Our authentic Chicago Deep Dish pizza sticks closely to the original recipe developed in the “Windy City.” Our made-fresh-daily deep-dish pizza dough is hand-pressed into the distinctive black steel deep-dish pans, climbing high up the sides. Then, we fill it with a thick layer of mozzarella, followed by the fillings of your choice — fresh bell peppers, mushrooms, pepperoni, or our homemade whole-fennel sausage. Finally, it’s all topped-off with a generous helping of our house-made tomato sauce, then baked to perfection — a melty, gooey center surrounded by a perfectly crisp and buttery tasting crust.
Though deep-dish is a more recent pizza innovation, it’s no less delicious than other pizza pies. Developed in Chicago around 1943, deep dish has inspired imitators alike and caused controversy ever since.
Throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s, Italian immigrants fanned out across the United States. By 1920, Chicago was home to more than 60,000 – the third largest Italian population in the U.S – and they brought the great pizza traditions of Rome and Naples with them.
At the same time, Chicago boasted a strong Sicilian influence too and with it came the thick-crusted style of pizza that evolved from “sfincione.”
Two enterprising restaurateurs, Ike Sewell and Ric Riccardo, were quick to spot both the growing popularity of pizza and the growing appetite of American GI’s coming home from war and laboring in Chicago’s factories.
They founded the original “Pizzeria Uno” location in 1943 and soon began serving a new style of pizza. Rather than tossed flat and cooked on the floor of an oven, the dough was pressed into a deep steel pan. Then the toppings were assembled “upside down,” with a layer of mozzarella, then meats and veggies, and finally a chunky tomato sauce on top.
This hearty concoction soon became a hit and a number of other pizzerias in and around Chicago began serving similar pies.
Here at Pizzeria Pezzo, our deep-dish pies are hand-crafted in the original Chicago tradition. With fresh, house-made ingredients, we’ve recreated the flavors and textures that made deep-dish pizza a Chicago staple.
Stop by and try one today!
