In Chicago, pizza is religious. Fortunately for us, there are more than 200 different pizzeria's in the city, and each has it's own distinct signature item. Originally a Neapolitan cuisine, pizza has gone through different stages of development, and now we see styles such as Hand-Tossed and Roman Pizza, or the likes of Chicago-Style and Pan Pizza. As old as Giordano's is, its signature ""World Famous Stuffed Pizza"" is unlike any other on the market.
Yes, some restaurant's have mastered the art of pizza. With respectable places like Lou Malnati's, Pizzeria Due and Gino's to name a few, the wonderful world of stuffed pizza got it's start at Chicago's Giordano's. The 70's in Chicago were fine years for pizza as there weren't as many franchises making a name, so brothers Efron and Joseph Boglio took their mothers recipe and made it a household name. Now, there are 13 restaurants in Chicago and 30 more in the suburbs.
The Windy City Pizza Club traveled to Giordano's Gold Coast recently and had an interesting experience. The actual restaurant is long and fairly big and extremely crowded with little waiting area, especially on weekends. They have a full bar in the waiting area with tables for waiting. When you walk into Giordano's, you are asked to pre-order your food making the experience seem like you are here for fast food. The atmosphere was very unfriendly as the servers, hosts, and managers had little personality or lack of. It seemed they were trying to get you to leave rather than stay and enjoy.
Because of this poor acting wait staff and managerial style, the experience for me, a first-timer at Giordano's was sour. After asking other members of the club what they thought, no one seemed to notice, probably because they were used to the fast-food type dining experience that Giordano's gives off. I was not impressed and felt like I was being rushed out of the restaurant so they could turn over our table of seven within an hour, and that they did.
As for the actual Pizza, it's incredible. Yes, I said incredible. The pizza was a complete opposite of service and attitude and made the experience even itself out just a little. Giordano's has thin crust and stuffed, and as the club did not try the thin; it was clear that no one in their right minds would. Most impressively, you could turn a piece of the stuffed pizza upside down, and nothing would fall off the top. On top of that, the crust is actually stuffed with cheese. And because of the way it was prepared, it wasn't messy and easy to eat. The pizza itself was absolutely satisfying and made for an immediate pleasant aftertaste on our taste buds, especially the crust.
Fortunately the pizza was delectable and I would go back, but only for take-out as the actual restaurant is more of a fast-food place than a restaurant. Let us hope that no other restaurant takes on the focus of ""great pizza, not-so-fun staff"". Regardless of my opinion, I highly suggest trying out Giordano's as a take out of delivery option as the stuffed pizza has me hooked.
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