Pequod's Pizzeria
(between Capulina Ave & Lincoln Ave)
Morton Grove, IL 60053 (847) 470-9161
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Lunch
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
25 reviews
Neighborhood: Albany Park
"One of the best pizza places in town...honestly. Piece Pizza was my former favortite...but this place--while less attractive and hip--is…" read more »
15 Reviews for Pequod's Pizzeria
You know, everyone seems to love Pequod's. I consistently enjoy their pizza, which is good enough for a recommendation from me. But honestly, I really dug it until like the fourth time I went. Now I'm starting to get a little tired of it.
Seems to be best for lunch 'cause you can get a little personal pizza for a good price.
PRO TIP: Chew the blackened-cheese crust very well or you will have stomach issues.
The first time I ate Pequod's pizza was in the greater Chicago dog spa corridor at the Clybourn location. The pizza was wonderful, even good enough to look past the mutton chop fetish that held the wait staff hostage at the time.
When the Chicago location was closed due to the fire (possibly mutton-chop-related), my brother and I took a trip out to the Morton Grove location. Between the two, the food is exactly the same. I keep telling myself that this one tastes better, but that is because I just like the people more here. It's not that the Chicago location gets pretentious or anything, but the wait staff in Morton Grove is nice, probably nicer than any restaurant in the city.
When I took my girlfriend there, she said that it was like going to vacation in Wisconsin. That about says it all, except the pizza's good.
Oh Yes, The deep dish pizza aint no joke. The carmalized crust is amazing. Chicago hands down has the best pizza on the planet.
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tho not as good as it's neighbor Burt's, Pequods still has good pizza and that wonderful browned crust. The weekday lunch special of a personal pizza and drink for $5 is wonderful!
I first went here with my boyfriend and his parents - his parents went on their first date there!!! The pizza is awesome. I've only had the thin crust, but it is excellent. They also have great salads. The restaurant has a very homey, comfortable feel to it. Darker lighting, wood walls and tables. This is a great place for groups and kids, and also a good date place. It's very quiet and the tables are not right on top of each other. Don't expect to find a crowd there, everytime we've been it's been pretty empty. They are very willing to make pizzas half one thing and the other half another without charging extra. The prices are great too - we always get a large pizza and eat half of it then take home the rest.
It's probably not fair that I'm writing about a place I haven't been to in YEARS, but yes, the pizza is very good. I remember a birthday lunch with my best friend and we watched these little bugs crawl around on the wood ceiling and mate. I think this location is moving to Dempster St., across from where Par-King used to be.
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I love this place. I especially love the deep dish pizza with the caramelized crust, and the tatty, roadhouse-near-the-lake ambiance. There are always two televisions tuned to different stations, and turned down so far you can't possibly hear what's being said, and they're hypnotic, but it's part of the charm of this place.
The only reason I don't really give it five stars is because it's often so crowded you have to wait outside (and if that's a negative it's one likely to make the owners happy) their soda is always just a tiny bit flat-tasting to me, and because I think their menu could be just a teensy bit broader. It'd be nice to have a couple of salad choices. But it doesn't really matter in the end because I do go there for the pizza.
How can you not love a place with a logo of a motorcycle-riding whale with panties on his head? (Pequod was the name of the ship in Moby Dick, I think). It gives a clue of the joint's personality, which the other reviewers have commented on. We almost missed the place, driving by the first time. But the place was packed and once you try the pizza, you'll know why. Yep, carmelized cheese...it creates one of the better deep dish pizzas you'll ever eat.
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Now I get what all the fuss is about for the Pequod's in the city off of Clybourn (this one is the same owner). Went for a lunch with some coworkers and loved that the lunch special (a mini deep-dish) and choice of a beer or pop was only five bucks! It's a total whole in the wall (kind of reminded me of some bars in Northern Michigan) which was fun. I ordered the personal pie with garlic and mushrooms which was amazing. Loved the crispy sides (which is the caramelized cheese they advertise). Would recommend calling your order in ahead so it will be ready upon your arrival.
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Kinda of a dumpy place but homey. Heard they might (or already) have a remodeled or new place nearby. Wait staff are friendly.
Their thin pizza is okay, but nothing to write home about. But their pan pizza is delish with the burnt cheese on the crust edges. Otherwise, its your everyday typical pan pizza that has a good crust, good sauce, and generous amounts of toppings. My favorite is the SMOG pizza - sausage, mushroom, onion, and green peppers, as one of the waitresses would call it. On the top of my list, fighting with a few other places. The Lincoln Park location is about the same quality too, but cannot comment on its restaurant.
Everyone knows (or *should* know) that usually the best food can be found in the smallest, darkest corners, off the beaten paths in places that would otherwise be called dives.
Pequod's Pizza is one of those places!
If you didn't know Pequod's was there and don't have a GPS, forget about trying to find it. Pequod's looks like it was originally built from a trailer that had the wheels fall off of it, and they decided that the placement (behind the local drunk station) was as good as any.
The main dining room has the quintessential "hole in the wall in a town of 50 people" restaurant feel to it. There are maybe a total of fifteen tables in the front dining room, and some are quite cozy. Low lighting enhances the 'hole in the wall' effect, and dark walls enhance it even further. In short, Pequod's has tons of *authentic* "hole in the wall" character, down to a ton of *anchient* radios stashed everywhere. And don't be surprised if you see "Happy Holidays" on the outdoor sign in April.
The pizza is very, very good. The crust is made in an unusual way with cheese around the perhiperal that gets carmelized as the pizza bakes. We're not talking about Pizza Slut's "oil slick" ring of cheese, we're talking about cheese that you actually *want* to eat and tastes good! The sauce is also a spicy number and a far cry from the generic bland red sauces that inhabit many pizzas. Toppings are generous almost to a fault, since occasionally there will be so many of them that they start to overshadow the rest of the ingredients. In any case, occasionally I'll re-arrange a slice a bit just so that it has better overall balance. (Never thought I'd say that about pizza!)
Pizza is served in the pan if you're dining in, or in the box if you've ordered take-out. Bake time is between 35 and 45 minutes, so plan accordingly if you're picking up.
If you're the type that doesn't enjoy your toast anything darker than light auburn, you're not going to dig the pizza. But if you're the type that enjoys pan fried cheese, you'll love Pequod's! And if you don't know which you are, well... dig out your GPS. :)
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I am not a Chicago area native and personally prefer thin crust, make that preferred thin crust. I hated Giordano's and many other "famous" deep dish pizzas until I came to Pequod's. What is this delicious pizza pie that has taken me to a new realm of pizza enjoyment? The answer: caramelized crust and cheese, which is just one of those genius food inventions. Can I also say how glad I was to not have an overdone whaling theme? The decor may be a little designed to like the lower deck of a ship, but all the old electronic equipment and really old radios make up for anything else.
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VERY GOOD pizza. I had it during my first week at work in Skokie. They have individual pizzas in dark pans, and the way they cook it the cheese on the outside gets a little burnt while the middle is just nice and brown. Might sound kinda weird, but I was impressed - I didn't know if I'd like it.
OOH that carmelized cheese. The elusive 5 star pizza award is once again handed out to Pequods. 2 locations to serve you, one in morton grove for the nw people and one in the city on webster. quality and continuity is the same at each location so feel free to go wherever is closest. IF you do not like deep dish pizza, keep moving, this is their specialty. lets look at the pizza, shall we? First thing you notice is that like true deep dish pizza (ala uno/due) it is served at your table in the pan it was cooked in, this is very important as the hot pan continues to crisp the pizza as you wait for your next slice (pinoccio's in niles could take this lesson) so your za never gets soggy. Second, it looks like it should, lots of oh so good carmelized cheese on the edge of each slice. Thirdly, toppings are GENEROUS and excellent. Truly a sausage lovers dream, but the other toppings are just as good, just not as stand out. I am pretty big pizza eater, but 2 slices of pequods and I'm done. I'd reccommend sizing your pizza with a 2-3 slice expectancy. Also, pequods pizza has a great ability to be reheated and lose very little of it's original flavor. I attribute this to the low moisture content of the dough after it cooks, but who knows for sure. morton grove is a small place, but you can call ahead before you get there to get the pizza going. Chicago is a larger operation, but parking can suck. I know chicago will deliver, not sure about morton grove. Waitstaff in MG is very freindly. If you have out of town guests who are dying for unos/due's but you hate going downtown, feel confident with this fine representation of Chicago's Classic Deep Dish.
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Great "hole in the wall" type place. Love the pizza. However, I went there for the lunch special which was advertised as being available until 1:30pm. Well, it was 1:20 and we were RUDELY told we couldn't get ANYTHING. I think they were shutting down until the dinner run got started later in the day. I asked why the special was advertised as being available until 1:30 and got another earful of rudeness. I've not managed to make it back since.
This is however about the best place in the world for a bachelor party. They have a private back room and know how to keep the pizza and beer coming.
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