Professor Pizza - Old Town

"We recently checked out Professor Pizza and added it to our Hit List. Fans of Professor Pizza rejoice: there’s no need to trek to Tetto for takeout pies. Now you can eat some of Chicago’s best tavern-style pizza at a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Old Town. Besides a dining room, the new location also has antipasti, sandwiches, and pastas." - john ringor, veda kilaru, nick allen

"Along with their spot at rooftop bar Tetto, Professor Pizza opened a brick-and-mortar in Old Town. The pizza menu is identical (available in styles such as New York and tavern, in forms like a white pie or pistachio and mortadella) and they have pasta and some new sides. The pies are still some of the best in the city, and now you can eat them in a casual space that doesn't require checking your weather app before making plans. The new additions are solid, like orecchiette with sausage and calabrian chili, and mozzarella rings. But the main reason for coming here is still for the excellent pizza and its yeasty crust. The staff are dressed in tracksuits matching the cartoon "professor" on the menu (some wearing earpieces), navigating families with marching toddlers, small friend groups, and comedians pre-gaming before their Second City show upstairs." - adrian kane, john ringor, veda kilaru, nick allen

"“Professor Pizza” is a persona dreamed up by Anthony Scardino, a competitive pizza maker with an enthusiasm for sharing his Italian American roots with the world. The professor has operated out of numerous ghost kitchens and bars, but they have found a home in Old Town, taking over the former Roots Pizza under the same ownership of Fifty/50 Restaurant Group. Scardino slings New York, Chicago-tavern, Sicilian, and Grandma-style pies. Variety is the spice of life, and that’s a lesson the professor stresses." - Ashok Selvam, Eater Staff

"After a pop-up, a ghost kitchen, and guest spot at the rooftop bar Tetto, Professor Pizza now has a brick-and-mortar in Old Town. The pizza menu is identical (available in styles such as New York and tavern, in forms like a white pie or pistachio and mortadella) and now they have pasta and some new sides. The pies are some of the best in the city, and the new additions are solid, like a rich orecchiette with calabrian chili and sausage. But the standout is a mozzarella onion ring, which frankensteins the two bar snacks into donut-sized, carefully fried rings of gooey cheese. The staff are dressed in tracksuits matching the cartoon "professor" on the menu (some wearing earpieces), navigating two mid-size dining rooms populated by families with marching toddlers, small friend groups, and comedians pre-gaming before their show at Second City upstairs." - Nick Allen

"A ground-floor location of Roots Handmade Pizza is operated by Scott Weiner, co-founder of Fifty/50 Restaurant Group." - Naomi Waxman