Talk about a honeypot of pizza down by the Midway airport. It seems like PCC is making the trip down there more and more these days. Plus, when we were at Obbie’s I got a couple more leads on future destinations (we’re coming for you, Vince’s…)
Obbie’s is carryout / delivery only, so we dined at Tom’s Tap across the street. The first sign that Obbie’s was going to be great was that they were not put in pizza boxes, but rather the tented paper sleeves—the best.
Classic thin crust pizza, Obbie’s has definitely been around for awhile–35 years to be exact. They have no website, no Facebook page, nothing. But the dudes in Obbie’s jam out some great pizzas.
We didn’t rate atmosphere as it was just takeout, but price definitely crushed it as Obbie’s is a good deal. Each pie was a crowd pleaser and if you are down in the area, perhaps drinking at Tom’s Tap, make sure to get a pizza from these guys.
¾/18
# of people in attendance: 8
# pizzas sampled: 3
pizzas: ½ cheese + ½ Obbie’s special (supreme), ½ sausage/onion + ½ sausage/mushroom, ½ pepp/onion + ½ pepp/mushroom
New on the scene, I’d been following Bebu on Instagram for awhile and their pizzas looked delicious so I had to get in there.
Located in the weird still-developing North/Clybourn area, Bebu is on the ground floor of a condo building I believe. Super slim restaurant and not a ton of seating but we got a nice table at the end and were all pretty stoked for it.
I loved the pizzas at Bebu. Not sure if I have ever scored a 10 on sauce before, but I did that night at Bebu. We tried most of their pizzas and they not only all brought the flavor with toppings, but varied a lot in sauce too. In particular I remember the classic red sauce having a nice spice to it, and the clam sauce was spectacular. High marks and applause for the crust as well–almost charred, well done pies. Awesome stuff.
The only knock is the price which is a little steep, but all those rich fuckers in the condos above are probably cool with it.
Great stuff–I look forward to eventually getting back.
Joe’s clearly has been around for a bit. Located up in Jefferson Park, I spotted Joe’s on the way to O’Hare as 90 was all backed up so we cruised up Higgins. Not a large place and a bit lacking in character, but guessing Joe’s also does plenty of take out.
The pizza is pretty damn good. Thin crust beauties with some creative topping selections. Good amounts of cheese, good crust. Everybody was happy for the most part.
Unfortunately I either forgot score cards, lost them, or didn’t round up numbers via text so I don’t have numbers for you. I can say definitively though that Joe’s is a great neighborhood spot that I would frequent if I lived up there. Perhaps moreso for takeout but nonetheless go check it out if you are in Jeff Park.
11/1/17
# of people in attendance: 7
# pizzas sampled: 4
pizzas: not exactly sure. Something with bacon, a taco pizza, the standard ½ mush/saus and ½ pepp/onion, and more.
Pizza Club Chicago’s 63rd meeting had a lot riding on it. Acclaimed Roman pizza dude Gabriele Bonci’s debut in America, right here in Chicago, so the hype was definitely there.
To be fair to Bonci, PCC is used to a more classic Chicago/American approach to pizza with some degree of crust, gooey cheese and sauce. Bonci is not that style of pizza. Nick Kindelsperger from the Tribune absolutely loves the crust, and says Bonci is “serves pizza al taglio, a Roman specialty that translates as pizza by the cut”. They cut off as much as you want of any pizza with scissors–pretty cool so you can sample a bunch. Toppings range from sauceless potato and rosemary to mortadella to sardine and mozz to almost anything savory and delicious on a pizza you can think of. All of it very high quality, and the focaccia type crust is great.
Meant more as a carry out place (what these types of spots typically are in Rome) there isn’t much room to eat there which doesn’t help the atmosphere. It is, however a really nice place and it’s definitely interesting to see the whole operation in progress as its all out in the open.
It you are a pizza fan to any degree, Bonci is definitely something you should check out.
Jimmy’s Place is a gem. Old school pizza place that’s been holding it down in Forest Park for 15 years, but the vibe makes it feel like it’s been around for 50. Housed in an old building on the Madison strip, Jimmy’s has a nice airy dining room with a good bar feel to it. It’s clearly beloved by the locals.
The pizza at Jimmy’s Place is great. Thin crust pies with solid everything and great balance. Little cornmeal on the crust, just greasy enough, and quality toppings.
Bringing quality and atmosphere together at Jimmy’s, they’ve got a great thing going on out there. Definitely get out to Jimmy’s Place when you can.
6/22/17
# of people in attendance: 5
# pizzas sampled: 3
pizzas: pepp + onion, ½ sausage + mushroom ½ sausage, something else
Tucked up on Broadway in NE Lakeview/Buena Park/Uptown, Michael’s has servicing the neighborhood for long over a decade. It’s a pizzeria but also has a great vintage-y sports bar vibe.
Definitely a fun local spot that I would probably go to pretty regularly, but the pizza won’t knock your socks off. The regular red sauce thin crust is definitely the best option at Michael’s, and it’s a great place to catch a game.
Check it out if you are in the neighborhood and want to toss back a few brewskies.
5/26/17
# of people in attendance: 6
# pizzas sampled: 3
pizzas: deep dish ½ pepp + onion, ½ sausage + mushroom, thin ½ supreme ½ pepp, and a white pie with tomato
On the intersection of streets dividing Cicero, Chicago, Oak Park and Berwyn, Albano’s has survived the test of time and lives on in 2017. Family-run, Albano’s has been around for over 25 years and is a solid neighborhood spot.
What Albano’s lacks in atmosphere is made up by the pizza–it’s fantastic. Hearty thin crust pies are graciously adorned by plenty of toppings. Bubbly cheese, sauce and ingredients are pushed to the edge on each pie, and overall they were cooked wonderfully.
This is definitely a go-to spot if you live in the neighborhood. Awesome pizza guys, keep it rocking!
4/30/17
# of people in attendance: 7
# pizzas sampled: 4
pizzas: Italian Beef, supreme, ½ pepperoni + onion ½ sausage +mushroom
Not all pizza is created equally, and sometime’s you get a woofer. Normally I select new spots to visit based off articles or reviews I read, but I went with word of mouth on this one from Travis Darby so we’re blaming him.
Tano’s just didn’t have it going on for us. The atmosphere is pretty non-existent, and the pizzas just didn’t impress.
With all of the amazing pizza in Chicago and plenty of other options on the north side, sorry Tano’s, but I’d recommend people go elsewhere.
Fifty-eight meetings. Six years. Lots and lots of pizza. It’s a rare occurrence when we’re able to find a new place that cracks the acclaimed PCC Top 5, but here we are.
History was made last Sunday, February 26th 2017 when we visited the Pizza Castle. This family-run establishment has been making delicious pizza pies for 44 years, and man, is their pizza pizza awesome.
Mainly a take-out spot with a very small front room that contains a handful of stools and limited counter space, the Pizza Castle has remained a constant in the ever-changing southwest side of Chicago for the past half century and then some. The interior is decorated with photo collages of neighborhood kids on Halloween, and classic Chicago sports memorabilia.
And the pizza is wonderful. It’s everything you could ask for in an exceptional thin crust pizza pie. Homemade sausage and sauce, freshly ground cheese, premium & ample toppings and a crisp crust. We’re not huge Hawaiian pizza fans but theirs is pretty amazing–the half marinara half BBQ sauce was a good call. The vibe is great, the guys who run the place were super friendly, and the overall experience was one of the most positive and memorable in PCC history.
Make the trip and visit this place when you can!
I hope to be back soon.
2/26/17
# of people in attendance: 8
# pizzas sampled: 3
pizzas: sausage/onion + pepperoni / mushroom, Hawaiian with ½ marinara and ½ BBQ sauce, and a “Pie By Di”: sausage, mushroom, pepperoni & jalapeno.
The first Pizza Club Chicago meeting of any new year always has promise. The wintertime in Chicago allows everyone to take a little bit more time to really savor our PCC meetings, and branch out to some fringe areas of the city or suburbs as people have more time. Barnaby’s was a perfect candidate for January, with multiple locations across the northern suburbs. Obviously we had to go with the original location, which by chance is roughly within a mile of Burt’s place in Niles.
Lets talk pizza. Barnaby’s is a classic thin pie, with a nice cornmeal-kissed braided crust and a homemade tomato sauce. Great cheesiness, the right amount of grease, and quality toppings. The dudes that make the pizza (and really everybody at Barnaby’s) look like they have been making it there since 1967 when they first opened.
Barnaby’s in Niles has a strange layout. The overall medival times vibe is cool, but awkward TV placements present a bit of a challenge if you are there for the big game. There also are no servers, and the ordering takes place at the counter with quirky/somewhat confusing ordering sheets. Separately, there is a bar that you go to after the pizza counter, so there is a little extra work with any trip to Barnaby’s.
Great pizza, and despite some of the oddities, it’s no doubt a cherished spot for local pizza lovers in the range of any of their locations. Thin crust goodness (thumbs up emoji).
1/22/17
# of people in attendance: 6
# pizzas sampled: 3
pizzas: jalapeno/bacon/ground beef, sausage/onion, ½ pepperoni + ½ mushroom,
