The Chicago Connection Pizza

Yeaup, it’s still closed. I drove by and no one was there. I was hoping the owners were just on vacation or something. I was looking forward to seeing how their pizza matched up against Zachary’s in the bay area. I guess now I’ll never know

Place is now CLOSED. Phone disconnected.

It is different from your standard Me N Eds/​Round Table pizza. I never had a Chicago pizza, but it was good and crust took me by surprise.
Service is friendly and you can tell it is run by a local family. They appreciate your business and want to make your experience a positive one…

Wow this must be why they call it a pizza pie. These things are HUGE and HEAVY. It’s thick like a pie!
I’ve never had actual Chicago style pizza, so I don’t know if this is authentic or whatever. Frankly I don’t really care because whatever this is, I like it!
We like to get these for takeout (usually thanks to my in-​laws) and you really can’t beat it if you want pizza and have a big appetite. Go elswhere if you’re in the mood for light, thin-​crust stuff.
The crust is unlike anything else I’ve seen in town. Thick, kind of yellowy, cornbread-​looking. It’s not exactly bready like most dough.
The toppings always seem to be top quality. I usually don’t get that excited about a meatlovers pizza or regular pizza in general, but this thing is just so loaded with flavor. The sausage is kind of melted right into the whole thing, and the tomato sauce is thick and rich. There’s plenty of spice to keep me excited.
Seriously it’s hard to eat more than two slices of this. Normally I would say this is pricey, with an extra large going for 22 – 25 if I remember correctly, but one of these will feed four people easily. And you might have leftovers. I’m not one to leave food on my plate, either. Me N Edz charges about the same for an extra large, which I think is crazy.
Only problem is they are not open on Sundays! Wish they would choose to close on a Monday instead, because we get together on Sundays a lot.

Chicago Connection is the best pizza I’ve ever had. Hands down. Yes, as some reviewers noted, it takes awhile to cook, and is not the cheapest pizza you will order. But take into account this is real, Chicago-​style deep dish Pizza. The crust is otherworldly. The sauce is just right… you will only need one, two slices tops, and can take leftovers home. The salads here are really good, as well. My friend, born and raised in Chicago, swears by the Italian Beef sandwich. The Williams family, who run Chicago Connection are wonderful, and give their customers excellent service. I was spoiled being able to have this pizza while attending Fresno State. Now that I’m not in the area anymore, no pizza compares. I’ll just have to stop by on my way to or from Yosemite!

The pizza here is probably a 3.5, I’m rounding up because of friendly service. Beware that the pizza takes a good 30+ minutes to make. The pizza is tasty, but the pizza with everything on it (I forget the name) is a bit salty. The hawaiian pizza is pretty good. Nice chill spot for pizza. The restaurant only has a couple tables, looks like more people just order to go.

For me, the judge is still out on this one. On one hand I like the place, its a nice small restaurant which is obviously a family run operation. However the most important aspect, the food, is a little bit of a letdown for me. First and foremost the price, this is going to be the sticking point for most people. For a medium Pepperoni pizza, it cost me $ 15 dollars. Normally I don’t mind paying a premium price for a premium product, but I just didn’t feel like I got a premium product when I ate there.
The crust of the pizza was nice, I enjoy a cornbread crust on pizza. However it had a distinct sweet taste to it, which to me tasted like cinnamon. It wasn’t completely unpleasant, but it was slightly off-​putting. My major point was that it just didn’t taste that great, it didn’t taste BAD, but it didn’t taste $ 15 dollars great.
Everyone here seems to be talking about wait times of up to 30 – 45 minutes for their pizza, but mine was out in under $ 20. I don’t know if it was because it was a slow night and perhaps they had a pizza already sitting out, partially made? That could explain why my pizza was so bland tasting. I literally had to pour a ton of Oregano on to my pizza to solicit some flavor from it, but I just ended up with a bland $ 15 dollar pizza that tasted like Oregano.
I will go back and try it, because I really WANT to like it, the pizza just needs to be better and justify the price they charge. Perhaps I just went on a bad night, because everyone seems to enjoy it. I will hold final judgement until part deux.

Art the owner was great! Pizza was off the hook. Sauce good loads of toppings. Will be back when I come back in town. Please go to this spot one of the last real pizza parlors left.

Slow service and $ 55 for two pizzas and 6 sodas? Why???

Yum! This can hardly be compared to a «regular» pizza because it is in a different class. Chicago Connection makes a mean pizza pie that fills you up and does not disappoint! One slice and I’m stuffed. The toppings are always fresh, the sauce is just right, and I’ve never seen the corn bread style crust fail to support the weight of the toppings. It always stays crispy on the bottom.
People have noted that it’s a little pricey ($ 25 range), but seriously one pizza could last for multiple meals, because you can’t eat that much without getting full. Also, there’s a little bit of wait for it (30 – 40 mins) but just call your order in ahead of time and be patient. Good things come to those who wait!
The owner and all the employees are super friendly. The décor inside is fun, but there isn’t a ton of space. Except for once we’ve always gotten our food to go.
My one suggestion to the owners — pllllleeeeeaaaaase open on Sundays during football season! We crave Chicago Connection Pizza while we’re at home watching the games!

Wow, these guys are awesome. Found them through Unilocal and thought I would give them a try and thankfully I did. They produce a very delicious deep dish pizza I haven’t found anywhere else in Fresno. The staff was very courteous as well. I highly recommend this place for a very original pizza.

If you like deep dish pizza PIE this the place for you.1^st call ahead. it takes time to bake this ZA. its about 2 in thick and loaded with toppings, a large weighs like 10 pounds. Not a place for calorie counters. My fav has to be the tour of chicago. its basicly the combo. If you order the large you better have friends with you. I can eat and i am lucky if i can put down two slices.
inside is kinda small they have about 4 tables and 2 outside. they do have a flat screen with sports and beer! they also offer some appitizers and salads. never ordered but they looked really good.
love the place come any time i get the craving

Not sure what it is about Fresno but there seems to be a spot to grab a slice of pizza on every corner. In fact, where this Chicago Connection is located there are 2 other pizza places in quick walking distance. One is even in the same parking lot!
So why this place over the other two? Well for starters the staff is by far the nicest people you’re gonna find running a restaurant! They not only take your order but ask you questions… not questions about your pizza, although they will, but about what you’ve been up to, how ya been, etc… You feel like a regular even if it’s your first time!
The pizza, mmmmm, the goodness of the deep dish corn meal crust and fresh toppings come through in every bite. Be prepared to have some for breakfast the next morning because a medium pizza is just big enough for dinner and then some for two people. Enjoy!

HOLY SH**! This place was amazing! I went here with a new friend of mine and thankfully the conversation was good because we waited for a loooong ass time for the pizza we ordered but they serve beer and YAY wine and a flat screen to look at, so we didn’t mind the wait, and it was worth it! It’s a bit expensive, but the pizza was HUGE and filled beyond the crusts capacity!!! I could have used it as a weapon of defense if my new friend turned out to be a freak! But luckily I didn’t have to use it and it tasted SOOOO good! What a nice change up to what we’re used to here in the valley! If you’re craving big ass pizza, ready to watch a game, and have enough friends to split the tab with, you should definitely hang out here!

I guess there arent many Unilocalers in Fresno, but thanks to Unilocal.I found this hidden gem! So we attended the Jay-​Z concert last night and we were hungry and looking for a place to eat near our hotel. I am so glad I found this place. First off we ordered the large combination style pizza which was 25 bucks. WTH? Chicago style pizza up here (Norcal) is ridiculously expensive!!! I also like the décor of the place, had the small pizza joint filling but with the sports appeal.
So like everyone mentions the wait is pretty long though, I had told people that I went with that there was a longer wait. So we were a bit prepared for that. So finally when our pizza came out, it was loaded toppings, cheese and sauce. Something that makes this pizza so awesome is the corn meal dough. That crust was freaking addictive. When we first arrived, there were only 2 people eating there, then after that it was dead, but as we waited for our pizza more and more people came in to dine and pick up pizzas. I had two slices and I was pretty stuffed, the girls only ate one slice and took the rest back to the room. They enjoyed the pizza cold after our drunken madness.
Good times in Fresno and thank you Chicago connection for hooking us up with a very good pizza!

First time trying Chicago stye pizza… I’m hooked now!
Great pizza. The restaurant itself is a little small. Visited Fresno for the Jay Z concert this past weekend and stayed about a mile away. The boyfriend Unilocaled this pizza place and we decided to go for dinner.
Got a large combination ($ 25)… It took seriously about 40 – 45 minutes for the food to come out. It was a little ridiculous in my opinion because we were the only people in the restaurant itself. BUT I soon realized that a lot of people were coming in and picking up their pizzas to go so maybe they were backed up a bit in the kitchen with only 1 person working.
The service was great. The bathrooms were REALLY cute and clean. They had a flat screen tv and also had a variety of beer and wine. Heinken dark?! whatttt??? Overall the pizza was really delicious. They used a corn meal type of crust so it was a little different but still really good.
We took the rest to our room and ate it after the concert when we were all drunk hahhaa…
even cold, it was really good.
SO
–call in your pizza order in advance
–buy a bigger pizza so you have extras haha
–I would suggest eating in because the owner’s son is actually really chill and they play football on the flat screen.
I wish I didn’t live 3 hours away… If I lived closer I’d be here all the time.
p. s. they have $ 3 slices. WTH hella cheap!

Great pizza.
I’ve never had a true authentic Chicago deep dish pizza before, but i’m certain that this pizza comes very close.
Found this place on Unilocal,and am surprised I havn’t been here before. My pizza took about 35 mins. to cook, which didn’t seem as bad as I read on here.
Anyways, I got a medium sized pizza that felt like it weighed almost 3 – 4 lbs… the thing’s a freakin brick people — It’s very filling.
The ingredients are very fresh as well. You can taste and see the big chunks of tomato still left in the sauce, as well as taste a bit of the wine that must get utilized. The quality and preparedness is clearly better than your average pizza chain — then again, this isn’t a chain, but rather a locally owned store which is good to see.
It’s a great pizza bottom line, and I am definitely a fan.

All of the other reviews are spot-​in. In recap:
* Chicago style crust.
* Immaculate interior.
* Prepare to wait for your pizza to cook.
* A little more expensive than the $ 5 cheapo deals you see around town.

SO on a weekend that I actually stayed in Fresno I found this place. I was originally down for hunting for pizza spots in the bay but since I stayed in town I tried to carry that on in Fresno. I personally don’t care for the pizza chains like pizza hut and what not… I like real pizza, after all if I am going to break diet I am going to make it worth it.
This place is right in the Hoover shopping center on first and Bullard. I was pleasantly surprised with the decoration as well… Red and black walls, Chicago skyline pictures and what not… clean black and white floor… I like it a lot.
Now for the part that really matters… the food and drink. Well they have a pretty decent selection of beer here, bottles of course. They also serve wine and soju [yesssss]. I ordered the taste of Chicago medium for 3 people. Now when you look at the size chart you may think it is not enough… just wait and see. It took about 40 minutes for out pie to be ready and let me tell you that sucker was HUGE, i really have never seen a medium pizza that stacked. and the box was HEAVY! We just looked at it for a little bit cause it was stacked with good stuff. Then we started to eat… and after the first bite the three of us were in LOVE. it is so good. the this crispy on the outside soft on the inside crust was perfection, all of the toppings were fresh and flavorful, the sauce was really good it tasted like they might use a little bit of wine in it, and after 2 slices i was in a food coma… and yes it was well worth it.
Needless to say I took my family here two days later and once again PERFECTION.
Everyone here is nice and the owner is a former FSU basketball player. I recommend this place to anyone looking for a AWESOME pizza!!!

Gotta give this place their due… for Fresno, this is the closest thing to authentic Chicago style pizza I have had.
Up until now, the closest, and it’s not that close IMHO, was BJ’s.
IMHO, this blows BJ’s out of the water.
The crust at The CC is very dense, very thick. Close to the crust I’ve had at Chicago pizzerias. They flavor it with something that turns the crust bright orange. Very tasty.
The owner is former Fresno State basketball star Art Williams, a Chicago native. He has definitely captured the essence of the Chicago pizzeria from the food down to the décor.
They sell slices, pre-​made. But I would warn you, if you are going to order a custom pie, CALL AHEAD. True Chicago deep dish takes about 40 – 45 min to bake. It is worth it, but if your order at the counter, prepare to wait.
Also very cool… they offer some non-​pizza options you general don’t see on the west coast… Italian beef and Italian sausage sandwiches.
They offer delivery as well… though I don’t know the radius.
Definitely going back!