Lou Malnati's (River North)

Lou Malnati's Pizzeria - River North

Buttery-crust deep dish from Chicago's first pizza family

⚠ 30+ min bake time

Hours

Sun–Thu 11am–11pm, Fri–Sat 11am–midnight (official site, Oct 2026)

Budget

$20–35 per person

Address

439 N Wells St, River North

The Malnati family has been baking deep dish since 1971. Instead of a bready base you get the flaky, butter-rich 'Buttercrust', then a layer of mozzarella, then chunky tomato sauce on top, so every slice trails strings of cheese. It's usually set against Giordano's as the city's big two, and plenty side with Lou's for the brighter sauce and crisper edge. The River North branch is an easy walk from downtown hotels, which makes it a natural first deep dish.