Kim’s Uncle Pizza serves the same pizza that Pizza Fried Chicken Ice Cream did when operations neighbored Maria’s Community Bar in Bridgeport. Moving to Westmont, it’s one of the best restaurants in the suburbs, a tiny spot that specializes in carryouts. This pizza has received national write-ups.

The Northwest Side sometimes gets overlooked, but its love for tavern-style pizza is as strong as any part of town thanks to the large Italian immigrant population along Harlem Avenue. Dino’s is a family-owned joint with a dive bar. The owners don’t even know the term “tavern-style pizza” — they just needed a way to keep the bar’s customers. The restaurant has expanded with fresh ingredients, crispy crusts, and an adherence to tradition. 

Another contender for the thin crust crown, Villa Nova is a no-frills spot that deserves to be mentioned among the South Side’s greats. It’s worth a trip out to suburban Stickney to enjoy the square-cut pizzas topped with juicy house sausage, gooey mozzarella, and other add-ons like Italian beef and chicken.

Garfield Ridge residents know and love this quaint carry-out joint. The neighborhood favorite has received accolades (including an appearance on The Good Wife) for one of the best thin crust pizzas the South Side has to offer. They’re sauced all the way to the edges, giving each bite a nice balance, and cooked in a 1947 Middleby Marshall oven.

Joe’s Pizza is a Northwest Side icon that recently moved to a larger space with a private dining room and a bar. It’s come a long way since it’s humble beginnings along Higgins. The restaurant dates back to 1952 in Jefferson Park, but has moved twice. The tasty pizza are cheesier than most and have a bit of a sweet sauce tang.

The institution has long been praised as the king of tavern-style pizza. In a town where deep dish gets all the buzz, Vito & Nick’s still manages to garner national recognition for its thin, crunchy crusts, topped with everything from fennel sausage and ground beef to shrimp and anchovies. It’s a must-visit not just for pizza lovers, but every Chicagoan. Make sure to bring cash and order a pint of Old Style.

This treasured Italian restaurant (unaffiliated with the one in Oak Lawn) has been satisfying customers for nearly six decades. The quality thin crust pies, served in an old-school dining room, feature a distinctive sweet tomato sauce that sets it apart from the competition.

Tucked away in a Gage Park strip mall, this pizzeria has been drawing in patrons for more than 40 years with light, crispy, cracker-thin pies. Owner Rich Jensen makes the dough and fennel sausage fresh and bakes them in a Faulds rotary oven.

It’s hard to miss the gigantic neon arrow pointing folks in the direction of Candlelite. West Rogers Park is home to great cracker-thin-crust pizzas boasting ingredients such as Italian beef, shrimp, and barbecue chicken. On Tuesdays, those who dine in can get two pies for the price of one. A new Lincoln Park location at 1501 N. Kingsbury in Lincoln Park has opened inside the iO Theater and features the same menu, including the skillet ice cream cookie.

Reliable and unassuming Milano’s is where Morgan Park locals look to for some stellar thin crust. The pizzeria celebrated 35 years of operation in 2019 and its pies are notable for using imported mozzarella and a secret family sauce.

When the first Dicey’s opened in Nashville, some customers claimed it would be one of the better tavern pizzerias in Chicago. They were right, as the pizzeria just replaced the Parson’s Chicken & Fish in West Town (they share the same owners). The crusts are very thin — to the point where asking pizzas to be cooked “well done” would be a mistake. The toppings are fresh and traditional. Service is chaotic, at least in the early going, even during downtimes. Management must work this out, so don’t be surprised if you have to wait. But if you’re looking for solid pizza with plenty of natural wines and beer, in a space that doesn’t feel like an old-school pizzeria, Dicey’s is the place. Shout out to the vegan option, called the Earth Crisis, a tribute to the vegan hardcore band topped without cheese and plenty of veggies.

The self-proclaimed “No. 1 thin crust pizza” in Chicago has legions of fans who agree. The cracker-like crust is impossibly thin and a perfect base for hunks of house-made sausage. Pat’s is a family owned, and is very consistent.

Just a few blocks away from Guaranteed Rate Field is this cash-only, counter-service pizzeria. Cubs and Sox fans might have their differences on the diamond but even they can both agree that the renowned thin crust pie (get it with sausage) here is an all-star.

Professor Pizza is coming off a summer residency on top of the Tabu rooftop in Fulton Market. The competitive pizza maker is an innovative who mashes up styles and creates a great variety of different pizzas. The tavern-style keeps up a high level of quality. Listed as “cracker thin” the deluxe pepperoni is dotted with hot honey and whipped ricotta. The Professor is looking for a permanent home, so look for news on that soon.

Crust Fund Pizza isn’t just about cool logos that may have been inspired by “Cuphead,” the impossibly challenging video game. It’s not even a restaurant. It’s a force for good from John Carruthers, an obsessive home cook with connections to the restaurant scene thanks to his day job as marketing hype man for Revolution Brewing. Carruthers has worked hard to perfect his thin-crust pies, which go up for the taking on Instagram on a regular basis on a very limited run. Carruthers asks customers to donate money to a not-for-profit group (the selection changes weekly). It’s a clever way to raise funds while celebrating some of the best pizza in town. There’s frequent collaborations with characters like food writer and pizza chef Dennis Lee and just good Chicago vibes while picking up a pie from a back alley on North Side. This is a mighty pop-up that embraces what it means to be a Chicagoan.

Started in suburban Homewood, Aurelio’s has been mastering thin crust pizza for more than 60 years. It’s one of the oldest franchises in the Chicagoland area and has expanded to multiple states.