Giordano’s vs Lou Malnati’s: The Battle For Chicago’s Best Pizza Rages On
Who has the best deep dish pizza in Chicago? Giordano’s or Lou Malnati’s? During our visit to Chicago, we visited both of these iconic pizzerias. In this post, we reveal what we liked about each and which we thought had the best Chicago deep dish pizza.
Giordano’s vs Lou Malnati’s
Before our trip to Chicago, we did a little research to figure out what things we wanted to do and what places we wanted to see. We were only going to be there for the weekend so we wanted to make sure we had somewhat of a plan so that we maximized our time. At the top of the list? Eating Chicago deep dish pizza!
Now, we’re going to make this very clear: WE LOVE PIZZA! If we could only eat one thing for the rest of our lives, it would be pizza. So where we were going to get the “best deep dish pizza in Chicago” is what we ended up researching the most. We asked people that had lived in and visited Chicago. We Googled it. We read other blogs. And the two places that kept coming up? Giordano’s and Lou Malnati’s. So of course, we had to go to both!
Giordano’s, Magnificent Mile
There are multiple Giordano’s locations, but we tried the Magnificent Mile location of Giordano’s first and we immediately liked the vibe of the restaurant. It’s hard not to like it when there are phrases like “THOU SHALL EAT PIZZA – 11th COMMANDMENT” painted on the wall.
We had to wait about 40 minutes from the time we sat down, but that’s customary when you’re ordering deep dish pizza. It’s even recommended that before you sit down at your table, you pre-order your pizza at the register next to the check in area. We think the pizza was definitely worth the wait.
We ordered a cheese pizza. We’re what we like to call “Pizza Purists” when it comes to pizza. Usually no other toppings, except the occasional pepperoni.
When it arrived at our table and our server put the first slice on a plate, the first thing we noticed was all the cheese (our favorite part). It was frickin’ loaded with cheese! It did that whole stretchy thing that we love so much. The sauce was really good too. It was sweet, but not too sweet. We will say that we felt that the crust was a little lacking because it tasted pretty plain. However, there wasn’t too much crust anyways and the amount of cheese totally made up for it.
Lou Malnati’s, Gold Coast
The next day we tried the Gold Coast location of Lou Malnati’s. Again we pre-ordered and waited a bit before our cheese pizza arrived. This pizza was heavenly as well. Although there wasn’t as much cheese, the crust was definitely better. It was thicker and had more of a buttery taste. And the sauce? Two thumbs up!
Giordano’s or Lou Malnati’s?
So who did we think had the best deep dish pizza in Chicago? It’s tough. But we would tip the scale slightly towards Giordano’s. My friend, probably towards Lou Malnati’s. The cheese was a factor in my decision, and the sauce a factor in his.
So you see, this is a battle that will probably go on forever. The only way to truly determine who has the best pizza in Chicago, is to keep going back and eating at both. 😉
Who do you think has the best pizza in Chicago? Let us know in the comments below! 🙂
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I haven’t been able to do the taste test yet, I hope to someday. If I had to base it off your post, I’d pick Lou’s because that buttery crust is my favorite thing about Chicago style pizza! 7 am and now I’m hungry for pizza… sigh.
Good God! Now I am starving!
My job is done! 😉
Wow that is a lot of cheese! I’ve not tried this thick bread pizza style – I guess I’m old fashioned and used to my pizzas more traditional. Is this style common across the US?
It’s not as common as NY style pizza, which is thin. And it’s hard to find an authentic Chicago-style pizza outside of Chicago.
Those look really yummy, i’ll take either but probably just one piece, it looks really filling!
Oh, they are filling! But it’s so worth it! 😀
Both pizzas looked REALLY good. I’d love to try them both.
Be sure to let us know what you think if you do! 🙂
Amazing! Went to Chicago last year & was amazed by the deep dish pizzas! A heart attack waiting to happen but so yummy!
Haha! But what a way to go! 😉
Whoa…. that’s a LOT of cheese! Haven’t really tried a legit Chicago’s pizza, but I’ll take your word for it! Aaaah, now I feel so hungry :O
Haha! Let me know when you do and what you think of it.
I’ll have to try both restaurants next time we get to Chicago and weight in.
Yes, definitely! Would love to hear what you think!
If you love pizza, I hope you have visited Naples in Italy! I normally cannot stand pizza but since I have never encountered bad food in Napoli, I obviously had to try it there – it is the birth place of pizza, after all. Man, the authentic Neapolitan one is so ridiculously good that it is probably my favourite dish to eat in Naples! (After big, fat chunks of Buffalo Mozzarella, that is). 🙂
Yes, I’ve been to Naples and it has the BEST pizza!! 😀
Both of these pizzas are paleo, right?
Umm… I have no idea.
A 40 minute wait for pizza? Not sure I could cope with that! 😀
It’s worth the wait! 😉
I’m going to Chicago for the first time with my boyfriend, we’re seriously discussing about if we should go to giordanos or lou malantis first. It’s like the most important part of the trip haha
Hi Paulina! I hope you and your boyfriend have a great time. Whichever one you choose to go to first, you can’t go wrong. I’d love to hear what you think about them once you get back! 🙂
Lou’s is my fav….my husband likes Giordano’s .. both are great i just like the crust and sauce better at Lou’s.
Just got back from Chicago a few weeks ago and I have to say I liked Giordano’s better, but they were both amazing. Another place we really liked was a little hole in the wall pizza place on State street called Ino’s Pizzeria. But you can’t go wrong with pizza anywhere in the city (as long as you stay away from chains). Thanks for your post and for making me want pizza again, lol.
Hi Samantha! Thanks so much for letting us know what you thought. Like you said, you can’t go wrong with pizza there. And thanks for the new suggestion too, we’ll be sure to check it out next time we’re in Chicago! 😀
Mmmm, I’ll be back in Chicago in the spring…think I’ll need to check these two places out!
The best pizza I ever ate was in New Jersey. Just a roadside place near the site where George Washington crossed the Delaware river. And it was a specialty pizza flavor — not just cheese. I figure if I’m going to take in the calories of a pizza, there’d better be something unique and amazing about it! But it sure looks like you had fun doing your own pizza taste test!
If I could only eat one thing for the rest of my life, it would definitely be pizza, too. But, probably not deep-dish. I’m a big lover of the thinner Neapolitan style. Yet I feel like I should try both of these spots when I go to Chicago next just to say I’ve done them and do the contrast and comparison. If you go back to Chicago and want to try another deep-dish spot, I really like Pequod’s in Lincoln Park. I had to wait a long time to get a table and then wait longer for our pizza, but there’s a great little bar down the street where you can hang out until your table is ready.
Cool post idea. I am not a big fan of pizza at all but that first place, with the slice dripping and oozing with cheese inside, looks amazing! Yum. Fun research. 😉
I grew up in the burbs of Chicago and I never feel in love with Chicago pizza. I’m glad you got to try it and by two different locations. I always base how good a pizza is based on the texture of the crust, the flavor of the tomato sauce, and the evenness of the condiments. I grew up with homemade pizza with homemade dough so I tend like that better. But, I have had some great pizza at pizza places.
Giordano’s definitely better than Lou’s. We had both in Chicago. Lou’s was under cooked. Giordano’s was the whole pizzeria experience. Giordano’s hands down. I dream of that pizza and I’m coming back for more!
I dream of it too!!
We had Giordano’s while in Chicago and loved it! Will have to try Lou’s next time and compare!
Awesome! Would love to know when you do! 😀
We went to Chicago this past weekend and it’s always been a quest for me to try both places and make up my own mind. Had Lou’s for lunch on Saturday. While it took a while (almost two hours from arriving to being served due to the massive crowd there), once we received it, it was delicious. Firm, buttery crust that you could pick up and eat. Went to Giordano’s the next evening for dinner. Maybe a total of an hour wait but worth it. Very cheesy and the ingredients were fresh. But I choose Lou’s based solely on the crust. Giordano’s had more ingredients (we chose the Special) which made the crust a bit soggier. You had to eat it with a fork and knife but that’s a small price to pay for such good food. Both were delicious but I’d go with Lou’s first.
Wow Jim, thank you so much for letting us know about your experience! Two hours certainly is a long time to wait, but sounds like it was worth it!
You forgot Gino’s East! My favorite is still Lou’s because of the butter crust. That said, there is a good case to be made for Gino’s as well.
We will definitely try Gino’s East the next time we visit. Thank you for the recommendation. 🙂
We Just returned from Chicago and this time we tried Lou Malnati’s pizza. We have eaten at Giordano’s, but we loved Malnatis!! The sauce is incredibly bright and favorable and the buttery crust is yummy! For us, Malnati’s wins, hands down!!
Awesome, thanks so much for your input Dawn!
You can get them both through the mail. Come frozen. I like Lou’s better because of the crust. Have to get pepperoni or sausage, or both.
Good to know! Thanks Mark! 🙂