The Pizza Everyone Associates With Illinois Isn’t What Most Illinoisans Order

Isn't it time the rest of America gets on board with what we all know in Illinois?

We like deep-dish pizza. We just don't eat it nearly as often as everyone else thinks we do.

Lou Malnati's

The Tourist Trap Dilemma: Why Deep-Dish Pizza Controls the Illinois Narrative

Deep dish is fantastic. It's also tourist pizza. I can't think of a better way to put it. I mean, even the Food Network, in its list of the Most Iconic Foods in All 50 States, agreed that deep-dish pizza is our signature "dish."

Because it’s a knife-and-fork affair that threatens your cardiac health, most Illinoisans eat deep-dish pizza only a few times a year. But when they do, the best places to get it are the restaurants run by the sons of deep-dish pizza co-inventor Rudy Malnati Sr.: Lou Malnati’s and Pizano’s (owned by Rudy Malnati Jr.). Rudy Jr.’s spot gets the edge over his brother’s because his crust is more buttery and golden and a little less hefty.

Even the Food Network says deep dish is Illinois's signature food. They're not wrong. They're just describing what visitors come here to eat, not what most Illinois families order on a random Friday night.

The Reality of Deep Dish: A Once-a-Year Treat for Locals

For Illinois, when it comes to pizza, we're a tavern-style crust group. That's the real Illinois pizza. If you and the family order pizza weekly, there's a good chance none of those pizzas are deep-dish. For us, you get pizza already cut into squares that get devoured in minutes.

That said, there are some variations, and I've said it before: Rockford pizza has its own style. It's hard to define but if you've beein Rockford long enough you know it when you taste it.

ZOKTV via YouTube

Don't get me wrong, deep-dish deserves the reputation and attention it gets, but if you really want to eat like most Illinois families, put down the knife and fork and order a thin-crust cut into squares.