A Pizzeria with a Cult Following!

Everyone loves pizza I assume and I am no different specie. But, what would propagate the pizza to achieve a cult following among the masses was a question that was pondering in my mind for quite some time. Without any ado, I headed over to the city of broad shoulders(Oh Yeah, Chicago!) where I can find the answers to my never-ending uncertainty.

Ok, I have reached. But, what next?

Where do I head to? Should I ask someone? Will I look like an arse? But, how will I know?

"Ahh!! Stop it!" I exclaimed. Grabbed a stranger by the collar and asked him what is the best pizzeria I can find here and he told me...

Oops, I just asked him politely guys!

Anyways, he suggested me..

Lou Malnati's Pizzeria. Ooh, this franchise started in 1970's is only found in The Windy City (opening up few in Arizona!) and is famous for their Deep-Dish Pizzas and I got to try them to see what's all the fuss about. The location I have chosen is Schaumburg which has a beautiful location, hands down!

Went inside and saw the walls adorned with history of Chicago, mainly the Cubs though! Got seated and the server was away with our order and considering I reached at 10PM on a weekday, the place was decently packed.

The first order was out soon.

It was the Minestrone Soup. Served with cheese sticks, breadsticks and oyster crackers, this vegetable soup was ready to be gulped. It had all the veggies such as corn, carrots, onions, peas, celery, basil and beans mixed with elbow pasta and crushed tomatoes. It was well seasoned with pepper, salt and oregano and comes with a stock made of chicken and pork broth and cooked in the traditional two-day process. Phew, that was enormous for a soup!

The soup was very rich and filling. The ingredients though countless, never overpowered each other and added a distinctive touch of their own. Such was the flavor the soup had carried.

Taste: 8/10

Next up,

It was the Malnati Chicago Classic Pizza. The dish was finally at the forefront and supposedly the answer to my prayers. It was warm and the gooey cheese with the fat of the meat flowing on the top of the famous butter crust is certainly a treat to watch.

This pizza comes with lean Italian sausage meat and hand-picked vine ripened tomatoes along with extra doses of cheese. That is all to this classic that took the world by a wave. I just couldn't stop drooling by staring at this beauty of a dish with the oil dripping from the sausage meat combined with the cheese and the crispy butter crust.

After admiring it to the extent, I took a decent bite off it and guess what?

This has to be the best Deep Dish Pizza ever!

The pizza which adorns the minimalistic theme with sausage, tomatoes and cheese is a winner by all means. The lean sausage meat is so well marinated and cooked to perfection that I could have this every day with no qualms. The extra dose of pizza bodes well with the meat and the juicy ripened tomatoes. The next best thing would definitely be the homemade butter crust which is crispy and rich in flavor. I am all down for this authentic Chicago plate!

Taste: 9.5/10

Up comes,

The Lou. As simple as it could get, isn't it? Well, this pizza happens to be the next favorite of every Malnati fan and I have already become one, so why not?

This pizza has a lot going on with the spinach mix, mushrooms and roma tomatoes paired with a fusion of mozzarella, cheddar and romano cheese on the 'Oh, so good' garlic butter crust. Digged into it right away and this pizza sure has a burst of flavors. Way different than what I had earlier, this veggie marvel has the acidity from the tomatoes paired with the sourness from the 3 cheese blend and slight bitterness from the blanched spinach which is perfect for this deep dish pizza.

Taste: 8.5/10

Phew, I am full. But, everyone has place for desserts and so do I.

This would be Tre Dolci. For those who are confused on what desserts to choose, Malnati came up with a marketing gimmick to constitute a bit of every dessert on offer, which sure did grab my attention.

The first one I tried was Chocolate Chip Pizza. This one came with a freshly baked and warm chocolate chip cookie topped with vanilla bean ice cream and whipped cream with a cherry on top. Their best seller in desserts and I was sure as hell excited to try this one out and scooped one immediately. This tasted so good. The fresh cookie which was warm and gooey paired with ice cream and cream is next to none and I am so fortunate to have experienced this.

The second one was Tiramisu. An ancient Italian classic which has its standards set high by every restaurant down the lane and Malnati sure had a responsibility excelling it. It was really creamy and the ladyfingers paired with espresso and mascarpone cheese is a combination never to fail and topping it with cocoa powder just makes it better.

The final one was Key Lime Pie. This American dessert was just added to the trio platter to complete it but it was fresh and decently flavored. The crust could have been more crispier and the lime was a bit too sour that the condensed milk couldn't lessen it up. I have had better key lime pies but I had to try all of them, ain't it?

Taste: 8/10

Overall, this place is as authentic as Chicago can get!

Details

Lou Malnati's Pizzeria

1 S Roselle Rd Schaumburg, IL 60193

(847) 985-1525

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