Giordano's - Chicago, IL Review

I knew I'd have to get some Chicago style pizza when I visited Chicago last weekend. I mean, really, it would be awful to go that far and then not even be able to say that I tried the local specialty.

Jolie said that Giordano's would be a good bet for Chicago style pizza. Jolie is the Viewpoints Angel, and she lives in Chicago. If anyone ought to know, she should.

The first thing I did after I landed and took the subway into town was walk to Giordano's. This put me there a few (very few) minutes after 11 a.m. Remember though that I went through a time shift, so it was really noon by my internal clock. Also, the airline did not even give out any pretzels or anything, so I was close to famished. I famish pretty easily though.

The Rush Road Giordano's is right in the middle of city, and I took the blue sub to the red and came out at State Street (I think) which is really close to the restaurant. Rush is rather a main road in town, so that makes this really easy. The company has added a lot of other locations now, so if you visit the web site, you can find other places to eat Giordano's in Chicago.

The general look of Giordano's is kind of like Bennigan's (maybe) from my area. It's sort of upscale trendy but down home at the same time. The feel is somewhat intimate but the place is still "open" with all kinds of neat local photos and signs.

They actually have a lot of different foods at Giordano's, but I knew ahead that I wanted the pizza. I put up a photo of the menu, which I hope is large enough to read when clicked. I know I saw a lot of sandwiches and that sort of stuff. I also wanted to grab the bread sticks going by, but I knew I could not eat bread sticks and pizza and waddle out.

They have a single serving lunch pizza, but it is only for lunch (11 to 2 I'm thinking). Good thing I went at lunch time. If I'd bought a full size I would have been eating a week or throwing up. That would be a huge amount of food. I couldn't quite finish the single serve by myself. Chicago pizza is very hearty.

With the lunch size, there are three standards - cheese, sausage and spinach. I got spinach, because I could never get that if the boys were in tow (which they usually are). You can add other stuff for 50 cents each, and I'm sure you could just order what you wanted and pay for the toppings. I was down with and set on spinach.

My waiter, bless his heart (which we can say here in the South), was clearly not used to very Southern voices. He had rather a dialect too, but I'm good at those. I can't always peg the location, but I'd say this guy was probably Italian (which is a good thing when ordering pizza).

I told my waiter what I wanted, and he found the pizza in the menu and pointed at that to be sure that I really, really did want to order that. Perhaps he has had Southern belles having hissy fits over the pizza not being flat like is more typical around here. I assured him that, yes, I did very much want the spinach Chicago pizza.

Though I was one of the first to arrive, the restaurant did fill up quickly more in the 11:30 range. In fact, some folks were waiting to be called for tables by the time I left. I'd say an early or late lunch arrival would be a good thing here.

My pizza came, and it was just like photos I've seen. This is pie style and deep. It is not like deep dish Pizza Hut (which I do love). The crust is not all that thick. It is deep and filled with stuff - cheese and any other toppings with tomatoes on top. The bread part is heavier, more like European bread if you've had that.  

I really loved my spinach pizza, but I know that some folks don't care all that much for Chicago style pizza. It's different. I'd say to sure try it if you hit Chicago, but do not expect it to look or taste like pizzas from other areas.

My pizza was not huge, since it was the lunch pizza. It was still more than I could finish on my own. I'd be more likely to split that if I was going with a friend. With a large pizza, I'd bet I'd be eating one piece - two at most.

I probably blew my calories for the whole month with the one pizza (not that I actually count), but it was worth every calorie. I loved the fresh ingredients. The tomatoes were more in chunks than like sauce. The cheese was gooey and great though I would not want just cheese. The spinach was the perfect balance even if my boys would go "oh yuck" about that selection. They would have voted for sausage. Gotta love my meat eaters. 

Giordano's was a high energy place with a full house even for lunch. The hostess and waiter were quite nice though did not seem to be used to Southern customers. I had to speak a little slower, but I am a very fast Southern talker (mountain dialect). I did think it was nice that they wanted to be sure that I knew what I was ordering. I did, but perhaps I sounded like I dropped off the turnip truck and might be upset about an "abnormal" pizza by Southern standards. In fact, I thought the pizza really rocked, and I would get another one if I get back to Chicago. I'd also hit Giordano's for that, becauce it is a neat place with great food and solid service.

I will have to thank Jolie for turning me on to this restaurant!