Lou Malnati's - River North

The pizza here is delicious, especially the deep dish which is loaded with flavor and has a perfect buttery crust. The ingredients taste fresh, and the portions are very satisfying. The atmosphere is welcoming and great for both small groups and families. Service is attentive and the food comes out in a reasonable time, considering how freshly it’s made. Overall, it’s a solid choice if you’re craving authentic Chicago-style pizza

I loooooove deep dish pizza 😋 Lou’s was great. Service was definitely dissociated in keeping with any tourist spot, but serviceable. We got the Lou and added sausage (which comes as a disc rather than crumbled, super yummy), and I’d definitely do this again. The Malnati salad was huge and a banger. Hot tip, go to the bathrooms upstairs (even if they’re not seating up there). It’s huge and you don’t have to wait.

This is my second time coming to Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria establishment. The first time was many years ago on N State St. I tried to make reservations, but we could not go until 7:30 pm. We were in the area and took a chance on a Friday evening to eat good authentic Chicago pizza. Although the restaurant was cold and a bit cooler than I like it, the food made up for the environment. We ordered the calamari and stuffed ravioli. Magnificent! The pizza was on point. I don’t really like sausage but it was good on this type of pizza. Next time I will try other toppings. The service was great and very helpful on describing to us about Chicago deep dish Pizza. He was attentive and answered all questions. Thanks for a wonderful experience.

Lou Malnati’s is definitely Chicago’s best deep dish pizza! They are known for their flaky buttery crust and their special sausage sauce. Their signature pizza and lasagna is to die for! You know that their sauce has been boiled for a long time because it is sweet and not acidic. Their ravioli and wings are ok. Cocktails are great too. If ever you are in Chicago, make sure to drop by. Their friendly staff will be there to welcome you.

My visit to Lou Malnati's proved to me that this establishment truly IS worth the hype!! While in Chicago, I knew Deep Dish Pizza was a must at some point, even though I was admittedly a bit skeptical on liking it. Lou Malnati's is one of the most common recommendations for a deep dish spot, so decided to give them a try. A was NOT disappointed!! We came around Happy Hour time at 5pm, and while there was a short wait, we were seated soon after in an upstairs area that was dimly lit and kind of had a nostalgic vibe to it that takes you back in time! In addition to a small Malnati Chicago Classic deep dish for two, we also go some of the $5 draft beers and $5 Mozzarella Bites from the Happy Hour! The Mozzarella Bites were perfectly prepared and a delight to bite into and get SUPER satisfying cheese pulls! I also appreciated the large cups of sauce, including ranch (which we requested). The Deep Dish Pizza itself was AMAZING! Obviously VERY cheesy and so provided for plenty of fun cheese pull moments! I was also surprised by how despite being full of cheese, sausage, and other toppings, nothing felt too heavy or overpowering. One slice for each of us was more than enough to get us full, and we kept the other half as left overs. Great portions and value! Our server was also very friendly and we enjoyed chatting with him. Lou Malnati's is a great spot! Nostalgic vibes inside, great service, value, and delicious Deep Dish Pizza!! I highly recommend visiting when in Chicago!

Make sure you have a reservation, otherwise the wait could be up to an hour to get seated without a reservation. I wanted to eat a pizza pie from here so the next best thing was to place a to go order at the counter, which I did after I was told it would be an hour wait for a table. The ladies at the to go counter were friendly and very articulate. We ordered the deep dish Mikes hot honey. We took it back to our hotel to eat and it was fantastic!

Visited Chicago for the first time from North Carolina. Obviously had to try Chicago pizza. I ordered through Door Dash on a Saturday evening. I was surprised at how fast the delivery was AND how hot everything was upon arrival. I ordered garlic parmesean boneless wings & a deep dish Buffalou chicken pizza. Hands down the best pizza and wings I've had.

I'm working here in Chicago and this location of Lou's is just a 10 minute walk from my hotel. I wanted deep dish pizza and was looking for something other than Giordano's. I found Lou's in multiple searches over several apps so I decided to try it. The deep dish pizza is the best I've had here in Chicago. I'm here several times a year due to work. I would highly recommend them for the pizza. I went back a second time and had an appetizer and pasta. The combination appetizer was excellent. I want a happy with the pasta. The pasta was very overcooked so it was mooshy. It was also bland. I'll return again for the pizza next time I'm in Chicago.

Outstanding authentic Chicago deep dish pizza. Wife ordered the personal Deep Dish Veggie pizza and I had a small Deep Dish Cheese with pepperoni and basil. The deep dish crust was perfect but what really surprised us (in a good way) was the sauce. Possibly the best pizza sauce we've ever had. We made reservations thru OpenTable. When we arrived there were a lot of people waiting for table but we only waited a few mins to be seated. Highly recommend reservations! If you want some high quality authentic Chicago deep dish pizza, Lou Malnatis is the place to go!

We decided to take a trip to try as much Chicago style pizza as we could and this was one of the locations recommended! We got one of the personal thin crust custom pizzas with jalapeños & black olives and one of the small deep dish pizzas with pepperonis and a butter crust! Both were delicious! I would say that this restaurant was one of the best pizzas that we had! We used Google reservations to book a time and they immediately seated us when we arrived! The service was good and the restaurant was clean! I would definitely recommend going back! We walked here on our way to catch the train, there’s not much parking in the area

Highly recommended establishment and it definitely did not disappoint. It was my first time trying a deep dish. My only regret - that I should have ordered a personal instead of a small! Do check out the wings as well. Dipping sauces were fantastic. Kudos to the team for the great recommendations and patiently going through the menu for me to make the right choice!

My hubby and I decided to take a weekend getaway trip to Chicago from Pittsburgh!! What an amazing city!!! We had the time of our lives!! This pizza was hands down, 10 stars!!! If you’re in Chicago, it’s a must !!! Thank you for the great pizza!!!

Our server, Joy, was a treat. Her friendliness and service were better than what we received at a much more expensive restaurant the night before. The pizza was fantastic. The buttery crust was flavorful and crispy. I highly recommend Lou’s.

Was pretty skeptical to try deep dish pizza, thinking it would be super cheesy, but it was really good. Already looking forward to the next visit! 2 slices are very filling for 1 person — we had the mini vegetarian pizza. Service is quite slow though, have to wait for a while.

Great food. However, pizza took 45mins to be served. Highly recommended to pre-order even before you get a table. The front desk recommended it too, hut we were already next in line. If you don't want to wait that long, probably order appetizers that will be served immediately.

Crispy crust, warm stringy cheese. Rich and flavorful tomato sauce all working together to create an exquisite story your palette is just begging to explore. It has always been an aspiration of mine to try a real authentic Chicago style pizza, and at long last I can cross this off of my bucket list, with a glowing smile and a stomach so full I had to let the belt out a couple notches. I enjoyed the food and the experience here so much, that I had to return the next day with a group of colleagues to share in the absolute bliss that it provided. Please dont change. I will be back.

Food was amazing as you can see n Sean was an excellent wealth of knowledge and made excellent suggestions. Will definitely come back.

As a GF girlie, all I wanted when I visited Chicago was the chance to eat a deep dish pizza and Lou Malnati's was there when I needed them. This GF deep dish was better than some regular GF pizzas I’ve had. My partner also really enjoyed his full gluten pizza! The wait time is long but the waitress warned us of that up front and the menu has plenty of apps to hold you over. You just need to be prepared for that!

We had a great dinner last night. Matthew was our waiter and he was great. Answered all of our questions, knowledgeable about the menu and local pizza which we appreciated. Top notch service. And the pizza was fantastic also. I mean….The crust! Wow. Thought I had Chicago style before but not like this. Highly recommend. We also had the salad share which was a great starter prior to the pizza. Thanks for a great time Matthew!

First off I’ll say that I was in no way convinced that deep dish was going to be for me. I love pizza, but for me, the thinner the better. How wrong I was. This pizza is outstanding! It takes a while to come out, but it’s totally worth the wait. The crust is like a pastry more than a bread-like dough, so the experience isn’t anywhere near as difficult or messy as I had assumed. And the flavour…amazing! Service was also exceptional, with friendly and efficient servers everywhere.

A true Chicago deep dish pizza experience with great staff and short wait for a table. The original crust is worth the visit, and definitely try to mozzarella balls while waiting for your pie.

We came in late on a Tuesday night and Sean took excellent care of us! We got a small Malnati Chicago Classic deep dish pizza and a couple of drinks and everything was great. As tourists, Lou Malnati’s is a must!

My first time eating here as a person visiting from out of town. This was such a different experience than other pizza places. The crust is definitely the star of the show! Everything was so delicious and the service was fantastic. No complaints at all nothing but love

Im from Detroit. I Always make it my business to come to Lou Malnatis Pizzeria when I'm in town I enjoy it over the other deep dish pizza places as well because of its a lighter crust and buttery flaky goodness.. it's normally busy but today wasn't busy at all. I suggest making reservations.I also ordered the lemon pepper wings this time, so hopefully they don't disappoint... I have never had a bad experience from this location in particular. Fod is always fresh and hot..Its about a 30min wait to bake pizzas, so your probably gonna be looking at the appetizers, lol. I grabbed a draft beer (Goose Island Neon Beer Hug) is a good choice if you like IPA's.

Giovanny gave extremely good customer service from the moment we sat down until the moment we left. He was attentive without being overbearing, made sure our drinks were always filled, and checked in at the perfect times. He was friendly, professional, and genuinely seemed to care about our experience. Giovanny answered our questions confidently, gave great recommendations, and made us feel welcome and valued as guests. His positive attitude and strong work ethic really stood out, and he played a big role in making our visit enjoyable. He is an excellent server and a great asset to the restaurant.

Our first experience with Chicago style deep dish pizza. Friendly staff Reasonable pricing Tasty pizza We tried the classic and were impressed. Very tasty sausage, generous cheese, crispy crust and delicious tomato sauce. Would definitely recommend to a friend. We shared a small- enough if you’re not starving but think a salad or a side would have been enough to fully fill the tank. Get a medium for 2 people if you want leftovers. Thanks for having us!

Lou Malnati’s has a really cool, historic atmosphere that definitely sets the tone when you walk in. It was very busy when we went, but that’s usually a good sign. The service was a little slow, though they do let you know ahead of time that the deep-dish pizzas take a while to cook, which is understandable. As for the pizza itself, the flavor was good, but deep dish is a lot of bread and sauce. If you’re someone who prefers a cheesier pizza with more toppings and a thinner crust, this style might not be for you. Personally, it wasn’t quite as good as I hoped it would be, but I can still appreciate the classic Chicago experience. Overall, worth trying at least once!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5 stars) Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria – Chicago A must-visit place in Chicago! Lou Malnati’s is truly legendary for its deep-dish pizzas — rich, cheesy, and full of authentic Chicago flavor. The place is always crowded, which already tells you how popular it is, but the service is quick and friendly despite the rush. Even though I’m not a regular pizza eater, I really enjoyed the taste — the crust is buttery, the sauce is tangy, and the cheese quality is excellent. Definitely something you should try at least once if you’re in Chicago. Just a small tip — be careful when ordering sizes! The pizzas are quite large and very filling, so even a small one can be enough for two people. ✅ Great taste & authentic Chicago deep-dish experience ✅ Friendly staff and good service ✅ Lively, busy atmosphere ❗ Portion sizes are big — order wisely! Highly recommended for anyone visiting Chicago and looking to experience the city’s most famous pizza spot. 🍕

The pasta serving for one is really more for two. Its sauce is good. Cant go wrong with this dish. The pizza took a bit to come out but worth it the dough tasted like it was not frozen. The sauce and cheese was tasty. They give you plenty of meat on the pizza too. You cant go wrong eating here

Meatballs were juicy nice sauce with good flavor,ceaser salad was 🤌 The deep dish was pretty good I thought the crust would have been a little softer with more of a buttery flavor but the sauce was on point. Our waitress was cute and pleasant🤙

Tried Chicago’s famous deep-dish and... well, it was definitely an experience. The crust was rich and the sauce flavorful, but the whole thing felt more like a cheese-filled pie than a pizza. As a New Yorker, I couldn’t help but miss the simplicity and perfect fold of a classic slice.

Tried the Deep Dish Margherita pesto (personal) - portion was good for one. Love the thick crust!

Had an amazing experience at Lou Malnati's pizzeria..first time visiting Chicago and had a famous deep dish pizza. We ordered "The Lou", personal size pizza and appetizers since we were not hungry much. Both dishes were really tasty and presentable. The atmosphere was pleasant, you can see lots of signed jerseys there which is very interesting. The staff is very helpful. It gets real busy during weekends and holiday time so plan it properly. 15-20 min waiting time is normal for a table of 4-5 people. We lucked out since we were only 2 people and we got a table immediately 😀 after ordering a deep dish pizza ,the wait time was 30-40 min since they made it from scratch, which was worth it. Thanks for the yummy deep dish pizza guys. I would definitely recommend this place.

It's just ok. Not the "Chicago style" I was after. Chicago style looks like this photo. The pizza at Lou's is just "normal" pizza on a thick crust. It's good but I wouldn't go back if I was looking for true Chicago style pizza. I even requested extra sauce and it was still average at best.

Okay look, I love deep dish pizza and when in Chicago, right? We were torn between a few and decided to get the Classic and the Hot Honey along with an order of garlic parmesan wings while we waited for our personal pizzas. I loved the crust so much. But everything else was simply underwhelming. The pizza sauce, the cheese, the sausage. There wasn't nearly enough flavor overall.

We were looking forward to trying a Chicago deep dish pizza and I’ve debated coming here or a different restaurant from the reviews. Kinda wish we tried the other spot. The pizza here was very mid we got the hot honey pizza. We’ve definitely gotten better hot honey pizza’s. The pizza wasn’t even that deep - might’ve been because we got a small size? I would come again to try something else and maybe with more people so we can get a bigger size. Maybe it would be better that way.

My husband and I ordered our pizza for pick up. When we arrived, we are a little bit early, So we were told to wait until we were called up to get it. When I finally went up, five minutes after our pizza was supposed to be ready, it was ready, but no one had called us. The size of the pizza is pretty big, And the cheese was amazing! In fact, it was mouthwatering. However, the crust tasted uncooked and the pizza got cold pretty quickly.

Avoid this tourist trap-tacular. This review is about bad food as much as it’s also about bad service. This place really put the “Not” in Mal-Natis. Honestly it may be Italian “Mal”-practice. It’s cool they warn you that the pizza will take 30 mins, but I don’t see anything stating that the staff wouldn’t get your drink order for 25 minutes after being seated. Some of the worst service I’ve ever experienced. Nobody acknowledged that we were seated at one of their tables after walking by us 12 times that we counted after we began to count out loud to each other. If the sub par service doesn’t blow your socks off, the crappy food sure won’t either. The house salad was mid at best. Basically all vinegar no oil. Also ordered the fried ravioli. The parts that weren’t soggy still had zero flavor and the red sauce marinara couldn’t salvage them as it lacked anything resembling flavor. Don’t believe the hype on this place. I’d be “mal”-nourished before I’d step foot in another one of these joints.

Waited 35 minutes to get in, an hour for their deep dish pizza and I couldn’t even eat that much of it because it was so mid… I was excited from the reviews but honestly it wasn’t that worth it. Plenty of other restaurants in Chicago that aren’t as famous as this one that are far better.

Wanted some Chicago deep dish. Malnati's had great reviews....a lot of them. Why not try them? Here's why: This was the most generic, disappointing pizza I have ever had. I got the Classic, the one at the top of the menu. Large. If it's going to take half hour to get the pizza (which is more than reasonable) then at LEAST make sure it shows up hot. It was tepid...at best. The sauce is completely flavorless and what seems to be just crushed tomatoes spread on the top with some rather generic sauce. It was barely warm. The sausage was flat pieces of meat flavorless meat. It was...hardly there and I'm probably lucky. The crust was hard, like it had been sitting out on a counter overnight. Not saying it had been, but that's what it reminded me of. It was not "gooey" it was chewy. The glass they gave me for the beer was dirty. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to get a picture because they took the glass before I thought of it. The people were very nice and courteous. The waiter did suggest getting a large pizza vs a medium and a single....so he did do us a favor there. However, I wish I hadn't ordered anything. The most disappointing food I've had in Chicago...... I feel bad leaving this, but somehow I don't think that one bad review will hurt them too much. My only goal is to help the one or two people that might read this so they can rethink and go elsewhere.