One Illinois Pizzeria Lands On Food & Wine’s “Must Visit” List

As a pizza-lover and long time "foodie," I spend way too much time scrolling through food websites looking for their "best of" lists of pizzerias. It's always nice to see Illinois represented on those lists, and our state's vast selection of pizza joints pretty much ensures you'll see at least one Illinois pizzeria on every list of the nation's best.

In this case, only one Illinois pizzeria had what it takes for the writers and editors of one of the most respected food magazines out there, Food & Wine, to add it to their list of the country's 10 Must-Visit Pizzerias.

It's also pretty ironic that while most of the country thinks that Illinoisans only eat Chicago-style deep dish pizza, the only Illinois pizza joint on the must-visit list specializes in tavern-style pizza.

Food & Wine Magazine Says That This Is The Golden Age Of American Pizza, And That It's Never Been Better

Here's Food & Wine's take on the current state of American pizza:

Today, chefs keep pushing for pizza excellence, sometimes blending or breaking styles, incorporating modern baking techniques, and getting creative with toppings. With so much good pizza across the country, we're naming the most compelling pizza destinations that you should add to your bucket list.

Before we get to the Illinois pizzeria, here are the other top four pizza joints that make up the must-visit list:

• John’s of Bleecker Street (New York City): Giovanni John Sasso founded the pizzeria in 1929, and it still draws a line down the block. Unlike most popular NYC pizza joints, there are no slices at John’s — pick up a whole pie to-go or sit in one of the scratched wooden booths for the full experience.
• L’Industrie (Brooklyn): A straightforward slice storefront with a consistently long line, the pizza shop slings airy and crisp, NYC-style slices with Italian-leaning toppings: dots of ricotta, fresh basil leaves, burrata, prosciutto, truffle oil, and bacon and fig jam.
• Buddy’s Pizza (Detroit): Founders Gus Guerra and Concetta “Connie” Piccinato — a Sicilian woman — borrowed steel pans from auto factories, creating the first square pizza in the U.S., so they say.
• Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana (New Haven, Connecticut): Grandfather Frank immigrated from near Naples and fired up the ovens in 1925, introducing the now iconic, sweet and simple tomato pies, anchovies optional.

The Illinois Pizzeria That Landed In The Number-Three Spot Overall Is...

A place interestingly named Bungalow by Middle Brow, at 2840 W Armitage Avenue in Chicago:

Bungalow by Middle Brow offers a fresh take on Chicago’s tavern-style pizza. Middle Brow started as a brewery, then added natural wine and sourdough pizza, going all in on fermentation. Most of the week, the Neapolitan-ish pies rock local veggies, from pickled ramps with barbecue bacon to rainbow chard, green garlic, and goat cheese. The pizzeria specifically serves crunchy, cracker-thin, tavern-style pizza on Tuesdays, cut into small, snackable squares.