The only pizza tour in America run by a James Beard Award winner
Chicago is a pizza town, no doubt about it, and who better to lead a tour through the region’s best pizza places than the guy who wrote the book on the subject? Steve Dolinsky is a 13-time James Beard Award-winning food reporter who’s lived in Chicago for more than 25 years. He’s eaten more than his fair share of pizza for his work as the “Hungry Hound” at ABC 7 News, Host/Producer of the “Pizza City” Podcast and travel writer for The Chicago Tribune. Steve tried 185 pizzas in the region, settling on 101 outstanding pizzas, broken into 10 distinct styles. One of the biggest surprises of all: Chicago is a “thin” town (that is, tavern-style, square-cut) as opposed to the deep-dish and stuffed images of gigantic pies most people associate with The Windy City.
Meet your tour leader inside the rear dining room at Labriola, 535 N. Michigan Ave. (on the side of the Pandora Jewelry Building). They'll be wearing a black “Pizza City USA” shirt.
Meet your tour leader just outside My Pi (2010 N. Damen Ave.) They’ll be wearing a black “Pizza City USA” shirt.
Meet your tour leader inside Lou Malnati’s (1235 W. Randolph St.), a 7-minute drive from The Loop. They’ll be wearing a black “Pizza City USA” shirt.
Meet your tour leader inside the rear dining room at Labriola, 535 N. Michigan Ave. (on the side of the Pandora Jewelry Building). They'll be wearing a black “Pizza City USA” shirt.
"Being from Chicago, I thought that I knew everything there was to know about our beloved pizza. Wow! I was wrong! I have a new found appreciation for the many delicious styles that this great city has to offer. This tour not only offers a great history behind pizza but it is a unique way to tour and learn about Chicago's neighborhoods. You will not leave hungry!"
-MARLO H., TripAdvisor
"At each pizza place, Dolinsky is a little bit pizza Einstein, talking about things like 'OBR' (that’s 'optimal bite ratio,' and refers to the preferred distribution of crust, sauce, toppings and cheese) and 'PIGUE syndrome' ('Pizza I Grew Up Eating' syndrome, alluding to the inability to distinguish between what’s good and what’s known). And he’s a little bit pizza Yoda: 'All deeps are pans but not all pans are deeps,' he muses."
- Kate Silver, THE WASHINGTON POST
Three Cheers for Chicago Pizza Tours!!! Steve and his team did an OUTSTANDING JOB for my conference group visiting Chicago!! WOW! Everyone loved the enthusiasm, loved the information shared and LOVED the PIZZA!! We will absolutely bring the next conference meeting group back for some fun, food and networking! Truly, THE BEST!
Great job, Steve and Team!
-Christy Coleman, Access Intelligence
"The owners of the restaurants tour you through their operations, so you get to see the different ways pizza is made and learn some fun history about the small but competitive pizza families."
- TRAVELANJ, TripAdvisor
"His knowledge of the city's diverse pizza culture is overwhelming, overflowing, his eagerness to share it with us more redolent of an enthusiast than an expert...it's likely you won't have tried a majority of the pies on his tours."
-SAM EICHNER, URBANDADDY
Listen on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your favorite shows.
