICAGO
9	BEGGARS	MERRIONETTE PARK
10	ED & JOE’S	TINLEY PARK
11	DURBINS	EVERGREEN PARK
12	FOX’S	OAK LAWN
13	ROSA’S PIZZA & ITALIAN RESTAURANT	CHICAGO RIDGE
14	WISEGUYS	CHICAGO
15	CHUCK’S PIZZA	CHICAGO
16	LITTLE FRANK’S	BURBANK
17	PIZZA PLUS	HOMETOWN
18	NINO’S	ALSIP
19	JOE’S ITALIAN VILLA	PALOS HEIGHTS
20	MAMA VESUVIO’S EAST	PALOS HEIGHTS
21	BLARNEY STONE	OAK FOREST
22	WALDO COONEY’S	CHICAGO
24	CLANCY’S PIZZA PUB	OAK LAWN
25	GRASSANO’S	OAK LAWN
26	TATA’S	CHICAGO
27	JOE DANIEL’S	PALOS HEIGHTS
28	JULLIANI’S	PALOS HEIGHTS
29	PHIL’S	OAK LAWN
30	BARRACO’S	EVERGREEN PARK
31	PAPA JOES	CHICAGO RIDGE
32	CONTE’S	CHICAGO
33	SAL’S PIZZA & AUTHENTIC ITALIAN FOOD	CHICAGO
34	COPPER TOP	OAK LAWN
35	HOME RUN INN	DARIEN
36	NONNA’S	OAK LAWN

MONTH OF JUNE  

PIZZA CROSSING 

When I was a kid growing up in Evergreen Park, the town had a pizza place by the railroad tracks off one of the main boulevards in town. The name of the place was Pizza Crossing. The name made sense because they were making pizzas by railroad tracks. I tried to google a picture in hopes of finding a sign from back when it was in business during the 1980’s. The sign was cool as it had a train on it along with the railroad crossing sign and the name of the joint. My google search did come away with some nice historical pictures of my hometown. 

I found an old bowling alley, bar, and shopping mall sounds like a typical Saturday. We still will remember Pizza Crossing even though we are not sure how it tasted if it was good or bad. Back then as a kid all pizza was delicious. I still have that feeling now in present times. I remember it was a place for carry out and deliver. The Pizza Crossing also had burgers and hot dogs and was a cool place to grab something for us kids on bikes needing a bite to eat to finish playing baseball for the day. Legend in town had a delivery driver from the Pizza Crossing would deliver his drugs all over town with a pizza. How many pizza places have we heard that story from?  

57^TH PIZZA 

Pizza Di Farfalla, w/in Gost Coffee, 1333 S. Schoolhouse Rd, unit 332, New Lenox, Illinois, 60451 

3^rd Pizza of 2023 (1^st appearance by Pizza Di Farfalla) 

Something about a Saturday afternoon drinking beers at a brewery with a pizza place next door, delivering you hot pies, is priceless. I love food trucks as well. With food trucks, you have to vacate your bar stool when the stomach is crying for some food. At Hickory Brewing Company in New Lenox, Illinois, the pizza place is a phone call away or even in shouting distance. You ring & they bring. One stop shopping. Pizza Di Farfalla is next to Hickory Creek Brewing as they do their business out of a coffee joint. Pizza Di Farfalla has the life of Reilly, only being open on Saturdays. Working one day a week must be nice. Pizza Di Farfalla has a menu of Artisan pizzas. All the pizzas have that soft crust dough. All their pizzas are in my book, specialty pizzas with all sorts of ingredients and styles. 

They call this masterpiece the Twerkin’ Roni. The master chef who created this spicy delight describes it as having house made Cia tomato sauce, with a Grande cheese blend. The meat is pepperoni & then added is Mike’s Hot Honey sauce with Jalapeno slices. You can see the peperoni like little red satellite dishes sending signals to your taste buds. The crust is soft like fresh pillows of soft dough. Each bite has a nice spice with bursting flavors as juices flow down the sides of your mouth. Mike’s Honey sauce gives this creation the extra octane of heat and flavor to devour each triangle slice.  

The Twerkin’ Roni, I would describe as sweet from the honey and mild sauce with heat from the honey and jalapenos. The cheese wraps everything together nicely. I compare the Twerkin’ Roni to the brewery Open Outcry’s version, called The Spaulding. The Spaulding had honey on it as well. I give Pizza Di Farfalla the edge in this style of spicy pizza. I love Hickory Brewing and the pizza from Pizza Di Farfalla goes well with their beer. I liked other choices on their menu and will indulge in them the next time we visit the brewery. I have the Twerkin’Roni standing in second in the 2023 Specialty pizza rankings.

2022 Specialty Pizza Rankings

RANK	NAME	RESTAURANT
1.	THE Q	PHIL’S PIZZA
2.	THE TWERKIN’ RONI	PIZZA DI FARFALLA

In the overall Specialty pizza standings, I have the Twerkin’ Roni ranked in my top ten at number 8. 

ALL-TIME SPECIALTY PIZZA RANKINGS

RANK	NAME	RESTAURANT
1.	FLO’S POLISH	FLO & SANTOS
2.	THE Q	PHIL’S PIZZA
3.	BUFFALO CHICKEN	PALERMO’S
4.	TUBBY O’TOOLE	FOX’S RESTAURANT IN OAK LAWN
5.	HAWAIIAN	ANGIE’S PIZZA
6.	THE SICILIAN	BARRACO’S PIZZA
7.	SAN PATRICIO	CLANCY’S PIZZA AND PUB
8.	THE TWERKIN’ RONI	PIZZA DI FARFALLA
9.	BUFFALO CHICKEN	TC’S PUB
10.	MONSTER MEAT	CLANCY’S PIZZA AND PUB
11.	THE CRETE SPECIAL	THE LOFT
12.	THE SPAULDING	OPEN OUTCRY BREWERY
13.	TACO PIZZA	THE BRASS TAP
14.	THE IRISHMAN	CLANCY’S PIZZA AND PUB
15.	THE CHI-TOWN	OPEN OUTCRY
16.	THE HAWAIIAN	OPEN OUTCRY

MONTH OF APRIL

When you look through the junk drawer in your kitchen, I bet you find some nifty treasures or go down memory lane looking through old food menus. Most of the drawer is junk and you are meaning to clean it out but keeping putting it off. I found an old pizza menu from a pizza joint that did not last too long, called Sox Side Pizza. Maybe the White Sox put them out of business for using Sox in the name. On the south side of Chicago, home of the greatest Irish parades in the universe, the neighborhood always has Sox-Side Irish shirts roaming around glued to people’s backs. White Sox are not making money on them. Sox Side pizza did not last too long on Pulaski avenue in the old Mt. Greenwood neighborhood. Business is tough in anything. I can’t remember what their pizza was like because I ordered only fa ew times when they were around. Having the menu in that kitchen junk drawer, I had to think it was pretty good to have it on hand to order again. Eventually Sox Side pizza disappeared like the menu in the kitchen drawer sinking away to the bottom with the weight of all those other food menus, from all over town, dispatched into the filing cabinet after feasting on delicious take out.

56TH PIZZA

Tata’s Pizza 3019 W. 111th Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60655

2nd Pizza of 2023 ( 1st appearance by Tata’s Pizza)

The first thing when I hear the word Ta’tas is I’m immediately thinking about the boobies.

Who does not like Ta’ta’s? On the South side of Chicago we have a pizza institution that is named after the great Ta Ta’s of the world. Tata’s in the Mt. Greenwood neighborhood is an old school pizza place with pick up only/no delivery. When it’s warm outside, Tata’s has a huge patio with chairs and benches along with tables. You can order a pizza, then take it out on the patio and indulge. It even allows you to bring your own beer on the patio to eat and throw down a few beers at the same time. During April, Chicago is still a bit chilly willy to eat a pizza pie outside. I will store the patio idea with one of their pizzas for during the summer months. Coming in, I previously had Tata’s once as someone picked up a few pizzas to bring them to a bar and I liked it. To be sure, sometimes a few too many can make any girl beautiful and any pizza taste awesome. For the first thin crust of the year, I went with an all sausage from Tata’s with a Wheel of Cheese as an appetizer.

The two dipping sauces make the wheel of cheese look like it has two Ta’tas. The Wheel of Cheese was indeed the wheel of fortune to the family as it’s a popular choice at Tata’s from all the people raving about in their reviews. Plus, the girl behind the counter told me it’s one of their staples.

The Wheel of Cheese may be one of the best appetizers we have had at all of these pizza places. It was that good. The cheese is oily & soft like a pillow on softer crust as you dip it into one of those marinara sauce containers. It gives the taste buds goose bumps if that is possible.

The thin crust sausage was also another home run in my books. The sweet sauce, home made sausage, and it’s like the pizza gets extra flavored by being browned on the top of the soft cheese. It was like it goes into a broiler as the final touch to this great masterpiece. Tata’s crust had crunchy edges and held up nicely as they gave nice chunks of sausage with the perfect amount of sauce covered up with nice layer of cheese.

Tata’s is the first thin crust of 2023, so right now it’s number one for the year. I really liked this place and I will go again and try the patio during the summer months. I have many solid pizza places already in the book,s but I have Tata’s in the 24th slot on the all-time thin crust pizza power rankings. I have the Wheel of Cheese as an appetizer standing tall as one of the best apps we’ve indulged in since blogging Chicagoland pizza.

THE OVERALL POWER RANKINGS OF PIZZA IN THIN CRUST

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	PALERMO’S	OAK LAWN
2	FLO & SANTO’S	CHICAGO
3	ROSANGELA’S	EVERGREEN PARK
4	NICK & VITO’S	CHICAGO
5	ANGIE’S	CHICAGO
6	NICK’S	CHICAGO RIDGE
7	KRAPIL’S	WORTH
8	MILANO’S	CHICAGO
9	BEGGARS	MERRIONETTE PARK
10	DURBINS	EVERGREEN PARK
11	FOX’S	OAK LAWN
12	ROSA’S PIZZA & ITALIAN RESTAURANT	CHICAGO RIDGE
13	WISEGUYS	CHICAGO
14	CHUCK’S PIZZA	CHICAGO
15	LITTLE FRANK’S	BURBANK
16	PIZZA PLUS	HOMETOWN
17	NINO’S	ALSIP
18	JOE’S ITALIAN VILLA	PALOS HEIGHTS
19	MAMA VESUVIO’S EAST	PALOS HEIGHTS
20	BLARNEY STONE	OAK FOREST
21	WALDO COONEY’S	CHICAGO
22	CLANCY’S PIZZA PUB	OAK LAWN
23	GRASSANO’S	OAK LAWN
24	TATA’S	CHICAGO
25	JOE DANIEL’S	PALOS HEIGHTS
26	JULLIANI’S	PALOS HEIGHTS
27	PHIL’S	OAK LAWN
28	BARRACO’S	EVERGREEN PARK
29	PAPA JOES	CHICAGO RIDGE
30	CONTE’S	CHICAGO
31	SAL’S PIZZA & AUTHENTIC ITALIAN FOOD	CHICAGO
32	COPPER TOP	OAK LAWN
33	HOME RUN INN	DARIEN
34	NONNA’S	OAK LAWN

MONTH OF JANUARY 

The Pizza Man of Evergreen Park. The Pizza Man had the jumbo pizza back in the day for $9.99 with one ingredient. At present times, you can’t get a slice for ten bucks. Pizza Man had jumbo pizza puffs that took three meals to finish. At their first location where they originated, they were ahead of their time as you could rent a video with a pizza. 

55^TH PIZZA 

Phil’s pizza, 8932 S. Ridgeland Avenue, Oak lawn, Illinois, 60453 

1^st pizza of 2023 (the 2^nd appearance by Phil’s Pizza) 

When it comes to pizza delivery people, most of the time it’s a quick exchange from food in your hands to money in the other person’s hands. I remember one delivery guy carried dog treats in his pockets to feed your dog a treat to make a new friend. Phil’s Pizza reminded me of the delivery guy from the show Two and A Half Men. It was after Christmas just at the start of the new year; he had a necklace of old-fashioned Christmas lights around his neck. It felt like a moment where this guy from Phil’s could have been a friend, not a stranger, you could invite in for a quick drink. Then the next time you may find a slice or two missing from your pizza. This guy from Phil’s is my delivery guy of the year for taking his job to new heights. 

To get the new year off to an amazing start in the pizza game, we did a specialty. Phil’s calls it the Q.  

I think of the old game, Q-Bert. I remember this old bar by my house that used to make a burger they called the Q burger which was very tasty. Phil’s Q features BBQ sauce which is probably where they get the Q from. This creation also has chicken, onion, hot giardiniera, and tomatoes.  

The BBQ sauce was the base instead of the usual red marinara. Then Phil covered the pizza in small chunks of chicken, bite size pieces of tomato, and the onions that were so soft they melted in your mouth. The giardiniera could be homemade or one of the top products in town, as it is laid out in chunks. More toppings than cheese on crunchy edged crust which was nice and soft in the middle. Each bite was juicy as the meat and the rest of the ingredients created a mouthful of exotic flavors of sweet and heat. Very enjoyable and a different twist from the regular buffalo chicken pizzas.  

Phil’s regular thin crust we did is ranked 26^th on our thin crust pizza rankings. It could easily be that we did not get one of their best pizzas that day. Because Phil’s is usually pretty good so they may need a do-over in that department sometime in the future. The Q at Phil’s is making waves early this year already in the specialty power rankings. I have the Q climbing the charts at number two on the specialty power rankings right behind Flo’s and Santos Polish special that is still dancing sugar plums in my taste buds. Obviously being the first pizza of 2023, the Q is on top of the world in this year’s power rankings.  

ALL-TIME SPECIALTY PIZZA RANKINGS

 

RANK	NAME	RESTAURANT
1.	FLO’S POLISH	FLO & SANTOS
2.	THE Q	PHIL’S PIZZA
3.	BUFFALO CHICKEN	PALERMO’S
4.	TUBBY O’TOOLE	FOX’S RESTAURANT IN OAK LAWN
5.	HAWAIIAN	ANGIE’S PIZZA
6.	THE SICILIAN	BARRACO’S PIZZA
7.	SAN PATRICIO	CLANCY’S PIZZA AND PUB
8.	BUFFALO CHICKEN	TC’S PUB
9.	MONSTER MEAT	CLANCY’S PIZZA AND PUB
10.	THE CRETE SPECIAL	THE LOFT
11.	THE SPAULDING	OPEN OUTCRY BREWERY
12.	TACO PIZZA	THE BRASS TAP
13.	THE IRISHMAN	CLANCY’S PIZZA AND PUB
14.	THE CHI-TOWN	OPEN OUTCRY
15.	THE HAWAIIAN	OPEN OUTCRY

MONTH OF DECEMBER  

54TH PIZZA 

Nick’s Pizza 10507 S. Ridgeland Avenue, Chicago Ridge, Illinois, 60415 

8TH Pizza of 2022 (2nd Appearance by Nick’s Pizza) 

Nick’s Pizza is one of my favorite places to indulge in a pizza pie. The inside has that sports tavern feeling with a nice retro bar that takes you back in time. Obviously, Nick’s was not our first rodeo there. When ordering a pizza was talked about and in the territory Nick’s delivers in, the idea just fell out of my mouth. I loved their thin crust pizza, so it was time to pull the trigger on one of their deep-dish delights. Which is a Chicago institution. It started off with the call. This conversation with a lady was like talking to a friend about to bring something to the party you were hosting. Felt good. Knowing this pizza mission was in good hands. 

When we opened the box, I felt like pulling the layer of cheese off the pizza, throwing myself on top of the pie, and pulling the cheese comforter over my body. It was that thick. Not a blanket, but a comforter of fluffy cheese. The cheese was browned & crusty like saganaki. The walls of this deep-dish tower melted in your mouth. I noticed a little flakiness to the crust as well. The ingredients were spaced out and the perfect amount. Nick’s deep dish we created had sausage and spinach. The spinach was shredded nicely. The sausage had a nice bite to it… mild with some spice. The blood of this creation was mild sauce with herbs and spices that put it all together which meant each bite was satisfaction. The pizza was sliced properly where you did not need your own tools for the job.  

We have not conquered a deep-dish pizza until this one in 2022. Obviously, Nick’s takes the cake in the deep-dish categories for the year. Nick’s is a regular pizza in my rotation as their thin crust gives me goosebumps. I would order their deep-dish again, but you need help eating one of these babies. Like most deep-dish or stuffed crust. Overall, I placed Nick’s in my top 5 at number five in my all-time deep-dish pizza power rankings. 

ALL-TIME DEEP DISH/STUFFED PIZZA POWER RANKINGS    

RANK	NAME	CITY
1.	LOUISA’S	CRESTWOOD
2.	PALERMO’S PIZZA	OAK LAWN
3.	NANCY’S	ALSIP
4.	LOU MALNATI’S	NAPERVILLE
5.	NICK’S	CHICAGO RIDGE
6.	WISEGUYS	MOUNT GREENWOOD
7.	NINO’S	ALSIP
8.	PIZZA PLUS	HOMETOWN

   

MONTH OF NOVEMBER 

53^RD PIZZA 

Rosa’s Pizza & Italian Restaurant, 9909 S. Harlem Avenue, Chicago Ridge, Illinois, 60415 

7^th pizza of 2022 (1^st appearance by Rosa’s Pizza & Italian Restaurant) 

If you did not know where Rosa’s was located, you’d probably pass this little establishment up. If you took the wrong turn, Rosa’s could be a gem you come across as it’s tucked away on the corner basically on a side street, but the address has it located on the main boulevard.  

Rosa’s Pizza & Italian Restaurant was established in 1985 and when you walk in, it has that old tavern feeling when the bar jumps out at you. As you proceed to the bar, you see some billiard tables and then to the right a separate room for people wanting to eat dinner; the restaurant part you can say. The bar features local yokels talking about their day as you get that Cheers feeling like everyone knows your name. The barkeep was very nice as I had a beer on tap while I viewed the menu. I was on a recon mission as this was my first time in Rosa’s. It was a place I heard had great pizza.  

I would soak in the atmosphere with a few pints of which they had a nice selection & then order a pizza to go. I liked the fact that you could order at the bar to carry out or eat there. Rosa’s is surrounded by many apartments, so they get some carry outs for which the locals walk into the bar to get their pizza to go. Perhaps get a beer while they wait. It is always nice to have a pizza place within walking distance. From my bar stool, the patrons were very friendly, and Rosa’s would be a great place to watch a game. I store that info inside the bucket files in my head for future outings. Rosa’s is out of delivery range from my household, so this pizza mission was going to be delivered myself with hopes I can get home with it being hot as it had that smell of coming right out the oven. As I sipped my beer on this journey, I had hunger pains from the smell of pizza in the bar with everything that was served there looking fantastic.  I finally placed my order as I had people at home just as eager as myself for a new pizza, at least for us. I ordered two thin crust pizzas with an appetizer. 

The Mini Tacos at Rosa’s could feed an Army. The tacos hit the spot as they were crunchy beef tacos that were crispy with a nice spice.  

I ordered the standard sausage pizza. Then the other pizza I went all in with pepperoni, sausage, onion, and green pepper. They are all the right ingredients that make up the best damn pizza ever.  What makes Rosa’s a good pizza is the sauce, which is mild & very flavorful. It tastes like Mama made it homemade in the kitchen. I like the crispy crust. The sausage was savory. The pizza with multiple ingredients had the stuff. Rosa does not chintz out with the ingredients. Ingredients under and over the cheese which was melted in between as you are taking a bite of everything like a Chips Ahoy cookie. Again, I have to say fresh stuff & homemade everything. This pizza is a tad greasy, but a good pie for a hangover or even when you are about to get your game on.  Overall, having slices of both the standard thin crust and the loaded one, I was impressed with Rosa’s. I have it as my number one thin crust pizza for 2022. I also have it ranked in my top 15 thin crust pizzas of all-time on my thin crust power rankings. 

2022 THIN CRUST RANKINGS

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	ROSA’S PIZZA & ITALIAN RESTAURANT	CHICAGO RIDGE
1	JOE’S ITALIAN VILLA	PALOS HEIGHTS
2	JULLIANI’S	PALOS HEIGHTS
3	SAL’S PIZZA & AUTHENTIC ITALIAN FOOD	CHICAGO
4	COPPER TOP	OAK LAWN

 THE OVERALL POWER RANKINGS OF PIZZA IN THIN CRUST

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	PALERMO’S	OAK LAWN
2	FLO & SANTO’S	CHICAGO
3	ROSANGELA’S	EVERGREEN PARK
4	NICK & VITO’S	CHICAGO
5	ANGIE’S	CHICAGO
6	NICK’S	CHICAGO RIDGE
7	KRAPIL’S	WORTH
8	MILANO’S	CHICAGO
9	BEGGARS	MERRIONETTE PARK
10	DURBINS	EVERGREEN PARK
11	FOX’S	OAK LAWN
12	ROSA’S PIZZA & ITALIAN RESTAURANT	CHICAGO RIDGE
13	WISEGUYS	CHICAGO
14	CHUCK’S PIZZA	CHICAGO
15	LITTLE FRANK’S	BURBANK
16	PIZZA PLUS	HOMETOWN
17	NINO’S	ALSIP
18	JOE’S ITALIAN VILLA	PALOS HEIGHTS
19	MAMA VESUVIO’S EAST	PALOS HEIGHTS
20	BLARNEY STONE	OAK FOREST
21	WALDO COONEY’S	CHICAGO
22	CLANCY’S PIZZA PUB	OAK LAWN
23	GRASSANO’S	OAK LAWN
24	JOE DANIEL’S	PALOS HEIGHTS
25	JULLIANI’S	PALOS HEIGHTS
26	PHIL’S	OAK LAWN
27	BARRACO’S	EVERGREEN PARK
29	PAPA JOES	CHICAGO RIDGE
29	CONTE’S	CHICAGO
30	SAL’S PIZZA & AUTHENTIC ITALIAN FOOD	CHICAGO
31	COPPER TOP	OAK LAWN
32	HOME RUN INN	DARIEN
33	NONNA’S	OAK LAWN

MONTH OF JULY

52ND PIZZA

Open Outcry Brewing Company, 10934 S. Western Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60643
6th Pizza of 2022 (3rd Appearance by Open Outcry Brewing)

Nothing like a nice summer day when it’s not too hot & not too cool to sit outside with a beer and pizza on Saturday afternoon. Especially in the Month of July. We find ourselves back at one of our favorite breweries, the Open Outcry Brewing company located on the Southside of Chicago. Western Avenue is home to many drunken Southside St. Patrick’s Day parades. My memory is usually fuzzy and blurry on parade days. Images of girls squatting in between cars to go to the bathroom. The sounds of bagpipers. The beers went down so easy yet so fast. Which causes problems on Sunday afternoon in the setting of Mardi Gras. Open Outcry is on the parade route. Decades ago, Open Outcry was a dive bar called Shamrock Express. Open Outcry added a roof top outdoor deck just for the parade route, and yet it is very useful for summer days like this.

Open Outcry’s menu consists of specialty pizzas and sandwiches. One of us is in the Open Outcry mug club and drinks out of her special mug.

Most times we have drinks at the brewery. We will also have food at the Open Outcry. It is one of the regular haunts we like to visit. This will be the third time we blogged about one of the brewery’s pizzas. All specialty pizzas. The Open Outcry will tie Clancy’s Pizza Pub for the most specialty pizzas we have blogged.

PREVIOUS OPEN OUT CRY PIZZA WE HAVE BLOGGED ABOUT
The Chi-town & The Hawaiian

The Open Outcry has made changes to their menu. All items on the menu are named after streets in Chicago.

On this lazy Saturday afternoon, we went with the Pizza name I grew up with, the Spaulding. I was in the mood for spice and Spaulding was bringing the sweet and spicy combination.

The Spaulding consists of pepperoni, Jalapeno, and cheese. The pizza is topped with a nice layer of cheese. The cheese consists of 50/50 provolone & mozzarella melted on a soft crust style pizza. Speaking of 50/50, I remember a childhood soda Canfields made which was compared to Squirt.

Just in case you are reading this, and you live out of town, Chicago calls soda, pop. 50/50 may be still around in small batches as it’s owned by the 7-UP/RC Cola company. Open Outcry uses a tomato sauce that is mild and sweet. The pepperoni was another salty meat that tasted so good but was so bad for you at the same time. Each bite was sweet with heat and flavorful juices that made your mouth salivate after each slice. It’s a soft crust, so not the typical Chicago cracker style hard crust. The Spaulding I think is my favorite one that I have had at Open Outcry Brewing.

Saturdays spent picking at a pizza while drinking beer outside are magical. The Open Outcry roof top may be one of the best places we ever ate pizza. Now let’s see how the Spaulding pizza by the brewery stands this year in specialty pizzas and the all-time list.

2022 SPECIALTY PIZZA RANKINGS

RANK	NAME	LOCATION
1	Monster Meat	Clancy’s
2	The Spaulding	Open Outcry

ALL-TIME SPECIALTY PIZZA RANKINGS

RANK	NAME	RESTAURANT
1.	FLO’S POLISH	FLO & SANTOS
2.	BUFFALO CHICKEN	PALERMO’S
3.	TUBBY O’TOOLE	FOX’S RESTAURANT IN OAK LAWN
4.	HAWAIIAN	ANGIE’S PIZZA
5.	THE SICILIAN	BARRACO’S PIZZA
6.	SAN PATRICIO	CLANCY’S PIZZA AND PUB
7.	BUFFALO CHICKEN	TC’S PUB
8.	MONSTER MEAT	CLANCY’S PIZZA AND PUB
9.	THE CRETE SPECIAL	THE LOFT
10.	THE SPAULDING	OPEN OUTCRY BREWERY
11.	TACO PIZZA	THE BRASS TAP
12.	THE IRISHMAN	CLANCY’S PIZZA AND PUB
13.	THE CHI-TOWN	OPEN OUTCRY
14.	THE HAWAIIAN	OPEN OUTCRY

MONTH OF MAY 2022

51^ST PIZZA

The Copper Top Pub 5207 W 95^th Street Oak Lawn Illinois, 60453

5^th Pizza of 2022 (1^st Appearance by the Copper Top Pub)

Most taverns and bars advertise on their menu that they sell pizza. Most of these places reach into the freezer and pull out a commercial brand of a frozen pizza. Usually the same pizza company that does the frozen heads in the same location in the warehouse.

I usually try by pass on those frozen pizzas unless I’m loaded and need food desperately. Why overpay for some cheap pizza at a bar when you stock up at the local Costco from their stockpile. Sometimes you get lucky in Kentucky and find a drinking establishment with pizza on the menu. One where the owners make it from scratch and make it the Chicago way. I found a decent pizza at the Copper Top in Oak Lawn.

The Copper Top took over one of my old watering holes, called the Goal Post, during the pandemic. The Copper Top took some time to get used to. The place was reborn, but not gutted. It’s the same bar, different top. The Copper Top added some new lighting and moved some things around compared to the old Goal Post.

Right off the bat I liked the shuffle board table still there and the tap list. The food looked very good passing by my bar stool, but it took a few times there before I ordered anything. I did dabble in the menu with a few trips and enjoyed the food with good tap beer. The place was starting grow on me.

One Sunday afternoon on a long weekend, we headed into the Copper Top, and I rolled the dice on their pizza. This after seeing many people order the pizza and seemingly enjoy eating it. I followed the herd, caved in and ordered a thin crust sausage.

The Copper Top thin crust looks great on the silver platter.  The sausage popping out of the thick layer cheese like eyeballs looking back at you. I thought the sausage was too perfect, like little meatballs the same size throughout. It was sausage though. The pizza was soft & piping hot an I do like that right out of the oven.

The sauce was sweet red with a mild peppery taste from the sausage. The crust was bready but held everything together and had crunchy edges. It was very satisfying overall. Inexpensive and went well with a nice cold beer from many choices of fine suds. Not in my top ten of pizza. The Copper Top is in my 3^rd or 4^th tier in the power rankings of my thin crusts I have indulged in. May have their pizza more in the future because I like to drink at that joint. I may order it more than I order some other favorite places because I frequent their joint more often.

2022 THIN CRUST RANKINGS

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	JOE’S ITALIAN VILLA	PALOS HEIGHTS
2	JULLIANI’S	PALOS HEIGHTS
3	SAL’S PIZZA & AUTHENTIC ITALIAN FOOD	CHICAGO
4	COPPER TOP	OAK LAWN

THE OVERALL POWER RANKINGS OF PIZZA IN THIN CRUST  

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	PALERMO’S	OAK LAWN
2	FLO & SANTO’S	CHICAGO
3	ROSANGELA’S	EVERGREEN PARK
4	NICK & VITO’S	CHICAGO
5	ANGIE’S	CHICAGO
6	NICK’S	CHICAGO RIDGE
7	KRAPIL’S	WORTH
8	MILANO’S	CHICAGO
9	BEGGARS	MERRIONETTE PARK
10	DURBINS	EVERGREEN PARK
11	FOX’S	OAK LAWN
12	WISEGUYS	CHICAGO
13	CHUCK’S PIZZA	CHICAGO
14	LITTLE FRANK’S	BURBANK
15	PIZZA PLUS	HOMETOWN
16	NINO’S	ALSIP
17	JOE’S ITALIAN VILLA	PALOS HEIGHTS
18	MAMA VESUVIO’S EAST	PALOS HEIGHTS
19	BLARNEY STONE	OAK FOREST
20	WALDO COONEY’S	CHICAGO
21	CLANCY’S PIZZA PUB	OAK LAWN
22	GRASSANO’S	OAK LAWN
23	JOE DANIEL’S	PALOS HEIGHTS
24	JULLIANI’S	PALOS HEIGHTS
25	PHIL’S	OAK LAWN
26	BARRACO’S	EVERGREEN PARK
27	PAPA JOES	CHICAGO RIDGE
28	CONTE’S	CHICAGO
29	SAL’S PIZZA & AUTHENTIC ITALIAN FOOD	CHICAGO
30	COPPER TOP	OAK LAWN
31	HOME RUN INN	DARIEN
32	NONNA’S	OAK LAWN

50^TH PIZZA

Clancy’s Pizza Pub 4624 W. 103^rd Street, Oak Lawn Illinois, 60453

4^th Pizza of 2022 (4^th overall appearance by Clancy’s Pizza Pub)

We are excited to finally reach the 50^th mark on pizzas blogged by the Wild Shamrock. We come back to one of our local haunts, Clancy’s Pizza Pub. Clancy’s, out of the 50 pizzas we have tasted for the blog, probably has had more appearances than any other pizza joint. Some will say the Irish should have no part in making a tasty pizza as their food is mostly bland. Clancy’s Pizza Pub food is not bland as they have multiple specialty pizza to choose from with their usual cracker crust style thin crust. For the 50^th pizza, we went with one of Clancy’s specialty pizzas. We have already done two others of those so we will see where the Monster Meat pizza stands up compared to the Irishman or the San Patricio. Clancy’s pub motto, “Come for the food, stay for the pint,” is music to my ears.

Clancy’s Pizza Pub has a good sized menu of food to offer. Besides pizza, Clancy’s offers up award winning appetizers. Clancy’s has sandwiches plus Irish food. This is the original Clancy’s as the owner from the old country has another establishment that took over the Rusty Nail karaoke bar which is found also in Oak Lawn. That establishment caters to the slot machine players and has a limited food menu. That place keeps the Irishman owner, from the South of the Old Country, over there in that new location which is fine by me because he can be quite annoying. The original Clancy’s has expanded since we last wrote about this pizza pub, as the bar got bigger and has more seating available. Overall the inside of the pub looks great with many televisions to watch your game. It was a weeknight, so we did bypass the appetizers and went right to the main dish… the pizza. While we waited, we enjoyed Clancy’s Irish selection of beers on tap. They know how to pour a pint.

MONSTER MEAT PIZZA

This would be our second all-meat-style pizza we have blogged about. First one coming into today ranked number three in the Specialty Power Rankings of All-Time. It was from another pizza joint in Oak Lawn, and called the Tubby O’Toole, which I think they removed from their menu. The Tubby O’Toole feature sausage, pepperoni, Italian beef and chopped bacon. Clancy’s is all about pot roast which is featured in multiple dishes on their menu. The Monster Meat Pizza has pot roast which stands out, has sausage, pepperoni, and bacon. Each meat pizza has 4 different salty meats. Salivating but at the same time you may need some kind of CPR.

The pizza does look impressive. The meat is equally distributed on the same cracker crust. I would say more post roast than any other topping. The pot roast is the primary taste out of all the meats. The Pepperoni gives it some spice with the mild sauce. The pot roast is juicy which makes the pizza have a different but satisfying overall taste. You do get a small amount  of the crunchy bacon bits in each chew. The cheese just covers up all the meat so all the ingredients can stay afloat on the crust. It was definitely a salty meal but satisfaction at the same time.

I still like the Italian beef over the pot roast. I Think the Italian beef of the Tubby O’Toole gave the pizza flavor while still tasting all the other salty meats. The pot roast took over the Monster Meat. This was the first time I dabbled in pot roast being on a pizza. Since the Monster Meat is the only specialty pizza of the year done, it ranks number one in that category this year. I have the Monster Meat better than the Irishman that Clancy’s has, which has corned beef & red onion. San Patricio, the Mexican style pizza that Clancy’s makes, is better than the Monster Meat. I have the Clancy’s Monster Meat coming in at number 8 overall in the All-Time Specialty Pizza Power Rankings.

All-Time Specialty Pizza Rankings

RANK	NAME	RESTAURANT
1.	FLO’S POLISH	FLO & SANTOS
2.	BUFFALO CHICKEN	PALERMO’S
3.	TUBBY O’TOOLE	FOX’S RESTAURANT IN OAK LAWN
4.	HAWAIIAN	ANGIE’S PIZZA
5.	THE SICILIAN	BARRACO’S PIZZA
6.	SAN PATRICIO	CLANCY’S PIZZA AND PUB
7.	BUFFALO CHICKEN	TC’S PUB
8.	MONSTER MEAT	CLANCY’S PIZZA AND PUB
9.	THE CRETE SPECIAL	THE LOFT
10.	TACO PIZZA	THE BRASS TAP
11.	THE IRISHMAN	CLANCY’S PIZZA AND PUB
12.	THE CHI-TOWN	OPEN OUTCRY
13.	THE HAWAIIAN	OPEN OUTCRY

49^TH PIZZA

Sal’s Pizza & Authentic Mexican food 10653 S. Pulaski Chicago,60655

3^rd Pizza of 2022 (First Appearance by Sal’s Pizza & Authentic Mexican Food.

Sal’s Pizza & Authentic Mexican Food opened up shop locally by me in the Mt. Greenwood neighborhood on the Southside of Chicago. Sal has two kinds of my favorite foods: Italian and Mexican. This might be the first time I have come across this type of combination. Sure some locally pubs have a pizza on their menu while serving up some tacos on Tuesdays. Sal has Mexican and Italian at all times. Places with big menus mean sometimes you have to worry that they are the jack of all trades, master of none of them. The local grapevine got word back to me that Sal has a pretty good pizza coming out of his oven. The entire premise of this combo reminds me of a Seinfeld episode. The place on Jerry’s street ran by Babu Bhatt was serving a big menu of all sorts of food and business was not doing well. That’s when Jerry Seinfeld convinced him he should change up everything and make food from his homeland, which was Pakistan. Pakistanian food also did not go over very well for Babu’s restaurant after he reopened the second time with an entire make over inside to resemble his homeland’s establishments. We all know what happened next. Jerry is a very bad man as Babu eventually would go out of business as his American cuisine dream died.

Sal’s Pizza & Authentic Mexican Food is carry out or delivery only. It was an early Sunday evening as we chose our own adventure and went with the lazy American way… delivery. The mission was obviously pizza since I’m writing a pizza style blog. We had to dabble with the Mexican style of Sal, but we went small with a single taco for kicks. Plus, for the appetizer we had to do the salsa and chips. The menu for the appetizer is like the tale of two cities with your French fries, onion rings and sticks on one side of the page. On the other half of the page it has all the Mexican food like beans. rice, salsa, guacamole and chips.

Let’s start with the snackies before we dive into the pizza at Sal’s. The salsa and chips was the appetizer. Someone else ordered an Al Pastor taco. When you hear tacos, you have to get one. Common sense. Getting the Family size pizza with these snacks, you’d think we are feeding an Army out back.

Sal’s Pizza & Authentic Mexican Food was off to a great start with the Mexican side of the restaurant. The chips were authentic Mexican chips with a great crunch in each bite. Sal’s provides a nice salsa with flavor and mild heat. More salsa than chips, but I’m not going to complain. The Al Pastor taco was delicious, but the question on that is why no pineapple. Maybe that is a stretch. Sal’s is hitting solid so far.

We indulged in the snacks. Now let’s see what kind of Italian Stallion, Sal has going on. We ordered the family thin crust, all sausage half spinach. Sal’s thin crust has a nice soft thin crust with a crunch. The pizza had a mild flavorful sauce as the crust held up nicely with the thick layer of cheese. Little chintzy on the ingredients. The sausage was mild & the spinach was green. I like the way it heated up the next day. Overall the pizza was tasty, so I would call them again. I’m torn though because I’m a little more curious about the Mexican food than the pizza. I would not pass up a pizza from Sal either. I may have to dive in on another Mexican dish and go with another pizza, maybe something of a specialty.

Sal’s Pizza Authentic Mexican Food was fair in the price. Was not a 50 dollar tab for the food like some of these places charge just for a one ingredient pizza. The delivery guy was on time as promised and the food was hot. I have Sal’s thin crust pizza coming in at number three for the 2022 selections. Overall I have Sal’s lower in the pecking order at number 29 overall, but ahead of few pizza places. I think Sal’s has the juice to be better than quite a few places in the future. Plus I’m not shy about seeing what they serve up if we make our own specialty pizza with all the ingredients they offer.

2022 THIN CRUST RANKINGS

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	JOE’S ITALIAN VILLA	PALOS HEIGHTS
2	JULLIANI’S	PALOS HEIGHTS
3	SAL’S PIZZA & AUTHENTIC ITALIAN FOOD	CHICAGO

THE OVERALL POWER RANKINGS OF PIZZA IN THIN CRUST  

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	PALERMO’S	OAK LAWN
2	FLO & SANTO’S	CHICAGO
3	ROSANGELA’S	EVERGREEN PARK
4	NICK & VITO’S	CHICAGO
5	ANGIE’S	CHICAGO
6	NICK’S	CHICAGO RIDGE
7	KRAPIL’S	WORTH
8	MILANO’S	CHICAGO
9	BEGGARS	MERRIONETTE PARK
10	DURBINS	EVERGREEN PARK
11	FOX’S	OAK LAWN
12	WISEGUYS	CHICAGO
13	CHUCK’S PIZZA	CHICAGO
14	LITTLE FRANK’S	BURBANK
15	PIZZA PLUS	HOMETOWN
16	NINO’S	ALSIP
17	JOE’S ITALIAN VILLA	PALOS HEIGHTS
18	MAMA VESUVIO’S EAST	PALOS HEIGHTS
19	BLARNEY STONE	OAK FOREST
20	WALDO COONEY’S	CHICAGO
21	CLANCY’S PIZZA PUB	OAK LAWN
22	GRASSANO’S	OAK LAWN
23	JOE DANIEL’S	PALOS HEIGHTS
24	JULLIANI’S	PALOS HEIGHTS
25	PHIL’S	OAK LAWN
26	BARRACO’S	EVERGREEN PARK
27	PAPA JOES	CHICAGO RIDGE
28	CONTE’S	CHICAGO
29	SAL’S PIZZA & AUTHENTIC ITALIAN FOOD	CHICAGO
30	HOME RUN INN	DARIEN
31	NONNA’S	OAK LAWN

MONTH OF FEBRUARY (2-22)

48^TH PIZZA

Joe’s Italian Villa Pizza 12207 S. Harlem Ave Palos Heights, Illinois, 60463

2^ND Pizza of 2022 (First Appearance by Joe’s Italian Villa Pizza)

Starting to think the suburb of Palos Heights is the capital of Chicagoland Pizza South. Not too far away from our last pizza blogged, Julliani’s, is where we came upon Joe’s Italian Villa Pizza. It’s right across the street from another place we did on Halloween, Joe Daniels. We have a Pizza Derby in Palos Heights and none of these places know they are a contestant. Joe’s Italian Villa is a pizza institution established back in 1947. Love the history of a good business surviving and still thriving right after World War II. Joe’s Villa, once a staple in the Bridgeview neighborhood, has found success in Palos Heights. Owned by the Serio family, Joe’s Villa has been written up with great reviews by several local newspapers about how good their food is. The menu has plenty of pizza choices along with several Italian dishes. I noticed all the delicious sounding sandwiches as well. What caught my eye was Joe’s Italian Villa dabbles in homemade soups and a chili, which I got. I tell you the soups sounded delicious based on what the waitress had to offer…

Look at that bowl of hot steamy chili. With big chunks of ground beef and plenty of beans. It had a nice spice as well. Obviously we dined at Joe’s establishment where they took over a small grocery store once upon a time ago, and Italianized it with the Italy flag colors as you can see the booths and tables.

You could see the shamrocks displayed as March is coming around the corner and everyone on the Southside of Chicago turns Irish around St. Patrick’s day.

Even your enemies want to belly up to the bar with you for a cold beer. Joe’s did not have a bar in their establishment. They offer tapped beers with frozen beer mugs and I had a fresh mug full of Samuel Adams as they had just tapped a new keg of the Boston delight.

Even after I demolished the cup of chili, an appetizer was ordered. We went with the toasted ravioli which was a cheese explosion in your mouth. The waitress suggested we get a mix so we got two different types in the basket, sausage and cheese. Browned toasted ravioli on the outside had a meaty inside with the sausage selection. The other toasted ravioli was all about the different cheeses.

The black baskets that Joe’s Italian Villa served the appetizer in were very sharp looking.

We went with the thin crust pizza. We did all sausage with half spinach. Joe Villa has also deep dish and stuffed crust available. The pizza came out of the oven piping hot which I love. Joe’s Italian Villa’s thin crust was tavern style cracker crust with a savory sauce. Not too much sauce. Just right with chunks of sausage with a nice spice. On the spinach side of the pizza, like the old Aerosmith song was where the Spinach was living on the edges in good amounts of chopped up veggie. The cheese someone would say was fresh from the cow. Not like they have a cow in the back shooting out cheese. The cheese was fresh as it webbed around the sausage and spinach and held everything together very nicely. This was a very good pizza Joe Villa made.

When a business has a good logo you want display it. The cartoon logo of Joe’s Villa is all around the restaurant. Maybe put some skis on the logo to make it a caricature.  It was not Nazi-like as they probably had the ugly Swastika on their underwear and everything else they could put it on. We went there at lunch which is good that they are open at that time. When you feel like a pizza in the noon hour, Joe’s Villa is available. Most pizza places open up late in the afternoon. The service was terrific. The atmosphere felt like you’re eating at a diner where you get the check and pay the guy at the counter on your way out. They seem like they had a nice following of regulars coming in at lunch. This is a place definitely for carry out and delivery. Very affordable. I would pick this place to dine at if you don’t have a lot of time. You can order, get your food, eat it, and be on your way. Nice pit-stop after work or after running errands. Hanging out-wise, it’s probably not the best place to watch a game.     

2022 THIN CRUST RANKINGS

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	JOE’S ITALIAN VILLA	PALOS HEIGHTS
2	JULLIANI’S	PALOS HEIGHTS

I have Joe’s Italian Villa Pizza #1 so far in the 2022 power rankings. This will be the 30^th thin crust pizza we have done so far on this blog. This is so far the best pizza in the town of Palos Heights, were I’m sure we may have more places to do.

THE OVERALL POWER RANKINGS OF PIZZA IN THIN CRUST  

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	PALERMO’S	OAK LAWN
2	FLO & SANTO’S	CHICAGO
3	ROSANGELA’S	EVERGREEN PARK
4	NICK & VITO’S	CHICAGO
5	ANGIE’S	CHICAGO
6	NICK’S	CHICAGO RIDGE
7	KRAPIL’S	WORTH
8	MILANO’S	CHICAGO
9	BEGGARS	MERRIONETTE PARK
10	DURBINS	EVERGREEN PARK
11	FOX’S	OAK LAWN
12	WISEGUYS	CHICAGO
13	CHUCK’S PIZZA	CHICAGO
14	LITTLE FRANK’S	BURBANK
15	PIZZA PLUS	HOMETOWN
16	NINO’S	ALSIP
17	JOE’S ITALIAN VILLA	PALOS HEIGHTS
18	MAMA VESUVIO’S EAST	PALOS HEIGHTS
19	BLARNEY STONE	OAK FOREST
20	WALDO COONEY’S	CHICAGO
21	CLANCY’S PIZZA PUB	OAK LAWN
22	GRASSANO’S	OAK LAWN
23	JOE DANIEL’S	PALOS HEIGHTS
24	JULLIANI’S	PALOS HEIGHTS
25	PHIL’S	OAK LAWN
26	BARRACO’S	EVERGREEN PARK
27	PAPA JOES	CHICAGO RIDGE
28	CONTE’S	CHICAGO
29	HOME RUN INN	DARIEN
30	NONNA’S	OAK LAWN

MONTH OF JANUARY (2022)

47^TH PIZZA

Julliani’s Pizzeria & Pub 7239 W. College Drive, Palos Heights, Illinois, 60463

1^st Pizza of 2022 (First appearance by Julliani’s)

The invasion of the suburb of Palos Heights continues as we found a new establishment on College Drive. Julliani’s is not a new establishment, but new to us. Last pizza blogged was in Palos Heights on Halloween night at Joe Daniels. It’s a “Neighborhood Eatery & Pub.” Then we loved Mama Vesuvio’s East’s beer garden and her pizza pie, which is another pizza sensation on College Drive. Julliani’s is coming after hearing great reviews as they were on the WGN television show, Chicago’s Best. Our expectations suddenly rose.

Julliani’s is more of a restaurant than a bar. The bar, I thought, was kind of small to have that “Pub” status on the title. Inside, the restaurant had a very nice set up with plenty of seating. Nice dim lighting and I would say a great place for date night.

The bar menu had no tap beer but lots of choices for beer, wine and creative spirits. A great place always starts with the staff as our waitress was fabulous. Quick with the beers as she gave us time to soak everything in before we finally decided on an appetizer. Not that rushed feeling. Since it was a new place for us, we went with something exciting as a starter. We went with the funny name having the word fritters in it. The Zucchini Fritters came with a nice tasting dipping sauce. We were also served outstanding warm bread that was crisp on the outside and soft in the middle.

The Zucchini Fritters looked like slim & trimmed cheese sticks with the brown crunchy outside. No cheese inside, just green vegetable deep-fried. The sticks were multiple sizes and melted in your mouth with a nice zingy garlic flavor from the sauce that came with it. In my opinion, these might be the best zucchini sticks I have ever indulged in. I can count on my fingers how many times I order a zucchini type of appetizer. Julliani’s has me hooked, lined, and sinkered at the start of this new pizza place, in a suburb I’m familiar with. Now the Pizza. Let’s see if their pizza can bring in the boat.

We went with the thin crust in our first meeting with Julliani’s. They had a variety of choices that include pan pizza, stuffed crust and some interesting masterminded creations for their specialty pizzas. We went with all sausage and half spinach. The crust has thick doughy edges and melts in your mouth towards the middle. Julliani’s is not chintzy with the sauce. The sauce is sweet & mild as some of it drips on your fingers. The spinach is fresh, and certainly not from Popeye the Sailor Man’s can. The sausage is peppery but mild with the perfect amount of spice on pizza with some grease. All of this is covered in blankets and blankets of cheese. It was piping hot right out of the oven. I would welcome going back to Julliani’s for the same exact pizza or venturing toward their other choices.

I think the experience was excellent. The atmosphere had a laid-back style of crowd. People were nice including the staff at Julliani’s. Most importantly, the food was awesome. Only thing I would complain about is no tapped beers, but that’s just me though. Bigger bar would be nice as well but not a deal breaker. The thin crust form Julliani’s right now is number one in the thin crust power rankings of 2022, being the only pizza blogged so far.

THE OVERALL POWER RANKINGS OF PIZZA IN THIN CRUST  

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	PALERMO’S	OAK LAWN
2	FLO & SANTO’S	CHICAGO
3	ROSANGELA’S	EVERGREEN PARK
4	NICK & VITO’S	CHICAGO
5	ANGIE’S	CHICAGO
6	NICK’S	CHICAGO RIDGE
7	KRAPIL’S	WORTH
8	MILANO’S	CHICAGO
9	BEGGARS	MERRIONETTE PARK
10	DURBINS	EVERGREEN PARK
11	FOX’S	OAK LAWN
12	WISEGUYS	CHICAGO
13	CHUCK’S PIZZA	CHICAGO
14	LITTLE FRANK’S	BURBANK
15	PIZZA PLUS	HOMETOWN
16	NINO’S	ALSIP
17	MAMA VESUVIO’S EAST	PALOS HEIGHTS
18	BLARNEY STONE	OAK FOREST
19	WALDO COONEY’S	CHICAGO
20	CLANCY’S PIZZA PUB	OAK LAWN
21	GRASSANO’S	OAK LAWN
22	JOE DANIEL’S	PALOS HEIGHTS
23	JULLIANI’S	PALOS HEIGHTS
24	PHIL’S	OAK LAWN
25	BARRACO’S	EVERGREEN PARK
26	PAPA JOES	CHICAGO RIDGE
27	CONTE’S	CHICAGO
28	HOME RUN INN	DARIEN
29	NONNA’S	OAK LAWN

2021 WILD SHAMROCK PIZZA AWARDS

BEST NEW PIZZA PLACE IN 2021: NICKS PIZZA (CHICAGO RIDGE)

BEST PLACE TO EAT PIZZA AT IN 2021: JOE DANIELS BAR & GRILL (PALOS HEIGHTS)

BEST BEER GARDEN TO EAT A PIZZA IN 2021: INCOMPLETE MISSION

BEST APPETIZER FROM PIZZA PLACES IN 2021: NICK’S PIZZA (CHICAGO RIDGE)

THE TEXAS FRIES

BEST DELIVERY IN 2021: WISE GUYS (CHICAGO)

BEST OVERALL PIZZA IN 2020 NICKS PIZZA (CHICAGO RIDGE)

NUMBER OF PIZZAS BLOGGED IN 2021 (5)

THE 2021 PIZZA STANDINGS

2021 THIN CRUST PIZZA RANKINGS

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	NICK’S PIZZA	CHICAGO RIDGE
2	JOE DANIEL’S	PALOS HEIGHTS
3	NONNA’S PIZZA	OAK LAWN

2021 DEEP DISH/STUFFED PIZZA RANKINGS

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	WISEGUYS	CHICAGO

2021 SPECIALTY PIZZA RANKINGS

RANK	NAME	RESTAURANT
1	BUFFALO CHICKEN	TC’S PUB

2021 THE PIZZA STRIKES BACK

In 2021 the Pizza is coming back in full force on the Wild Shamrock Pizza blog. The Pizza will avenge the year of 2020 which cost all our bellies extra slices of pizza dealing with the Pandemic. From places not able to stay open to meet with the demands of the cities’ criteria. We mourn the losses of small Mum and Pop businesses that were ruined from the pandemic and difficult restrictions that came upon them running their livelihood.

Last year was an all-time low for us in pizzas blogged. Our mission will stay the same as we continue to search for the best pizza in Chicago and the surroundinf areas. We will make sure no stone is unturned to find those hidden gems that give your neighborhood that crave from the delightful pizza smell coming out those brick ovens. We will dissect each pie and inspect the quality of the cheeses, the meat ,and we throw in a few veggies for meeting the daily requirement. We will go beyond the borders of our neighborhood and hit those gems where we need a passport to travel to. Promise none of stinking anchovies as we make like the autobots, transform, and roll out. So hang in there.

May the Pizza be with you!!

MONTH OF OCTOBER

46^TH PIZZA

Joe Daniel’s Neighborhood Eatery & Pub 12218 S. Harlem avenue Palos Heights, Illinois, 60463

5^th PIZZA OF 2021 (First appearance by Joe Daniel’s)

Joe Daniel’s Neighborhood Eatery & Pub made a pizza my former brother-in-law raved about. On the menu, they call it Joe Daniel’s famous pizza. Their slogan is, “Bar none the best pizza on the south side.” They even have a stuffed elk above the bar lacking women’s undergarments hanging from the horn. No wonder the thing looks pissed off.

It was Halloween weekend and the place was dressed up for their annual costume party, as our waitress was a devil. Not sure if she was a good devil or bad, we did not stick around to find out as we had our own costume party to attend. It was early enough to get seating before the slutty gals walked in with their costumes. Should I say slut or just for one day being somebody that you’re normally not. Some of these costumes can be sexy as hell. I loved how Joe Daniels went all out and had the place well decorated for the occasion.

We knew the costume party we were going to would have appetizers and sandwiches, so we skipped the appetizer. We had a few beers and enjoyed a nice pizza while people watching and enjoying some close college football games.

We did the regular combo this blog has done since day one. We may step it up and do another kind of combo in 2022. We went with a medium thin crust pizza, all sausage all the time with spinach. One thing I have always liked about eating pizza at a place is it comes out hot, double hot and let’s throw in one more hot.

I remember having Joe Daniel’s pizza at my sister’s house who lives in the neighborhood. I remembered a super thin crust about 15 years back. This crust was regular with firm crunchy edges and the sauce covered most of the pie. Joe Daniel’s put down a savory oregano sauce with perhaps some basil. At first you think is it too much oregano. After each bite, it adds a nice flavor. The spinach is fresh as you can see the stems of the greens mixed in with a nice amount of cheese that is not too thick & not too thin. It was unique sausage with a savory flavor. I still cannot quite put my taste buds on it exactly. Was it the elk hanging over the bar with his eyes glaring at the customers. Overall, this pizza was very enjoyable. Been to Joe Daniel’s a half dozen times in my days. It’s a nice place to get a pizza with a nice atmosphere that is lively, but not annoying. Just having a great time enjoying the weekend.

THUMBS UP: PIZZA WAS HOT RIGHT OUT OF THE OVEN

THUMBS UP: ATMOSPHERE ROCKING SO DON’T COME KNOCKING

THUMBS UP: THE DEVIL WAS GREAT. DID THE WAITRESS STEAL MY SOUL?

THUMBS UP: THE DECORATIONS MADE YOU WANT DO THE MONSTER MASH

THUMBS UP: PATRONS WERE NICE & ALL AGES

THUMBS DOWN: ALL THE TAP LINES NOT BEING USED MADE DRAFT BEER SELECTION VERY WEAK

I have Joe Daniel’s at number two in my thin crust standings for 2021.

2021 THIN CRUST PIZZA RANKINGS

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	NICK’S PIZZA	CHICAGO RIDGE
2	JOE DANIEL’S	PALOS HEIGHTS
3	NONNA’S PIZZA	OAK LAWN

Overall, I have Joe Daniel’s ranked 22 on my all-time thin crust pizza power rankings. We have done a lot of great thin crust pizzas. I would easily go back and have Joe Daniels again and even again. In the long run, it will still be high on the list when we hit more joints over the next few months and years to come.

THE OVERALL POWER RANKINGS OF PIZZA IN THIN CRUST  

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	PALERMO’S	OAK LAWN
2	FLO & SANTO’S	CHICAGO
3	ROSANGELA’S	EVERGREEN PARK
4	NICK & VITO’S	CHICAGO
5	ANGIE’S	CHICAGO
6	NICK’S	CHICAGO RIDGE
7	KRAPIL’S	WORTH
8	MILANO’S	CHICAGO
9	BEGGARS	MERRIONETTE PARK
10	DURBINS	EVERGREEN PARK
11	FOX’S	OAK LAWN
12	WISEGUYS	CHICAGO
13	CHUCK’S PIZZA	CHICAGO
14	LITTLE FRANK’S	BURBANK
15	PIZZA PLUS	HOMETOWN
16	NINO’S	ALSIP
17	MAMA VESUVIO’S EAST	PALOS HEIGHTS
18	BLARNEY STONE	OAK FOREST
19	WALDO COONEY’S	CHICAGO
20	CLANCY’S PIZZA PUB	OAK LAWN
21	GRASSANO’S	OAK LAWN
22	JOE DANIEL’S	PALOS HEIGHTS
23	PHIL’S	OAK LAWN
24	BARRACO’S	EVERGREEN PARK
25	PAPA JOES	CHICAGO RIDGE
26	CONTE’S	CHICAGO
27	HOME RUN INN	DARIEN
28	NONNA’S	OAK LAWN

MONTH OF MAY

45^TH PIZZA

Wiseguys Pizza 3822 W. 111^th Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60655

4^TH Pizza of 2021 (2^nd appearance for Wiseguys)

The first time we introduced you to Wiseguys Pizza was back in 2019. In the second appearance for Wiseguys Pizza, we went big. Deep dish big. Wiseguys is located in the Mt. Greenwood neighborhood on the Southside of Chicago. It’s a small joint mainly catering to pick up and delivery. Wiseguys has their specialty pizzas named after famous gangsters who ran some of the big cities during prohibition. We have not gotten to their specialty pizzas yet. Wiseguys’ thin crust right now is number 12 overall coming into today’s action. This go-around, we went with their deep dish with the regular toppings of sausage and spinach.

Those are some quite deep dishes. The deep dish we ordered did not come with a bra. We had Wiseguys deliver us our pizza pie with an appetizer. Like we needed more cheese… getting some sticks with the deep dish.

The cheese sticks look like beer battered crust around a gooey heavenly thick mozzarella cheese… so melty and buttery. Very tasty. Reminded me of cheese sticks you get at a pub with a nice cold beer. Speaking of beer, it goes well with the sticks and deep dish pizza.

You can see the walls of this pizza are 2 to 3” in height. Well-rounded and smooth like a new castle made for a King. You’d hate to slice her open. The crust was bread-like & so right out of the bakery freshness. The layer of mozzarella cheese that stretches for miles. With the cheese sticks and the cheese from the pizza, I believe I got my dairy intake for the month. The sauce was mild but finger-licking good. I used a Kentucky Fried Chicken slogan, so we will now break for a quick advertisement for the Colonel.   

The deep dish pizza contains nice chunks of sausage that are mild-tasting, like their sauce. The spinach was chopped up and they were not skimpy on the ingredients. All the spinach was fresh; nothing out of Popeye’s can of greens. Wiseguys deep dish overall was a pretty damn good tasty pizza but very filling.

THUMBS UP

#1. Delivery was on time right when they said it was going to be there.

#2. Being a delivery, the food was hot. It was not sitting around or going on Uber rides with the driver.

#3. The food was excellent. The kitchen created a work of art with their creation.

#4. The staff was efficient. That means both the person on the phone and the delivery driver.

THUMBS DOWN

I have nothing to complain about at this time.

This is the first deep dish that we blogged in 2021. Wiseguys is winning in the deep dish power rankings in 2021. Overall, I have it coming in at number 5 in the power rankings of our deep, stuffed, and pan pizza rankings.

ALL-TIME DEEP DISH/STUFFED PIZZA POWER RANKINGS

RANK	NAME	CITY
1.	LOUISA’S	CRESTWOOD
2.	PALERMO’S PIZZA	OAK LAWN
3.	NANCY’S	ALSIP
4.	LOU MALNATI’S	NAPERVILLE
5.	WISEGUYS	MOUNT GREENWOOD
6.	NINO’S	ALSIP
7.	PIZZA PLUS	HOMETOWN

MONTH OF APRIL

44TH PIZZA

Nick’s Pizza 10507 S. Ridgeland Avenue, Chicago Ridge, Illinois, 60415

3rd pizza of 2021 (First Appearance for Nick’s)

Nick’s pizza is a local tavern serving up some thin crust delights to locals, and their own regulars, for decades. It was a place I’ve seen many times and wanted to try because it was there and it had pizza. I even called for delivery once upon a time a go, only to be denied because Nick’s did not deliver that far. I could have pulled an Elaine from Seinfeld and set up shop in a broom closet across the border in a building to get delivery. I know pizza places do have their boundries, which is understandable. When I called, the menu, to me, was impressive. All these years even hanging out next door to Nick’s at an actual tavern called Jesse’s from time to time. I finally pulled the trigger and walked through the doors of Nick’s pizza in the Chicago Ridge neighborhood.

Walking through the doors, I’m immediately a fan. Inside it has that tavern feeling with the dim lighting and the glow of the different beer & sports neon signs. Games were on the televisions in strategic spots throughout the old style bar that ovals through the room. Nick’s has a wall of fame.

Plenty of sports history of the local Chicago teams on the walls. All the pizza, all the games watched in this establishment means it smells of history. On these grounds, beer was spilled & crumbs were dispersed in mid-air. When walking into a new (to you) tavern, sometimes you have that erie feeling in the pit of your stomach. Like someone is watching you. Eyeballs are on you trained like snipers in the brush. You know their grinds are grinding inside their mind, wondering who the hell these people are and what they are doing here. This is their place and we are invaders. When you belly up to the bar like we did, you immediately judge yourself. The bar keep might not like you because you’re the new kid in town. The opposite happened here, as the old saying is untrue. You should not judge a book by its cover.

THE APPETIZER

Do you remember the movie, The Great Outdoors, when John Candy is challenged to eat the huge steak?

If he ate the entire thing, he may get a t-shirt, his name on the wall, or the dinner for free. In a way, we had a food challenge for one of Nick’s appetizers. The Texas Fries, which were a new item on the menu.

Picture french fries piled high with mounds and mounds of cheddar and mozzarella and bacon.

A few patrons sitting at the bar said it was impossible to finish, but so good that it was a must-order. We did conquer Texas. The patron was wrong about us, but right that these fries were out-of-this-world good. Definitely worth to note should be the top appetizer of the year and I know its very early yet with months to go in the year.

Nick’s, like many of these mum and pop places in the Chicagoland area serving up pizza, is a family business. It was a Friday night in April, a slow night. When the cook comes behind the bar to get a drink of water and asks you about the pizza & she said she made it, you know they feel confident they made something special.

THE PIZZA

We did the normal thin crust pizza with all sausage on this one and only half spinach. As you can see from the pictures, this baby is a tavern style pizza with cracker crust. Reminds me of a pizza place in my town, Roseangelas. Every bite is pure satisfaction with the mounds of sausage and the spinach on the other side of the ‘Za seems sauteed. It has the cracker edges, but the bite is neither crunchy or soft, it’s something in-between. The foundation of this pie holds up very nicely. I still have not mentioned the stretchy gooey cheese. The sauce with herbs and spices giving this creation a flavorful but mild tasting sauce as perfection. Well done, my lady!!!

THUMBS UP AND DOWN

THUMBS UP: ACING THE TAVERN FEELING

THUMBS UP: EXCELLENT FOOD

THUMBS UP: FREINDLY PATRONS, GREAT CONVERSATION

THUMBS UP: LOVED THE CUSTOMER SERVICE & FELT LIKE I WAS IN THE HANDS OF FAMILY

THUMBS UP: BEING INVITED BACK

THUMBS UP: THE FOOD PACKAGING (INCLUDED WAX PAPER SO SLICES DO NOT STICK

THUMBS DOWN

NO TAP BEER

Not trying to be a prude. Tap beer at a tavern is the cherry on the sundae. Some of these places have not fully gotten back to operational since the pandemic. I enjoyed a nice cold domestic bottle in the mean time, and adjusted to the Apocalypse once again.

STATS: 6-7 THUMBS UP THE HIGHEST RATING OF THE YEAR SO FAR.

2021 THIN CRUST PIZZA RANKINGS

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	NICK’S PIZZA	CHICAGO RIDGE
2	NONNA’S PIZZA	OAK LAWN

I have Nick’s easily as the number 1 thin crust pizza for 2021 as Nonna’s is not even close. Nick’s will have to go in the regular rotation of pizzas because I see Nick’s staying number 1 this year unless something really blows me away.

THE OVERALL POWER RANKINGS OF PIZZA IN THIN CRUST  

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	PALERMO’S	OAK LAWN
2	FLO & SANTO’S	CHICAGO
3	ROSANGELA’S	EVERGREEN PARK
4	NICK & VITO’S	CHICAGO
5	ANGIE’S	CHICAGO
6	NICK’S	CHICAGO RIDGE
7	KRAPIL’S	WORTH
8	MILANO’S	CHICAGO
9	BEGGARS	MERRIONETTE PARK
10	DURBINS	EVERGREEN PARK
11	FOX’S	OAK LAWN
12	WISEGUYS	CHICAGO
13	CHUCK’S PIZZA	CHICAGO
14	LITTLE FRANK’S	BURBANK
15	PIZZA PLUS	HOMETOWN
16	NINO’S	ALSIP
17	MAMA VESUVIO’S EAST	PALOS HEIGHTS
18	BLARNEY STONE	OAK FOREST
19	WALDO COONEY’S	CHICAGO
20	CLANCY’S PIZZA PUB	OAK LAWN
21	GRASSANO’S	OAK LAWN
22	PHIL’S	OAK LAWN
23	BARRACO’S	EVERGREEN PARK
24	PAPA JOES	CHICAGO RIDGE
25	CONTE’S	CHICAGO
26	HOME RUN INN	DARIEN
27	NONNA’S	OAK LAWN

MONTH OF FEBRUARY

43RD PIZZA

Nonna’s Pizza 9602 S. Cicero, Oak Lawn, Illinois, 60453

2nd Pizza of 2021 (First Appearance for Nonna’s)

When your work orders a pizza, it is usually local. Plus any boss man or employer want to get a bang for their buck. However these bad people who want to get your head, they are not ordering the cheap stuff like FAST FOOD PIZZA. In this part of the blog, you mention Domino’s, Pizza Hut and Little Sleazers… that’s money in the swear jar. Now look at what you made me say!!

Nonna’s is the home of the stadium pizza which can feed an Army. Plus the Boss man can stretch the buck in the petty cash drawer. Nonna’s has three locations; one is close to my Nazi concentration camp I call work. Nonna’s also has a location by the house and is in their delivery range. It was a weekend and I was too lazy to venture out in the cold temperatures so we gave Nonna’s a jingle. I would be fair and not judge this place by the people they are in cahoots with, such as the Nazi camp I spoke earlier about.

It was a movie night so we passed up on their epic stadium pizza. We did Nonna’s regular thin crust as they had super thin crust also available. We did the standard sausage. This go around we did half pepperoni, half sausage, and all spinach. The 14″ pizza at Nonna’s is $14.99 and that is just cheese only. Each ingredient is an extra $1.99. The perfect way to describe Nonna’s thin crust they made would be that it’s perfect for a hangover. This would be the pizza with the grease dripping off your fingers as you dive in. The saltiness of the sausage. Imagine your girl, your wife in one of those moods… salty. Sausage had nice chunks with a spice. The pepperoni could have used more. Spinach was fresh. The crust was chewy and the sauce was mild. The cheese was thick but not gooey. It was like a thick blanket over the this creation like a hot summer night when the AC goes out type of feeling. It was like plaster board.

We did not get any appetizers this go around. However with the pizza, we did get an order of the Angel hair pasta with meatballs. The pasta came with a choice of bread we did the cheesy garlic bread. The meatballs were very tasty. I thought the pasta was better than the pizza.

THUMBS UP OR DOWN

THUMBS UP: Delivery was well executed.

THUMBS UP: Customer service on the phone passed my test. Nice and easy like a bank robbery should be.

THUMBS UP: Angel hair pasta and damn good meatballs.

THUMBS DOWN: The wrap job on the cheesy garlic bread. Most the cheese stuck to the aluminum foil taken that off.

THUMBS DOWN: Taking cards only, no cash. This could be for the pandemic reasons. However what if you were in high school with friends all chipping in with cash and they said no, cards only. Mummy is not always around with the card. Reminds me of a Pizza Hut location which would not deliver in the same town it was located in. Not a big suburb either. I was in High School and hung out with a bad crowd that wanted Pizza Hut in the first place.

THUMBS DOWN: Go go Grease lightning. Greasy food is bad. Greasy food tastes awesome. This pizza felt like my arteries were clogged. It was tasty. It’s cheap if you’re feeding a crowd. Or a good time to eat it is when you’re hung over. It does not have that crave on a school or a movie night.

3 OUT 6 THUMBS UP RATING FOR NONNA’S IN THE OL.

Nonna’s is the first thin crust of the year and will have the number one slot in 2021. On the overall Pizza Power rankings, it did not slice up too well versus the competition.

42nd pizza

TC PUB 9700 S. Cicero avenue, Oak Lawn, Illinois, 60453

1st Pizza of 2021 ( First Appearance for TC PUB)

I have found that pub grub which has pizza on the menu, could be a hidden gems at times. Some pub, bars, saloons or taverns specialize in pizza. Some of these establishments have a flat bread style pizza on the menu. Some of the dives offer the frozen pizza. Sometimes you find a pub that has some tasty pies on the menu with other options. That’s where TC Pub of Oak Lawn comes in. TC pub’s food menu has changed over the years at their Oak Lawn location. Now they have teamed up with Big Joe’s Back Yard BBQ and they have a loaded menu. It’s a BBQ menu with some nice pizza options.

With the dine in restrictions lifted, we still had to socially distance when we made a visit to TC’s Pub on Sunday Funday!!! TC pub still has not not hooked up their keg lines, as it was a place that closed down for awhile because of the pandemic. We did some buckets of Old Style. The more buckets the merrier because there was just car racing and golf on the television. I was stunned… no hockey and not even college basketball. Amateurs!!! NBA just does not do it for me.

A bucket of Old Style is the choice of poison as we needed some rings to soak up this Old pile that has style flowing through our blood stream.

The Rings are massive and maybe bigger than the Planet Saturn’s outer rings. The sauce looks like a chocolate Ovaltine drink. The sauce is a Chipotle ranch that gives these rings a real zing of spiciness. We take on the massive rings and clear the basket like some crazy lumber jack coming in from the woods after chopping wood all day for dinner. After a bucket of dead soldiers, we move on to the pizza and of course another bucket.

TC Pub’s pizza are 9″ individuals and they have two options. Cheese which is not an option. The two options are Buffalo Chicken pizza or the BBQ Chicken pizza. I choose the Buffalo Chicken as I’m a fan of this style of pizza.

(Special Note) We have blogged one Buffalo Chicken Pizza in our history. Palermo’s 95th Cuisine’s specialty Buffalo chicken style pizza is number on in the Power rankings of our specialty pizzas we have done.

TC Pub is charging $13.99 for their style which is loaded with juicy chicken. It’s topped with shredded chicken, diced tomatoes, cilantro, and diced red onion. This is smothered in monterey jack and cheddar cheeses which gives it that yellow coloring on the top. It has to have some buffalo sauce as a base because it drizzles down your fingers when you dive into this creation. Makes your fingers licking good. Great in a Pandemic. It has soft crust until you get to the crunchy edge. Overall the combination of flavors with juicy meat and buffalo sauce create an explosion of goodness in your mouth. If you eat this behind closed doors, you could just eat it like a savage licking your fingers. Saving some for later on your facial hair if you have any real Viking style.

THUMBS UP OR DOWN

THUMBS UP MUSIC: It was a variety of all kinds of music which took my mind of the television program.

THUMBS UP FOOD: Both pizza and appetizer were to die for.

THUMBS UP SERVICE: Service was excellent. Felt catered to. Felt wanted.

THUMBS UP ATMOSPHERE: People around you were friendly. Watching two idiots stuck in the snow outside was an interesting conversation. They received help pushing the car out of the dead end snow bank as we did not pull a Seinfeld and get arrested for not being a good Samaritan.

THUMBS UP: Good people watching. A drunken girl was helped out and put into an Uber, at least I hope it was an Uber.

THUMBS DOWN: No tapped beer.

THUMBS DOWN: The patrons and workers a little loosey goosey with the masks.

5 OUT OF 7 THUMBS UP TC PUB RATING

TC Pub Buffalo Chicken is the first pizza of the year so it will be # 1 right now in the Specialty Power rankings. Overall I have TC Pub’s Specialty Buffalo Chicken 7th in the power ranking of all-time. I would order the Buffalo Chicken from TC Pub again and again. I enjoyed it.

All Time Specialty Pizza Rankings

RANK	NAME	RESTAURANT
1.	FLO’S POLISH	FLO & SANTOS
2.	BUFFALO CHICKEN	PALERMO’S
3.	TUBBY O’TOOLE	FOX’S RESTAURANT IN OAK LAWN
4.	HAWAIIAN	ANGIE’S PIZZA
5.	THE SICILIAN	BARRACO’S PIZZA
6.	SAN PATRICIO	CLANCY’S PIZZA AND PUB
7.	BUFFALO CHICKEN	TC’S PUB
8.	THE CRETE SPECIAL	THE LOFT
9.	TACO PIZZA	THE BRASS TAP
10.	THE IRISHMAN	CLANCY’S PIZZA AND PUB
11.	THE CHI-TOWN	OPEN OUTCRY
12.	THE HAWAIIAN	OPEN OUTCRY

IN 2020

Our Spidey senses will be in full swing once again in 2020 as our mission will continue in the pizza world in Chicago. We will search and turn over every crust all around the Chicagoland area. We will tell you our opinion on what’s good, bad, or just ugly. We have a lot of new places on the docket. We will trek into to some establishments we already hit and try other tasty choices on their menu. We will continue to explore thin crust/regular crust. We will put another hole or two in the belt and dive into more stuffed and deep dish delights. Plus specialty pizzas we will indulge in some interesting creations that some of these chefs come up with. MAMMA MIA Daddy’s bringing home some top shelf pizza pie right out of the oven.

OUR 2020 WILD SHAMROCK PIZZA AWARDS

Anything except anchovies goes well on a pizza. No witch hunt here!!!

BEST NEW PIZZA PLACE IN 2020:Mama Vesuvio’s East/ Palos Heights 

BEST PLACE TO EAT PIZZA AT IN 2020:Brass Tap/Orland Park

BEST BEER GARDEN TO EAT PIZZA AT:Mama Vesuvio’s East/ Palos Heights 

BEST APPETIZER FROM THE PIZZA PLACES IN 2020:The Original Papa Joe’s/ Chicago Ridge/( Mozzarella bites)

BEST DELIVERY:Angie’s Sports bar & Pizzeria/ Chicago

BEST OVERALL PIZZA FOR 2020: SPECIALTY: Palermo’s 95th Italian Cuisine (Buffalo Chicken)

# OF PIZZAS BLOGGED IN 2020: 9 

2020 PIZZA STANDINGS

THE 2020 POWER RANKINGS OF DEEP DISH/STUFFED PIZZA

RANK	NAME	CITY
1	PALERMO’S PIZZA	OAK LAWN

41^ST PIZZA

New Years Eve of 2020 is a huge day for everyone in the world. It ends the Stephen King story of 2020. If you took a “Stand,” and were misunderstood, pure hatred came out most of people. Violence and the pandemic swept through the nation like a hurricane in full throttle, knocking everything down in its path. Losing jobs with so many things being cancelled or postponed. Periods of time when we are told to stay home. The stay home part is where the New Year’s Eve comes in. Our usual tradition is to head out to Palermo’s in Oak Lawn to eat dinner and start the New Year with some fine dining, friends and family. We had to skip that and order delivery. Homebound with good food, good drinks, and good friends is something to CHEER about as well.

Palermo’s of 95^th street 4849 w. 95^th street Oak Lawn, Illinois, 60453

9^TH Pizza of 2020 (Third appearance of Palermo’s)

New Year’s Eve was all about the Carbs. No appetizers… just some pizzas to maul down and play games to get our drink on. We did two different pizzas one. One we have done before, and one we never did before. We dove into a deep dish made by Palermo’s with sausage, and sausage only.

This was the first deep dish/ stuffed crust pizza of 2020, as we did not do well in that category this year. We had the lowest turnout in pizzas blogged in 2020 as well. We will be like everyone else and blame that on somebody else. Coming in, the Palermo’s thin crust is still number one in the Thin Crust pizzas. The Palermo’s Buffalo Chicken comes in at number 1 in 2020 in the specialty pizzas. Palermo’s Buffalo Chicken is the other pizza we did on New Year’s Eve, having it for the second time in one year. Overall, their Buffalo Chicken stands at number two in the Overall Specialty pizza power rankings. Can Palermo’s deep dish take number one in the stuffed crust/deep dish category overall? We know with only doing one deep dish in 2020, and it being Palermo’s, it is number one without any competition.

The first thing that stands out to me with this magnificent creation of the Palermo’s deep dish is the sweet sauce and the soft crust gets me all the time with the thin regular crust. The Crust is pillow soft and built up like a feather pillowcase. The cheese blends with spices, and it is the perfect amount to get the stretchiness going digging into a slice. I like this pizza very much as it melted in my mouth and I have it ranked high at number two overall in my stuffed crust/deep dish power rankings.

ALL-TIME DEEP DISH/STUFFED PIZZA POWER RANKINGS

RANK	NAME	CITY
1	LOUISA’S	CRESTWOOD
2	PALERMO’S PIZZA	OAK LAWN
3	NANCY’S	ALSIP
4	LOU MALNATI’S	NAPERVILLE
5	NINO’S	ALSIP
6	PIZZA PLUS	HOMETOWN

40TH PIZZA

The Original Papa Joe’s Italian Restaurant was originally in Oak Lawn and moved to Chicago Ridge, perhaps a bigger place. It has been quite awhile since I enjoyed one of their pizzas. Before Papa Joe’s found a new home, an Irish pub took up residence there. O’Connor’s Pub and Grill was a place I went about half a dozen times. Sang a song from The Cars, Let the Good Times Roll, on one of their Karaoke nights. I remember because I hardly ever sing. Needed lots of tasty beverages to sing. That night I knocked the song out of the ball park in front of hardly any people in attendance. Probably not. Maybe O’Connor’s had too many nights like that with a limited amount of people. It eventually put the pub out of business. Papa Joes moved into a nicer building that has a nice bar with a spacious banquet room. Going inside Papa Joes at some point to dine, is on the to-do list. On this night we ordered delivery.

The Original Papa Joe’s Italian Restaurant 5900 w. 111TH Street, Chicago Ridge, Illinois, 60415

8th pizza of 2020 (First Overall appearance by Papa Joes)

We did the breaded mozzarella bites as an appetizer. The cheese bites were the size of those kids snacks, pizza rolls. Pizza rolls that, when the kids go to bed, the adults are nuking them in the microwave for themselves. The cheese bites crust taste like a breaded corn meal. With gooey cheese in the middle oozing out inside your mouth. 

             

For the pizza, we did a thin crust with the usual combo we go with – sausage and spinach. What stood out to on this thin crust from Papa Joes was the middle pieces were thicker than the edges. Nice layer of cheese with mild sauce. The sausage had a late kick with the after taste. Fresh spinach with a nice amount. The edges of the crust had that satisfying crunchy snap with a chewy bottom crust. Overall Papa Joes thin crust was very good. I think it will be a middle of the pack type of pizza.  

In the 2020 I have Papa Joe’s coming in number 4.

THE 2020 POWER RANKINGS OF THIN CRUST PIZZA 

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	CHUCK’S PIZZA	CHICAGO
2	LITTLE FRANK’S PIZZA	BURBANK
3	MAMA VESUVIO’S EAST	PALOS HEIGHTS
4	PAPA JOES	CHICAGO RIDGE

 

I have Papa Joe’s coming in at number 23 overall in our Thin crust Power Rankings

THE OVERALL POWER RANKINGS OF PIZZA IN THIN CRUST    

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	PALERMO’S	OAK LAWN
2	FLO & SANTO’S	CHICAGO
3	ROSANGELA’S	EVERGREEN PARK
4	NICK & VITO’S	CHICAGO
5	ANGIE’S	CHICAGO
6	KRAPIL’S	WORTH
7	MILANO’S	CHICAGO
8	BEGGARS	MERRIONETTE PARK
9	DURBINS	EVERGREEN PARK
10	FOX’S	OAK LAWN
11	WISEGUYS	CHICAGO
12	CHUCK’S PIZZA	CHICAGO
13	LITTLE FRANK’S	BURBANK
14	PIZZA PLUS	HOMETOWN
15	NINO’S	ALSIP
16	MAMA VESUVIO’S EAST	PALOS HEIGHTS
17	BLARNEY STONE	OAK FOREST
18	WALDO COONEY’S	CHICAGO
19	CLANCY’S PIZZA PUB	OAK LAWN
20	GRASSANO’S	OAK LAWN
21	PHIL’S	OAK LAWN
22	BARRACO’S	EVERGREEN PARK
23	PAPA JOES	CHICAGO RIDGE
24	CONTE’S	CHICAGO
25	HOME RUN INN	DARIEN

39TH PIZZA  

PICTURE THIS: The return to Barraco’s, we dive into their Sicilian style pizza. Does the tea pot looking region called Sicily, make a better pizza than the rest of the boot? Last time we did Barraco’s, we dabbled in their thin crust pizza. It was decent, but it ranks at the bottom of the overall Thin Crust Power Rankings. Living by Barraco’s my whole entire life, in my opinion their deep dish and stuffed crust pizza does better than their thin crust. When I saw they still had the Sicilian crust pizza on their menu, I went with it. I liked it once before inside the old place in Evergreen Park at the bar while watching the game with friends. The old bar burned down, and the new place is not a place to watch a game. Now, it’s more a restaurant than neighborhood bar feeling. It’s redemption week for B-ROC in the EP, this go around. 

Barraco’s 3701 W. 95TH Street, Evergreen Park, Illinois, 60805

7TH Pizza of 2020 (Second Overall appearance by Barraco’s in Evergreen Park

Let’s start with the Barraco’s appetizers, of which we got two on a binge watching weekend and we needed the carbs. We went with the delivery option as I can be a very lazy American. Half American/Half couch potato. Only blocks away, Barraco’s had the pizza and appetizers over pretty quickly. The two appetizers we did were their Fried Ravioli and their Italian Fries. The Ravioli was not Chef Boy R-Dee. They were ginormous. Lightly breaded and heavily filled with ricotta and very filling. They came with a mild marinara sauce. The Italian Fries were well coated in parmesan cheese mixed with herbs and spices. Lightly tossed together and a great starter, which was very filling too. No ketchup needed because the taste was sensational. Appetizers were very impressive.

The Sicilian

The second go around with the Sicilian pizza raised Barraco’s out of the burnt pizza ashes at the bottom of the pizza oven. Definitely this go around they got some redemption from the first view we did ordering that thin crust pizza. We did all sausage on the Sicilian, which appeared in nuggets spread across the pie evenly. The sausage has some spice that went good with the blanket of cheese on focaccia crust with a mild tasting sauce. This crust is soft and just melts in your mouth. It’s a similar crust to New York Style pizza but not exactly a fold over like a sandwich eating method. The Sicilian is filling, but not as filling as a deep dish or stuffed crust pizza. I put this type of pizza in the specialty category because it fits in between the deep dish and a thin crust like Beggars.  

In 2020, the Barraco’s Sicilian pizza comes in at number three in the Specialty pizza power rankings. Overall, I have the Barraco’s Sicilian coming in at number 5 overall in the Specialty pizza power rankings.

2020 Specialty Pizza Rankings

RANK	NAME	RESTAURANT
1.	BUFFALO CHICKEN	PALERMO’S PIZZA
2.	HAWAIIAN	ANGIE’S PIZZA
3.	THE SICILIAN	BARRACO’S PIZZA
4.	TACO PIZZA	THE BRASS TAP

All Time Specialty Pizza Rankings

RANK	NAME	RESTAURANT
1.	FLO’S POLISH	FLO & SANTOS
2.	BUFFALO CHICKEN	PALERMO’S
3.	TUBBY O’TOOLE	FOX’S RESTAURANT IN OAK LAWN
4.	HAWAIIAN	ANGIE’S PIZZA
5.	THE SICILIAN	BARRACO’S PIZZA
6.	SAN PATRICIO	CLANCY’S PIZZA AND PUB
7.	THE CRETE SPECIAL	THE LOFT
8.	TACO PIZZA	THE BRASS TAP
9.	THE IRISHMAN	CLANCY’S PIZZA AND PUB
10.	THE CHI-TOWN	OPEN OUTCRY
11.	THE HAWAIIAN	OPEN OUTCRY

38th PIZZA

This next pizza journey took us to a suburb in Crook County called Palos Heights. As you can see above in the photo this pizza place is my brothers favorite pizza as he shows his support and salute to Mama.  It was my birthday and the best thing for a small group, was to gather outside. Looking for outside seating was essential, especially with a pandemic still in the air. My thinking was we needed to find a place with pizza, and sit in a nice beer garden since it was a hot summer night. I was able to dot my I’s and cross my T’s as my family and friends agreed on Mama Vesuvio’s East. They have a very nice beer garden with plenty of outdoor seating that is socially distanced. Plus Mama’s has a pair of bocce ball courts with live music on a a Saturday night. Mama Vesuvio’s East offer a full upscale Italian menu with pizzas. They have a full bar menu as well. Inside the bar they have a great place to catch a game.

Mama Versuvio’s East, 6361 W. College Drive, Palos Heights, Illinois, 60463 

6th pizza of 2020 (First appearance by Mama Vesuvio’s East)

I have been to Mama Vesuvio’s about a dozen times. I have family that live in the Heights of Palos and some friends. Mama Vesuvio’s East has done well for some wedding rehearsal dinners. Seeing my sister dancing with a wedding party that was going on at the same time was priceless. Especially the look on my brother-in-law’s face wondering who those other people were. He knew his wife was going to be a mess later on. Mama’s has been fun for benefits. Dinners. Drinks and karaoke which at times I think is the revenge for the Atomic bomb from the Japanese.

Being outside with the courteous staff doing their part and wearing a mask while serving, we felt safe. Before the pandemic, the staff at Mama has always been great. Seems like they keep their staff intact as the faces are familiar, even behind those masks. We had about a dozen people on this summer day. The beers were flowing nicely and the tunes filled the air. The band was awesome.

We had some pizzas. Some of the group ordered pasta dishes. We started off with their bruschetta appetizer.

The bruschetta is a different take than the norm in my experience. Mama Vesuvio’s has a heavenly creation as their version of bruschetta. They have cut Italian bread with tomatoes and spices buried in mozzarella cheese. It’s like crack because with each bite you take, you want more.

I went with a thin crust pizza with our usual combination of sausage and spinach.

The first thing that stands out to me is the pile of cheese on their pie. It has a crispy crust with a mild sauce that covers each crevice on the foundation of the thin crust. Fresh spinach with not too much & not too little. The sausage is medium heat and savory.

I have Mama Vesuvio’s thin crust ranked number three for the year 2020.

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	Chuck’s Pizza	Chicago
2	Little Frank’s Pizza	Burbank
3	Mama Vesuvio’s East	Palos Heights

In the overall Thin Crust Power Rankings I have Mama Vesuvio’s coming in at number 16.

The Overall Thin Crust Power Rankings

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	PALERMO’S	OAK LAWN
2	FLO & SANTO’S	CHICAGO
3	ROSANGELA’S	EVERGREEN PARK
4	NICK & VITO’S	CHICAGO
5	ANGIE’S	CHICAGO
6	KRAPIL’S	WORTH
7	MILANO’S	CHICAGO
8	BEGGARS	MERRIONETTE PARK
9	DURBINS	EVERGREEN PARK
10	FOX’S	OAK LAWN
11	WISEGUYS	CHICAGO
12	CHUCK’S PIZZA	CHICAGO
13	LITTLE FRANK’S	BURBANK
14	PIZZA PLUS	HOMETOWN
15	NINO’S	ALSIP
16	MAMA VESUVIO’S EAST	PALOS HEIGHTS
17	BLARNEY STONE	OAK FOREST
18	WALDO COONEY’S	CHICAGO
19	CLANCY’S PIZZA PUB	OAK LAWN
20	GRASSANO’S	OAK LAWN
21	PHIL’S	OAK LAWN
22	BARRACO’S	EVERGREEN PARK
23	CONTE’S	CHICAGO
24	HOME RUN INN	DARIEN

37th PIZZA

What ever happened to Chuck Cunningham from Happy Days? In the very first season of Happy Days, Chuck was seen dribbling a basketball. Chuck was seen at the Cunningham dinner table. Chuck even gave his little brother, Richie Cunningham, advice. Then Chuck vanished without a trace. It’s like most families in the 1950’s, sweeping their problem child under the rug. Lying to the neighbors, and saying that Chuck is down on the farm visiting Auntie Mable. Recently I found Chuck. Chuck’s pizzeria that’s been open since the 1970’s on the south side of Chicago. Is it Chuck Cunningham?

 Chucks pizza (10123 s. Western avenue Chicago,Illinois,60643)

5th pizza of 2020 (First appearance by Chuck’s)

I remember a very long time ago when I was delivering pizzas, a little black kid asking me what pizza place was I delivering for. I told him. The kid was not satisfied with the place I worked for, and told me Chuck’s was the bomb diggity dog. That they know how to make a pie. It’s been over a decade since I had that run in with that kid. I finally pulled the trigger and ordered a pizza from Chuck’s. The kid was right because Chuck’s does know how to turn out a very good pizza pie. 

Chuck’s staff, first of all, I will rave about. In a pandemic, many workers would lose their cool. Many workers easily could be like, “I don’t care.”  From the girl who took the order to the delivery driver, Chuck has his house in order. I was second impressed with the ravioli bites we did as an appetizer.

Toasted and very soft. A nice marinara sauce to dip these little bastards in. A tasty start to the Fourth of July weekend. A three day weekend as well.

The pizza we did was thin crust, all sausage and all spinach.

First thing that jumps out at me with Chuck’s pizza is the crispy edges. It’s very similar to other places we have done on this pizza blog, with Clancy’s pizza pub and my father’s root beer from Roseangela’s. Chuck’s has mild savory sauce. I say the same for the sausage, mild and savory. The spinach seemed like it had been sauteed before topping the pizza. The foundation, the crust, was chewy in a good way. Finally, it was topped with a moderate serving of cheese that made this pizza disappear very quickly.

The black kid a decade ago, if you are reading this and remember a tall lanky white guy delivering a pizza to your neighbor, know that you were correct. Chuck’s knows how to cook up a very impressive pie. I have Chuck’s right now as my top thin crust of the year.

2020 Thin Crust Pizza Rankings

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	CHUCK’S PIZZA	CHICAGO
2	LITTLE FRANK’S	BURBANK

Chucks comes in at number 12 overall in the thin crust power rankings.

THE OVERALL POWER RANKINGS OF PIZZA IN THIN CRUST    

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	PALERMO’S	OAK LAWN
2	FLO & SANTO’S	CHICAGO
3	ROSANGELA’S	EVERGREEN PARK
4	NICK & VITO’S	CHICAGO
5	ANGIE’S	CHICAGO
6	KRAPIL’S	WORTH
7	MILANO’S	CHICAGO
8	BEGGARS	MERRIONETTE PARK
9	DURBINS	EVERGREEN PARK
10	FOX’S	OAK LAWN
11	WISEGUYS	CHICAGO
12	CHUCK’S PIZZA	CHICAGO
13	LITTLE FRANK’S	BURBANK
14	PIZZA PLUS	HOMETOWN
15	NINO’S	ALSIP
16	BLARNEY STONE	OAK FOREST
17	WALDO COONEY’S	CHICAGO
18	CLANCY’S PIZZA PUB	OAK LAWN
19	GRASSANO’S	OAK LAWN
20	PHIL’S	OAK LAWN
21	BARRACO’S	EVERGREEN PARK
22	CONTE’S	CHICAGO
23	HOME RUN INN	DARIEN

36TH PIZZA

Palermo’s 95th street Italian Cuisine ( 4849 95th street, Oak Lawn, Illinois, 60453)

4th pizza of 2020 (Second appearance for Palermo’s)

On the 36th pizza of this blog, we have reached a milestone for specialty pizzas with our tenth one being this Palermo’s submission. It’s already our third specialty pizza of 2020, in 4 total pizzas done for the year. Palermo’s as you may know is number one overall in the thin crust pizza power rankings done on this blog so far. Can Palermo’s be number one overall in the Specialty Pizza power ranking as well?

I can say I have eaten hot wings in Buffalo, New York. Obviously it is the home of the chicken wing that goes by Buffalo wing to some. Frank and Teressa’s Anchor bar in buffalo had some of the best wings in town. The hottest and tastiest.

Some might argue and say Hooters wings are the best.

Most of the times people are blinded by the light at Hooters. Always loved Buffalo Chicken Chili. Buffalo wings. Frank’s Buffalo Hot Sauce on multiple things. Buffalo Chicken wrap sandwiches. What about Buffalo Chicken pizza? I saw Palermo’s had in fact one on their menu. I had to close the deal quickly and ordered one for delivery from one of my favorite pizza places that is definitely in the regular rotation. One of the two pizza places where the number is etched in my mind like a soldier’s dog tag numbers reading it off to the interrogator.

NOW THE BUFFALO CHICKEN PIZZA, PALERMO’S STYLE

This pizza Palermo’s made was an act of God. It was like pouring cheese over perfect boneless wings. The chicken was melt-in-your-mouth delicious. All this on the traditional Palermo’s crust which is the best in the business. The chicken had to be cooked in a buffalo-style sauce. The amount of ranch layered on the pizza cuts the heat to make it still hot, but appealing for most people. One bite and you know it’s from Palermo’s, yet it’s totally different. This is the first Buffalo Chicken pizza we have dabbled in on the Specialty pizzas done on this blog site so far. According to the menu, Palermo’s says the chicken is breaded, but it’s definitely not heavily. This style of pizza takes the Buffalo wing to a whole other level. If you like wings, you will like this pizza.

I have the Buffalo chicken from Palermo’s on the top of the charts for Specialty pizzas in 2020.

2020 Specialty Pizza Rankings

RANK	NAME	RESTAURANT
1.	BUFFALO CHICKEN	PALERMO’S PIZZA
2.	HAWAIIAN	ANGIE’S PIZZA
3.	TACO PIZZA	THE BRASS TAP

They are ranked second in our all time list.

The Overall Power Ranking of Specialty Pizzas

RANK	NAME	RESTAURANT
1	FLO’S POLISH	FLO & SANTOS
2	BUFFALO CHICKEN	PALERMO’S
3	TUBBY O’TOOLE	FOX’S RESTAURANT IN OAK LAWN
4	HAWAIIAN	ANGIE’S PIZZA
5	SAN PATRICIO	CLANCY’S PIZZA AND PUB
6	THE CRETE SPECIAL	THE LOFT
7	TACO PIZZA	THE BRASS TAP
8	THE IRISHMAN	CLANCY’S PIZZA AND PUB
9	THE CHI-TOWN	OPEN OUTCRY
10	THE HAWAIIAN	OPEN OUTCRY

35TH PIZZA

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Angie’s Sport Bar & Pizzeria (8352 S.Pulaski Road, Chicago, Illinois, 60652)

Third pizza of 2020 (Second appearance for Angie’s)

If stranded on a deserted island, you know Gilligan and the Skipper would want and crave a pizza. The Professor, a different hybrid, may just want to embrace his only chance in life to land a Mary Anne and a Ginger together for his collection.

If you’re smart, you may combine the three. Just hold the professor and extra Mary Anne with Ginger on a very nice thin crust. Cannot go wrong with the ingredients. It’s like a Hawaiian Style pizza. In the Quarantine, we needed a pizza craving CURED. We dialed up one of our regulars in the rotation. We went with Angie’s Sports Bar and Pizzeria. We can’t stop in and have a beer, so we had the pizza delivered to the Quarantine. The first time ,Angie delighted us with their regular thin crust pizza which remains in our top five thin crust power rankings. The second go around we dabbled in one of Angie’s Specialty pizzas. We ordered the Hawaiian as it feels like we our on a secluded island looking off into the distance. All while hoping life will return to the norm instead a three hour tour lasting multiple weeks.

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The Hawaiian at Angie’s Sports bar and Pizzeria is amazing. It is made on their regular crust which is thin crust on the bottom. The edges are thick and doughy. It may be what Dominoes wishes for in their fast food pizza of shame. So the pillowy soft edges melts in your mouth. Usually Hawaiian pizzas are pineapple and ham. Angie’s has the pineapple but they make their Hawaiian with bacon which gives it a nice twist. It has nice sweet and salty flavors that drizzle in your mouth and jump those taste buds like an electrical shock to the system. Then the layer of mozzarella cheese with the mild rich sauce full of nice Italian herbs and spices turns this Hawaiian into a dream paradise. By far the best Hawaiian pizza I have ever conquered. I may not get the Hawaiian all the time, but when I do this is the best in my book.

2020 Specialty Pizza Rankings

RANK	NAME	RESTAURANT
1.	HAWAIIAN	ANGIE’S PIZZA
2.	TACO PIZZA	THE BRASS TAP

I have the Angie’s Hawaiian at number one for the year in Specialty pizzas. I have this masterpiece as number three overall in the power rankings of all the specialty pizzas that have been blogged so far by the Wild Shamrock.

The Overall Power Ranking of Specialty Pizzas

RANK	NAME	RESTAURANT
1	FLO’S POLISH	FLO & SANTOS
2	TUBBY O’TOOLE	FOX’S RESTAURANT IN OAK LAWN
3	HAWAIIAN	ANGIE’S PIZZA
4	SAN PATRICIO	CLANCY’S PIZZA AND PUB
5	THE CRETE SPECIAL	THE LOFT
6	TACO PIZZA	THE BRASS TAP
7	THE IRISHMAN	CLANCY’S PIZZA AND PUB
8	THE CHI-TOWN	OPEN OUTCRY
9	THE HAWAIIAN	OPEN OUTCRY

34th PIZZA

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Little Franks (6355 W. 79th street, Burbank, Illinois, 60459)

Second pizza of 2020 (First appearance for Little Franks)

When it comes to food in Burbank, Illinois, the first thing that jumps inside my mind is Chuck’s BBQ. All these years cruising down 79th street to and from Chucks I always notice Little Frank’s pizza place and it’s a tavern. Which is always a very nice combo. The first encounter with Little Frank was carry out. Did a pizza and an appetizer and picked it up since Frank does not deliver to my area which makes sense. Hopefully the drive back does not cause everything to be cold when we open up Little Franks for the first time. Bum warmers do come in handy as we did a MacGyver move that paid off.

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Little Frank brings the heat with his poppers. Inside each popper looked like cut up little pieces of jalapeno mixed in with the cheese. The poppers were the usual breading over the jalapeno, but the cheese was laced with fire.

This was my reaction as well. I loved the heat of these little breaded delights. Little Franks is off to a very hot start and I’m a fan already.

PIZZA

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The pizza was a thin crust half sausage all spinach since it was lent. We had to get by the Catholic security getting back home as they have checkpoints scattered all over. You know the Pope has a deal with the local seafood industry on these Fridays. As we opened up the pizza, especially from a new place, it has that Christmas feeling. The pizza just glistens in the light. I noticed a thick layer of cheese. The first bite is a packful of flavor. After the thick layer of melted cheese the sauce is mild, but savory with solid chunks of sausage that are juicy with the crust that melts in your mouth. The Spinach adds a another yummy flavor to mix. The edges of the crust are pillow soft like melt in your mouth good.

Little Franks and I are off to a very good start. I was overall impressed with the pizza and the appetizer. It’s a pizza that needs to be in the rotation regularly. Little Franks has a huge menu. I like the idea of indulging in other choices in the future. Plus a tavern I need to go in and talk to the locals and see how Little Franks tastes right out of the oven. Since Little Franks is the first thin crust of the year done by this blog, it has the number slot to itself for 2020. Overall I like Little Franks coming in at the new number 12 in the Thin Crust power rankings.

THE OVERALL POWER RANKINGS OF PIZZA IN THIN CRUST    

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	PALERMO’S	OAK LAWN
2	FLO & SANTO’S	CHICAGO
3	ROSANGELA’S	EVERGREEN PARK
4	NICK & VITO’S	CHICAGO
5	ANGIE’S	CHICAGO
6	KRAPIL’S	WORTH
7	MILANO’S	CHICAGO
8	BEGGARS	MERRIONETTE PARK
9	DURBINS	EVERGREEN PARK
10	FOX’S	OAK LAWN
11	WISEGUYS	CHICAGO
12	LITTLE FRANK’S	BURBANK
13	PIZZA PLUS	HOMETOWN
14	NINO’S	ALSIP
15	BLARNEY STONE	OAK FOREST
16	WALDO COONEY’S	CHICAGO
17	CLANCY’S PIZZA PUB	OAK LAWN
18	GRASSANO’S	OAK LAWN
19	PHIL’S	OAK LAWN
20	BARRACO’S	EVERGREEN PARK
21	CONTE’S	CHICAGO
22	HOME RUN INN	DARIEN

33rd PIZZA

• The Brass Tap (14225 95th Avenue, Orland Park, Illinois, 60462)
• First pizza of 2020 (first appearance by The Brass Tap)

Besides pizza restaurants. Besides pizza pubs. Sometimes you find a hidden pizza treasure just at a tavern or a pub. I know most taverns or bar and grills have the flat bread pizzas to offer. I know these same institutions have frozen pizza. Sometimes you find a pizza in a place like that which does not specialize in the pizza making. I found a specialty pizza that I liked at a place that is all about the craft beer… the Brass Tap in Orland Park, Illinois.

Brass Tap has multiple televisions above the bar to watch the game. Along with sports, they have beer. Lots of choices of taps that run practically the length of the bar. The Brass Tap was blogged once in our beer section of this blog. They have an interesting food menu with some great appetizers. Delicious sounding sandwiches. Green salads as well if you’re that type. Something caught my eyes on the menu which I did a double take on… pretzel crust style pizzas. If this does not say specialty pizza I don’t know what will. First let’s talk about the appetizer.

Did someone say totchos?

What the hell is a totcho? A totcho is beer cheese on top of chili and tater tots. Not just beer cheese as your arteries just high five you. It also is blended with shredded cheeses. Served with sour cream and jalapenos. What a start for the year of appetizers in the pizza world because this was magnificent.The taste had a nice heat with the flavor of all it coming together. You just wanted to be a savage and lick the plate after every bean and melty cheese was devoured. This should be the number one appetizer of 2020. Something big will have to occur to knock this baby off its perch.

After that I was ready for the pretzel pizza. As you can see I had my Roseangela’s pizza sweatshirt on I got for Christmas. People might think I just think about beer and pizza. Pizza and beer, you can say it that way and it makes more sense. These Pretzel Pizzas were individual size 8″. They had a few choices and I went with the Taco pizza.

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On a pretzel crust this little delight had cheeses, a mozzarella and cheddar blend mix. I’m Wisconsining it up on this night. The meat was sausage with a taco seasoning. It also had tomatoes, lettuce and tortilla chips. It was served with sour cream and salsa. You know I added more Jalapenos to the cause. What the hell it was Sunday Funday. It was like eating tacos with a pretzel shell, it was so good. When it comes to tacos as well I’m kind of like this guy from Chicago’s Best on WGN.

On our list of Specialty pizzas this would be the second taco pizza done by this blog. That first one called the San Patricio from Clancy’s Pizza Pub has the edge over the Brass Tap taco pretzel pizza. I do have the Brass tap taco creation pizza number five overall in the specialty pizza power rankings. The Brass tap right now has the best appetizer and pizza so far in 2020.

Overall Specialty Pizza Power Rankings

RANK	NAME	RESTAURANT
1	FLO’S POLISH	FLO & SANTOS
2	TUBBY O’TOOLE	FOX’S RESTAURANT IN OAK LAWN
3	SAN PATRICIO	CLANCY’S PIZZA AND PUB
4	THE CRETE SPECIAL	THE LOFT
5	TACO PIZZA	THE BRASS TAP
6	THE IRISHMAN	CLANCY’S PIZZA AND PUB
7	THE CHI-TOWN	OPEN OUTCRY
8	THE HAWAIIAN	OPEN OUTCRY

Our mission stays the same as we continue our search for the best pizza in Chicago and the surrounding areas. We have lots of new places to hit. We have some old places from which we want to try other pies on their menu as well.

THE 2019 WILD SHAMROCK PIZZA AWARDS

2019 FINAL THIN CRUST POWER RANKINGS

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	ROSEANGELA’S	EVERGREEN PARK
2	KRAPIL’S	WORTH
3	FOX’S	OAK LAWN
4	WISEGUYS	CHICAGO
5	BLARNEY STONE	OAK FOREST
6	GRASSANO’S	OAK LAWN
7	PHIL’S	OAK LAWN

2109 FINAL DEEP DISH/PAN/STUFFED CRUST POWER RANKINGS

RANK	NAME	CITY
1	NANCY’S	OAK LAWN

2019 FINAL SPECIALTY PIZZA POWER RANKINGS

RANK	NAME	RESTAURANT
1	THE CRETE SPECIAL	THE LOFT
2	THE HAWAIIAN	OPEN OUTCRY

THE WILD SHAMIES

BEST NEW PIZZA PLACE OF 2019: KRAPILS

BEST PLACE TO EAT PIZZA AT IN 2019: KRAPILS

BEST BEER GARDEN TO EAT PIZZA IN 2019: KRAPILS

BEST PIZZA PLACE APPETIZER WE INDULGED IN 2019: NANCY’S

(SEASONED POTATO WEDGES)

BEST DELIVERY:THE LOFT

(DELIVERED RIGHT TO THE BAR STOOL)

BEST OVERALL PIZZA IN 2019 ROSEANGELA’S

(THIN CRUST PUB STYLE PIZZA)

TEN TOTAL PIZZA PLACES BLOGGED ABOUT IN 2019

Krapil’s in Worth, Illinois bring home the most awards in 2019. A legendary steak house making awesome pizza pies.

They say the explorer Christopher Columbus went out for spices and discovered America on that voyage. Of course at that time they thought the earth was flat. Like you would set sail and just fall off the edge like some waterfall would lead you into space or another dimension. We know much more these days than back then. We even have sophisticated technology… a smart phone that knows all. Takes all the surprises out of traveling. Once in a great while you come across a surprise. Like the day Columbus set sail for spices. We drove the car to a brewery for beers that day. We discovered our own world, the Loft restaurant right upstairs from the brewery. We used that thing we call a smart phone because you can still use them to talk to people live. Placed a phone call upstairs. Placed an order. They deliver the food down to your bar stool in the brewery. Cannot disturb your drinking mojo. But on that night pizza was delivered right to my stool at the bar. A pizza place I discovered because I needed some craft beers like Columbus needed oregano. A pizza I never had is a form of a type of Christmas gift especially if it’s good.

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NAME: THE LOFT RESTAURANT

ADDRESS:1336 MAIN STREET

CRETE, ILLINOIS, 60417

STYLE:SPECIALTY    

APPEARANCES:FIRST TIME

11TH PIZZA OF 2019

32ND PIZZA OF THE BLOG

The Loft Restaurant in general has a big menu and a variety of different food to choose from. They have thin crust, deep dish, and a very intriguing list of specialty pizzas they make. We have only done one specialty pizza for the year so it was time to get another one under our belt buckle. We went with the Crete Combo thin crust style pizza. A pizza with two different meats and ran through the garden. We were going with the classic cow and pig combos which are like a pair of blue jeans, it goes with anything it seems. This pizza had ground beef and bacon.

The rest of the ingredients on the Crete special were onions, black olives and green peppers.

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The Loft Crete special featured a bready crust light on the sauce with crunchy edges. The sauce is mild with some spices as the taste comes from the meat juices with a big backing off the black olives. With everything blended together with just the right amount of cheese on top, it gives this pizza that salty sweet combo. It is well balanced out with each bite. The taste stays with and elevates the taste buds wanting more. You think this pizza with the bready crust would be filling, but it’s not like a pan crust which limits you to two slices. The whole combination makes this my top specialty pizza of the year. There are only two specialty pizzas in 2019 but it does well with the rest of the competition of these style pizzas over the years. Evil horse, I would be a staple in that place if I lived in the area. Me riding the Evil horse a few times a year will have me dive into some more of the Loft so stay tuned to more styles in 2020.

2019 Specialty Pizza Power Rankings

RANK	NAME	RESTAURANT
1	THE CRETE SPECIAL	THE LOFT
2	THE HAWAIIAN	OPEN OUTCRY

Overall Specialty Pizza Power Rankings

RANK	NAME	RESTAURANT
1	FLO’S POLISH	FLO & SANTOS
2	TUBBY O’TOOLE	FOX’S RESTAURANT IN OAK LAWN
3	SAN PATRICIO	CLANCY’S PIZZA AND PUB
4	THE CRETE SPECIAL	THE LOFT
5	THE IRISHMAN	CLANCY’S PIZZA AND PUB
6	THE CHI-TOWN	OPEN OUTCRY
7	THE HAWAIIAN	OPEN OUTCRY

When I hear the name Phil and he’s running a bar or restaurant, I think of the show Murphy Brown. The character, Phil, running his own establishment for all his patrons, the reporters of Washington DC. In between stories, Phil hearing the scoop from all the reporters in town. Dealing with Murphy Brown. Serving up burgers and beers. As he chews on a cigar and does things his way. Blunt as he takes no crap from anybody.

I found a Phil’s Pizza deep in the Oak Lawn neighborhood. Bordering right on the line with Chicago Ridge. It’s a carry out pizza joint or they will deliver it to you. The cool thing is they have beer and wine and will deliver that to you as well.  

Not in the delivery range of Phil’s territory. I could be like Elaine from Seinfeld and create a broom closet in some apartment complex and get Phil’s delivery that way.

To get Phil’s to the house on that night was a special pizza mission that involved leaving the house. It was not a mission from God. It is a special mission that would take a stealth plan to complete.  Like a bank robbery, in and out with nobody hurt.

NAME: PHIL’S PIZZA

ADDRESS: 8932 S. RIDGELAND

OAK LAWN, ILLINOIS,60453

STYLE: REGULAR CRUST

APPEARANCES:FIRST TIME

10TH PIZZA OF 2019

31ST PIZZA DONE FROM THIS BLOG

Mission was complete as we were able to get the pizza from Phil’s and bring it home. With all the work in that mission just to get it home, it made us hungry. Let’s dive in to the appetizer before we get into the pie part of the night.

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Breaded Cauliflower was the choice of the household that night. Your mum always tells you to eat all your veggies. She just forgot to tell you about breading them in a deep fryer. Which suddenly makes a normal veggie into something magically delicious. Lucky Charms for breakfast is starting to come out. Phil’s on the breaded cauliflower was excellent. It was lightly breaded, slightly greasy and melted in your mouth. They gave you a package of ranch sauce to dip them in. 

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For the pizza, we chose the regular crust over the thin crust. Next time we can go with the thin crust. We were hungry so the extra crust would be a nice filler which it was in Phil’s world. We did spinach and sausage, the usual combo we get. It has a lot crust. It is crunchy on the edges. Seems well done around the perimeter of the pizza and in the middle was just soft and gooey. Speaking of the blanket of cheese, it was gooey and stretchy. 

It was a lot of cheese which was chewy melty mozarella. They lay the ingredients on thick like Beggars and Wise Guys, some of the places we have visited all ready. The sauce was inbetween sweet and spicy more right in the dead middle, medium is the word I’m looking for… Big hunks of sausage with all the cheese and crust made sense. Spinach was plastered all over the pie and nicely on the perimeter around the crispy edges of the crust. Phil’s was a filler upper with this regular crust order. It was pretty tasty as well.  I would definitely explore more of the options Phil’s  has to offer. They have a huge menu of choices.

2019 Thin Crust Power Ranking

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	ROSEANGELA’S	EVERGREEN PARK
2	KRAPIL’S	WORTH
3	FOX’S	OAK LAWN
4	WISEGUYS	CHICAGO
5	BLARNEY STONE	OAK FOREST
6	GRASSANO’S	OAK LAWN
7	PHIL’S	OAK LAWN

THE OVERALL POWER RANKINGS OF PIZZA IN THIN CRUST    

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	PALERMO’S	OAK LAWN
2	FLO & SANTO’S	CHICAGO
3	ROSANGELA’S PIZZERIA	EVERGREEN PARK
4	NICK & VITO’S	CHICAGO
5	ANGIE’S	CHICAGO
6	KRAPIL’S	WORTH
7	MILANO’S	CHICAGO
8	BEGGARS	MERRIONETTE PARK
9	DURBINS	EVERGREEN PARK
10	FOX’S	OAK LAWN
11	WISEGUYS	CHICAGO
12	PIZZA PLUS	HOMETOWN
13	NINO’S PIZZA	ALSIP
14	BLARNEY STONE	OAK FOREST
15	WALDO COONEY’S	CHICAGO
16	CLANCY’S PIZZA PUB	OAK LAWN
17	GRASSANO’S	OAK LAWN
18	PHIL’S	OAK LAWN
19	BARRACO’S	EVERGREEN PARK
20	CONTE’S	CHICAGO
21	HOME RUN INN	DARIEN

The next pizza place declared FARGIN WAR on every pizza place in Chicago. Would you trust the Sopranos making you a pizza? Everyone knows not to bring a knife to a gun fight. 

Besides knowing how to use a tommy gun what else do these Wiseguys know how to do from Chicago? In my neighborhood the Wise Guys are not Al Capone, but they know how to make a pizza.

NAME:WISEGUYS PIZZA

3822 W.111TH STREET

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, 60655

STYLE:THIN CRUST

APPEARANCES: FIRST TIME

9TH PIZZA OF 2019

30TH PIZZA SAMPLED ON THIS BLOG

This place takes it’s name seriously. Their specialty pizzas pay homage gangsters such as: Lucky Luciano, Al Capone and Bugs Moran.  We definitely look forward to trying out some of those.

Have you heard about pizza’s with more toppings than crust? Think Beggars pizza. These guys are wise to create thin, but strong crust to handle all the toppings. The crust has crunchy edges and the sweet pureed pizza sauce spreads all the way to the edge.

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We ordered our usual… all spinach, all sausage, all the time.The spinach is juicy, but not watery. The cheese is chewy and stretchy, clinging to that excellent crust.  There is barely any grease.  All the things you want in a pizza.

Our delivery man, “Johnny” must have been living dangerously, as he raced the food to our house on a weekend night.

Our onion rings still tasted fresh out of the fryer.

As you can see from the rankings, we plan to cram this into our rotation. The food is fresh, delivery is quick, and it’s less than 5 minutes away.

2019 Thin Crust Power Ranking

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	ROSEANGELA’S	EVERGREEN PARK
2	KRAPIL’S	WORTH
3	FOX’S	OAK LAWN
4	WISEGUYS	CHICAGO
5	BLARNEY STONE	OAK FOREST
6	GRASSANO’S	OAK LAWN

THE OVERALL POWER RANKINGS OF PIZZA IN THIN CRUST    

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	PALERMO’S	OAK LAWN
2	FLO & SANTO’S	CHICAGO
3	ROSANGELA’S PIZZERIA	EVERGREEN PARK
4	NICK & VITO’S	CHICAGO
5	ANGIE’S	CHICAGO
6	KRAPIL’S	WORTH
7	MILANO’S	CHICAGO
8	BEGGARS	MERRIONETTE PARK
9	DURBINS	EVERGREEN PARK
10	FOX’S	OAK LAWN
11	WISEGUYS	CHICAGO
12	PIZZA PLUS	HOMETOWN
13	NINO’S PIZZA	ALSIP
14	BLARNEY STONE	OAK FOREST
15	WALDO COONEY’S	CHICAGO
16	CLANCY’S PIZZA PUB	OAK LAWN
17	GRASSANO’S	OAK LAWN
18	BARRACO’S	EVERGREEN PARK
19	CONTE’S	CHICAGO
20	HOME RUN INN	DARIEN

Our next pizza we do not want TO escape. It is not a New York style pizza in which we would surely be like Snake Plissken and escape to Chicago for the best pizza. This next establishment was escaping work for some beer and pizza. It was escaping one of the worse slave drivers in the history of America. Nazi Green….

We have another Irish establishment that makes pizza to talk about. Greatest thing about Chicago pizza is that every nationality is making some type of pie. Most of them are excellent. This time we kiss the Blarney Stone in Oak Forest, Illinois and see what they’re all about. After working the Nazi shift, Blarney Stone happy hour featured a few pizzas to help yourself. It was very good and great with a Guinness as well. 

NAME:BLARNEY STONE PUB

15400 S. CICERO

OAK FOREST, ILLINOIS, 60452

STYLE:THIN CRUST

APPEARANCES: FIRST TIME

8TH PIZZA OF 2019

29TH OVERALL PIZZA ON THIS BLOG

In my mind, I always remember the Blarney Stone from all those work days. Getting together with co workers to talk about the agony that  management would put us through. How the company was all about the almighty buck and everything else was irrelevant.  Finally on a Sunday Funday I was able to get back to my old stomping grounds and enjoy one of their Irish style pies in the south suburbs, of course south of Chi-town. 

 We went with their thin crust style pizza. All sausage all spinach. This is one of the thickest thin crust pizzas we have indulged in. Reminds me of Beggars, another pizza we have indulged in with all the ingredients and topped with mounds and mounds of cheese.

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The pizza crust I thought was grainy and chewy with a very nice texture to it. The edges of the crust were crispy. The insides were light and chewy. They are not shy with the ingredients. Lots of spinach that would make Popeye the sailor man blow his pipe with a toot toot. The sausage was hand crumbled, savory with some spice. The sauce was tangy sweet, but had a mild spice. Then they load the fresh cheese on to this pizza by the truck load. It was gooey and stringy as each slice was very tasty coming right out of their oven. 

Blarney Stone includes a very large tap beer menu with many craft choices. If you don’t like pizza and are reading this blog, there’s plenty of other great choices of food on their menu. They have a beer garden. Great service. Great atmosphere every time I go there as the people are very nice. I’ve seen live music. On my bucket list is the St.Patrick’s Day pub crawl at which they use one of their green buses to drive you to each Oak Forest watering hole. Plus they use those buses for field trips to pub events such as games and concerts. 

I have the Blarney Stone Pub coming in at number 4 for the year in thin crust pizzas in 2019.

2019 Thin Crust Power Ranking

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	ROSEANGELA’S	EVERGREEN PARK
2	KRAPIL’S	WORTH
3	FOX’S	OAK LAWN
4	BLARNEY STONE	OAK FOREST
5	GRASSANO’S	OAK LAWN

On my overall power rankings list of pizzas, I have the Blarney Stone in the number 13 slot. If Blarney Stone was in delivery range it would be in the regular location. Since there is no easy access pick up or delivery, it’s a treat. This is a must pizza in my book to have a couple times a year. To make the trip out there and enjoy the fun food and great beverages. Bringing a group out to their establishment and enjoying a night out with pretty good pizza. I can see this pizza being stuck in the middle of the rankings of the future.

THE OVERALL POWER RANKINGS OF PIZZA IN THIN CRUST    

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	PALERMO’S	OAK LAWN
2	FLO & SANTO’S	CHICAGO
3	ROSANGELA’S PIZZERIA	EVERGREEN PARK
4	NICK & VITO’S	CHICAGO
5	ANGIE’S	CHICAGO
6	KRAPIL’S	WORTH
7	MILANO’S	CHICAGO
8	BEGGARS	MERRIONETTE PARK
9	DURBINS	EVERGREEN PARK
10	FOX’S	OAK LAWN
11	PIZZA PLUS	HOMETOWN
12	NINO’S PIZZA	ALSIP
13	BLARNEY STONE	OAK FOREST
14	WALDO COONEY’S	CHICAGO
15	CLANCY’S PIZZA PUB	OAK LAWN
16	GRASSANO’S	OAK LAWN
17	BARRACO’S	EVERGREEN PARK
18	CONTE’S	CHICAGO
19	HOME RUN INN	DARIEN

The return to Fox’s Restaurant & Pub in Oak Lawn was another successful trip. In our first trip we walked on Mercury and tackled their pizza with all the MEAT… the Tubby O’Toole, one of their specialty pizzas. We survived without our names on the walls. Not even a stinkin’ tee shirt announcing we ravaged and carnival-ed ourselves with the meat creation. Even our own pets thought we’d eat them for weeks after. This second trip to Foxes was much simpler. Just their regular thin crust pizza which they do really well.

NAME: FOX’S RESTAURANT & PUB

ADDRESS: 9240 S. CICERO

OAK LAWN, ILLINOIS, 60453

STYLE:THIN CRUST

APPEARANCES: SECOND GO AROUND

7TH PIZZA IN 2019

28TH OVERALL PIZZA WE HAVE CONQUERED

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Fox’s has a few locations, but over the years the Oak Lawn location is the one we have history with. From the wedding rehearsal dinners in the families to hearing about the cooks having a knife fight in the kitchen which became a crime scene. I was not a personal witness to that altercation, but from reliable sources through the grapevine, I heard the story multiple times. Years ago I thought eating the pizza at the restaurant was different than take out. Obviously, eating pizza right out of the oven is better than delivery. They seem to have fixed that where you’re getting the same quality of food no matter which avenue you proceed. Going there, you feel like you are a time traveler sent back in time to a much friendlier place. Like those old diners at the truck stop with that great friendly waitress staff that might tell you to “kiss my grits.”

I’m impressed with the service as every time it’s an enjoyable experience with consistently good eats and drinks. The thin crust pizza we indulged in was your standard sausage.

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The crust is very thin and covered in their zesty sweet red sauce. The edges are crisp. The middle pieces melt in your mouth, not in your hands (as I steal the M&M slogan.) Candy prices are too high, they’ll get over it. They have a savory crumpled style of sausage that covers the pizza well. The perfect amount of cheese, that if you’re hungry enough you could put a huge dent in one of their pies because you just can’t have one slice or chip (and now I took the potato chip slogan.) I’m batting .1000 with the slogans on this pizza description.

2019 Thin Crust Power Ranking

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	ROSEANGELA’S	EVERGREEN PARK
2	KRAPIL’S	WORTH
3	FOX’S	OAK LAWN
4	GRASSANO’S	OAK LAWN

I have Fox’s coming in at number three overall out of the four thin crust pizzas we have done this year. Foxes I believe is a top ten pizza in most people’s opinions around the neighborhood. I placed it at number ten so it will be in the top ten in our thin crust pizza rankings.

Overall Thin Crust Standings

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	PALERMO’S	OAK LAWN
2	FLO & SANTO’S	CHICAGO
3	ROSANGELA’S PIZZERIA	EVERGREEN PARK
4	NICK & VITO’S	CHICAGO
5	ANGIE’S	CHICAGO
6	KRAPIL’S	WORTH
7	MILANO’S	CHICAGO
8	BEGGARS	MERRIONETTE PARK
9	DURBINS	EVERGREEN PARK
10	FOX’S	OAK LAWN
11	PIZZA PLUS	HOMETOWN
12	NINO’S PIZZA	ALSIP
13	WALDO COONEY’S	CHICAGO
14	CLANCY’S PIZZA PUB	OAK LAWN
15	GRASSANO’S	OAK LAWN
16	BARRACO’S	EVERGREEN PARK
17	CONTE’S	CHICAGO
18	HOME RUN INN	DARIEN

After a very long work week, at least in my book, a pizza on Friday night starts off the weekend very nicely. To get over the rotten taste your Nazi dictators left on your mind during the long week. To rid your thoughts of those bosses and upper management, beer can solve those issues. A winning recipe for success of course is beer and pizza. This next pizza was at the brewery called the Open Outcry. It was a beautiful night and the place had their front windows open at the store front. A nice beverage, a nice breeze, a great atmosphere, and of course mama mia… a pizza pie and I’m thinking “Nazi who?”

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NAME:OPEN OUTCRY BREWERY

ADDRESS:10934 S. WESTERN AVENUE

CHICAGO,ILLINOIS,60643

STYLE:SPECIALTY

APPEARANCES:SECOND TIME

6TH PIZZA IN 2019

27TH PIZZA OVERALL GOBBLED UP LIKE CARNIV0RES

Open Outcry brewing is in the regular rotation. This is the second pizza we have indulged in from the brewery. We have also covered one of their beers in the Beer section of this blog. Open Outcry has the standard 12″ pie. On the menu most of their pizzas would be specialty types of pies. In the past we tried the Ch-town that had Italian beef and giardiniera topped with home fries and cheese. This go around we felt like trying another off the wall type of pizza, so we went Hawaiian style. Grab your surf board and lets dive into the Hawaiian BBQ pizza and see where she falls in our specialty pizza power rankings.

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Open Outcry is your classic New York style of pizza. It’s sliced in triangles and it has soft crust. The Hawaiian BBQ consists of pineapple and sausage. Most Hawaiian pizzas have the ham and pineapple combo. Instead of the red sauce, Open Outcry uses a bourbon BBQ sauce. It’s a sweet sauce with a tint of bourbon flavor. The Sausage balances out the sweetness better than the ham in my opinion. Like with all their pizzas they put their own spin on things and are not your typical traditional recipes. The sausage they put on is savory and this pizza had the perfect amount of cheese on a rising soft crust style pizza.

Hawaiian pizzas are only a once in awhile thing for me. Whenever I have the taste for one, they are very satisfying. The first pizza we got was the Chi-Town because the Italian beef and I meet much more than one to two times a year. I would give that pizza the leg up over the Hawaiian. On the Specialty pizza power rankings, I have the Open Out Cry Hawaiian pizza as the caboose of the half dozen. Main reason again, the rest of the specialty pizzas we did I would eat them much more. Right now in 2019, the Hawaiian pizza from the Open Outcry is number one as it is the only specialty pizza done this year.

Overall Specialty Pizzas Power Rankings

RANK	NAME OF PIZZA	RESTAURANT
1	FLO’S POLISH	FLO & SANTO’S
2	TUBBY O’TOOLE	FOX’S RESTAURANT AND PUB IN OAK LAWN
3	SAN PATRICIO	CLANCY’S PIZZA AND PUB
4	THE IRISHMAN	CLANCY’S PIZZA AND PUB
5	THE CHI-TOWN	OPEN OUTCRY
6	THE HAWAIIAN	OPEN OUTCRY

We cut into our first deep dish pizza for 2019. Actually we went with a stuffed deep dish pizza as our first in our category of stuffed, pan crust and deep dish for the year. We went with the lady that invented the stuffed pizza, Nancy herself. Nancy gets around in Chicagoland with multiple locations throughout. I have had a variety of things on their menu over the years. On this evening we had the craving for some thick cheesy style pizza so we gave the lady legend, Nancy, a call in Alsip during which we spoke to someone else. However the person on the phone was the brain behind the operations that arranged for one of Nancy’s stuffed crust pies to be delivered. We have only have done five pizzas in the deep, thick, and saucy category. Let’s see how she fared.

NANCY’S PIZZA

11513 S.PULASKI AVE

ALSIP, ILLINOIS, 60803

STYLE: STUFFED CRUST

APPEARANCES: FIRST TIME

FOURTH PIZZA OF 2019

26TH PIZZA DESTROYED BY THIS BLOG

Delivery was right on when they said they would be there. Everything we ordered was nice and hot. Everything was fresh and ready to be devoured. Everything about Nancy’s was so far excellent from the person who answered the phone to the delivery driver. I would definitely do repeat business with them again just for quality customer service.

We did the pizza and somehow our eyes were bigger than our tummies because we did get an appetizer. Look at the size of those wedges. Nancy calls them her Seasoned Potato Wedges and it was definitely taters seasoned to perfection. The wedges were enormous and were perfect. Not too crunchy, not too soft. Right in the middle.

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We went with the sausage and spinach combo as this has been a  go-to on this pizza blog. First thing that jumped out to me was the Parmesan cheese sprinkled on  top of the pizza. This gave Nancy’s chunky sweet tomato sauce a very nice flavor. I loved the crust which is bready. Not bready like in the jail cell where you need some water to get down. Then it gets choked in your wind pipe as you scramble to the sink to find it broken. Toilet water saves your life once again. Only in my dog’s world. I mean the crust is fresh baked bread. The toppings were not chintzy. Chunks of sausage spread out to perfection on every bite. Huge glorious fresh spinach leaves I would say right from the garden. What makes the Nancy’s pizza go like a car that needs its oil is the cheese. It’s a ton of chewy cheese that plays well with everything else and makes this a Mama Mia. Nancy has a tremendous pie.

Obviously this was the first thick pizza of the 2019 season. Nancy’s has the number one slot for the year to herself. Overall Nancy’s Stuffed made its way to number two on the food chain in the big boy crust pizzas.

DEEP DISH/STUFFED PIZZA POWER RANKINGS
RANK	NAME	CITY
1	LOUISA’S	CRESTWOOD
2	NANCY’S	ALSIP
3	LOU MALNATI’S	NAPERVILLE
4	NINO’S	ALSIP
5	PIZZA PLUS	HOMETOWN

Nancy’s edges out Lou Malnatis. I think it has to do with the cheese. Not who cut the cheese. Everyone knows a smelly farm animal that lets loose the cheese on regular basis. But Louisa’s was the very first deep crust pizza we did. Louisa beats Nancy in the mud wrestling pit as they beat up John Candy first.

I think Louisa’s buttery cornmeal crust makes her pizza just a tad better then good ole Nancy’s.

One of the best things for a hang over after a long night of drinking has been some greasy food. Something that will coat the stomach. Something that will soak up all the alcohol if you wake up and are still buzzed. Everyone has their own food type, from sliders to burritos. This next pizza is perfect for a hangover. It has the grease, thick cheese, and it will help you get off the couch. At least to answer the door for the delivery person.

GRASSANO’S PIZZA

5651 W 87TH STREET

OAK LAWN, ILLINOIS, 60453

STYLE:THIN CRUST

APPEARANCES:FIRST TIME

THIRD PIZZA OF 2019

25TH PIZZA DONE BY THIS BLOG

Grassono’s pizza immediately had me flashbacking to two pizza places of the past. Two really good places that should be still making pies these days. First, from the same location as  Grassano’s, a place called Pudgey’s. Second, Grassano’s menu and prices reminds me of the old neighborhood place called the Pizza Man. Plus they have those huge pizza puffs that the Pizza Man offered. This Grassano’s place is already in my book and will be explored to it’s fullest. I already knew I liked the pizza coming in, as I had it at a party, before I dialed the phone.

On this Sunday Funday, adding a pizza to the mix was the way to go to cap the weekend off. Dialed up two appetizers with a regular thin crust pizza with sausage. With their prices I felt like the Millionaire on Gilligan’s Island. Gilligan took my wife so I settled for both Mary Anne and Ginger, which solves that old bar question of who would I rather. .

The Ginger and Mary Ann I picked as appetizers, were the Onion Rings and the breaded zucchini sticks.

The onion rings were huge, breaded and had a crunch of deliciousness. The Zucchini sticks were also breaded and had a crispy bite to them. The flavoring of the zucchini was fresh and juicy that made this a must order again in the future.

The delivery went according to plan as they were actually earlier than the time they said. The pizza was piping hot so I knew the evening was off to a good start for the upcoming episode of the Walking Dead. Enough of painting the picture, let’s get down and dive in to the pizza.

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Grassano’s thin crust has crispy edges with the bottom of the crust melting in your mouth. They have a nice sweet sauce with a medium spice on their savory sausage. Then you add the thick level of cheese on an overall greasy pizza and it’s quite tasty. Your hangover immediately cured. Grassano’s is one of those pizzas you need to rotate in and out of the regular rotation. I feel its like one those special pizza places like a left handed pitcher in the bullpen. You call it in to get out the tough batter.It’s a important place to have when life has you troubled with runners on base. Grassano’s comes out of the bullpen to do the job.

Grassano’s for the 2019 pizza season is lined up as number three in my pizza bullpen so far.

2019 Thin Crust Power Ranking

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	ROSEANGELA’S	EVERGREEN PARK
2	KRAPIL’S	WORTH
3	GRASSANO’S	OAK LAWN

Overall I like Grassano’s better than a few of the pizzas so far in the big picture of things. I know it will be better than many pizzas in the future as well. We will explore their other options on their menu so it will not be the last time you hear about Grassano’s on the South Side.

Overall Thin Crust Standings

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	PALERMO’S	OAK LAWN
2	FLO & SANTO’S	CHICAGO
3	ROSANGELA’S PIZZERIA	EVERGREEN PARK
4	NICK & VITO’S	CHICAGO
5	ANGIE’S	CHICAGO
6	KRAPIL’S	WORTH
7	MILANO’S	CHICAGO
8	BEGGARS	MERRIONETTE PARK
9	DURBINS	EVERGREEN PARK
10	PIZZA PLUS	HOMETOWN
11	NINO’S PIZZA	ALSIP
12	WALDO COONEY’S	CHICAGO
13	CLANCY’S PIZZA PUB	OAK LAWN
14	GRASSANO’S	OAK LAWN
15	BARRACO’S	EVERGREEN PARK
16	CONTE’S	CHICAGO
17	HOME RUN INN	DARIEN

Can you trust a steak house to make a great pizza? Found out it is possible. Now the question on your minds may be… can a pizzeria come up with a good steak? This is not ordering a burger at a taco joint. This pizza from this steak house was accidentally found. Like one of those explorers way back in time who ran into a new continent going out on a boat looking for good spices. This pizza had some really good spices. This steak house I have been to before and I knew they had a pub menu with their huge patio bar and outdoor beer garden. Have not been to eat there in awhile and found pizza on their menu. That day we settled for their other pub food choices. But I came back on another day and found a gem of all gems. A thin crust pizza at Krapil’s steak house. It’s definitely a great find. It’s a find where you want this pizza in your regular pizza rotation.

NAME: KRAPIL’S STEAK HOUSE

ADDRESS: 6600 W. 111TH STREET

WORTH,ILLINOIS, 60482

STYLE:THIN CRUST

APPEARANCES: FIRST TIME

24TH PIZZA OVERALL PIZZA DEVOURED ON THIS BLOG

SECOND PIZZA OF 2019

It was cold out, so we sat inside the pub part of the building. The bar is huge and made out of nice woods with rock pillars. It looks out on the beer garden as the sun shines in from the glass doors, which raise up when it’s nice out. The atmosphere is electric inside, especially when they have live entertainment. They have afull bar menu with a few choices of tap beer. They also have plenty of bottle choices.

For our appetizer with the pizza, we went with their garlic bread.

It came in a basket. They have to char grill this bread because it was tasty and a different style of doing things when it came to your garlic bread. It had that grilled taste with a flavorful butter garlic flavor oozing off the bread. Each bite you can taste the explosion of garlic and butter coming out of all the nooks and crannies in the bread.

Now the wait is over and the pizza has arrived..

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For a thin crust pizza, Krapil’s steak house makes their pie very filling. We did the standard sausage which was cut in squares. First bite, the thing that jumps at me right away is the spice. Not needing-to-finish-your-beer type of spice, to put out a fire. The sausage they use is spicy and  savory. I think their sauce has spices in it with a strong sense of oregano presence. Each slice has lots of sauce and they don’t hold back. The edges of the crust are crispy. The middle of the crust seems to melt in your mouth. It has to be the cheese that makes this thin crust so filling as it’s so dense and chewy at the same time. Overall it was well worth it to try a pizza from a well known steak house, where they pride themselves as being top notch when it comes to the meat.

In 2019, we have done two great thin crust pizzas so far. Both of them I loved. I have to give Rosangelas pizza the edge over the Krapils thin crust by an eyelash. I think Krapils will be a top of the charts pizza this year. Overall in my thin crust pizza power rankings, I have Krapil’s better than quite a few of the pizzas we have on our list. They missed the top five by one as I placed Krapil’s at number six overall on the pizza power rankings of all-time.

 

This next place is the home of my father’s favorite pizza. This is Stan, above, and he brought the family up on a neighborhood joint called Rosangela’s Pizzeria. It’s located in Evergreen Park and right across the street from Little Company Mary Hospital, the place I was born. The place where it seems most of Chicago was born, at some point in time. Perhaps lack of hospitals. Maybe they had the only stork business in town at the time.

Lets tell you about Stan the Man. He’s a simple man. He was a blue collar worker for decades and hard work is what life is all about. Then you are awarded with beer and pizza. Of course, sports have to be on the television. If you get hurt in life, rub some dirt on it or his famous line, “put a little spitty mitty on it,” and get back in the game. Make sure you finish that last slice. No wasting food. Stan was from the depression and he worked hard for his money. He is still old school in life. He believes picking up the pizza is the only way to do things. Delivery is a waste of time, waste of money, and the pizza is too cold. This a man that carried his brothers and sisters up the big mountain of snow in the blizzard to school. He just wants his pizza hot with sausage and cheese only. No other ingredients because it’s not a salad. He use to be a stickler for no appetizers. These days he has caved in on that idea. This round of pizza we did not get appetizers. We went with sausage and cheese. It was picked up. It was Stan, my brother Rob, and I indulging in a week night treat of tavern style pizza from Rosangela’s in the EP.

NAME: ROSANGELA’S PIZZERIA

ADDRESS: 2702,2807 1/2 WEST 95TH STREET

EVERGREEN PARK, ILLINOIS, 60805

STYLE: THIN CRUST

APPEARANCES: FIRST TIME

23RD PIZZA OVERALL DONE BY THIS BLOG

FIRST PIZZA OF 2019

Rosangela’s Pizzeria has been an Evergreen Park institution since 1955. They have seen it all in this south suburb. They have seen pizza places float in and out of this town. Pizza Crossing, the Pizza Man, Baldinellis, and that rotating pizza place. It’s now a Chinese place, next to the old White Hen Pantry, that turned into a 7/11 and now is just the plain old Evergreen Park Pantry. If you catch my drift… that strip mall of businesses never was able to get one business to root there for a very long time. They saw Barraco’s expand to a bigger location. They saw Barraco’s burn in a fire. They have reopened. Rosangela’s pizzeria stood its ground and has not moved since the 1950’s. They still serve the same exact recipe since they opened back then. Don’t change the light bulb if it works, people like Stan would say.

The Classic Tavern style pizza is known for their cracker crust. Which is crunchy crust. It’s crust that holds the toppings well, no bend or break in the middle.

Everything is homemade, it has to be as this pizza is awesome. Stan was right, it was very hot from picking it up. Old School is always the right way.

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The pizza is cut in squares, the Chicago way. The sauce has a slight sweetness. The perfect amount, not too much and not too little. The cheese is fresh. It has to blend with other cheeses, because this with the sausage and crust makes this thing happen. Stan wants sausage only. He is right on that because Rosangela’s has a tasty seasoned sausage that is great as the only ingredient. They are not chintzy on the toppings. I will say if you go with more than one ingredient, this pizza still rocks. I waited a few years and saved this pizza for the right time to write about. On a night the women were out of town. When men can feast. Talk sports and burp suds from the beer.

Obviously it is the first pizza written in 2019, so Rosangela’s is number one in thin crust power rankings for the year. I knew this day would come. Roseangela’s I knew would be a top pizza in my book. I have some great pizzas already in the top five. This was a very hard choice to make. I have to slide it in at the number three spot ahead of Nick and Vitos and Angies pizza which is in my regular rotation, as I discovered it only last year. Palermos and Flo & Santo’s have the edge over Rosangela’s not by much. My top six pizzas in the thin crust category are solid options. All of them have something special and stand out in their own ways.

Overall Thin Crust Standings

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	PALERMO’S	OAK LAWN
2	FLO & SANTO’S	CHICAGO
3	ROSANGELA’S PIZZERIA	EVERGREEN PARK
4	NICK & VITO’S	CHICAGO
5	ANGIE’S	CHICAGO
6	MILANO’S	CHICAGO
7	BEGGARS	MERRIONETTE PARK
8	DURBINS	EVERGREEN PARK
9	PIZZA PLUS	HOMETOWN
10	NINO’S PIZZA	ALSIP
11	WALDO COONEY’S	CHICAGO
12	CLANCY’S PIZZA PUB	OAK LAWN
13	BARRACO’S	EVERGREEN PARK
14	CONTE’S	CHICAGO
15	HOME RUN INN	DARIEN

THE WILD SHAMROCK PIZZA AWARDS FOR 2018

2018 Thin Crust Power Ranking

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	ANGIE’S	CHICAGO
2	MILANO’S	CHICAGO
3	DURBINS	EVERGREEN PARK
4	CLANCY’S	OAK LAWN
5	BARRACO’S	EVERGREEN PARK
6	HOME RUN INN	DARIEN

THE SPECIALTY POWER RANKINGS 2018

RANK	NAME	RESTAURANT
1	THE IRISHMAN	CLANCY’S
2	THE CHI-TOWN	OPEN OUTCRY

THE DEEP DISH AND STUFFED PIZZA POWER RANKINGS 2018

RANK	RESTAURANT	TYPE
1	NINO’S	DEEP DISH
2	PIZZA PLUS	DEEP DISH

BEST NEW PLACE: ANGIE’S SPORTS BAR & PIZZERIA

BEST PLACE TO EAT AT: CLANCY’S PIZZA PUB

BEST BEER GARDEN TO EAT AT:  NOTHING AVAILABLE

BEST SELECTION OF BEERS AT PIZZA PLACE: OPEN OUTCRY BREWING

BEST APPETIZER: DURBINS (THE COMBO PLATTER & DONUT HOLES)

BEST DELIVERY: MILANOS

BEST OVERALL PIZZA OF THE YEAR: ANGIE’S THIN CRUST

2018 PIZZAS TACKLED

ANGIE’S SPORTS BAR & PIZZERIA

8352 S.PULASKI

CHICAGO,ILLINOIS,60652

STYLE OF PIZZA: THIN CRUST

22ND PIZZA SAMPLED OVERALL

APPEARANCES: FIRST TIME

10TH PIZZA IN 2018

I’ve always heard about Angie’s pizza. Heard it was a great place for a game in their sports bar. Passed it up many of times driving by over the years. It is not that far from my home. It’s in that direction I hardly take.  It’s always been on the mind that I had to get to this place some day. Finally remembered, pulled the trigger, and went there.

It’s a family joint, as we met one of the owners who goes by Robbie. Made us feel like at home, being there. Gave us recommendations on what to try just being at his establishment for the first time. We went with the chicken wings. We went with a regular crust pizza with Italian beef and all the fix ins. The inside was a great atmosphere with plenty of TVs to watch the game. Plenty of great beers on the taps. It was absolutely a great night, but we did not like the pictures we took to show how great Angie Pizza was.  That pizza will be ordered again. However, we did get the pizza delivered to the house. We went with wings again. The second go around we had a thin crust pizza. The second time, the pictures came out better. Now we get to rave about the thin crust pizza we had and we know in the back of our minds we have a regular crust pizza with Italian beef on top of it, as a must do again for 2019. This time we have all the facts with nice pictures of that award winning pizza.

I’ve been to Buffalo, New York and I have indulged in the greatest wings I think in the States. Perhaps the World because I don’t think they go well with warm English beers at their pubs. Not just the tourist places in Buffalo, we found the “local yokel” places. Sure back home we went to Buffalo Wild Wings. Nothing special. Looked at the hooters at Hooters. Once you go first class, you don’t want to go back to Coach. Angie’s is the first place I thought “Holy Cats Batman is screwing the Cat Woman, this is awesome.”

Angie’s wings put out some impressive hotness, just like speak of the devil the Cat Woman presence. To me the breading on the wings absorbs the sauce really nicely. It’s not too wet and taste stays in the meat. They provide some ranch dipping sauces if you go that route and it makes Angie’s wings a taste explosion and must-order every time you go there.

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Angie’s offers two types of crusts, regular and thin crust. We went with the thin crust as you can see the pizza sliced up into squares, which are a tad above paper thin. Getting the pizza delivered it had that fresh out of the oven taste. Perhaps they use Jimmy Johns to deliver their food because it was hot and this thin crust pizza was amazing. This go around we did the standard, all sausage all the time. The sausage has some spice with some big savory going on. It is well spaced out on each slice which had a nice rich sauce with some nice flavoring. It has crispy outside crust and the middle is bread-like.They have the perfect amount of cheese to bring this pizza together as one of the best of the year.

In 2018, we had some great thin crust pizzas from a few places. To me in 2018, I have to put Angie’s on top of my list as the best thin crust pizza of the year.

Overall In the Thin crust power rankings, I have Angie’s in our top five pizzas. I have it at number four. It’s a place I will order from more often in the regular rotation. I do want to get the regular crust pizza and give that a whirl. I had the regular crust with the Italian beef and that has to be tried again because that one was pure awesomeness. In 2019, we will definitely dissect Angie’s pizza more and see what makes these pies tick. We will also have plenty more new places we will get to for our third year doing this pizza blog. As our mission goals stay the same… to find the best pizzas in the Chicago or the Chicagoland area.

OPEN OUT CRY BREWERY

10934 S. WESTERN AVENUE

CHICAGO,ILLINOIS, 60643

STYLE OF PIZZA: SPECIALTY

21st PIZZA SAMPLED OVERALL

APPEARANCES: FIRST TIME

9TH PIZZA IN 2018

What’s better than a brewery with their own brew pub? A brewery that serves up pizzas at their brew pub. That brings us to Open Outcry in Chicago. Relatively still new and a place that makes some well done craft beers. Check out their beers in our beer section of the blog. Some breweries have food trucks. Some breweries have some snacks. Some places you can even bring in your own food. Open Outcry has food and they also serve up the pizza. We were very intrigued to see what they have to offer.

Open Outcry has multiple pizzas to choose from. Many of them, in my book, would be specialty pizzas. We went with one of their most popular choices, a pizza called the Chi-Town. We had seen this pizza on the show Chicago’s best and it looked quite good. The Chi-Town is like an Italian beef sandwich on a pizza.

First we had to try the cheese curds. We needed something to snack on after a few flights of beer. We are going Wisconsin and Chicago style with this meal of the century.

The Curds looked hand made. Very plump and buttery. With a taste of cheese explosion in your mouth. Popped them in our mouths like popcorn at the movies. They were so good and very addicting, so probably made with crack cheese.

Then the time came to dig into the Chi-town. All their pizzas are 12 inches made for two people. If you’re hungry enough, you might go to town and eat one whole one by yourself. This pizza had fries on top it. Like how Chunky soup says their soup is not soup, it’s actually a meal.

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Like a kid taking his finger and dipping it into the frosting of the cake, I grabbed a french fry. The fry was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The perfect amount of salt to get this party going. The Chi-Town consisted of Italian beef, Giardiniera, cheese, and sauce on a soft pizza crust, and obviously had fries on the top of it. This pizza has the Chicago name on it, but definitely is a New York style. Alarm bells rang in the noggin. Those old Pace Picante commercials…

GET A ROPE.. Yes, indeed very New York Style. The crust was soft and chewy. It was cut in triangular form, not squares. The slices were floppy. It’s still a pizza even though it could possibly be more Digiorno than pizzeria. After a few sips of their beer which I will rave about how good that was, I calmed my nerves and dug in. The ingredients made this pizza actually turn out pretty good. The billowy pillows of cheese with a nice cut of Italian beef with the right amount of spices in the meat started to turn my taste buds around. Plus the heat the giardiniera brought to the table made this work nicely. They have savory sauce on their pies. They go light with the sauce, but it brings out the top notch ingredients they put on it. If you leave the fries on top of of the pizza when you take a bite, it enhances the whole pizza.

Overall I did like the pizza at the Open Outcry. I will go back their for the beer and have the Chi-Town again. The other choices they had sounded amazing. Like the Mac-and Cheese one. The Curds are a must have if you go there. This was only the second Specialty pizza of the year. Clancy’s Irishman gets the nod as the best specialty pizza of 2018 so far out of the two. The Chi-Town will be hard to beat when we add more pizzas and will hold it’s own against the stiff competition we call Chicago Pizza.

Overall Specialty Pizzas Power Rankings

RANK	NAME OF PIZZA	RESTAURANT
1	FLO’S POLISH	FLO & SANTO’S
2	TUBBY O’TOOLE	FOX’S RESTAURANT AND PUB IN OAK LAWN
3	SAN PATRICIO	CLANCY’S PIZZA AND PUB
4	THE IRISHMAN	CLANCY’S PIZZA AND PUB
5	THE CHI-TOWN	OPEN OUTCRY

CLANCY’S PIZZA PUB

4624 W 103RD STREET

OAK LAWN,ILLINOIS, 6O453

STYLE OF PIZZA: SPECIALTY

APPEARANCES: THIRD TIME

21ST OVERALL PIZZA SAMPLED

8TH PIZZA IN 2018

Something keeps drawing us back to Clancy’s Pizza Pub. Could it be the live entertainment? Could it be the Irish Pub atmosphere? Has to be the Irish suds. What about the Irish dishes they have to offer that are out of this world awesome? This is the pizza part of the blog, so it has to be the pie. All of the above, if you are scoring at home. This will be our third pizza we have done for this blog at Clancy’s. We loved their thin crust. We went Mexican pizza the Irish way, with their San Patricio. Now we are going to dig deep into another specialty pizza that they call the Irishman.

The Irishman consists of corned beef, sausage, and red onion. We know corned beef is America’s adopted meat for the Irish. I’m not complaining. You might be skeptical having corned beef on a pizza. This is a must try.  The combination of flavors is not what you expect. Put them together on their thin cracker crust with sauce, cheese and spices. it has a unique sweet and spicy flavor that brings it all together very well.

First thing that jumps out at me is they use a nice lean corned beef with no fattiness. If you love corned beef, this pizza is right up your alley. The red onion brings the sweetness to the two topping meats. The sausage is savory and goes well with the mild sauce. The cheese on the top brings all the ingredients together to make this a very tasty specialty pizza. It’s a pizza that really stands alone. Might be the only game in town to make a pizza with corned beef as a topping. I could be wrong. I really do not get out that much.

They have a great beer list. I love the Irish beers and I indulged in a few pints of Harp or Guinness. Great staff to make you feel like you’re at home. You never know which live musicians will pop up and start playing while you eat, drink and obviously be merry.

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We have not done many specialty pizzas as this is the 4th overall. This specialty pizza is the first of the year. I know the Irishman will beat many specialty pizzas around. I have it ranked number 4 out of 4. The Clancy’s San Patricio, the Mexican delight, holds a tiny slight advantage over the Irishman. Like winning a horse race by a nostril hair,  advantage.

HOME RUN INN PIZZERIA

7521 LEMONT ROAD

DARIEN, ILLINOIS, 6O561

STYLE OF PIZZA:THIN CRUST

APPEARANCES: FIRST TIME

20TH OVERALL PIZZA SAMPLED

7TH PIZZA SAMPLED IN 2018

Sometimes in life, other people will bring you to their pizza choice. It is that time of year when the family gathers for our annual Christmas party. This year’s venue was a room rented at the Home Run Inn pizzeria in Darien, Illinois. First thing in my mind when I hear Home Run Inn is frozen pizza. I’ve had it many times. It probably is one of the better frozen pizzas out there. Last few years to my eyes, I’ve seen a few of these places pop up in a few of the neighborhoods. They actually have been in the Chicago neighborhoods since 1947. Some them could have been around earlier than that.

They probably  started off in one of the Chicago neighborhoods making their brand of pizza hot. They had to get it out there before you dabble in the frozen pizza market. Then they probably had a few places in the Chicagoland area. Not sure of the whole timeline, but it seems like to me, new places keep on popping up in the last ten years or so. I was always curious, but never pulled the trigger because if it was a total frozen pizza popped in a pizza oven, then the night might not start off in good fashion.

Impressed with the layout of the place. Had a very nice bar and comfortable seating is seen walking by, as I was headed to the rented room which was nice as well. Everything was served pretty quickly. When I came back from getting my first beer,  appetizers were waiting for me when I got back to the table I was sitting at.

I did not fare well on the picture of the appetizer by itself. They had appetizers out in the beginning and put more by the pizzas when they came out. I did like the cheese stick which looked like a beer battered type with a thick gooey present inside.The salads were well done.They had the romaine lettuce going. Everybody to my knowledge is A-OK, but it was at a time when the Romaine crop was affected and making people sick. ISIS will not affect my good time. Kidding.. So far, appetizers, salad and the pretty good selection of craft beers from the bar taps… this place was doing well.

Finally the pizza arrived as you helped yourself to a few choices they had set out. I went with the plain sausage for this tasting.

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As you can see right out of the oven, the look is incredible. However it looks very familiar like the way you popped it out of the box, and put it in your own oven. It looks a little more bubbly than home since it actually came out of a pizza oven. The sausage was savory with a great amount of mozzarella cheese, the kind made from whole milk stands out to me. The sauce is mild with a tad of sweetness coming from it. The buttery crust was crispy with a crunch to it. I think the ends of crust are a bit too much. I prefer if you go  crispy, the ends to be thinner than the they way they do their pizza. Overall it was good pizza. I do think it is very close to the frozen pizza. I do want to venture back there at some point and try their specialty pizza they call the Garlic Fireball.

It ended up a very good time at the annual Christmas party. I even straightened out Santa Clause and ironed out some important details that he tried shafting me on last year. He assured me that it would not happen again. I took his word for it. Not like a guy I know everyone calls Ted. He yelped the Easter Bunny.  Not going down that road. Besides Ted is most likely on the “I forgot where you live list in Santa’s phone.”

I think the thin crust pizzas sampled so far this year, easily beat the Home Run Inn. I put the Home run Inn at number five for 2018. It drops to number 13 in the overall thin crust power pizza rankings.

PIZZA PLUS

4102 SW HWY

HOMETOWN ,ILLINOIS, 60456

STYLE OF PIZZA: DEEP DISH

APPEARANCES: SECOND TIME

19TH OVERALL PIZZA SAMPLED

6TH PIZZA SAMPLED IN 2018

We were in the mood for a deep dish pizza. It was late Saturday afternoon and we had no clue where to get it from. Thought of places we liked. Places we tried the thin crust. We came up with the very first pizza we had on this blog. Pizza Plus, we had great things to say the first go around. Coming into today, Pizza Plus was ranked number seven in our power rankings for thin crust pizza. We ordered the deep dish and we went back to the same appetizer we had the last time, their mac-n-cheese bites.

The first time we went with delivery and everything went smooth as a baby’s bottom. Very impressed with the service they had to offer. We went with the delivery again. This time around things were rough like driving down a road filled with pot holes after a Chicago winter. We placed the order at 4:15pm. Finally food arrived after 7 pm and the hunger pains were sharp like a pregnant woman going into labor. On the phone, they were not very helpful. Could not answer a simple question. Did not even know where the food was. The first delivery driver called and said he was five minutes from the house. Called us by the wrong name as well. Finally the second delivery driver called, and he said he was two minutes out. It was a long two minutes as our tongues were hanging out like some dogs looking for a scrap of food. It did eventually arrive.

We were not getting piping hot food on this night. We had to do some assembly required as we reheated everything. The Mac and Cheese bites were as yummy as we remembered.

Obviously, hot I would have raved about these. These bites reminded me of a pub style appetizer. Great size and lots of mac and cheese stuffed into the breading. They gave us ranch dipping sauce and it was a pretty good combo.

The pizza was their deep dish. Looked like a pan crust style pizza to me.

It looked very tasty. It was very tasty. However it was cold and would have been better piping hot. The chunks of sausage covered the crust like a carpet. The cheese was gooey and so much on each slice which is very good thing. You can see that in the middle picture. It has the sweet sauce just like their thin crust pizza from before. The edges of the crust were perfectly golden and crispy. The bottom of the crust is hard to judge because when you reheat pizza, we feel the bottom can get soggy.

Overall the experience from Pizza Plus the second time around was not ‘good times at Ridgemont high.’ I did not get the service like Spicoli got.  The driver got the piping hot fresh pizza into the classroom.

Sometimes you come across a bad situation when dealing with restaurants. I have dealt with them before and this was the first time it went south. The food was overall good. Still that does not make up for the three hour tour. I will order from Pizza Plus again in the future. This is only the second deep dish of the year. We will place Pizza Plus number two on that list for the deep dish power rankings. Overall on the deep dish power rankings, it comes in at number four out of four deep dishes we have tried so far.

DEEP DISH/STUFFED PIZZA POWER RANKINGS
RANK	NAME	CITY
1	LOUISA’S	CRESTWOOD
2	LOU MALNATI’S	NAPERVILLE
3	NINO’S	ALSIP
4	PIZZA PLUS	HOMETOWN

MILANO’S PIZZA

ADDRESS 10945 S. Western ave

Chicago, Illinois,  60643

STYLE OF PIZZA: THIN CRUST

APPEARANCES: First time

18th OVERALL PIZZA SAMPLED

5TH PIZZA SAMPLED IN 2018

People I know asked me how come we have not sampled and written about Milano’s pizza yet. Milano’s is a very good pizza. Had it a few times actually. You sometimes forget about it, as it’s not a place you drive by a lot. The last person that mentioned it to me, the seed was planted. I order it for delivery that weekend. The place is not known for going in and sitting down. Carry outs and delivery are  their bread and butter.

On this night we ordered a sausage thin crust pizza. We also had to get an appetizer to set the stage for the pizza. The appetizer was Milano’s poppers. We did not know if this was one of their staple appetizers or just a random thing they throw on the menu.

I knew we were off to great start with they way they looked and smell. Each bite filled with some heat and gushy cheese pouring out like lava from volcano. Overall a very tasty appetizer they make and well satisfied.

Then we dug into the pizza like a pack hungry wolves as we opened up the box to see this beauty with a smell to make your mouth water in an instant. Niagara falls, not a dripping water faucet.

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The first square slice as they cut up the Chicago way brings back instant memories from the last time. You think to yourself why is this not in the regular pizza rotation. The first thing that stands out to me is the cheese on this pizza. It’s the real deal of fresh mozzarella. They do not skimp either. The crust is very floury as the edges are crispy.  Then the bottom seems to melt in your mouth. They have a slight sweet sauce. The sausage was mild with a lot of flavor. It’s very filling for a thin crust pizza. Overall this pizza is wonderful.

It was a tough decision but I have to rank Milano’s on top of the charts for 2018. Just a slice over Durbins. Overall to this date on the thin crust pizza power rankings, it’s in the top five at number four just ahead of Beggars who just ahead of Durbins.

2018 Thin Crust Power Ranking

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	MILANO’S	CHICAGO
2	DURBINS	EVERGREEN PARK
3	CLANCY’S	OAK LAWN
4	BARRACO’S	EVERGREEN PARK

Overall Thin Crust Standings

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	PALERMO’S	OAK LAWN
2	FLO & SANTO’S	CHICAGO
3	NICK & VITO’S	CHICAGO
4	MILANO’S	CHICAGO
5	BEGGARS	MERRIONETTE PARK
6	DURBINS	EVERGREEN PARK
7	PIZZA PLUS	HOMETOWN
8	NINO’S PIZZA	ALSIP
9	WALDO COONEY’S	CHICAGO
10	CLANCY’S PIZZA PUB	OAK LAWN
11	BARRACO’S	EVERGREEN PARK
12	CONTE’S	CHICAGO

DURBIN’S PIZZA

ADDRESS:10240 S. KEDZIE

EVERGREEN PARK, ILLINOIS, 60805

STYLE OF PIZZA: THIN CRUST

APPEARANCES: FIRST TIME

17TH OVERALL PIZZA SAMPLED

4TH PIZZA SAMPLED IN 2018

In one of my old watering holes before cell phones were attached to everyone’s face, we had bars where you knew everyone would end up there at some point of the night. This place used to be called Tail Gate Bill’s. The same place Rubber was filmed. That independent film that is still sweeping the nation in underground man caves. Tail Gate Bills eventually got brought out and was taken over by Durbin’s. Durbins has multiple locations throughout the Chicagoland, their original is on 79th street in Burbank on the Southside of Chicago.

Durbins took over Tail Gate Bills which everything is pretty much the same except for here and there and now they serve pizza. I have tried Durbins pizza at a few of their locations over the years. Like most of these places I have tried, as I venture to new establishments as well. Durbins coming in, before ordering, I do dig their thin crust pizza. Durbins also sponsors Last Call softball, but they can not sway votes that way as I will be honest. However I know it will be a good review.

The night we put in the order we must have thought we smoked a few bongs. Even though I do not take in the hash, we ordered enough food for an army. We got thin crust sausage pizza with a platter of appetizers.

THE DONUT HOLES….

These Doughnut holes are little munchkins. They come piping hot just short of burning your insides of your mouth good. Felt like Homer Simpson with this sweet creation of sweetness in an appetizer.

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Felt like I was forcing each doughnut hole upon doughnut hole down my trap… so deliciousness.

Then we had to indulge in the Durbins Combo sampler.

SKINS- WINGS-STICKS-RINGS

The tater skins were insane in the brain. Fresh, melty, right out of the oven good.

The wings were hot, but not wet and  easy to eat.

The onion rings were crisp.

Somehow we still had a pizza with all this food. Had to eat like it was a buffet, just throwing stuff on the plate finishing the plate and digging in for seconds and thirds.

LET’S GET DOWN TO THE PIZZA

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We did all sausage on their thin crust pizza. The sausage was savory and flavorful. The crust held everything well. The edges were crispy while the bottom of it was chewy. They do a nice flavorful mild sauce. The perfect amount of sauce with the perfect amount of cheese on top.

We do not have that many pizzas logged in yet for this year. Durbins would be the third thin crust pizza in the 2018 standings. We rank Durbins number one so far this year in 2018.

2018 Thin Crust Power Ranking

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	DURBINS	EVERGREEN PARK
2	CLANCY’S	OAK LAWN
3	BARRACO’S	EVERGREEN PARK

Overall on the thin crust pizza standings I put Durbins in the top 5. I placed them at number 5 right behind Beggars. I have never had a bad pizza at Durbins. You never hear negative things about their pizza either. However we have lots more pizza to sample and I can not say it will stay in the top five forever.  Right now it’s in the top five and we know we will get back there to tackle some of the specialty pizzas they also have on their menu.

Overall Thin Crust Standings

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	PALERMO’S	OAK LAWN
2	FLO & SANTO’S	CHICAGO
3	NICK & VITO’S	CHICAGO
4	BEGGARS	MERRIONETTE PARK
5	DURBINS	EVERGREEN PARK
6	PIZZA PLUS	HOMETOWN
7	NINO’S PIZZA	ALSIP
8	WALDO COONEY’S	CHICAGO
9	CLANCY’S PIZZA PUB	OAK LAWN
10	BARRACO’S	EVERGREEN PARK
11	CONTE’S	CHICAGO

MARCH 2018

NINO’S PIZZA

ADDRESS: 4835 W 111TH STREET

ALSIP, ILLINOIS, 60803

STYLE OF PIZZA TASTED: DEEP DISH

APPEARANCES: SECOND

16TH OVERALL PIZZA SAMPLED

THIRD PIZZA SAMPLED IN 2018

Many of these places in the Chicago land area make multiple different styles of pizza. Nino’s pizza in Alsip is the third place we hit twice for two different styles of pizzas. It came in number six overall in our thin crust list and we did enjoy what they made us. This go around we are going take on their deep dish pizza. We did just a sausage deep dish and it was Sunday night so we went with the delivery since we were tired after a long weekend of fun. We needed to cap it off with some thick deep dish pizza from Nino’s and watch a little zombies.

We knew the deep dish was going to fill our tummies but that did not stop us from getting an appetizer. We went with Nino’s famous bosco sticks.

These are cheese filled bread sticks with a dipping sauce and they are out of this world. These might be in the running for appetizer of the year… that good.

We have not done many deep dish pizzas so far. The ones we have done were very awesome and probably could be two of the best in the Chicagoland area. However we have an open mind and we were very pleased with what we ordered as we went with all sausage deep dish.

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The edges were rustic holding in all the stuff that a deep dish pizza contains. I think more cheese, it could have used. However I was pleased with the chunks of sausage with a sweet sauce that gave everything a nice flavor. I do like having some spice in the sauce, but this was a well done sweet version which satisfied my taste buds. The crust was buttery which gave everything a nice chain reaction of goodness.

I think Nino’s did very well in the deep dish game. I think they will be better than many of the other pizza places in the Chicagoland with their deep dish. We have them ranked number three out of three deep dish pizzas we did so far. Yes we have to get our act together and branch out and hit more places. The other two places we did in 2017 specialize in that kind of pizza. We know Nino’s makes a very nice thin crust pizza. Overall in my opinion, Nino’s deep dish and their thin crust will beat many places and will be higher up on the list for years to come.

DEEP DISH/STUFFED PIZZA POWER RANKINGS
RANK	NAME	CITY
1	LOUISA’S	CRESTWOOD
2	LOU MALNATI’S	NAPERVILLE
3	NINO’S	ALSIP

FEB, 2018

BARRACO’S PIZZA

ADDRESS: 3701 W. 95TH STREET

EVERGREEN PARK, ILLINOIS,60805

APPEARANCES: FIRST

STYLE OF PIZZA TASTED: THIN CRUST

15TH OVERALL PIZZA SAMPLED

SECOND PIZZA SAMPLED IN 2018

Evergreen Park… home of the UNABOMBER.  Ted Kaczynski grew up in Evergreen Park and went to the local high school.

Evergreen Park is also the home of Barraco’s pizza. It’s like the town’s water supply. You could not live in the town without having Barraco’s. They are the sponsor of your kid’s baseball team. They are the talk around the neighborhood. Their pizza makes the children of the corn grow.

Barraco’s pizza is right in my backyard. It’s been an Evergreen Park institution since the day I was born. It originated by my parents house when I was a young lad. It started with a pick up and delivery joint which was about the same size as a shoe box. Then it moved further down 95th street and became a full restaurant and bar. Barraco’s eventually continued to branch out with other restaurants on the south side of Chicago. It’s become very popular and many people are big on Barraco’s ’til this day. Especially where it originated, many people from Evergreen Park speak of Barraco’s like it’s the coming of the next messiah in the pizza world.

In 2017, by the time we were thinking Barraco’s for the blog, it was too late because the Evergreen Park establishment went up in flames in the fall. From my house that morning, it smelled like a fire pit burning out of control as the smell oozed in the windows from blocks away. They claim it was the chicken broiler that started this blaze. The Evergreen Barraco’s is open 24 hours a day so that’s why it was weird at the time to be smelling a fire pit going on at that time of the morning. After the flames, the place was closed for months. Then it reopened this year as they expanded and took over the bakery called Naples that was in Evergreen Park for decades. The question is… was the fire on purpose to get the bakery to hand over the building to Barraco’s ?

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They say Barraco’s also heisted all of Naples’ recipes as well. Now they are back in the same location and fully reopened. They remodeled the inside and it looks terrible. Today’s blog post we picked up the pizza. Another time we will investigate the inside of the new Evergreen park institution.

Barraco’s is well known for their deep dish pizza. I do like their pan crust pizza. This post is all about their thin crust. This was in February, so clearly we still had lots of snow on the ground. I parked in the Most Holy Redeemer parking lot which is used for pizza parking. Obviously, they were not using this truck for anything.

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NOTE: I will say this location open 24 hours is great because if you have the munchies or are drinking late, just call them and you’re eating pizza in the wee hours of the morning. My one friend usually makes the call. He was from Evergreen Park where he was rooted, then uprooted and moved out of town. But his number has a few addresses in the special instructions when he calls. We like to branch out at times on a whole block radius drinking from house to house.

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Their thin crust has the crispy crust that’s cardboard like. On this pizza we went with all sausage. The sausage had a nice spice to it that I liked. They lack the sauce, as it’s very dry, making it cardboard like. The cheese was the right amount. The sauce it did have was very tasty. It has some nice spices overall in each bite. However I believe it’s a middle of the pack in my rankings for thin crust. I think it is very overrated, too hyped up and then crashing down to disappointment. Right now it’s number two in the 2018 thin crust rankings as only two thin crust pizzas have been blogged.

2018 Thin Crust Power Ranking

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	CLANCY’S	OAK LAWN
2	BARRACO’S	EVERGREEN PARK

On the big scoreboard, the overall Barraco’s did not fair too well. It’s ranked number nine only ahead of one place, Conte’s pizza.

Overall Thin Crust Standings

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	PALERMO’S	OAK LAWN
2	FLO & SANTO’S	CHICAGO
3	NICK & VITO’S	CHICAGO
4	BEGGARS	MERRIONETTE PARK
5	PIZZA PLUS	HOMETOWN
6	NINO’S PIZZA	ALSIP
7	WALDO COONEY’S	CHICAGO
8	CLANCY’S PIZZA PUB	OAK LAWN
9	BARRACO’S	EVERGREEN PARK
10	CONTE’S	CHICAGO

CLANCY’S PIZZA PUB

ADDRESS 4624 W. 103RD STREET

OAK LAWN, ILLINOIS, 60453

APPEARANCES AT THIS PLACE OVERALL FOR TASTINGS: TWICE

STYLE OF PIZZA TASTED: THIN CRUST

STATS: THIS NINTH OVERALL THIN CRUST PIZZA

14TH OVERALL PIZZA SAMPLED

FIRST PIZZA OF 2018

In 2017 we did one of Clancy’s specialty pizzas called the San Patricio. Which is a Mexican pizza. Which was delightful. Today we are back to try Clancy’s regular thin crust pizza. Clancy’s thin crust pizza is pretty thin. I would compare it to Nick & Vito’s pizza that we tasted in 2017 for the thin crust power rankings.

Clancy’s is a nice watering hole to have in the neighborhood. This place offers pizza with Irish dishes as well. It’s a place to come by and lick a few pints while watching the game. Plenty of Irish beers and plenty of other choices as well. Watch some live Irish music as they always have different musicians playing great music every week. It’s a place where everyone can know your name. It’s a nice laid back atmosphere to eat and be merry.

You’ve got to love a guy that can play Irish music on an accordion.

We started off with a few Harps. We let the smell of the great food and a nice tasting Irish brew get the tummy rumbling. We started off with Clancy’s cheese sticks. These are more like cheese logs as the size and the taste make these a great way to start things off.

After a few cheese Lincoln logs dipped in nice tasting marinara red sauce and another round of brews, we were ready for the pizza. We ordered the Super which is 18 inches of deliciousness. They have two sizes in Clancy’s. We went with all sausage. We did two ingredients on this pizza pie. The second being spinach. As you can see, not shy about the green leaves. The sausage is savory and spicy. Both together with the cheese and sauce make this a very nice pizza. I think it could use a tad more sauce. I like how the crust crackles on each bite. The first tasting of this pizza is incredible. The next day cold is still good but it loses points because the crust is not crackling in your mouth like the first time fresh out of the oven. If you’re hungry enough the pizza is very thin so percentages are high in finishing most of it before you go home.

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Overall the service is excellent. The atmosphere is electric. Lots of fun people. The drinks are always flowing. With the Irish food and the sandwiches and other appetizers plus the pizza, this menu is very good. I will always find my way there especially next month for St.Paddy’s day. They have an awesome corned beef dinner. We will taste their corned beef pizza which lots of people there rave about. I do think their Specialty pizzas will rank high in those power rankings. I’m excited to look at more of Clancy’s pizza pub. More will come after these messages.

2017 Specialty Pizzas Power Rankings

RANK	NAME OF PIZZA	RESTAURANT
1	FLO’S POLISH	FLO & SANTO’S
2	TUBBY O’TOOLE	FOX’S RESTAURANT AND PUB IN OAK LAWN
3	SAN PATRICIO	CLANCY’S PIZZA AND PUB

2017 Thin Crust Pizza Power Rankings

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	PALERMOS	OAK LAWN
2	FLO & SANTO’S	CHICAGO
3	NICK & VITO’S	CHICAGO
4	BEGGARS	MERRIONETTE PARK
5	PIZZA PLUS	HOMETOWN
6	NINO’S PIZZERIA	ALSIP
7	WALDO COONEY’S	CHICAGO
8	CONTES	CHICAGO

2017 Deep Dish/Stuffed Power Rankings

RANK	RESTAURANT	LOCATION
1	LOUISA’S	CRESTWOOD
2	LOU MALNATI’S	NAPERVILLE

THE PIZZA AWARDS FOR 2017

BEST NEW JOINT:  FLO’S AND SANTO’S

BEST PLACE TO EAT AT: NICK AND VITO’S

BEST BEER GARDEN: FOX’S RESTAURANT & PUB IN OAK LAWN

BEST SELECTION OF BEERS: FLO’S AND SANTO’S

BEST APPETIZER: BEGGARS (FRIED RAVIOLI)

BEST DELIVERY SERVICE: CONTE’S

BEST PIZZA IN 2017: PALERMOS

THE THIRTEENTH PIZZA ENTRY

FLO & SANTOS’ SOUTH LOOP PIZZA & PIEROGI

1310 S. WABASH

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

This was the second visit to Flo & Santos for the year. The first visit, one of their Specialty pizzas was tried. The Flo Polish which knocked the socks right off me. To this day the Flo Polish specialty pizza is ranked number one in the Pizza Specialty power rankings. Round two we went with a regular thin crust pizza. We did all sausage. All Spinach, Half onion.

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I do not know if we did this the proper way, trying the Specialty pizza before the regular thin crust, the bread and butter of pizza places. No worries this one was just as good as the specialty pizza we had months ago. Everything is on a cracker style crust. Which is a style I do enjoy. We have a few places that we did not get to in 2017 with this style that we will get to in the ’18. All the ingredients on the crust held very nicely. They were not skimpy with ingredients. The veggies were fresh. The Sausage was tasty with some spice on a very delicious savory sauce. Overall this pizza was out of this world delicious. This by far is the best new place I have visited in 2017.

It was a long day of events that brought us to Santos and Flo’s. I usually like to try some of their different beers they have on tap. As they give plenty of choices. However we just had come from Baderbrau brewing. I was done trying new beers for the day. But that did not stop me from getting a pint of Zywiec, the best Polish beer on tap. It goes well with their pizza. It worked well last time and it did wonders the second trip as well. I love this place because it has two bars. Plenty of TVs to watch the games. Plus plenty of booths and tables to sit at if you can’t belly up to the bar.

This was a very tough decision I had to make in ranking the thin crust from Flo & Santos. Their specialty pizza, the Flo Polish finished number one in those power rankings for 2017. I think Flo and Santos edges out Nick and Vito’s by a small little slice. I’m talking bite size. Flo is breathing down the neck of Palermos who I have at number one in the thin crust power rankings. This was the final pizza from Chicago of the year that we indulged in for the year 2017. Lots more to come in 2018.

The Thin Crust power Rankings

#1.PALERMO’S (OAK LAWN)

#2.FLO & SANTOS’ (CHICAGO)

#3.NICK & VITO’S (CHICAGO)

#4.BEGGARS (MERRIONETTE PARK)

#5.PIZZA PLUS (HOME TOWN)

#6.NINO’S PIZZERIA (ALSIP)

#7.WALDO COONEY’S (CHICAGO)

#8.CONTE’S (CHICAGO)

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Vito and Nick’s offers only one kind of pizza which is thin crust. Their pizza is ultra thin. This is the seventh thin crust pizza we have done and by far this is the thinnest. They have plenty of appetizers they offer. I love the cheesy garlic bread and they have three different styles of fried ravioli as well. Your mouth is probably watering as you read this. If not in the pizza kind of mood, which I find impossible because the place is filled with the wonder smell of the pizza sizzling to perfection in the oven, you have choices. They have pasta, home made soups as well great sandwiches made to delight the pickiest fool out of the crowd.

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We went with the thin crust pizza this round because this is a pizza blog I’m writing. We went with all sausage and all spinach. We started off with a few appetizers to get things started along with a pitcher of Old Style, one of Chicago’s legendary beers.

The pizza is cut down in squares. One square you can pop in your mouth like a pill as at times you might not even have to chew. It melts in your mouth, not in your hands. I know I stole that one from a candy ad. The crust is soft which makes everything melt in your mouth. The sauce is mild with some sweetness and tang in it. The sausage is savory while the spinach is fresh off the boat. The ingredients and the amount of cheese is put on perfect, you get the right amount on each bite. Since it is a very thin crust pizza you can eat almost a whole large pizza with two people.

I love the atmosphere. If it was all about judging atmosphere, this place hands down wins it all. Everyone is friendly.  Plenty of regulars mix with part timers. I imagine they get plenty of Vito and Nick virgins as well. The service is always excellent. Remember it’s cash only, they do not take the plastic. Enjoy and CHEERS!!!

Vito Nick’s should be a staple in my top ten for a very long time. I place it number two ahead five of the great pizzas I have tried. Palermo’s still has the edge. Not by much. This is like Alabama and Clemson in the College Football rankings, type of close.

THE THIN CRUST POWER RANKINGS

#1.PALERMO’S (OAK LAWN)

#2.VITO & NICK’S (CHICAGO)

#3.BEGGARS (MERRIONETTE PARK)

#4.PIZZA PLUS (HOME TOWN)

#5.NINO’S PIZZERIA (ALSIP)

#6.WALDO COONEY’S (CHICAGO)

#7.CONTE’S (CHICAGO)

ELEVENTH PIZZA ENTRY

THE THIRD SPECIALTY PIZZA

You’ve probably heard of the meatza meatza. I believe that was Little Ceasars. We don’t really care for the fast food type of pizzas. But we found the grand daddy of the all meat pizzas that would put a smile on a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

If you’re a vegetarian, close your eyes because you are not going to like the GRAND DADDY OF THEM ALL!

THE TUBBY O’TOOLE

WHERE YOU ASK?

FOX’S RESTAURANT & PUB IN OAK LAWN

9240 S. CICERO AVE

OAK LAWN, ILLINOIS,60453

This what the menu says about this meat eaters pizza.

THE TUBBY O’TOOLE

If you attempt to eat this pizza, bring a friend or a huge appetite. Loaded with, sausage, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, Italian beef, and chopped bacon.

Good Luck

Nothing in small print about an ambulance standing by. However Christ Hospital is only a minute away, just in case we go down. I did bring a friend. Party the Marty Serbins. It has two different bacons. Total of five meats… someone hand me the defibrillator.

It’s a thin crust pizza. The crust holds the toppings very well. The first bite you taste all the salty meats at once. Then the juices with the cheese and the zesty sweet sauce send an explosion to your taste buds. They are not skimpy on the topping as you can see this baby is loaded to the max. They cut it in square form which you can see the layers of the meats as your heart beats a little faster. As your mouth salivates for another slice. The Tubby O’Toole if you like meat baby, get this sucker and you will be one happy camper as you might get the meat sweats along with wanting to take a nap afterwards.

We enjoyed the outside patio that is relatively new. They had a flat screen TV with the game on. It was a very nice night out as we had a few beers to wash down the pizza. Beer and pizza are the best combo or in the top five combos of all time in my world.

This is the third specialty pizza that we have tried. All three of them have been out of this world. All three of them had been different types as well which makes it even harder. Plus we will do many more. The Flo’s Polish from Flo’s and Santos is extremely rare and I still wake up with a crave for that delight. The Clancy’s San Patricio is a fine taco pizza which was excellent. I’m going to squeeze the Tubby O’Toole in between both of them. All three of them in my mind are neck and neck. I recommend all three and you will come away with a filled belly and smile on your face.

THE SPECIALTY PIZZA POWER RANKINGS

#1.FLO’S POLISH (FLO & SANTOS)

#2. THE TUBBY O’TOOLE (FOX’S RESTAURANT & PUB IN OAK LAWN)

#3. SAN PATRICIO (CLANCY’S PIZZA PUB)

TENTH PIZZA ENTRY

(SIXTH THIN CRUST PIZZA)

Their slogan is “WE LAY IT ON THICK”

Beggars, Yes indeed the official pizza of the Chicago White Sox. They have a   variety of locations as it is a very popular pizza in the Chicagoland area. I ordered it from the Merrionette Park location because that is the one who will deliver it to my house.

BEGGARS PIZZA

3277 W. 115th street

Merrionette Park, Illinois,60403

They are not fibbing when they lay it on thick. On this pie I ordered all sausage and all spinach, thin crust . They stack the pizza with extra sausage and they pile it with a truckload  of cheese. They were perfect with the amount of spinach as well. The sauce was tasty and the right amount with all the ingredients.  The crust holds all the ingredients well. Does not sag in the middle. I recommend the fried ravioli, as a appetizer it was to die for.

So far on my short list of thin crust pizza’s I have tried I give Beggars the number two spot right behind Palermo’s. I think it edges out Pizza Plus, who has had that spot for awhile now. Beggars will probably hang around in the top five for long period of time. However no pizza place is safe in Chicago or in the Chicagoland area. Chicago has many places to choose. Way more than Santa Clause’s naughty and nice list. I will be back to Beggars to try their deep dish.  Which could be at a ball game. Plus I will dive into their specialty pizza and see what they are made of.

THE THIN CRUST POWER RANKINGS

#1.PALERMO’S (OAK LAWN)

#2.BEGGARS (MERRIONETTE PARK)

#3.PIZZA PLUS (HOME TOWN)

#4.NINO’S PIZZERIA (ALSIP)

#5.WALDO COONEY’S (CHICAGO)

#6. CONTE’S (CHICAGO)

NINTH PIZZA ENTRY

(FIFTH THIN CRUST PIZZA)

WALDO COONEY’S

8541 S. PULASKI

CHICAGO, IL,60652

First thing, I love the name of this pizza place. Waldo Cooney’s!!! Awesome name. It’s actually two guys that own Waldo Cooney’s. One may be Waldo the other Cooney. They have a few pizza joints throughout the Chicagoland area and I picked the one closest to my house. Pulaski is known for a lot of great pizzas as I have already done Contes. In the on deck circle waits Vito and Nicks and Angies pizzeria and sports bar. Lot of good places in one area. Today we will see where Waldo Cooneys measures up to.

I actually worked at Waldos Cooneys as a delivery driver. It was the one on 111th street a long time ago, probably in a galaxy far far away. That was quite an experience. I was young and broke desperate for some cash to meet the pals at Mike’s Dump on Western Ave for $5.00 pitchers. We like to line them up when we go out to shoot darts.

The neighborhoods you were sent to deliver pizzas in, were not safe. Yes I know Chicago neighborhoods are not very safe but again needed money for some pitchers of beers. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I remember being robbed by a little kid who probably looked like Webster. I was having problems getting the first gate open, as I had a boxed pizza with a big bag of fried chicken on top. The little kid asked “Can I help you with that?”

I said for sure as the little pipsqueak took the chicken and ran to his group of buddies who now had a late night snack. You would go in areas with the whole block of abandoned houses except one. I remember having somebody say you don’t belong in this neighborhood. I bet the Jimmy John guy would have no problems because he’s freaky fast. Had a rock thrown at my pick up truck as I was just a guy trying to make a buck. I would hate when they’d give me four orders after closing and say take the money from your kitty. Then I would take the money from the people that I did deliver it to. Say I got stiffed? Or better yet while I’m out in these areas say I got robbed or even killed no one would know until morning. The people back at the pizza place closed up and went home to watch reruns of Whats Happening or Barney Miller while I’m in a ditch. Overall was not a great job. But I will judge their pizza fairly. I will give them credit they do make a nice pizza.

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I love how they cut the big squares. I got all sausage and half onion. I do like they were very generous with the toppings. Plenty of cheese as well nicely melted on all the toppings. Their pizza has the crunchy crust. They put lots of sauce on their pizza. I thought it was very flavorful as it made each bite come together. I ordered this at the end of the weekend. I went with a soda to wash everything down while watching some zombies on the television.

I would go there again. I have some friends that like Waldo Cooney’s a lot so I do see it in my future. I think Waldo Cooney’s will give other pizzas I have tried and future pizzas a good run. I rank Waldo Cooney’s number 4 in the power ranking just slightly ahead of Contes, another pizza on Pulaski road.

THE THIN CRUST POWER RANKINGS

#1PALERMOS (OAK LAWN)

#2.PIZZA PLUS (HOME TOWN)

#3.NINO’S PIZZERIA (ALSIP)

#4.WALDO COONEY’S (CHICAGO)

#5.CONTE’S (CHICAGO)

EIGHTH PIZZA ENTRY

(SECOND SPECIALTY PIZZA)

CLANCY’S PIZZA PUB

4624 W. 103RD STREET, Oak Lawn Illinois, 60453

SAN PATRICIO

It’s only our second specialty pizza we have tried for the blog. The San Patricio is one of Clancy’s pizza pub specialty pizzas and oh boy it’s tasty. The San Patricio is a taco pizza which not many places do. Clancy’s has a list of specialty pizzas that sound good but this one was calling my name as the list of ingredients made my mouth water with a little fire.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE SAN PATRICIO: TACO MEAT, LETTUCE, TOMATO, JARDINIERE AND DORITOS WHICH BLOWS MY MIND AWAY.

They also give you sour cream on the side.

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Clancy’s has been around now for a few years and I’ve had their pizzas several times. It’s a pizza place with Irish food and burgers inside an Irish pub. They have a good selection of Irish beers. They also have your regular domestics and some quality craft beers. In the future we will re-visit Clancy’s and indulge in their regular thin crust which is all they do. No deep dish at this watering hole. They have a list of some creative specialty pizzas that need to be checked out. As the Irish music plays in the back ground, I indulge in a pint of Harp beer. I then snack on one of their signature appetizers, sausages and chips. It’s Irish sausage, fries and gravy to dip them in which is to die for. The staff are very nice and go out of their way to make you feel like you’re at home.

San Patricio reminded me of the taco pizza that this local place Pizza Man used to make. They are not in business anymore. However this taco pizza Clancy’s made was better because the Doritos makes a big difference. If you like Taco Bell Doritos tacos you will like this pizza. The crunchy crust makes all the ingredients seem like you are eating a crunchy taco. The taco meat is seasoned perfect and does not overwhelm you where it’s the only thing you can taste. The jardiniere is spicy but not extremely hot where you can’t finish the slice. The sour cream helps neutralize the spice if you’re not big into spicy foods. Right now this is the best taco pizza I have tried. However it will be the number two pizza in the Specialty pizza power rankings as Flo & Santos’s Polish pizza is out of this galaxy good. Specialty pizzas are different because of the multiple ingredients. Some will be hard to judge especially if they are totally different styles. The biggest thing about specialty pizzas is which one make your taste buds explode more. I will also judge these pies on would i get the same pizza again? Both these pizzas I would indulge in again. But the Polish one I think I would get more than the Clancy Taco pizza.

THE SPECIALTY PIZZA POWER RANKINGS

#1. FLO & SANTO’S ( FLO’S POLISH) CHICAGO

#2.CLANCY’S PIZZA PUB (SAN PATRICIO) OAK LAWN

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This is only the second deep dish pizza entry so far. The first came from Crestwood, Louisa’s. Both these places make a great deep dish pizza so early on I find myself in a pickle trying to choose the better one. Will we have a tie goes to the runner? Will Louisa’s remain king of the deep dish mountain ? Let’s cut into this bad boy and get started.

  Oh Boy here we go!!!!

They place a slice on the plate for you when they bring out the pie as the steam rises and my tummy rumbles with hunger. The first bite says it all as everything explodes like a comet hitting the sun in deliciousness. The buttery crust has a very nice bite to it. We got the sausage which had a mild savory taste to it that went along with the crushed tomato sauce. The cheese I think makes everything work on this pie. First of all it’s thick. It has a good gooeyness and very stretchy. You can’t go wrong at the old fire house Lou Malnatis.

A MUST TRY APPETIZER THERE

    ( Stuffed Spinach bread)

     It was very tough to figure out who was better, Lou versus Louisa. I will give it to Louisa’s by a nose just because of their pie was well balanced on everything. Overall these are some fine pizza pies and probably be one and two for a long period of time.

THE DEEP DISH STUFFED CRUST PAN PIZZA POWER RANKINGS

#1.LOUISA’S (CRESTWOOD)

#2.LOU MALNATI’S (NAPERVILLE)

PIZZA PLACES YOU MISS

This is a list of pizza places that once upon a time you might of enjoyed. I will start off with a short list of places. Then I will add some stories about the place. Maybe find out what happened to the place. Maybe new owners have taken it over and switched names and changed the menu. Most of the time the place closed up for good for a variety of reasons.

Pizza Man

Pizza Crossing

Old Chicago (I have worked there as a delivery driver and I have stories.)

Pudgey’s

PIZZAS IN THE OVEN

This is the bucket list of pizza places that Wild Shamrock wants to hit at some point.

Aurelio’s pizza in Home Wood

JW Holstein’s Saloon in Tinley Park

Blarney Stone in Oak Forest

Milanos in Chicago

Clancy’s pizza pub in Oak lawn

Wise Guy’s in Chicago

Oh Boy Pizza in Worth

I will add a lot more places to the list because I know I left out many great pizzas. Some of these choices I have never tried so I would love to see what they are capable of.

SIXTH PIZZA ENTRY

(Fourth Thin Crust Entry)

Conte’s Pizza

8512 S.Pulaski Road

Chicago Illinois,60652

Conte’s is near a few pizza places that we will also get to on Pulaski avenue in Chicago. Vito and Nicks being one my all-time favorites. Waldo Cooneys because you’ve got to love the name. Then Angie’s pizza which I have never tried but word is they have a hot female bartender so stay tuned. It was a Sunday night and we wanted a few things off a pizza menu, so we chose Contes because you get a lot of bang for your buck.

We had a good size order as we got a pizza along with an order of fried chicken and the ravioli dinner. Let me tell you right off the bat Conte’s had great fried chicken. I don’t know where the man that looks like Mario there gets his bird from, but holy cats very tasty. I see Rocky trying to catch the chicken in Micks crazy training to prepare for the fight. Maybe Luigi is in training as Mario tells him we need a bird to cut up as he chases it down on Pulaski avenue. The delivery driver even came with a free bottle of Royal Crown cola and some paper plates and napkins is a nice touch.

It was evening at the ole homestead and we did all sausage half spinach on the pizza.

They make a good pizza that reminds of an old place called Pizza Man that was in the neighborhood for years. The sauce was mild with a crust that was soft on the bottom crust and had chewy crunchy ends. Sausage was tasty. The spinach came in big pieces and they gave you a lot. The Cheese was not as melty but still good. I did like this pizza and I believe it will be better then a lot of pizzas I try. Right now it takes the fourth spot in my thin crust pizza rankings.

THE PIZZA POWER RANKINGS(THIN CRUST)

#1.PALERMO’S (OAK LAWN)

#2.PIZZA PLUS (HOME TOWN)

#3.NINO’S PIZZERIA (ALSIP)

#4.CONTE’S PIZZA (CHICAGO)

FIFTH PIZZA ENTRY

(THIRD THIN CRUST ENTRY)

Palermos

4849 W. 95th street

Oak Lawn Illinois, 60453

I knew when we ordered from Palermo’s it was going to be number one. If they asked you what you want for a last meal and if there is no Mr. Submarine around, then Palermo’s could be a top choice. It’s been one of my favorite pizzas since I was a little lad growing up a town over from Oak Lawn. We are blessed with many great pizzas in the area. Palermo’s was one we always ordered from or even went to their establishment. When I was younger I only liked sausage on a pizza. My sister Trish was my partner in crime going out for late night food. My Dad always preached you have to eat the food at home. We did eat at home but sometimes you needed some late night Taco Bell. My point is she made me try other ingredients on pizza besides sausage. Palermo’s was the first pizza I had with multiple toppings even though it was only sausage and onion at the time. After that experience at Palermo’s, combos were great on pizza.

Since I’m looking for the best Chicago pizza and taking it very seriously I had to keep an open mind. We had a family Birthday party so we picked it up and brought it over to Party Marty’s house. We ordered all sausage and all green pepper as that was the choice of the people. We had a cheese for the handicapped. When we opened it up the smell was intoxicating. Made my mouth water. Then looking at it just made you hungrier.

The first bite I took blew my mind on how good they make their pizza. I love their sweet sauce – that and the soft and light crust make up the back bone of their pizza. They give a lot of sausage. The sweet sauce gives that sausage some extra zing. The Green pepper was cooked perfect not too hard not too soft. Then the cheese on top of everything is chewy and thick in a good way. They season it just right as if they know one pinch here, a shake here and a drop more for good luck. All of this put Palermo’s on the top of my list and the top of the power rankings as they are king of the hill and could be there for a long time. I drank two Goose Island ten hills pale ales to wet my whistle while I shoveled multiple slices in my mouth. The Goose always makes a good combo with Italian food.

THE PIZZA POWER RANKINGS(THIN CRUST)

#1.PALERMO’S (OAK LAWN)

#2.PIZZA PLUS (HOME TOWN)

#3.NINO’S PIZZERIA (ALSIP)

FOURTH PIZZA ENTRY

(SECOND THIN CRUST ENTRY)

Nino’s Pizzeria

4825 W. 111th street

Alsip, Illinois, 60803

Last Thursday I went to a White Sox day game. After a day of watching baseball and after a White Sox win I was in the mood for some pizza. I headed to Nino’s pizzeria in Alsip which I have been to a few times. The inside of the restaurant has all kinds of cool sports pictures on the wall. Old pictures of Comisky Park. Plus real cool Chicago Bears photos.

Before the Pizza gets to the table I indulge in a Grolsch beer with the pop tops.

You do not see many places that serve the Grolsch in pop top form. Grolsch is one of my favorite import beers. Then I ordered the bread sticks for an appetizer which were very delightful. Soft buttery garlicky, a very nice dipping sauce and leftovers heat up very well. While the good times were flowing, we ran into last year’s MVP for Last Call Softball, Kevin Burke. Had a beer with the man and discussed the upcoming baseball season on the south side and the softball team.

Then the pizza came out and after a long day at the ballpark it hit the spot.

We did all sausage and half spinach. The crust was very good as it was fluffy soft. They added a mild sauce. The cheese wowed me. It was so stretchy stringy as well as gooey. The sausage was savory and they gave you a good amount. The spinach they gave a good portion which was not overwhelming.

Nino’s I will always go back to. I will also include one of their deep dish pizzas and one of their specialty pizzas for the other two categories in search for the best pizza in the Chicago and Chicago land area. We will dive in deeper next at Nino’s Pizzeria.

THE THIN CRUST PIZZA RANKINGS

#1.PIZZA PLUS (HOMETOWN)

#2.NINO’S PIZZERIA (ALSIP)

THIRD PIZZA ENTRY

(DEEP DISH,STUFFED PAN CRUST PIZZAS)

LOUISA’S

14025 S.Cicero ave

Crestwood, Illinois,60445

This is the third pizza place we have hit in the search for the best Chicago pizza. This is the first deep dish we have done. Now we have completed at least one pizza for the three categories. Thin Crust, specialty, and deep dish/stuffed pan crust pizza. Crestwood is a suburb south of the city. This journey took us to Louisa’s. Chicago and the Chicago land areas probably have over hundreds of deep dish pizza places. Deep dish pizza is big reason why Chicago is known for their best pizza pies. Louisa’s does not disappoint.

Sometimes someone, not naming names, gets on me because I might like to get pub grub too often. I think pub grub is some of the best food out there. Louisa’s takes out two birds with one stone because it is a restaurant to keep the other half off my bum and it has a bar inside the place to level the playing field. It’s a win win.

I have been to Louisa’s before so I knew what to expect. Louisa’s will probably be king of the mountain for the deep dish category. This is what they specialize in. They don’t do thin crust pizza, they do pan crust pizza and pasta only. Inside has dim lighting perfect for a date. It has that comfy feeling inside as you enjoy the evening. The staff are very nice and they make you feel like you’re at home.

We went with the large deep dish pizza so we would have leftovers. It is very hard to finish off a pizza at Louisa’s unless you have an army. We had sausage, spinach, and garlic along with cheese and it was quite delicious.Maybe even magically delicious.

They serve you the first slices as they put it on your plate for you. Each slice they give a good size of flavorful sausage. Lots of spinach and the garlic adds another flavor to it. This combination worked well with the chunky sauce which was not sweet or tangy. But it was fresh from the garden chunks of tomato seasoned to perfection. The cheese was melty and steamy as  the buttery crust melts in your mouth, not in your hands. All together this pizza pie is quite tasty. I don’t normally order deep dish a lot, but if anyone asks where to find the best I point them in the direction of Crestwood.

Someone wanted an Old Style in this joint. It just shows you can’t teach a ole tavern gal new tricks. She ended up with a Miller. I of course went with the Stella. They also had Peroni which is another great beer to have with Italian food. The Stella hit the spot as it was a very enjoyable night of dining.

SECOND PIZZA ENTRY (SPECIALTY)

FLO & SANTOS SOUTH LOOP PIZZA & PIEROGI

1310 S. Wabash Chicago

My friend told me you must go to Flo and Santos and try the pizza. He even went on to make some bold statements saying it’s better then a few of the top places local by us.  The man lives across the street from me and we have done some adventures eating and drinking. Mostly drinking.  Escaping out of work early to go stock up on Zombie Dust for the weekend. Well, while we are there we go in and indulge on a few pints of the Zombie dust. We went to Three Floyds. Tap beer from the brewery is like pizza right out of the oven. He told me I was going to like Flo & Santos and he was right.

Flo & Santos is a pub with the pizza and is a Polish American Restaurant. I will have to go here a few times because the menu has many things on there to make your taste buds salivate. If you do not like the Polish food then they have the pizza and other choices for the picky eaters. The beer menu is huge as well. They razzle you with a list of tap beers then they dazzle you with a list of bottles. The first time being there I figure we get something Polish and the man across the street said get the pizza.The Flo’s Polish satiates my taste buds immediately with her specialty pizza. This is the first time in my life I had try this combo of ingredients on a pizza. The specialty pizzas are lots of fun because it’s all about multiple ingredients that send your taste buds out of this world. The Flo’s Polish features Polska kielbasa, sauerkraut, and apple wood smoked bacon.

I know what you might be thinking with this combo. However this combo was delightful. I will tell you Bo knows football. Bo even knows baseball. However Flo knows the pizza. This combo worked well. All the ingredients and the cheese formed to the crust gave you a taste of heaven. The meats blended together and gave everything a nice juicy taste.The sauce was savory. The crust was crispy like a cracker.

I had two pints of the Polish beer called Zywiec on tap with the pizza. I thank my buddy across the street, a very wise man for giving me the 411 on Flo’s and Santos. I will be going back to try some of the other options on the menu as well as another pizza choice. The Flo’s Polish will be the top pizza on my specialty pizza power rankings.

First Pizza Entry(Thin Crust)

PIZZA PLUS   (4102 SW Hwy, Hometown)

The first official pizza of the blog is a very good one. Pizza Plus is located in Hometown, which is on the outskirts of Oak Lawn and Chicago. We went with a thin crust pizza with all sausage and half spinach.

This pizza was very enjoyable. The sauce was sweet. The cheese was gooey. The spinach was very fresh and they did not hold back. The meat was tasty. It had the crispy edge while the middle just melted in your mouth. Excellent!!!

The place is very reasonable money wise. I ordered some french fries which were very good. But, I leaped out of my skin over how good the breaded Mac bites were.

I had the pizza delivered. My drink of choice with the pizza was soda.

IN SEARCH FOR THE BEST CHICAGO PIZZA

Some people are in search of love. Some people are in search of Spock. My blog is in search of the best Chicago pizza. Why Chicago Pizza? Because by far it’s the best. It might be the best in the World, rumor has it. Besides I do not have enough money to backpack in Europe and hit Italy. Maybe people will donate money for me to travel for pizza,but for now we will stick to Chicago. I will search high and low for the best pizza in Chicago or the Chicagoland area because I will leave no stone unturned.

You might wonder what makes me so qualified to tell you what’s the best pie in town. I am not a food critic nor do I play one on TV. My experience is I eat lots of pizza. I will do my best. I might be wrong. However sometimes I can be right. I divide the rankings into three different categories: Thin crust /regular crust, Specialty pizzas, etc. Some places might be hit more than once. The final category will be pan crust/stuffed/deep dish. Oh boy I’m getting excited and hungry at the same time.

Every place I hit I will tell you my likes and dislikes. I will judge the crust, sauce, cheese and toppings. Too much, too little, or just right… Then the more places I go to, we will rank them in my Pizza Power rankings. We will see which pizza rises to the top and see which pizza sinks to the bottom.