History

Chicago's tavern-style thin predates deep-dish by a generation. The cracker-crust, square-cut pizza emerged in the 1930s in neighbourhood taverns on the South and West sides, designed to be eaten standing up with one hand and a beer in the other. The hallmarks are uniform: a docked, rolled-out crust no thicker than three millimetres; a thin layer of tangy tomato sauce; a low-moisture cheese blend; and edge-to-edge fennel-sausage crumble. Vito & Nick's, in Ashburn since 1949, is the canonical reference, with Pat's Pizza in Lincoln Park and Marie's in Garfield Ridge as the contemporary picks. Locals order it party-cut.

Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield Serves 2 (one 14-inch tavern thin)Hands-on 30 minTotal 2 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 230g bread flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon caster sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
  • 130ml cool water
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 200g passata
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon caster sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 200g low-moisture mozzarella, coarse-grated
  • 200g raw Italian fennel sausage, crumbled small
  • Semolina or cornmeal for dusting

Method

  1. Whisk dry ingredients, add water and oil, mix to a stiff dough. Knead 3 minutes only (this is not a soft Neapolitan dough). Rest covered 60 minutes at room temperature.
  2. Heat the oven to its maximum (250 to 290C / 480 to 550F) with a pizza stone or thick steel for 45 minutes. Without a stone, use a heavy baking sheet flipped upside down.
  3. Mix the passata, oregano, sugar, garlic powder and a pinch of salt for the sauce. Do not cook it.
  4. Roll the dough out on a cornmeal-dusted surface as thin as you can without tearing, 3mm thick, 30cm round. Dock all over with a fork.
  5. Slide onto a peel. Spread sauce thinly to the edge. Scatter half the cheese, then all the sausage in pinches, then the rest of the cheese.
  6. Slide onto the hot stone. Bake 7 to 10 minutes until the crust is amber-brown and cracker-crisp. Slice into squares with a rocker knife or wheel.

Tip from the editors. Dock the dough hard. The whole point of tavern-thin is the absence of crust puff.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat tavern-cut thin pizza

Tavern-cut thin pizza in Chicago

Vito & Nick's Pizzeria ★ 4.4

Tavern-cut thin pizza$ashburn

Vito & Nick's in Chicago is the Ashburn tavern serving the canonical tavern-cut thin pizza on South Pulaski since 1949, family-owned across four generations.

Signature: Original tavern-cut thin, Sausage and onion

Order: Large sausage tavern thin, party-cut, with a side of giardiniera.

Tip: Cash and the bar are the rhythm; first come first served. The kitchen closes at 22:00 sharp; arrive by 21:00.

8433 S Pulaski Rd, Chicago, IL 60652

Pat's Pizza & Ristorante ★ 4.2

Tavern-cut thin pizza$$lincoln-park

Pat's Pizza in Chicago is the Lincoln Park tavern-cut thin room on Lincoln Avenue since 1950, with the cracker-crust pies locals send out-of-town visitors to first.

Signature: Tavern-cut thin, Pat's Special with everything

Order: Medium Pat's Special, party-cut; the meatball sandwich as a backup.

Tip: Delivery is the locals' move. The dining room is small, the carryout window quick.

2679 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60614 Book →

Bonci Chicago ★ 4.3

Roman pizza al taglio$$west-loop

Bonci Chicago is Gabriele Bonci's West Loop pizza al taglio counter on Sangamon, the first US outpost of the Rome bakery, with rectangular pies cut by weight.

Signature: Pizza al taglio by weight, Mortadella and pistachio

Order: Mortadella and pistachio cream; potato and rosemary; whatever seasonal vegetable is current.

Tip: Walk up at 11:30 for the widest selection. By 14:00 the popular cuts are gone for the day.

161 N Sangamon St, Chicago, IL 60607 Book →

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