West of Chicago Pizza Company

"West Of Chicago has midwestern mise en scène down to a science, with ridged ramekins pumped full of neon-orange liquid cheese, red plastic tumblers for fountain soda, and Italian beef-scented air circulating throughout the dining room. Luckily, the pizza lives up to the Chi-Town vérité. Sure, there's some solid deep dish, but you’re making a trip for the tavern pie, with its cracker-thin, earth-shattering crunch, oregano-flecked sauce, and additions like crispy-edged pepperoni cups and creamy dollops of ricotta. The starters don’t play second fiddle either, like Mama Lil’s-spiked sausage dip or doughy breadsticks dusted in parmesan." - aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley, gabe guarente

"Between the cracker-thin crust, sweet tomato sauce with oregano, ideal layer of bubbly cheese, and toppings like custardy ricotta dollops and charred pepperoni cups (our two favorites), the grid-cut tavern pie is the pizza to beat at this West Seattle pizzeria that specializes in Chicago-style pizza. The deep dish is solid, too, but make no mistake—the tavern pie is the one you want." - aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley

"Come to this West Seattle Chicago-style pizzeria with a bunch of people if only to receive plenty of help eating monstrous deep dish and cracker-thin tavern pies. West Of Chicago captures midwest suburbia to a tee, so it's ideal when the hungry group texts start rolling in for a low-key, same-night plan. Waltz right in, place an order for pizzas, breadsticks, and spicy sausage dip, and then proceed to shove a million two-tops together to make one frankentable. Then, all that's left to do is pass the pitcher of Goose Island around." - aimee rizzo, kayla sager riley

"Tavern Pie Sometimes, a pizza comes along that really tugs at our heartstrings. This year, that pizza is the tavern pie at West Of Chicago. Between the cracker-thin crust, tomato sauce with oregano depth, ideal layer of bubbly cheese, and toppings like custardy ricotta dollops or charred pepperoni cups, we'll always pick this over deep dish. " - aimee rizzo

"West Of Chicago has midwestern mise en scène down to a science, with ridged ramekins pumped full of neon-orange liquid cheese, red plastic tumblers for fountain soda, and Italian beef-scented air circulating throughout the dining room. Luckily, the pizza lives up to the Chi-Town vérité that unfolds at this former pop-up’s permanent West Seattle outpost. Their deep dish has a great cornmeal chew and mozzarella that could maybe stretch around the whole planet. But you’re making a trip for the tavern pie, with its cracker-thin, earth-shattering crunch, oregano-flecked sauce, and additions like crispy-edged pepperoni cups and creamy dollops of ricotta. Though, the starters don’t play second fiddle either, from Mama Lil’s-spiked sausage dip to doughy breadsticks dusted in parmesan. Pass the pitcher of Goose Island, baby—all homesick Chicagoans are welcome here.  " - aimee rizzo