Where to Get the Best Neapolitan Style Pizza in Chicago
Posted by Leo Clark. on Wednesday, June 27th, 2018 at 9:02am.
When it comes to pizza, Chicago is best known for its distinctive deep dish style pies with 3-inch deep crust, a thick layer of toppings piled in the middle, and heavy tomato sauce acting as the finishing layer. Dozens of local pizza joints in Chicago specialize in the art of making the perfect deep dish pizza, but if you’re from the area or have called the Windy City home for a longer period of time, it’s nice to switch things up every now and then and opt for something a little less heavy.
So, if you take deep dish style pizza out of the equation, what other mouth-watering options are available in town? One of our favorite alternatives to deep dish pizza is classic and authentic Neapolitan pizza, which is typically prepared using fresh tomatoes, wheat flower, and a high-grade mozzarella cheese. The concept is much simpler than deep dish, and the pizza itself is significantly smaller; however, the wood fired ovens used to cook Neapolitan style pizzas allow for more of a robust flavor and the focal point tends to be the dough or crust rather than the toppings—which are pretty minimal on a Neapolitan style pizza.
In Chicago, several prominent Neapolitan style pizzerias concentrate on this traditional way of cooking a pizza and if you’re in the mood for something a little lighter than deep dish and a whole lot more Italian-authentic, give one of these places a try and we guarantee you won’t be disappointed:
Coalfire
Nestled right in the heart of the Southport Corridor, Coalfire has quickly established itself as one of the go-to spots in Lakeview for great pizza. And before we go any further, we'll just let their Instagram account do the talking for us.
Spacca Napoli Pizzeria
Also located up on Chicago’s north side, this cozy pizzeria almost feels hidden on West Sunnyside Avenue, but we will say it’s worth the trip every single time. If you’re looking for both authenticity and rich flavors in a Neapolitan-style pizza, Spacca Napoli should always be a top choice.
Forno Rosso Pizzeria
Located in one of our favorite neighborhoods, Forno Rosso Pizzeria serves up some of the best pizza in the West Loop. And along with some tasty Neapolitan-style combinations, the craft cocktails here also top-notch too.