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Best Chicago Tavern Style Pizza

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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.

tavern style pizza cut into squares on pizza peel
tavern style pizza cut into squares on pizza peel

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.

tavern style pizza cut into squares on pizza peel

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.

tavern style pizza cut into squares on pizza peel

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.
tavern style pizza cut into squares on pizza peel

FAQ’s

What is tavern-style pizza?

Tavern style pizza has a very thin, but sturdy crust. It is crunchy around the edges but the bottom is crisp.The pizza is cut into squares so it can be served on napkins and not plates, which bars did not always have.

Where did tavern style pizza originate?

Chicago tavern style pizza originated in the 30’s where it was served to bar patrons to encourage them to stay and perhaps drink more.

Have I tried Pizza Hut tavern style pizza?

I have. I was very excited to try it. Unfortunately it didn’t meet my expectations. What can I say?

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!

tavern style pizza cut into squares on pizza peel

How To Reheat Pizza

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

Boboli Pizza

Boboli Pizza and Homemade Pizza Sauce

leftover pizza dough garlic rolls

18 Ways to Use Leftover Pizza Dough

Grilled Wild Mushroom Pizza

Grilled Mushroom Pizza on Naan

Tavern Style Pizza Recipe Card

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tavern style pizza

Chicago Tavern-Style Pizza

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
  • Author: Abbe
  • Prep Time: 20 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 Minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 4 Servings 1x
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Italian/American

Description

Chicago tavern style pizza is a thin crust pizza that is cut into squares. The sauce should taste of herbs and the crust should be sturdy, crunchy and crisp along the edges.


Ingredients

Scale

1 lb pizza dough for 2 pizzas

2 T Cornmeal (1 T per pizza)

6 ounces spicy Italian sausage per pizza

6 ounces whole-milk or part-skim mozzarella, shredded on the large side of a box grater, per pizza

Dried Oregano

Other Toppings include: diced green peppers, diced onions, sliced mushrooms, sliced pepperoni

Pizza Sauce:

1 8 ounce can tomato sauce

1 T tomato paste

2 t sugar

1 t oregano, 1/2 t garlic powder, 1/4 t black pepper, 1/2 t salt

1/2 t crushed fennel seeds

More oregano for sprinkling on top of pizza


Instructions

For sauce: Whisk all ingredients together and set aside.

For pizza:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees with pizza stone on the lowest rack. I let the stone heat for 60 minutes.

After dough has risen, on a lightly floured countertop using a rolling pin, roll dough into a 12 to 13″ circle, or as thin as possible. My pizza stone is 14″ in diameter. If dough keeps springing back when rolling, let rest for 10 minutes but do not let the dough get to warm or it will not be easy to transfer to the pizza stone. Transfer the rolled pizza crust to a cornmeal dusted pizza peel. You may have to reshape it a bit into a circle.

Spread 1/2 c tomato sauce in a thin layer over the crust to within an 1/8″ inch of the edge. Top with your favorite toppings but do not over-do or you may have a hard time transferring to the pizza stone. Put the Italian sausage on last in flat dime-sized pieces, then sprinkle with 1 1/2 c of shredded mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle the entire pie with dried oregano.

Carefully slide the pie onto the preheated pizza stone and bake until cheese is well browned and edges of pizza are dark and crisp, about 10-14 minutes.

The hardest part of this recipe is sliding the pizza onto the baking stone. Hold the pizza peel or the unrimmed baking sheet at a downward angle and using side to side motions (rather than back and forth motions) with your hands carefully slide the pizza onto the baking stone.

When pizza has finished baking slide back onto the pizza peel and let cool slightly before cutting pizza into 2 -3″ squares. (Bar or tavern pizza is always cut into squares!)


Notes

The other way to do it is to assemble the pizza on parchment paper and then slide the parchment onto the pizza stone. I do like the flavor and texture of the cornmeal so I do my best to get it onto the stone. Dough that is to warm or to laden with ingredients has a hard time transferring.

With help from Cook’s Country

Pizza sauce can be adjusted to taste. However I like mine very herby tasting with a bit of spice.


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David @ Spiced

Thursday 24th of October 2024

I must admit that I'm not familiar with tavern-style pizza. However, that pizza looks insanely delicious! I definitely know why the leftovers disappeared without a trace! I do love pizza, and I've been craving one lately...I need to expand my pizza repertoire and make a tavern style version. As far as the crust, I have no idea what a perfect tavern crust would be like, but I can say this NY style crust is great. I use this recipe when I'm grilling pizzas as it doesn't puff up as much as my normal go-to crust. Just a thought! https://www.seriouseats.com/basic-new-york-style-pizza-dough