Deep dish is not just a thing for tourists, and it frustrates me to no end when some Chicagoans consistently try to write it off. Tavern style is good, but that doesn’t make deep dish any less valid. It’s as though these people are insecure about their Chicagoan identity and distance themselves from deep dish because tourists also eat it.
While examining the article above, I noticed that Diamond says “Most Chicagoans will tell you that the city’s greatest pies aren’t made in deep pans drowning in layers of cheese and meat at tourist traps like Uno and Lou Malnati’s.”
I’m going to need a citation on that. Deep dish’s iconic status doesn’t make it any less valid as a key part of Chicago culture. This seems like it stems from the desire to be seen as a ‘true’ local. That’s how we get ridiculous takes like “Chicago’s real signature pizza is crispy, crunchy, and nothing like deep dish.”
This is simply factually untrue. Like it or not, Chicago is known for deep dish pizza, and tourists eat it because it’s great. It wouldn’t be our signature dish if it was in second place.
Calling Uno and Lou Malnati’s “tourist traps” is also a ridiculous assessment. Lou Malanati’s has expanded deep into the Chicago suburbs. You can’t sustain 50+ franchises throughout the Chicagoland area by only catering to clueless tourists.
Chicagoans genuinely enjoy Lou Malanati’s as a restaurant, and that’s because deep dish pizza is the best that Chicago has to offer. I challenge anyone to find a pizza place that serves tavern style as their signature dish that rivals the immense success that Lou Malnati’s has had.
I can admit that Uno is a mixed bag. The general consensus seems to be that the original locations (Pizzeria Uno and Pizzeria Due) are still great, but that the franchises aren’t very good. Look here, here and here as evidence.
This isn’t a mark against deep dish pizza. It just shows that Chicagoans don’t reward poor quality restaurants that try to attract customers by slapping a famous name on the front.
Here’s another excerpt from the article above.
“…When people talk about cheesesteaks in Philly, it’s always the people who aren’t from Philly that try to tell you where to go eat a good cheesesteak. Everyone in Philly will go, ‘Yeah, you go eat at Pat’s or Geno’s if you want. Go wait in line like all the other schmucks because I’m going to John’s Roast Pork.’ I’ll let all the tourists eat at Lou Malnati’s and Gino’s East; I’m gonna go to Barnaby’s.”
Here’s a thought: just because tourists eat it doesn’t mean you can’t like it. I’ll gladly eat at Lou Malnati’s because I enjoy it, and many Chicagoans do the same. It’s pretty strange to avoid food because people who aren’t locals eat it.
Imagine if Italians didn’t eat pasta, or Germans didn’t drink beer, or Japanese people didn’t eat sushi just because tourists love it.
All of these cultures are proud of their iconic foods, and we should be too. While it may not be the pinnacle of deep dish, Uno has locations internationally. People all over the world want a taste of our pizza, and that’s something that should be celebrated.
There’s no need to diminish one of our cultural landmarks because it’s popular. I like deep dish and tavern style, and I don’t care that tourists indulge in deep dish far more often. Both are delicious, and it doesn’t make an individual any less of a Chicagoan for indulging in one of our finest food staples.