Where Is the Original Deep Dish Pizza in Chicago
The original deep dish pizza is credited to Pizzeria Uno at 29 East Ohio Street in River North, though the origin story is genuinely disputed. Here is where to eat it and how to get there.
Where Is the Original Deep Dish Pizza in Chicago
The original deep dish pizza is credited to Pizzeria Uno, which opened at 29 East Ohio Street in River North, just off North Michigan Avenue. The restaurant's founders, Ike Sewell and Ric Riccardo, are the names most often attached to the invention, though historians and rival pizzerias still argue over who actually built the first tall-crusted pie. The original location still serves pizza today, and Pizzeria Due, its sibling kitchen, operates across the street.
That Ohio Street address is the short answer, and it is the one most Chicago guides repeat. The longer answer is that "original" is doing heavy lifting in this question, because the invention of deep dish is one of the most genuinely disputed origin stories in American food. The building is real, the founding claim is on the menu, and the line outside the door on a Saturday night is real too. What happened in the kitchen in the early years is less settled than the placemats suggest.
The neighborhood matters as much as the address. River North sits just north of the Loop and west of the Magnificent Mile, a short walk from the Michigan Avenue shopping corridor covered in our Magnificent Mile shopping and sights guide. You can reach the original pizzeria from most downtown hotels without a car, which is one reason it became a tourist institution in the first place.
Who Invented Deep Dish, and Why Is the Story Disputed?
The standard account credits Ike Sewell and Ric Riccardo with creating deep dish at Pizzeria Uno, but the claim has holes. Employees and rival founders told different versions of the story for decades, and some food historians argue that pan-baked pizza in Chicago predates Uno's opening. The honest answer is that Uno's popularized the style and holds the founding claim, while the true inventor of the first pie may never be settled.
The Sewell and Riccardo version goes like this: Sewell was a Texas-born liquor businessman, Riccardo an Italian immigrant restaurateur, and together they wanted a pizza hearty enough to be a full meal rather than a snack. The tall crust, assembled upside down with cheese under the sauce, was their solution. It caught on, and people were soon driving into the city for it.
The dispute comes from several directions. Longtime Uno's kitchen staff, including members of the Malnati family who worked there, have been described in local tellings as the people who actually developed the recipe, and the restaurant's own corporate history has shifted over the years. Separately, some researchers note that Chicago bakeries and home cooks were already making thick, pan-baked pizzas before Uno's opened, which would make Uno's the famous version rather than the first one. Nobody has produced a receipt for the first deep dish pie.
None of this should ruin your dinner. The dispute is part of the fun, and it explains why several old Chicago pizzerias describe themselves as the true original. What is not disputed is that the style was born in this neighborhood, in the middle of the last century, and that Uno's put it on the map.
If you want the story served alongside the pizza rather than read off a placemat, a guided food walk is the efficient way to do it. The 6-dish small-group tour pairs deep dish with an Italian beef sandwich and other local staples while a guide explains exactly this kind of disputed history.
Which Pizzerias Descend from the Original?
Pizzeria Due, across the street from the original, is the direct sibling kitchen. Lou Malnati's, founded by a Uno's alumnus, is the most famous descendant claim, and Giordano's later adapted the style into stuffed pizza. Pequod's and other older Chicago names round out a family tree where nearly every branch claims a piece of the origin.
The family tree is worth a table, because the claims overlap and the differences matter when you are choosing where to eat.
| Pizzeria | Connection to the origin | What makes its version distinct |
|---|---|---|
| Pizzeria Uno | The original location at 29 E Ohio St | The founding claim, in a basement dining room |
| Pizzeria Due | Sibling kitchen across the street | Same recipe, more space, same ownership lineage |
| Lou Malnati's | Founded by a cook who worked at Uno's | Buttercrust, tangy tomato sauce, family-run |
| Giordano's | Later Chicago arrival that adapted the style | Stuffed pizza with a top crust over the cheese |
| Pequod's | Independent old-school Chicago name | Caramelized cheese edge baked around the crust |
Lou Malnati's deserves special mention because the Malnati name is tangled directly into the Uno's origin story. The family's account has Lou working in the Uno's kitchen in the early years, and the founding of the family's own pizzeria turned that experience into a rival claim. Chicagoans argue about Uno's versus Lou's with a passion that outsiders sometimes find alarming, and our Lou Malnati's or Giordano's comparison breaks down the differences in crust, sauce and cheese so you can pick a side. The deeper background on the style itself, including where to find it across the city, is in our Chicago deep dish pizza guide.
Giordano's plays a different game. Its stuffed pizza, inspired by an Italian holiday pie tradition, is technically a different construction: cheese sealed under a second crust, then topped with sauce. Purists will tell you it is not true deep dish. Giordano's fans will tell you the purists are missing the point. Both camps are eating well.
For travelers who want to settle the argument by mouth rather than by reading, the small-group food tour that includes deep dish and Italian beef is the practical move. It is the related tour on this page for exactly that reason.
How Do You Get to the Original Deep Dish Location?
Pizzeria Uno sits at 29 East Ohio Street, a five to ten minute walk from the Grand Red Line station and the State and Lake corner of the Loop. The CTA fare is $2.50 for the train and $2.25 for the bus, with free transfers within two hours, so a round trip from most downtown hotels costs less than a soda at the restaurant. No car is needed, and parking in River North is the harder problem anyway.
Transit is genuinely the easy answer here. The fare table at the Chicago Transit Authority sets the train fare at $2.50 and the bus fare at $2.25, and a transfer gives you up to two additional rides free within two hours. If you are riding more over a full day of sightseeing, the 1-Day CTA and Pace pass at $5 covers unlimited rides for 24 hours from first use, which pays for itself in two trips.
| From | Best transit option | Fare | Approximate travel time |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Loop | Walk or Red Line to Grand | $2.50 or free on foot | 10 minutes |
| Magnificent Mile | Walk east on Ohio Street | Free | 5 minutes |
| O'Hare | Blue Line to Washington, transfer to Red Line | $5 from O'Hare station | About 1 hour |
| Midway | Orange Line to the Loop, then Red Line | $2.50 | About 45 minutes |
The O'Hare row comes with a quirk worth knowing: boarding the Blue Line at the airport station carries a premium fare of $5, but an unlimited-ride pass boards there with no extra charge, per the CTA's own fare rules. Our O'Hare to downtown guide covers the full run of options, and the broader getting around Chicago guide explains the Ventra card system if this is your first visit.
Driving is the option to avoid. River North parking is scarce and expensive, and the neighborhood is compact enough that a car buys you nothing except a circling lap looking for a spot. Honest advice, no link: take the train.
Planning a full day around the pizza run? The food tour that pairs deep dish with an Italian beef stop runs three hours, which leaves plenty of room for a river cruise or an observation deck afterward.
Is the Original Still Worth Visiting Today?
Yes, with expectations set correctly. Pizzeria Uno's Ohio Street location is a tourist institution with a basement dining room, long waits at peak hours and a pie that most locals will tell you is matched or beaten by its descendants. Going for the history is legitimate. Going purely for the best pizza of your trip is a gamble that Chicagoans have been arguing about for decades.
The wait is the first thing to plan around. The original location is small, the brand is famous, and tour groups find it, so evenings and weekends mean a line. Mid-afternoon on a weekday is the calm window. Deep dish also takes time to bake, usually around 30 to 45 minutes from order to table, so order early and treat the wait as part of the experience rather than a service failure.
The quality debate is real and you should not let anyone settle it for you. Some locals rank the original below Lou Malnati's or a neighborhood spot like Pequod's. Others defend it as the classic. The fair framing: you are eating in the room where the style was born, or at least the room where the style became famous, and that is worth one meal of any Chicago trip. Our signature dish overview puts deep dish in context with the rest of the city's food identity, and the Italian beef guide covers the other sandwich you should not leave without trying.
A pattern many travelers use: eat deep dish at the original for the history, then let a guided tour introduce you to a second slice elsewhere in the city, along with beef, brownies and other stops you would not find on your own. That is the role the food tour fills on this page, and it pairs naturally with an architecture cruise or a Skydeck visit if you are building a full day around River North.
Common Questions About the Original Deep Dish Pizza in Chicago
where is the original deep dish pizza in chicago?
Pizzeria Uno at 29 East Ohio Street in River North is the original location, credited to Ike Sewell and Ric Riccardo. Pizzeria Due, the sibling kitchen, sits across the street. The origin story is disputed, but the address is the one the founding claim belongs to.
Who really invented deep dish pizza?
The standard credit goes to Ike Sewell and Ric Riccardo at Pizzeria Uno. Kitchen staff from the early years, including the Malnati family, have also been credited in various tellings, and some historians argue thick pan pizza existed in Chicago before Uno's opened. The invention is genuinely unsettled.
Is Pizzeria Uno the same as Uno Pizzeria and Grill?
The chain grew out of the original Chicago location, and the Ohio Street restaurant still operates under the founding brand. The original basement dining room is a different experience from the suburban chain locations, even though the name on the sign is shared.
How long does deep dish pizza take to cook?
Deep dish takes roughly 30 to 45 minutes from order to table because of the thick crust and layered construction. Most established deep dish pizzerias tell you this up front. Order as soon as you sit down and plan the wait into your evening.
What is the difference between deep dish and stuffed pizza?
Deep dish has a tall crust with cheese and sauce layered inside, open faced. Stuffed pizza, the style Giordano's is known for, adds a thin top crust over the cheese before the sauce goes on, making an even taller, denser pie. Both are Chicago originals in the loose sense.
Can you visit the original without a car?
Yes, easily. The Ohio Street location is a short walk from the Grand Red Line station and from the Magnificent Mile, and the CTA fare is $2.50 for the train. Parking in River North is the harder and more expensive option, so transit or walking is the practical choice.
The original deep dish address is one stop on a longer food story, and Best Things to Do in Chicago covers the rest, from cheap eats across the city to the best restaurants in Chicago for the sit-down nights. Eat the history once, then keep arguing about it like a local.