Professor Pizza - Old Town
Pizza restaurant · Old Town Triangle ·
Award-winning pizza with NY, Detroit, Sicilian, Grandma & more
Award-winning pizza with NY, Detroit, Sicilian, Grandma & more
"Tony Scardino, a competitive pizza maker affectionately known as “Professor Pizza,” started slinging pizzas to the public out of a Wrigleyville pop-up during the pandemic, eventually moving into a ghost kitchen. In 2024, he found a home in Old Town, replacing Roots Handmade Pizza. At Professor Pizza, folks can try Motor City pies along with New York, tavern, Sicilian, and Grandma-style. The deluxe pepperoni is the move here: crispy, charred pepperoni cups with dollops of whipped ricotta and hot honey." - Jeffy Mai
"We're not beholden to the antiquated idea that a restaurant needs to have chairs, a door, or its own separate address to be on this guide. Which explains the presence of Professor Pizza, which has a now-familiar origin story: It began as a home kitchen pop-up and is now operating out of a takeout-only ghost kitchen in Humboldt Park. Professor Pizza makes several varieties of pizza (including Detroit and Sicilian) but their tavern and NY-style pies are the reason we made burner Instagram handles to troll Infatuation NYC. It has a flavorful crust, with a puffy edge and a beautifully charred undercarriage. Equally good is the tavern-style’s cracker crust that’s thin enough to have a snap, but can still hold up to the toppings. The only drawback is that pies can sell out, so order a few days ahead of time, and then send @infatuationnyc team a message about how great it was." - adrian kane, john ringor
"Professor Pizza has a take-out and delivery-only spot in the West Loop, along with a large brick-and-mortar under The Second City in Old Town. Their tavern-style has a thin but durable crust that holds up to toppings and a garlicky red sauce. We're fans of the sausage and pepper that's piled with mozzarella, sausage, roasted peppers, peppadew, and whipped ricotta (along with sauce and parm). We don’t understand how this pizza manages to stay crispy, but it does, and it’s delicious." - adrian kane, john ringor
"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
