How One Pizzeria Started a Pizza Movement

Deep dish pizza first appeared in Chicago at Pizzeria Uno in 1943, previously known as Pizzeria Riccardo. At the time, bars and taverns in the area were serving thinned crusted bar pies as a way of attracting patrons. Pizzeria Riccardo differentiated themselves by inventing the deep dish pizza. The original restaurant was dark, cramped, and gloomy. The pies took a long time to bake. The restaurant nearly closed, and probably would have if a local food reporter hadn't written favorably about the restaurant. In the years that followed, Pizzeria Uno spawned numerous pizzerias serving variations to the original deep dish pie. 

Pizzeria Riccardo

The original pizzeria opened by Ike Sewell and Ric Riccardo, where the deep dish style pizza was first served as a way of differentiating the restaurant. Rudy Malnati is often cited as creating an early version of the recipe, and Alice Mae Redmond with perfecting it. These were pan pies with very high sides, overflowing with cheese, sauce, and meat.

Pizzeria Due

The success of Pizzeria Uno eventually led to the opening of a second location. It was christened Pizzeria Duo, meaning "two." Lou Malnati, Rudy's son, served as manager at this location, which opened shortly after the death of Riccardo. 

Pizzeria Uno

Pizzeria Riccardo was renamed to Pizzeria Uno after Sewell opened Pizzeria Due. He quickly realized naming subsequent restaurants sequentially would eventually lead to a logistical crisis. Too bad, because Pizzeria Settantasette has a pretty nice ring to it. Aaron Spencer convinced Sewell to sell franchises in 1980. The first of these opened as a test restaurant in Boston. The chain eventually grew to as many as 150 locations, but now has just 77. 

Gino's East

Sam Levine, Fred Bartoli and Geore Loverde opened the shop in 1966. Levine and Bartoli were taxi drivers, not pizzaiolo, so they hired  Alice Mae Redmond, a Black woman who had spent seventeen years working at Pizzeria Uno. Redmond had never liked the original recipe from Pizzeria Riccardo's early days and had spent years improving it creating a softer crust. She took this new recipe with her during her move to Gino's East. Redmond continued making pizzas at Gino’s for another 29 years. 

Delisi's Pizzeria

Helen Delisi was known as "the original pizza queen," according to her 2008 obituary. She worked at the original Pizzeria Uno for fifteen years before opening Delisi's Pizza in 1977. She sold the business in 1999, and it had a series of owners before finally closing just a few years ago. 

Louisa’s Pizza & Pasta

Louisa DeGenero had been an employee of Pizzeria Due before opening her own restaurant, Louisa's Restaurant, in Crestwood, in 1981. At one point, three generations of her family worked at the restaurant.  

Lou Malnati's

This pizzeria was founded in 1971 by Lou Malnati, the son of Rudy Malnati. Lou had managed Pizzeria Due just as his father had managed the Pizzeria Uno. Rudy supposedly had a handshake agreement with Sewell and Riccardo to come in as a partner, but there are questions about whether he was fully compensated. Rudy felt too much loyalty to leave behind Pizzeria Uno, but that didn't stop Lou from founding a competing empire. 

The pizzeria is serving up deep dish pizza at fifty-nine locations across Chicagoland, as well as Arizona, Wisconsin and Indiana. In 1978, Lou Malnati died unexpectedly of cancer, but the business stayed in the family with his oldest son Marc joining Lou's wife Jean. Marc's brother Rick also eventually joined the family business. Since then, the family has taken on capital from other investors, but the brand doesn’t franchise, meaning each store is operated by the family-owned business, a mix of full service restaurants, cafe style restaurants, and take away establishments. 

Bartoli's Pizza

A relative newcomer to the deep dish tradition, Bartoli's was founded in 2013 by Brian Tondryk. The pizzeria takes its name from Fred Bartoli, a co-founder of the famous Gino's East, and Tondryk's grandfather. Although Tondryk descends from deep dish royalty, his recipe is unique. 

Pizano's Pizza & Pasta

Pizano's was founded in 1991 by Rudy Malnati, Jr., the son of Rudy Malnati, Sr. and half brother to Lou. Pizano's has four locations and offers deep dish and thin crust pizza and also has a deep-dish chocolate chip cookie served with whipped cream.