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Mon-Thu. 4:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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So far, of all the Lou's, this is my favorite Lou's. You need to order it properly though and prep it right when you get home.
Here is the process in simple, easy to follow steps on how to order and prepare the BEST Lou's Pizza ever.
1. Order your pizza by phone 45 minutes before you plan on eating. *Make sure you order it UNCUT!* Don't slice it, dice it or anything else. You want a WHOLE UNCUT PIE! I recommend sausage, spinach and mushroom on butter dough.
2. Just before you leave your house (or have your assistant stay home), preheat your over to 350.
3. Arrive in parking lot and park at the bank side.
4. Go inside and eat the free pizza they set out for the people waiting for pizza. You will now be even MORE hungry. Pay for your pizza and go to your car.
5. Drive as fast as safety and the law allows while maintaining pizza integrity. Do not do any high G turns that will make the pizza slosh around. Straight line speeding is fine. Just don't do any abrupt acceleration or deceleration. The goal is to make it home in one piece. The pizza, not you. I can guarantee whomever is at home is more concerned about the pizza than you at this point.
6. Arrive home and make a beeline for the kitchen. Unwrap the box and enjoy the smells that is the pizza. But do not EAT!
7. Place pizza NAKED on the middle rack, and wait 10 minutes @ 350 degrees in the oven. This waiting time is TORTURE, I understand. Use this time to set the table, or prepare a salad or just simply stare at your oven window with the light on while counting down the seconds. I swear I've never done the last one before...
8. Remove pizza and slice it into 6 equal slices( assuming a Large or bigger pie. if you need any smaller, you should order a large anyway). 8 equal slices if there is a need to. Any more than that is EPIC FAIL and you deserve to be shot after being tried for TREASON to the Pizza Nation.
9. Savor every bite of this fine work of ART! Do not disgrace the pie with any addition of your own other than cheese sprinkles or red pepper flakes. Most of all, DO NOT EAT IT NEW YORK STYLE. Those NYC folks don't know pizza, at all.
That is your guide to the perfect Lou's Pizza.
I heart Lou's and it is BY FAR the best deep dish pizza in Evanston. I have also grown fond of their thin crust as well over the years. So hot, so much flavor (ask for butter crust) and just a Chicago tradition. Hell, Lou's been out Bobby Flay for best deep dish (was there really even a competition). If you haven't tried Lou's and are in Chicago you need to go now (you aren't a true Chicagoian until you have). My brother and best friend who both live out of Chicago make this their staple stop when they come into town. My only reason for four stars is that it isn't my favorite deep dish pizza, but it is up in the top 10 for me.
I grew up on this particular branch of Lou's. My family ordered take-out here pretty much every Friday for the eight years or so we lived in Wilmette, not to mention the summers home from college. We tried other pizza places in the area, but none of them ever compared. For both deep dish and thin crust this restaurant can't be beat. Even though I've found other pizza I've liked in my new home in California (even giving some 5 stars!), I've never found anything that is quite as amazing as Lou's pizza. My personal favorite is a The Lou pan pizza. I also like their thin crust quite a bit and love that they have the option for low-fat cheese on all their pizzas. If you come to the Chicago area you definitely owe it to yourself to try their pizza!
My fav Chicago pizza has to be Giordano's...but this place is a close second. Very good pizza. And if you do head into a Lou's you must save room for dessert and grab some Chocolate Chip Dessert Pizza. Yum!
I grew up eating Lou Malnati's and now that I'm home for break, we decided to get some for dinner. We ordered a thick crust sausage with low-fat cheese and extra tomato sauce. I've never actually had sausage at Lou's but it was really good!
It took about 30 min for the pizza to be ready. I like the carry-out restaurant because they are pretty efficient and the staff are nice (seems like everyone is a high schooler).
Anyways, I recommend everyone to try Lou's at least once and they have more than 20 locations in Illinois! btw- the restaurant was just in a Food Network show with Bobby Flay.
You want some of the best Chicago style pizza in town?! YOU'VE FOUND IT! Don't waste time with those high profile pizza chains. And when you go in to pick up your delicious, mouth watering, pizza...don't forget to snag some free samples by the door.
Tell em Scott sent you...it won't get you anything and they will probably ask you, "Who the F%& is Scott?" But you can say it anyway.
Might I suggest the thin crust "Lou's" and then a pan style "Deluxe" with crumbled sausage...oh yeah...they can give you a layer of sausge if you choose.
They also deliver all over the US. For you NoCal folks...it's Hella good and 100 times better than Zach's.
This is a solid 4-star place. I just finished off a sausage and mushroom thin crust, and it was good. The crust is great, it's a little different than most other thin crusts around town. You'll definitely get the olive oil/buttery crust flavor too. The toppings were well-seasoned and cooked (I hate getting raw/undercooked veggies on top of my pizza). And for $16.37, the large made for a great family (of 3) dinner.
One note of interest - they have free pizza samples! FREE PIZZA SAMPLES.
Also, parking can be tough in that lot (blame the Japanese restaurant next door). But, if you go later in the evening, you should be able to find parking in the bank's lot.
Lou Malanati's is like the city of Chicago served in pie form. Not only does their delicious pizza embody the definition of 'deep dish,' but it also personifies the city that deep dish was first created in.
Lou's starts with great ingredients, real quality stuff. How can you tell? Because they don't process to death. Thick cuts of tomatoes, buttery crust that isn't dough but isn't crispy (Goldilocks crust!), top notch cheese that you can pull into long strings, and big meaty slices of whatever topping you choose to get. Just like Chicago, you've already got a good collection of quality bits from all different places that are thrown together. Add the 'Chicago fire' of cooking, and the pie comes out of the oven like the city rose from the ashes of the fire...that much more delectable and ready to take on the culinary delights of anyone you dare cross it!
Order your pie uncut, so when you get it to your table, it will still be piping hot. Take a big wiff and enjoy the symphony of smells. Take a slice, be civilized and use a fork and knife please, and let the party in your mouth begin! This pizza is like ambrosia brought down from the heavens. Plus, you never have to worry about ordering too much because Lou's makes GREAT leftovers.
Overall, Lou's is just the best Chicago-style Deep Dish pizza. The Wilmette location only delivers, but that is just as well since you can enjoy this pie anywhere.
The buttery light crust,
makes me crazy.
If my tongue had an ass, it would want to shake it,
not break it.
But then I would have an ass tongue and that would just be weird.
The pizza is amazing.
Ok, do not even waste your time on those other Chicago pizza joints. Lou's is simply the best. Having grown up in the Chicago area, I've tried them all and honestly, Lou Malnati's is heads above the rest. Every time I make it home to visit, I make sure that the visit includes a trip to get some deep dish veggie pizza. I've even bought the frozen ones and created inventive ways to bring them back to DC with me.
The crust is perfectly light, the sauce sweet and yummy - all tomatoes. If you like sausage, then this is the one for you. Big old sausage patty right on top. Of course, there's tons of cheese. It all bakes together to form what I call "A little piece of Chicago delight."
I LOVE Lou Malnati's pizza and think it is the best in Chicago by far! We picked up a deep dish from here (it's not a sit down location) and we were blown away. Mind you - we regularly pick up from the Lincolnwood location as well as the Lincoln Park and Wells Street - but this pizza was perfection...not too salty, not overcooked, and good distribution of toppings.
As an out-of-towner who is not a fan of deep dish pizza and does not regularly eat it, my opinion of this place might not be in line with the rest of the reviews. Still, the pizza was good. Lots of toppings. Well prepared. Pretty tasty. I've had better. But I would eat there again.
True Chicago Pizza experience! My work orders from here every other Friday and I always get the personal sausage pizza. I don't even LIKE sausage on pizza - but SHUT UP! It's delish! It comes with a small side salad that's always fresh and has homemade croutons!
Lou's is a great place for thick or thin crust pizza. However, I prefer their thin crust. Until about a year ago, the sauce or crust had a strong olive oil aroma/flavor, which I loved. I don't know if they went to a different brand of olive oil or if they cut back, but it's definately not the same.
I usually order a salad with house dressing--a vinagarette--which is tastey and sweet.
It's best to arrive a few minutes earlier than your scheduled pick up time. That way you can sample the pizzas they setup for waiting patrons.
Parking is tough in this strip center's lot. You may have to drive around for awhile to secure a spot.
This is a carry-out only location.
Pizza is always good..always hot. and just right. I'm from the east coast and a lot of Chicagoans feel Lou's is right up there with the best NYC has to offer. I like the bar set up, Sox games are on, and the beer is cold..Always a good time.
This pizza is SO good! I dont know how they do it! sometimes i wonder if they add any addictave ingiediants. LOL...the deep dish is really really deep. Go figure. lol....the best king is sasage. If my family is getting together there is a pretty good chance im gonna get some freakin good pizza out of it. Its more of an pick up pizza place. You can go in but its always really loud and crowded. The servers cant really pay much attention to you. But best pizza in chicago...BY FAR!!!
This particular location is carry out only, but dine in or carry out, Malnati's is the best deep dish pizza. I love the traditional layer of sausage and my wife loves the Lou's special (tomatoes, mushrooms and spinach with cheddar cheese) The salads are also great, make sure to ask for the house dressing. I am not a huge fan of thin crust, but I like their's a lot. If you desire desert (which after a few pieces of Lou's and a salad is hard to do), they have Eli's Cheesecake. A Chicago tradition and a must if you have out-of-towners unfamiliar with Chicago visiting.
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