Who Really Invented Chicago's Deep-Dish Pizza?

Whether you're a local Chicago native or an out-of-towner planning a trip to the Windy City, downing hot dogs with pickle spears and massive slices of the city's signature deep-dish pizza is a must from time to time. If you've never been given the chance to experience the cheesy, layered, casserole-type pie that's been known to weigh up to four pounds, you're missing out on quite an experience. Some might even argue that certain deep-dish pies deserve a designated place among the best pizzas in America. But what makes Chicago deep-dish pizza so unique?

Deep-dish pizza is identified by its exceptionally tall crust made with either flour or cornmeal and then layered with mounds of sauce, cheese, and your favorite toppings. As with any classic pizza, those toppings can range from green peppers to spicy Italian sausage to classic pepperoni. The tomato sauce used for these one-of-a-kind pizzas is thicker than a typical pizza sauce. Before baking, most pies are finished off with a thick layer of chunky sauce. 

If you've indulged in a deep-dish pie or two, you may wonder how the creation of such a signature dish came to be — a dish that oftentimes has to be consumed with extra napkins and a fork. Who was ultimately responsible for creating Chicago deep-dish?

Unlike most unique pizza variations, a well-oiled flatbread topped with sauce and well-seasoned meats and veggies has been around for quite some time. The earliest incidences of pizza harken back to Naples, Italy, and the city's need for convenient food that could be made and consumed on a whim in the late 18th to early 19th centuries. But deep-dish pizza was invented much later. While some may argue that there is delicious deep-dish pizza outside of Chicago, who invented the classic Windy City version?

Some claim that the first semblance of Chicago deep-dish was created by Ike Sewell, a liquor salesman turned business manager for the longstanding Pizzeria Uno back in 1943. However, based on extensive research by the Culinary Historians of Chicago, undisputed evidence over who created Chicago deep-dish pizza remains unknown. Others believe Rudy Malnati Sr. was responsible for the thick, one-of-a-kind pie, as he served as the original pizzeria's manager. Yet there is no direct connection between Malnati Sr. and the pizza's longwinded beginning in the 1940s. 

The most likely possibility outlined by historians is that late performer and artist Ric Riccardo was responsible for the signature recipe. Riccardo opened a one-of-a-kind pizzeria back in 1943 after successfully owning and managing a restaurant for creatives near the east Ohio Street location since 1934. We may never know who actually invented Chicago deep-dish, but we do know where it all started.

Even though the creator behind the beloved Chicago-style pizza remains a mystery, no one is arguing over where the Windy city staple was created. Pizzeria Uno (formerly known as "The Pizzeria") is where the first thickly layered pies debuted. 

In the early days, restaurant-goers enjoyed lounging and drinking spirits as their layered pies cooked for longer than expected in extremely hot ovens. Pizzeria Uno became so popular that a second location, Pizzeria Due opened in 1955. While Pizzeria Uno has now upgraded to the name "Uno Chicago Grill" and has expanded to more than 200 retail locations around the world, the original location remains on East Ohio Street in Chicago, serving as a glimpse into old-world city life and the birthplace of one truly epic dish.

If traveling isn't in the cards to assure your enjoyment of one of the best deep-dish pizzas in America, you can have Chicago-style pizza delivered right to your front door. There are more than 10 Chicago-based establishments, including the original Pizzeria Uno, that will deliver frozen pizza to you, anywhere in the U.S. Feel free to order a slice, or if you can swing it, head to Chicago and enjoy a hot slice at the city's original Pizzeria Uno, which has been a Chicago institution since 1943.