June 15th, 2021
Morton Grove, IL
We were pretty full of deep dish pizza at this point in our Chicago trip, but we still had one more stop to go. Burt’s Place made the list originally in 2017 at #93, but then it jumped up to #27. We read that the founder of Burt’s Place was actually the original owner of Pequod’s. And Pequod’s was our favorite deep dish on our last trip to Chicago. We had high expectations, which is why we saved it for last. Well, also because it was a half hour drive north of the city and we couldn’t just bike there.
It’s possible that Burt’s Place wasn’t on the list in 2015 when we were last in Chicago because it was actually closed. Burt passed away, and the restaurant was revamped. It was re-opened in 2017 with a new kitchen, and you didn’t need to order your pizza 48 hours in advance any more. There’s only one style of pizza here, the pan deep dish, and we ordered it with peppers and onions.
Morton Grove is a little out of the way from Chicago, but totally worth it. We had the sweetest waitress, Carol, and sat outside on the patio with our wine and pizza. It wasn’t crowded at all when we went for an early dinner, although we’d imagine that it gets pretty busy in non-Covid times.
This rivals Pequod’s as our favorite deep dish in Chicago. It makes sense, since the two pizza places are related. It had the same crunchy, cheesy crust. Still heavy on the cheese, as a deep dish should be, but also had plenty of toppings and sauce and it somehow tasted lighter. It would be interesting to go back and taste test them back-to-back. I think that Burt’s Place may just edge out Pequod’s, but this could be because it’s fresher in our minds. Also, we ate this on a nice sunny day, sitting outside, and we ate Pequod’s after a rainy walk, crunched inside with a lot of other people.
In case you’re wondering, our final rank of Chicago deep dish pizza is as follows:
- Burt’s Place
- Pequod’s
- Lou Malnati’s
- Giordano’s
- Pizzeria Uno
- Pizano’s
- Gino’s East
(Although Eric may possibly switch Lou Malnati’s and Pizzeria Uno)
To visit:
8541 Ferris Ave
Morton Grove, IL 60053
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