Rance’s Chicago Pizza

The highest praise we can offer any pizzeria isn’t just “it’s best of class” – having been raised in a pizza-focused part of this country, we’re only impressed when a pizzeria is consistently excellent at doing something difficult. Rance’s Chicago Pizza is best in class, and it’s also consistently excellent at producing the very best and most challenging style of Chicago pizzas: deep dish.

In visit after visit, we’ve found Rance’s deep dish pizzas to taste every bit as good as pies from Chicago’s now-legendary Lou Malnati’s, from the chunky, slightly spicy tomato sauce down to the same butter crust option. Even by comparison with Tony’s Little Italy Pizza in Placentia, which is sometimes cited as a great deep dish maker, Rance’s is in another league when it comes to producing authentic Chicago-style pizzas. Service has always been friendly, and though meals take some time to come out, Rance’s is transparent about this from the start – Chicago pizzas can’t be rushed.

There are actually three styles of pizza at Rance’s, and signage explains the differences between their pan and stuffed pizzas: The former is heavier with cheese, the latter has a thin extra inner layer of crust inside for support, like a pizza inside the pizza. Their tomato sauce, cheese, crust, and ingredients are all first-class, so when Rance’s says it needs 45 minutes to make one of these, accept it and plan around it. (You can pre-order to eat at a table if you want.)