Greek Islands in Chicago is the Greektown standard on South Halsted since 1971, with the flaming saganaki tableside-presentation that the neighbourhood made famous.
Signature dishes: Saganaki (flaming cheese), Lamb on the spit, Gyros
Must order: Saganaki (Opa!), lamb on the spit, gyros plate to share.
Tip: Sunday lunch with the family is the room's natural use. Book a long table and a bottle of Boutari.
Address: 200 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60661
Lou Malnati's in Chicago is the Lincoln Park branch of the deep-dish chain founded 1971 by Lou (Rudy Malnati Sr.'s son), butter-crust pies with The Lou as flagship.
Signature: Chicago deep-dish pizza, The Lou (spinach, mushroom, tomato)
Order: The Lou with sausage, plus a small Malnati Salad first, with sweet vinaigrette.
Tip: Order the pizza when you sit; baking takes 45 minutes. Otherwise you wait twice.
Pequod's Pizza in Chicago is the Lincoln Park pan-pizza institution on Clybourn since 1971, the caramelised cheese ring around the crust copied across the city.
Signature: Caramelised-crust pan pizza, Sausage and mushroom
Order: Medium pan pizza, sausage and mushroom, with extra cheese around the rim.
Tip: Walk in at 16:30 to beat the queue; tables fill before the kitchen opens for dinner service.
Pizano's Pizza & Pasta in Chicago is the family-owned Loop deep-dish room founded in 1991 by Rudy Malnati Jr., son of Pizzeria Uno's original cook Rudy Malnati Sr.
Signature: Cheese deep-dish, Thin pepperoni
Order: The cheese deep-dish, no toppings, the way Rudy Sr. baked it at Uno.
Tip: The Madison location is the original; State Street is the bigger pre-theatre spot.
Pizzeria Uno in Chicago is the original deep-dish pizza shop, opened by Ike Sewell on Ohio Street in 1943, where the city's pan-baked pizza was invented and named.
Signature: Numero Uno deep-dish, Sausage and pepperoni
Order: The Numero Uno, the canonical deep-dish from the original menu.
Tip: The pies bake 45 minutes; order on arrival. The nearby Due (Pizzeria Due) is the same kitchen if Uno is full.
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.
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.
