The first thing that comes to mind when you think of Chicago-style pizza is deep-dish pizza. Whether you think this Windy City spin on an Italian classic is an abomination or ambrosia, Chicago’s pizza experimentation does not end at deep dish. There is a concoction amongst locals known to be deep-dish pizza’s bastard cousin: the pizza pot pie.
The pizza pot pie is the product of Italian American ingenuity by a Chicagoan lawyer turned restaurant owner in 1972. It is made with Sicilian bread dough, a mozzarella cheese blend, and a special sauce made from whole plum tomatoes, with optional Boston sausage and mushrooms.
The pizza pot pie is not as widespread as deep-dish; in fact, this delicacy is only served at “Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Company”. To add another layer of complexity, the size of your order is determined by weight, with the “Half-Pounder” and the “One-Pounder”. The smaller of the menu usually serves one, but we recommend getting the larger one because you will most certainly want leftovers.
While the ingredients of this delight are fresh as can be, it is the assembly of the pizza pot pie that makes it distinct, if not downright controversial. Ovengrinders makes this pie by starting with a ceramic bowl and effectively making a pizza in reverse order.
Fresh out of the oven, the product at this stage resembles a doughy mushroom more than a pizza. The magic happens when the server brings your order bread-side up, and flips it onto your plate, removing your bowl to reveal gooey, melted cheese.
The next time you’re in Chicago you’ve got to try this legendary reimagination of a Chicago classic! Travelers be warned: this old-fashioned hole-in-the-wall does not take reservations but solely serves on a first come first served basis. On a busy day, you can expect wait times to exceed an hour per table, so it’s recommended to make this a weeknight adventure versus a weekend endeavor. Notwithstanding this complication, “Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Company” is an unmissable landmark for the most curious pizza foodie.
Eric Gotsch
Eric Gotsch is a writing intern that is a rising senior at Loyola University Chicago where he has a double major in Italian Studies and Political Science. Eric studied abroad in Rome for his Fall 2023 semester while also interning at Il Centro Studi Americani, an Italian-American international relations think-tank. For fun, Eric likes to exercise, practice Italian, and bake focaccia.