The Art of Pizza

I had a friend come in from out of town and he wanted deep dish pizza. I found this place in my old stomping ground in Lakeview. Really really good and if you don’t want a whole pie you can get it by the slice. Hot, fresh, and very tasty.

THE BIG: Pizza is art. Art is Pizza. I eat Pizza. So does that mean I eat Art? Regardless, I found this place on the thrillist as one of the best pizza joints around and do I agree? Yes. Yes I do. Located right off the Ashland Ave, this joint is super roomy inside with ample seating and take out options with a private parking lot.
THE BLACK AND WHITE: I am super surprised how bikeable Chicago is. I took a Divvy bike (the Chicago Bikeshare program) from Edgewater all the way down to Art of Pizza. It only took 30 minutes and the roads were in good shape. I can respect it since being tourist and lugging all of my luggage, the commute was actually pretty nice.
Going inside, the service was amazing. The front guy explained the difference between pan and stuffed (stuffed is the one you want to get FYI) and helped me choose the right volume of food.
I got the 10′ stuffed pizza (half pepperoni, half spinach). AND it only counts as 1 topping. Each additional topping is $ 1.95 extra. Choose wisely. I also got for apps: fried calamari, and garlic bread.
The garlic bread was super garlicky and awesome. The calamari, I originally thought were onion rings because it literally had no flavor. It tasted like fried oil. However that’s not what this review is about. It is about the deep dish pizza! Sauce was rosy red and just the right sweetness and acidity. Cheese was super gooey and tasted so fresh! I was very impressed by the execution of the pizza.
P. S. If you need WiFi, just ask for it. They’ll hook you up.
THE FINAL BAMBOO: I think by far this was the best deep dish pizza I’ve ever had. Spent $ 26 for a 10′ deep dish and 2 apps. Not bad. They do sell individual slices for $ 3 if that is ever an option.

Art of Pizza earned a top spot as some of Chicago’s BEST pizza according to Thrillist so I had to check it out.
My friend and I arrived just after work so it wasn’t too busy. They have pizza by the slice (both stuffed and thin) or you can order and wait for your whole pizza. We ate a light lunch to accommodate and were hungry so got 2 slices of stuffed.
It was delicious! Flavorful, fresh, good ingredients, a nice tasty crust. The ambience was lacking, kind of like a lunchroom. I don’t mind dives but I guess I was just expecting more. The guys behind the counter were nice and accommodating, telling us which pizzas by the slice would be out next.
Glad I tried it, now on to the next top ‘za shops.

Best ‘za on the north side of Chicago. Deep dish, thing crust, stuffed… it’s all good. The meaty delight I vein cloggingly awesome. Speedy delivery and you always get a 2 liter with your za. Glorious

Soooo I am definitely not a fan of deep dish pizza but this shit was good!
The crust was perfect, sauce had a good flavor, ooey-​gooey cheese! Mmm mm!
I would give it a 4.5 if I could, just cuz it is kinda pricey, about $ 30 for a large sausage, but it’s the north side of Chicago, so what are you gonna do?!

Believe the hype!
I read on several websites (thrillist, time out Chicago, the Tribune) about how this is one of the best pizza places in the entire city. I went in with high expectations and they didn’t disappoint. The sauce is perfect, the crust is perfect, the toppings are perfect. Bravo!
AoP is low key and totally un-​pretentious the dining room and menu could be for any local pizza dive in nearly any city. If you didn’t know any better, you might expect really substandard it’ll-do-in-a-pinch pizza and that is simply not the case here.
This is my new neighborhood go to.
In summary, pros:
1. Delicious
2. Low cost
3. Un-​pretentious
4. Seriously, it’s the tastiest
Cons:
1. It will ruin other pizza places for you
2. Nothing! Go eat here!

If you live in Chicago or have visited you know that our city has numerous deep dish pizza options. You can visit the larges players like Ginos East, Lou Malnitis, Giordanos, Pizano’s and Uno’s just to name a few. Not to add one more place to the list but Art of Pizza on north Ashland and Nelson are worth checking out. A good deep dish needs a quality crust, like a strong foundation to a house. Art’s deep dish crust is soft and chewy almost like you’re eating a freshly baked bread. The cheese and toppings are generous and I love that one slice feels like a small dumbbell that you’re about to consume.
If you’re driving, Art of Pizza has a free parking lot that fits about 10 cars and there is also side street parking on Nelson and Barry. They have a large dining space with tables that can accommodate a part of 5+. One of my favorite deep dish pizzas in Chicago!
Tip: $ 3.95 deep dish by the slice. I bought three slices and was offered a free 1 liter Pepsi or Mountain Dew.

I don’t know who the reviewers are who are voting this the number one deep-​dish pizza in Chicago, but it was average at best. It felt like a rip-​off of Giordano’s Pizza – and even that doesn’t come close to being the best pizza in Chicago.
This kind of pizza is good if you’re drunk and in the neighborhood. The pizza sauce was good, but the crust left a lot to be desired. I give them props for serving individual slices of deep-​dish pizza, but with places like Lou Malnati’s (which probably is the best deep-​dish pizza in Chicago) I wouldn’t take tourists here and tell them that this is the best pizza the city has to offer. You can skip this place.

I tried the deep dish spinach and mushroom slice. Delicious! The sauce is thick and a little sweet which I really liked. Will definitely be back.

Really good thin crust pizza. I was told it was all the rave in the neighborhood and was not disappointed. However I have re-​read the reviews and have found that I absolutely must try the deep dish pizza.
A little on the pricey end.
The garlic bread side was crap.

Deep dish pizza is my favorite and the only pizza worthy of recognition in my book — Sorry, New York! I’ve been here at least 20 times and I have only gotten the single slices so I cannot speak about the rest of the menu. Ordering a single slice is great because you don’t have to live with the guilt of eating an entire deep dish pizza over the course of two days in the case that they didn’t offer slices. There aren’t many places which offer deep dish pizza by the slice and that is why I find myself sometimes going out of my way to come here if I have a craving.
I’ve tried most of the deep dish offerings here and they’re all equally delicious. They have a veggie delight option for vegetarians & a meat lovers slice as well (highly recommend it!). I absolutely love the fact that they don’t skimp on toppings — every slice is absolutely loaded. They also load on the cheese and each slice is gloriously ooey gooey with cheese! The crust is good too. Once or twice I had a slice with slightly soggy crust but I don’t believe that warrants a lesser star rating because it was truly a one off situation. The only downside is that their parking lot is super tiny.
PS– I just wanted to address a few reviewers who said that they had to wait over an hour for a pizza delivery — dude, this isn’t New York. A quality deep dish bakes from 40 – 60 minutes, depending on the toppings. So expecting a pan pizza at your door within an hour is ABSURD. If you’re famished or tight on time, order something else! Duh!

My favorite «everyday» stuffed pizza in Chicago. I don’t eat it everyday or every month for that matter, but I defintely could. Great sauce, a lot of gooey cheese, and decent crust. For some reason, I like the plain cheese stuffed pizza here. I never order cheese anywhere else except for here, not sure why, but it’s soooo good!

We’ve been ordering from Art of Pizza for years. My family loves the pizza. I’m not such a fan of pizza (I know, weird, right?). But I love their subs.
Seriously, for $ 7 such a great deal. I think they are «foot long».
First and foremost is the bread. Subs need a bread with a good chew… not a dinner roll. And Art’s uses great bread. Plenty of meat and in the subs. Nice selection of fixin’s… lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, choice of italian dressing or oil + spices. My personal favorites are the Italian sub and the turkey sub.

It’s been a while, so I figure I would write an update. I still order from the Art of Pizza on a regular basis, and I still can’t get enough of their thin crust. I also started ordering more and more of their daily specials because they are a friggin’ bargain for the amount of food you get. My favorites by far are the pasta specials — the lasagna and the baked mostaccioli. A ton of pasta, salad, soup and french bread. It is enough for two people, or two meals. Their pasta sauce is pretty good — nice and hearty, but it has meat. I made the mistake of ordering during a Friday in lent thinking it was a basic marinara — NOPE, but God forgives me. My boys love the Rib special. Again, lots of food — a bargain!
I’ve eaten at their restaurant. It’s a bit confusing at first so if you go to eat in — you order and pay first, then someone will bring out the food. You get your own condiments at the counter in the middle of the restaurant, and if you are nice, you take your dirty plates and put them in the little tub. I think I may stop in and eat there more often because then we can get several different types of slices to share (thin, pan, stuffed), versus ordering one whole pizza.
Hope this place stays open for a loooong time.

The Rock loves pie. The Rock loves pizza. Combine the two and The Rock is in heaven. Portion sizes are as big as the Big Show. The Rock wasn’t afraid. In fact, The Rock told the cooks to just bring it. The People’s Champ kicked some pizza ass that day. The Rock says go to art of pizza.
IF YOU SMELL… What The Rock… Is cooking…

My 3^rd time in Chicago. I had tried Lou and Gino’s East before. Saw some good reviews from this place and some claimed to be the best pizza in Chicago.
Verdict: NO WAY is this the best pizza and hard to believe this is even the Top 10. We ordered the 10″ Stuffed Meaty Delight. The tomato sauce was off, crust looks undercooked, pizza was warm at best.

I’ve ordered from this establishment twice and haven’t been disappointed. I actually ate some pizza from Lou Malnati’s but for some reason, I decided to order from Art of Pizza since their food was much better. The stuffed pizza is awesome with just the right amount of crunch from the green peppers and onions. The sausage is pretty great and they put in ample amounts of mushroom.
My only complaint is that they only offer Pepsi and Diet Pepsi; neither one which I like. Other than that, delivery is on point and they’re always pleasant on the phone. I’m sort of addicted so I really need to be careful not to order from them too much

Pretty good pizza. It’s definitely not mind blowing but it’s good.
We’ve been desperately trying to find a place that makes eating a pound of cheese and bread guilt free… but since the closing of Tony’s…we are still on the hunt.
The pan pizza is good, however the stuffed was way better.
Sausage all over every inch of the pizza… just like another pizza joint, ahem
Sauce was a bit sweeter than I’m used to.
Onions and peppers were fresh and good.
Service is slow.

Very good pizza.
I see everyone here comparing this to Giordano’s and for good reason: it tasted exactly like Giordano’s to me. And for me that’s great because Giordano’s has some of the best Chicago-​style pizza in the biz (see my 5-​star post of Giordano’s, rap allusions included).
There is a difference between Giordano’s and The Art of Pizza, though. Here you get a free liter of soda (Pepsi products) with your pizza order. If that’s your thing then you’re absolutely set.
Should you try The Art of Pizza? If it’s not too inconvenient for you, why not? It’s another great pizza place among a city known for its pizza places.

We ordered the art stuffed vegetarian. It arrived perfectly hot and fresh. The person who took my order was very polite and answered all my questions since we’ve never ordered from here before.
The pizza was ok. The crust was just mediocre and didn’t taste like much. The cheese to veggie ratio was way off, as in wayyyy too much cheese. The sauce was really good, but overall it was just average.

The Art of Pizza is located @ 3033 N Ashland. I was here once before many years ago after seeing an article in the Chicago Tribune. The first time there was a line out the door with people wanting to try their pizza based on the Tribune article. I wanted to give the pizza another try.
This time I got 2 pieces of their deep dish stuffed pizza. 1 sausage & 1 spinach, onion & mushroom. The red sauce, seasonings & flavors on the pizza were very good. The sausage was pretty good, but the spinach, onion & mushroom stuffed pizza was delicious. The blend of spinach, mushrooms & onions enhanced the red sauce flavor. The crust on the pizza was nicely cooked, but a little to doughy for my personal taste.
Still they produce a very good pizza and if you’re a foodie or just like a good pizza it’s definitely worth checking out

Rosa J. likes Chicagoan food. She may be a self-​proclaimed connoisseur of Italian beef sandwiches, but she hasn’t had much footprint on deep dish pizza.
We chose here tonight because hubby was finishing up work, and he immediately expressed the dire urgency of his hunger level. I knew feeding my hungry hubby was the priority. I grabbed my phone, went to my Unilocal bookmark, and found the Unilocal page of «The Art of Pizza.»
The Art of Pizza has a plenty of customer parking in their lot. We placed our order of 10-​inch vegetarian stuffed pizza with a friendly young man at the counter. He kindly informed us a forty (40) to forty-​five (45) minutes of wait. We agreed and went to do some grocery shopping in the meantime.
Miraculously, hubby endured his hunger the entire time, even though he really wanted food in his stomach. As promised, we picked up the pizza after the estimated-​waiting time and headed home.
If you’re a human being with a normal appetite, go with the 10-​inch. Hubby and I each had two (2) slices and were comfortably full afterward. In other words, for a little more than $ 20, it’s enough to have for four (4) individual meals.
Hubby and I were also pleasantly surprised by their stuffed pizza. The cheese and veggies were certainly «stuffed» for its full capacity without a doubt! Sometimes the marinara sauce can overwhelmed the entire pizza and make every other ingredient taste flavorless. Their pizza definitely accomplished the «art» by having a balanced level of sauce, cheese, and vegetables. Their crust wasn’t stiff and was pretty easy to cut with a regular butter knife.
Although we don’t normally crave for pizza as there are too many choices in the city of Chicago, we will be back for other items on their menu.
For some reason, I kept getting menus from them in my mailbox, yet they don’t deliver to the west side of Albany Park. Please don’t entice me anymore (hehe…saying it in a jocular manner).
They have a «mini» call center for pizza deliveries at the restaurant. Yeah, having food delivered to the door front curtails the death rate in the winter season in Chicago.
Anyways, enough nonsense! The Art of Pizza is a neighborhood gem in between Lakeview and Lincoln Park neighborhoods. The CTA bus 9 (Ashland) can take there. I believe «Wellington» is the nearest stop to the place.

The deep dish here was wonderful. It tasted great.
To be very short, the only reason why I gave it a ⁴⁄₅ is because the service wasn’t exceptionally superior.
Food-​wise, you guys rock. Service-​wise, I’m just another random-​ass person with money.