Best Chicago Tavern Style Pizza

Tavern style pizza is a thin crust, sturdy pizza topped with a thick herby pizza sauce and lots of cheese. Always cut in squares, this bar pizza reminds me of what I ate growing up. Still my favorite kind of pizza, this Chicago thin crust pizza recipe is probably as close as I'll ever get to childhood!

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I love pizza, but Denver always left me searching to find a tavern style pizza of the type I grew up with.

Now there are various places serving bar style pizza but none are as good as I remember Monical's on Kennedy Drive serving in Kankakee.

Isn't it funny how certain tastes spark memories and thinking of Monical's pizza reminds me of sitting around a formica circular table seated in red vinyl chairs with a pitcher of pop and a giant family salad bowl on the table every Wednesday night.

I can't remember what kind of pizza we oredered but I do remember the orange French dressing in the squirt bottles that I still love to this day.

The closest I can come is Western French dressing that I buy every 5 years at the grocery store. The stuff contains so much sugar that it doesn't go bad. But that's OK now and then.

I never knew that tavern style pizza was a thing or for that matter-bar pizza which some call it.

However I do recall there was almost always thin pizza at every tavern I used to go to.

To me it was just a thin crust pizza. It was only in recent years that the pizza of my childhood became known to me as tavern style pizza or bar pizza.

Why I Love Tavern Style Pizza

To be honest this was the pizza I knew. It is a thin crust pizza and I had never had any other.

I think once my dad drove us to Chicago where we had deep dish pizza, but I still remember loving this thin crust pizza pie more.

Little did I know I would be craving it some 50 years later! Ouch!

I love the crisp cracker crust that turns golden with the deep red edges.

I love the triangle corner pieces with baked in tomato sauce that are crunchy and crispy with cornmeal on the bottom.

But I also love the floppy pieces in the middle with the most toppings and cheese.

And sometimes I love drizzling that French dressing over my pizza.

When I Started Making Chicago Tavern Style Pizza

It was during the pandemic that I finally ordered a pizza stone.

I was gifted one when I first got married but it immediately broke and I had never replaced it.

I do though have my original rolling pin that is similar to this.

With the popularity of baking bread and my love of bialys, I invested in a great pizza stone that is actually made in Boulder.

Then I ordered a pizza peel and tried to bake myself out of the pandemic!

It took me awhile but I finally found what I think is an acceptable version of Chicago thin crust pizza.

I still haven't found the magic ingredients for the crust but right now I am very satisfied with the flavor of this bar pizza and besides now I don't have to plan ahead when I'm hungry for pizza.

With pizza dough from Trader Joes, I can make two of my favorite pizzas any time I want.

Ingredients in Tavern Style Pizza

Pizza Dough (Whole Foods and Trader Joes's are what I've tried)

Pizza Sauce- Consists of tomato sauce, tomato paste, sugar, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, black pepper, crushed fennel seeds and garlic powder and salt- no need to cook

Pizza Toppings- Italian sausage (I use Boulder spicy Italian sausage), diced green peppers, diced onions, fresh mushrooms and pepperoni

Cornmeal for the pizza peel

Additionally I use a pizza stone, pizza peel and a rolling pin

Tips For Making Tavern Style Pizza

I think the hardest thing about making this pizza is getting the pizza from the peel to the pizza stone.

There's a few things one can do.

1. Pizza dough can be rolled out ahead of time on parchment paper. It can even be chilled with parchment paper seperating each crust. When ready to use, place the dough onto the cornmeal sprinkled pizza peel and then it should slide into the oven easier. Dough that is to warm will not slide easily.
2. Do not overload the pizza. I use about 1 cup of fresh toppings on each 12" pizza, not including the pepperoni or sausage.
3. Don't have a pizza stone? Use a rimless metal sheet pan turned upside down and place the pizza on the preheated metal sheet. You can also put a metal sheet on the rack above the pizza to mimic the heat of a pizza oven.
4. Using sideway motions with your hands at a downward angle, the pizza will hopefully slide right onto your pizza stone.
5. Some like to place half of the cheese directly onto the pizza sauce and then place the toppings on the pizza. Then sprinkle the rest of the cheese and the sausage.

FAQ's

Alex was home when I made this pizza. I decided to make two pizzas and refrigerate one after baking for "snacks".

Well, needless to say somehow that pizza disappeared real fast and I don't believe it was even being heated up to eat!

How To Reheat Pizza

My favorite way is to place it in a dry nonstick skillet, cover it with a lid or foil, and heat on medium heat for about 6 minutes. This depends on the thickness of the crust.

OR preheat oven to 350. Place pizza on a baking sheet and heat uncovered for about 8-10 minutes.

Everyone has their favorite pizza, I am guessing.

Whether it be a Neapolitan or a Detroit pizza, a Chicago deep dish or a New York slice, I'll leave it up to you to decide your fave.

One thing I'm sure of is that pizza will never go out of style.

More Pizza Stuff

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18 Ways to Use Leftover Pizza Dough

Grilled Mushroom Pizza on Naan

Tavern Style Pizza Recipe Card

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