where is a Chicago style pizza near O'hare? (Park Ridge: live in, restaurants)

[semidevil]

I wil be going to O'hare to pick up m girlfriend and we will drive straight back to Michigan. We have been to chicago before so we wont stay to sight see, but I at least want to have a chicago style deep dish pizza lunch.

Which restaurants are fairly close to the airport? and also have easy, free parking? I prefer to not go in to downtown just because i always get lost there.

I know there is Giordanos'. What other options are there? I've been to Lou Manalti in downtown and I loved it..but again, I want to avoid downtown. Sit down, rest, eat, and go back home.

[Drover]

If you want to stick to what you know, there's a Lou's about 2 miles northeast of the airport in Park Ridge. There's also a Nancy's and a Gino's East down the street from each other in Park Ridge and Chicago, respectively (the Gino's East is literally across the street from Park Ridge). Both are about a mile or so from the airport, and all three and easy to get to from the expressway leading out of the airport, Nancy's and Gino's East especially so. All have ample free parking lots.

I prefer Nancy's but their thick Chicago-style is slightly different from Lou's. Nancy's is "stuffed" meaning there's a very thin layer of dough on top of the cheese and ingredients and then sauce goes on top of the dough. Lou's and Gino's East are "deep dish" which are similar to stuffed but they forgo the top layer of dough. Between Lou's and Gino's East I definitely prefer Lou's but I wouldn't turn down Gino's East.

A mom-and-pop alternative also on Higgins near the Nancy's and Gino's East is D'Agostino's. They offer both Lou's-style deep-dish and Nancy's-style stuffed. It too has a parking lot but it's small; however there is ample free street parking on the side street right next to it.

Lou Malnati's
650 N Northwest Hwy
Park Ridge
(847) 292-2277

Nancy's
1036 West Higgins Rd
Park Ridge
(847) 825-2345

Gino's East
8725 W Higgins Rd
Chicago
(773) 444-2244

D'Agostino's
742 W Higgins Rd
Park Ridge
(847) 518-8700

[ChicagoGolfer]

Gino's would be my first pick.

[chet everett]

The "quality ingredients and consistent preparation" would give Lou's a head and shoulders lead over the other options close to O'Hare.

The Gino's up that way is notorious for sending out pizzas made with ingredients that should never have left the fridge and inconsistent cooking.

Nancy's extra layer of dough makes anything other than a large (which would kill two normal humans ...) a risk for undercooking and while undercooked pizza dough is safe I find it taste and texture / taste a negative. Don't get me a wrong , it is not always undercooked, but having orders from Nancy's many times I have learned that short of asking for it with "burned edges" the odds of anything other than the large being cooked all the way through is about 1 in 5...

I think I have had thin crust carried out from D'Agostinos a couple times, friends live in the area, don't know why we would not have gotten Chicago style other than the fact Lou is so consistently reliably top notch.

[chicagocubs]

My vote is the Lou's as well.