FOODITOR’S TOP FIVE THIN PIZZAS IN CHICAGO:

1. Spacca Napoli
2. Vito & Nick’s Pizzeria
3. Coalfire Pizza
4. Candlelite Chicago
5. Forno Rosso Pizzeria Napoletana

FOODITOR’S CURATED LIST OF THE BEST THIN PIZZAS IN CHICAGO:

DOWNTOWN

Dough Bros. Pizzeria & Sub Shop— High end French chef Roland Liccioni collaborated on this unassuming slice joint, and the result is a few cuts above what it looks like.

La Madia— Excellent wood-burning oven pizzas topped with midwestern ingredients, somewhat overlooked for its River North location.

Lou Malnati’s— Original location of local chain located all over the city and near north suburbs, tracing its recipe back to the original Pizzeria Uno where the late Lou’s father Rudy worked—and may have created Chicago deep dish’s biscuity crust/crushed tomatoes on top paradigm.

NORTH

Armitage Pizzeria— Hole in the wall where owner J. Spillane (formerly of Coalfire) turns out excellent, authentic East Coast-style pies.

Bartoli’s Pizzeria— A family with ties to the original Gino’s East started this family-run pizzeria doing freshly made stuffed and cracker-thin crust pizzas.

Bricks— Pizzeria with a college town feel from the dark basement setting, ample beer list and tasty thin crust pizza with some veggie and modern offerings. Newer sibling Big Bricks in Lincoln Square also has barbecue.

Candlelite Chicago— Once a true dive with a genuine cracker crust tavern pizza, the joint is more a family-friendly sports bar now and the pizza is a little thicker, but it’s still one of the best old school pizzas on the north side (ordering well done is recommended).

Coalfire Pizza— Terrific New Haven style pizzas, including white pies, from a genuine coal-fired oven. Original on Grand, second on Southport.

Craft Pizza— Well-crafted New York style pizza using flavorful dough with a substantial rest, and covering it with high quality toppings.

Forno Rosso Pizzeria Napoletana— Excellent Neapolitan pizza—the only one in the city besides Spacca Napoli to have Vera Pizza Napoletana certification—and some homey Italian dishes on the west side.

Jimmy’s Pizza Café— One of the very best New York style pizzas in town comes from this corner joint doing both whole pies and slices, plus garlic knots and—who knows why—New Orleans-style beignets.

Letizia’s Fiore Ristorante & Natural Bakery— Full restaurant from the owner of Letizia’s Natural Bakery has comfortable Italian dishes and one of the city’s best overlooked Neapolitan pizzas.

Pat’s Pizza— Much-loved (notably by Roger Ebert) Chicago pizzeria serving maybe the thinnest, crackliest cracker crust in town.

Pie-Eyed Pizzeria— Above average slice joint, with flavorful sauce and good toppings.

Pizano’s Pizza— The other Malnati brother (Rudy Jr.) started this similar local chain with crunchy-crusted deep dish and thin pizzas. Original State location has a great Rat Pack vibe, the rest are modern sports bar-feeling.

Pizzeria Da Nella— Very authentic Neapolitan pizzas and Italian dishes from Nella Grassano, the original pizzaiola of Spacca Napoli.

Reno— By morning a sunny coffee shop with housemade baked goods and Montreal-style bagels cooked in the wood-burning oven; a natural sandwich cafe at lunch; and best, at dinner a American-Neapolitan pizza hybrid with somewhat eccentric hipster toppings.

Roots Handmade Pizza— The only place in town doing Quad Cities-style pizza—chewier thin crust, crumbly sausage—in styles ranging from standard to drunk foody (taco pizza).

Spacca Napoli— The first place to do a serious Neapolitan pizza (with a serious stone oven), still the standard-setter for care and quality of ingredient toppings, one of the best Italian restaurants in town.

SOUTH

Orsi’s (Chester’s Tavern)— The old time tavern and the equally old time pizza joint in a Southwest Side blue collar suburb moved in together, and the pizza remains a cracker-crust classic, while the tavern is somehow divey and family friendly at the same time.

Pizza Castle— Simple storefront serves (mostly takeout) one of the South Side’s best cracker-thin crusts, topped with excellent sausage.

Roseangela’s Pizza— Vintage South Side pizzeria specializing in cracker crust, tavern cut pizza.

Villa Nova— Just northwest of Midway in a nearby suburb, this storefront serves excellent super-thin crust pizza; late owner Al “The Pizza Man” Tornabene was reputed at one time to be the head of the Chicago Outfit.

Vito & Nick’s Pizzeria— Dating back to the 1940s, this tavern serves what many rank as the best tavern cut (thin crust) pizza in the city.

List compiled 9/14/15 by Michael Gebert.