Six pizzerias are part of the tour with four of the six being visited on a given day. My journey through pizza heaven began in the loop at Pizano’s. Owned by Rudy Malnati Jr. this pizza boasts a delicious “butter” crust, fresh cheese, and a delicious sauce. Both deep dish and thin crust are top notch with the thin being the surprising sales leader. This is no walking tour so we hop on our bus and take a short drive to Hyde Park. Italian Fiesta is our next stop and it has a connection to the White House. When Michelle Obama was a little girl she used to get rewarded for good grades with a pizza from Italian Fiesta! While good, the soft crust and sweet sauce make up an ordinary slice of thin crust we’ve all had at our local pizza joint. My apologies to the first lady.
Back on the bus and off to Coal Fire in West Town. Here we find a truly unique pizza place for Chicago. Why? For starters it’s the only pizza place around that burns coal instead of wood or gas. The second reason is because your pizza cooks in 3 minutes and the last being that the crust is delicious! Crisp and chewy at the same time, this pizza is truly amazing! Two must haves are the garlic and ricotta “white” pizza and the red pepper and spicy salami ‘Farantino.”
Last stop of the day is Gino’s East in River North. Golden corn based crust is loaded with sausage and is a very filling end to our pizza journey. But the tour is more than just the pizza (gasp!), pizza is very communal so you begin to bond with your fellow tour mates. You listen and laugh at your tour guides stories about Chicago and our version of pizza.
The pizza tour runs $55 per person and includes a lot of food! If you are still hungry after this tour you probably have a tape worm (apparently I do)! Since you are on a bus, the tour does not stop due to poor weather. So come hungry and leave full as well as little educated about your favorite food, PIZZA!
For more info visit them at http://chicagopizzatours.com/
Pizzerias
Pizano's Pizza & Pasta – Loop
www.pizanoschicago.com
Gino's East - River North
www.ginoseast.com
Coalfire - West Town
www.coalfirechicago.com
Italian Fiesta - Hyde Park
www.italianfiestapizzeria.com
Reggio's - University Village
www.reggios.com
Frasca - Roscoe Village
www.frascapizzeria.com
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