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.

Book a food experience

Tours, tastings and classes that match this page, bookable on GetYourGuide.

Browse every bookable food experience

Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield 2Hands-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.

Where to eat tavern-cut thin pizza

Tavern-cut thin pizza in Chicago

Vito & Nick's Pizzeria ★ 4.4

$ Tavern-cut Thin PizzaAshburn

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.

OrderLarge sausage tavern thin, party-cut, with a side of giardiniera.

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

Directions

Pat's Pizza & Ristorante ★ 4.2

$$ Tavern-cut Thin PizzaLincoln 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.

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

TipDelivery is the locals' move. The dining room is small, the carryout window quick.

Directions Book

Bonci Chicago ★ 4.3

$$ PizzeriaWest 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.

OrderMortadella and pistachio cream; potato and rosemary; whatever seasonal vegetable is current.

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

Directions Book

All Chicago signature dishes →

More cities are in research. Want tavern-cut thin pizza covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

Browse all dishes →