The Chicago Vs New York pizza debate started long ago. While Chicagoans claim they have the best pizza, New Yorkers aren’t ready to accept. They still believe theirs is the best.
Pizza is a soft drink and beer’s best friend. The average American consumes approximately 180 slices of pizzas every single year.
No two cities have been so deeply in love or associated with pizza like New York and Chicago. But like two jealous lovers, both cities have constantly debated who makes the best pizza.
New Yorkers claim they make the best pizza because pizza originated there. On the other hand, Chicagoans claim they are pizza masters.
Our goal is to end the debate on who has the best pizza. We’ll compare so you can see the differences between the pizzas in both cities to make an informed decision. So, keep reading, don’t go anywhere!
Chicago Vs New York Pizza: The City With The Best Pizza
New York and Chicago make various pizzas to meet the needs of diverse consumers. And if you have ever had the chance to taste both cities’ pizzas, you’ll fall in love with pizza again if you haven’t done so.
In conclusion, both cities make great pizzas. But then, every individual has a preference. So, the verdict on who makes the best pizza between New York and Chicago is subjective.
But for most of us, the verdict is there’s no winner. Both cities have some of the best pizzas in the country.
Others may have a contrary view after tasting pizzas from both cities. Some may claim New York has the best pizza, while others may choose Chicago. It depends on personal preference.
What The New York Style Pizza Is
New York-style pizzas are a breeze to identify. Their slices are big, wide, round, and thin-crusted.
New York Pizza is one of the world’s most popular pizzas. It boasts unique characteristics and comes in diverse varieties.
Here are the different types of pizzas you’ll find in New York:
- Classic coal oven
- New York slice
- Neapolitan
- Sicilian New York slice
New York city is one of the world’s most diverse cities and boasts various pizzas. The pizza forms above aren’t the only options in the city. Other forms include bar pies, 99-cent slices, vegan pies, grandma slices, Detroit style, and others.
Who created New York pizza? Gennaro Lombardi made the first pizza in New York in 1905. The Italian created the pizza in Manhattan, making the ever-bustling borough the birthplace of pizza.
He and Antonio Totonno Pero sold their pies for 5 cents. But, unfortunately, many couldn’t afford it. Instead of letting customers who couldn’t afford the pie go, the pizza maker and his staff would cut the pie to the sizes the money could afford.
So, what’s the best way to describe the New York-style pizza?
If you have tasted the NY-style pizza, you’ll notice how thin and crisp the edges are. It is a thin-crust pizza, larger in shape.
One of the things that distinguishes the pizza and gives New Yorkers bragging rights is how soft and thinner it gets as you move to the center.
A Handy Tip: The New York-style pizza is the most popular in the United States of America. It is a status no one can argue about, as New York remains the birthplace of pizza.
The New York-style pizza is loved and adored by New Yorkers and all over the country. It conforms to just as New Yorkers like to eat it. Because the pizza is thin, you can easily fold it together before biting. And people in the city love it this way.
What Chicago-Style Pizza Is
Like New York, Chicagoans constantly express their love for the Chicago-style pizza. The city has its own pizza, which residents are in love with.
Chicago boasts five significant types of pizzas. Check them out below:
- Deep dish
- Tavern
- Pan
- Stuffed
- Pizza pot pie
The deep dish pizza is among the most popular pizzas in the city. It is also known worldwide.
So, how did Chicago-style pizza begin in the city? Historians have carefully traced Chicago pizza to the Pizzeria Uno dating back to 1943. However, most historians still credit the creation of the pizza to Ike Sewell, an American entrepreneur.
Pizzeria made the Neapolitan pizza variation with high edges, forming the deep dish pizza. Excitingly, further experimentation with the pie led to the creation of other varieties.
The experiment with the deep dish pizza led to the creation of the deep stuffed pizza, the world’s thickest pizza. The extra toppings it features make it thicker.
A Handy Tip: New York remains the birthplace of pizzas. So, all the forms of Chicago pizzas came after New York’s.
Another thing we must understand is that deep-dish pizza isn’t the most popular in Chicago. The tavern-style pizza, also called “thin-crust” pizza, is.
10 Must Know Chicago And New York Pizza Differences
Have you tried the Chicago or New York Pizzas? Both cities have some of the best pizzas in the world. But there are differences between the pizzas from both cities.
Chicago pizzas differ from New York’s in the width, length, toppings, and how they are eaten. Another thing you’ll discover is that both cities have different pizzas. However, New York has a larger variety in terms of numbers.
So, quickly, let’s discuss the differences between the pizzas in both cities. From here, you’ll know which one has the sort of pizza you would prefer.
1: Chicago Vs New York City pizza size comparison: The Winner
Size is one of the main differences between Chicago and New York pizza. But is there any winner between both pizzas regarding size? The answer is clear!
Chicago pizzas are shorter than New York’s. But what they lack in length or width, they gained in thickness. Chicago pizza boasts more toppings than New York pizza, making them thicker.
The maximum length you can obtain for a Chicago pizza is 12 inches. For New York, the length can reach 36 inches.
The verdict is that those who prefer their pizzas to be thicker would choose Chicago pizzas, but ensure your teeth are strong enough to cut through the pies and grind them.
On the other hand, people who like eating large pizzas would enjoy the New York pizza. The usual way New Yorkers eat their pizzas is to fold them before taking a bite. This way, they can reduce the length and make the pizza thicker.
2: Chicago And New York City pizza presentation:
The presentation of pizzas from both cities is another way to differentiate them. As the birthplace of pizza, New York pizza is unique. It comes in signature triangular slices.
How is the Chicago-style pizza presented? Of course, it’s different from the NY-style pizza. Chicagoans cut their unique tavern-style pizza into rectangular pieces or smaller squares.
A Handy Tip: The Chicago deep dish pizza comes unsliced. This pattern allows it to hold the sauce and toppings in place so you can have the complete taste of the pie.
3: New York Vs Chicago pizza toppings:
New York and Chicago-style pizza’s crust thickness differs. Most people also consider this the only difference concerning thickness. But the thing is, the toppings of both pizzas aren’t the same.
That’s what makes both pizzas unique anyway. So, here’s what you need to understand. Let’s start with the New York-style pizzas.
The New York pizzas don’t hold many toppings. New Yorkers would like to add more, but the crust thickness won’t allow it. Anyway, they love their pizzas this way.
The major toppings on New York pizzas are a thin slice of sauce, cheese, and other essential toppings such as meatballs, pepperoni, and basil.
Now, it’s the turn of the Chicago-style pizza. The thickness of the Chicago pizza means it can handle a wide range of ingredients. You can add many toppings to your pizza, though keep in mind the thickness your teeth and mouth can carry. Making it too thick will make biting and chewing a bit difficult.
Chicago pizzas are also layered invertedly, making it easier for them to hold more sauce. This allows the baker to play around with toppings and create another variety of Chicago pizza.
4: New York and Chicago pizza baking style:
The baking style is another factor that differentiates the New York pizza from the Chicago one.
So, here’s how both pizzas are made.
The New York pizza is hand-tossed. In other words, it is stretched in the air once you knead the dough adequately.
You can stretch your New York pizza to any length you like. Finally, the pizza is baked in a pizza stone.
How’s the Chicago pizza made?
The Chicago pizza is called pan pizza. It is stretched in a pan with the edges rising as high as the baker wants.
The toppings are added to the pizza invertedly, and then the sauce. After adding everything, the pizza is then baked in the pan.
5: The crust of Chicago and New York pizza:
The crust is one of the significant differences between both pizzas. And here’s how both differ in this aspect.
The Chicago pizza crust is thicker. That’s why it’s a deep-dish pizza. The toppings contain extra layers.
New York’s pizza boasts a thin crust. That’s why New Yorkers have to fold their pizzas before eating it.
The crust becomes thicker when you fold, but you will be sacrificing the length. The pizza will become shorter.
So, we have two options here; one is a pizza with a thicker crust, while the other has a thin crust. If you require a pizza with a thin crust, New York pizza is the perfect choice.
But if you require a thicker-crust pizza, you can go for Chicago pizza.
6: The meal vs. the snack:
The Chicago pizza is a meal, thanks to its shape, toppings, sauce, and crust thickness. It is dish-shaped and can hold a range of toppings and sauces.
Unlike the New York pizza, you can’t multi-task when eating the Chicago pizza. You’ll have to focus on the pizza you’re eating.
You’ll have to use a fork, knife, a table, and a chair to eat it. All these make the Chicago pizza a meal. Of course, you’ll need a fork, knife, and a table to consume your regular meal.
New York pizza is the direct opposite. It is more of a snack than a meal. You can eat the New York pizza with one hand and on the go. You don’t need a knife, fork, or a table. Just fold and eat your pizza.
A Handy Tip: Unlike the New York pizza, you cannot consume even half of the Chicago pizza on the go. It is a meal on its own.
7: Chicago Vs New York pizza Serving:
How does pizza look to you? The regular description of pizza is a triangular-shaped and long piece of pie. But the thing is, you can only use this description for the New York pizza.
The Chicago pizza is thick, so serving it like the New York pizza is impossible. You have to serve it in squares.
8: The Greasiness of the pizza:
Another factor that differentiates the Chicago pizza from the New York pizza is the greasiness of both pizzas.
Let’s start with the Chicago-style pizza.
Most cheese added to the Chicago-style pizza gets absorbed into the pie. The thickness of the pizza means it would trap a lot of cheese. But the good part is, you won’t find the cheese rushing down your pizza.
Be careful when adding sauce to your pizza. Adding too much will make your deep-dish pizza messy in a way you wouldn’t like.
Now, here’s what you must understand about the greasiness of New York-style pizza.
The New York-style pizza boasts a thin crust, meaning it cannot absorb much grease. You’ll have to get rid of some grease before eating the pizza.
A Handy Tip:
New Yorkers like folding their pizzas to prevent the grease from rushing down the pie. When you fold, the grease travels to the center of the pizza and remains there.
9: The type of cheese:
Did you know different cheeses exist? Yes, they do. So, the cheese in New York pizza differs from the Chicago pizza.
The difference in cheese makes the pizzas in both cities unique. The famous cheese used for the New York-style pie is grated and low-moisture mozzarella.
In some NY-style pizzas, particularly the Neapolitan-style, you’ll find a slice of the pizza laced with fresh Mozzarella cheese. Unfortunately, many New Yorkers don’t fancy such pizzas. Instead, they go for pizzas with the cheese adequately melted and flavored into the pizza.
What cheese is used in Chicago-style pizza?
On the NY-style pizza, the cheese melts into the pizza, adding a unique flavor. Most would go for pizza with the mozzarella flavor squeezed adequately into the pizza.
The Chicago-style pizza is entirely different. Their deep-dish pizzas come packed with different cheeses. In most cases, you may find pizzas with diverse layers of cheese sandwiched between various ingredients.
Unfortunately, most people don’t fancy pizzas with a lot of cheese. Packing such a tremendous amount of grease into your stomach isn’t healthy.
10: Arrangement of the ingredients:
Another key difference between both pizzas is how the ingredients are arranged. In the New York-style pizza, the sauce comes first before the cheese.
In Chicago pizza, the reverse is the case. The cheese comes first before the sauce.
11: Cooking time:
The cooking time of the Chicago- and New York-style pizzas is another significant difference. The NY-style pizza is thin and, therefore, cooks quickly.
The reverse is the case for the Chicago-style pizzas. They are thicker, and because of that, they will take longer to cook.
Chicago Vs New York Pizza: Our Final Verdict
The final verdict of this Chicago Vs New York pizza comparison is simple: Chicagoans love their pizzas, and New Yorkers feel the same way about their pizzas.
We highlighted the differences between both pizzas, too. In summary, the Chicago-style pizza is thicker than New York’s. However, the New York-style pizza is longer and wider.
How both are eaten is another factor that differentiates them. Because the Chicago-style pizza is thicker, it’s commonly eaten like a meal. In this case, you’ll need a fork, knife, and table.
The New York-style pizza is a snack. You don’t need a knife or fork to eat it. Just grab, fold, and eat. You can even eat it on the go.
So, who has the best pizza between New York and Chicago is subjective. While most people may fancy the Chicago-style pizza, others may want the New York-style pizza. So, it’s a matter of personal preference.
