Spacca Napoli

Spacca Napoli
1769 W. Sunnyside Ave.
Chicago, IL
Neighborhood: Ravenswood
Spacca Napoli's website

As much as we love Chicago-style pizza, it's good to know that there are a plethora of thin-crusted pizza options in this city. One of those options is Spacca Napoli, a Neapolitan-style pizzaria in Ravenswood.


While Chicago-style pizza is thick, heavy and ultra-caloric, Neapolitan-style is perhaps the exact opposite: a light, extremely thin and often simplistic pie. We went to Spacca on a Sunday evening with my parents, and the large crowd (both inside and outside) told us that the pizza here must be pretty good. We got some Italian sodas and ordered two Margherita pizzas. As previously stated, the Neapolitan-style pizza is thin, light and simple. The pizzas are made in a large, custom-built wood-burning fire oven, creating a light char on the outer edge of the crust, while keeping the inside soft and chewy. We really loved the mixed texture of crunchy and chewy. The cheese was light and did not overpower, while the sauce was a unique blend of Italian herbs and spices.


Keep in mind that the pizzas come in one size (we think 12"), and while you may think (as we did) that one pizza can be adequately shared by two people, think again. We got two to split between four people, and were slightly unsatisfied. Perhaps an appetizer or two would have done the trick. We must admit though that the customer service was very good. Upon leaving the restaurant, we were each given a free pistachio canoli by the owner himself. Although the experience lacked in the value department, the free canolis were a nice added touch. If the pizzas would have been a little bigger or cheaper ($12.50 each) this place would really impress. Nonetheless, Spacca Napoli makes some tasty, traditional Neapolitan pizzas that are a far cry from Chicago's usual deep dish offerings. We give Spacca Napoli an 8.4 out of 10.
Quality of Food: 8.4
Value: 7.8
Atmosphere: 8.6
Customer Service: 8.8
Overall: 8.4

Ian's Pizza

Ian's Pizza
3463 North Clark St.
Chicago, IL
Neighborhood: Lakeview
Ian's Pizza website

Ian's Pizza is a pizza place in Wrigleyville that offers thin-crust pizza by the slice, as well as whole pies. They also offer a decent selection of signature salads. We stopped by on a Friday night and as expected, several semi-intoxicated college kids were present. Ian's is cheap, fast and easy (like most college kids), so there's no doubt that it's a popular stop between bar hopping in Wrigleyville.


Although they offer whole pizzas and salads, Ian's is best known for its pizza by the slice, which is offered in a variety of unique topping combinations. They also rotate signature slices out on a regular basis. Some examples of the unique topping combinations include Chicken Burrito, Chili Cheese Fries, BBQ Pulled Pork and a pizza called the King Crab Rangoon (crab meat, cream cheese, wonton strips, green onions and sweet and sour sauce). They also offer many vegetarian slices, including guacamole burrito, kalamata mozzarella, and potato and broccoli cheddar. They even have dessert pizza like apple pie pizza and s'more pizza. I chose the BBQ Chicken slice and Jenn got the veggie slice of Portabella mushroom, spinach and tomatoes. Each specialty slice is $3.75 and for traditionalists, cheese or pepperoni slices are only $2.75.

BBQ Chicken

Portabella, spinach, tomato

The slices are pretty big and because of the numerous toppings, they're pretty filling as well. We were both satisfied with our slices and would definitely come back to try some more of the interesting topping combinations. The crab rangoon pizza has my name written all over it. Overall, Ian's pizza is the perfect place to stop for a quick, cheap slice of unordinary pizza in Wrigleyville. We give it an 8.3 out of 10.
Quality of Food: 8.7
Value: 8.4
Atmosphere: 7.8
Customer Service: 8.3
Overall: 8.3

Gino's East

Gino's East
633 North Wells St
Chicago, IL
Neighborhood: River North
Gino's website
One of our goals with this blog is to discover and critique interesting, unique and relatively lesser known restaurants in Chicago. But every once in awhile we have the desire to experience the popular, well-known Chicago restaurants that every tourist has on his or her "things to do in Chicago" list. Right up there with the Willis Tower and the Bean, perhaps one of the most popular destinations in Chicago is Gino's East.


Jenn and I ventured to Gino's on a late afternoon on a weekday, so it wasn't too busy. There were aspects of Gino's atmosphere that we both liked and disliked. Like: the fact that visitors can leave their autograph on walls, tables and basically any other available surface. Dislike: the dark ambiance was a little too dark for us, especially for a 2 o'clock lunch. We ordered our pie and had to wait a whopping 45 minutes, but our waiter at least warned us that it would take that long. Another complaint is how pricey their pies are. Seeing as its a well known Chicago pizza establishment, we understand that people come here for that experience and history (and hopefully for the pizza itself), and not for its value. Well aware of this, we decided to share a small 8" cheese pizza, no toppings, no appetizers, no drinks, and our bill still came out to over $20, tip included. Based on the value factor alone, we would probably not come back.


The pizza itself was decent. Good, but not great. We really liked the sauce, which was chunky and tangy. There was too much cheese and the crust was flaky and buttery, but nothing that great. It probably would have been better with some toppings to negate the volume of cheese. Like most deep dish pizza, it was very filling and the 8" small was enough to fill us up. We enjoyed the pizza for the most part, but there are definitely better places to get pizza in Chicago. Overall, Gino's is a pricey tourist attraction with decent but not great pizza. We give it a 7.6 out of 10.
Quality of Food: 8.0
Value: 6.8
Atmosphere: 7.3
Customer Service: 8.3
Overall: 7.6

Pequod's Pizza

Pequod's Pizza
2207 North Clybourn Ave
Chicago, IL
Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
Pequod's website

We need to thank our good friends Brad and Lindsey for introducing us to this pizza place near Depaul University. On this visit, we wanted to impress some out-of-towners (Jenn's parents) and Pequod's did not disappoint. We arrived for lunch around noon and got there just in time. Shortly after we arrived, the lunch rush came and the rather small restaurant filled up fast. The lunch rush is most likely the result of Pequod's fantastic lunch special, which consists of a 7" personal pan pizza with one topping plus choice of either soda or domestic draft beer for only $4.95!


We couldn't pass up this amazing deal, so we each got the lunch special. We all agreed that the pizza here is delicious and what makes it stand out is the crust, which is not your typical deep dish crust. Pequod's boasts a "carmelized crust", meaning that melted cheese is fused to the edge of the crust, forming a perfectly burnt edge. And unlike the other Chicago deep dish pizza giants (Giordano's, Gino's), Pequod's doesn't overload on the cheese. It's a perfect balance of cheese, sauce and toppings. The sauce is flavorful and the toppings delicious. I especially recommend the sausage! And while consumption of the other deep dish pizzas in town can make your stomach feel like a ball of cheese, Pequod's isn't too filling. The 7" was plenty for each of us and we left satisfied, not bloated.

7" Personal Pizza with Sausage and Pepperoni

7" Personal Pizza with Green Olives

Overall, Pequod's is delicious deep dish pizza and different from the "other guys". The lunch special is an amazing deal that will have us coming back for more. Combine this with great customer service and a friendly, laid back atmosphere and you get one of our new favorite pizza places in Chicago. We give it a 9.0 out of 10.
Quality of Food: 9.1
Value: 9.5
Atmosphere: 8.7
Customer Service: 8.8
Overall: 9.0