Chicago Pizza Oven Grinder Co

The Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Company brings together two things Chicago is famous for: pizza and Capone.

The Company is located across the street from where the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre of 1929 occurred, and rumor has it that the three-story brownstone served as a lookout point for Capone’s gangsters.

The restaurant has a cozy atmosphere, created by the pine paneling and wooden booths packed with tourists and locals alike. Despite the eatery’s name, you won’t find “Chicago pizza” here. Instead, the kitchen doles out a “pizza pot pie.” The creative dish includes a blend of cheeses, huge fresh mushrooms, homemade sauce, and optional sausage in a bowl. The whole thing is then topped with triple-raised Sicilian dough and baked in an oven. While not a traditional ‘pie,’ this bowl-version is incredibly delicious and has become the restaurant’s claim to fame.

chicago pizza pot pieThat isn’t to say that the Company doesn’t have plenty of other great dishes on its menu. The other namesake, the grinder, is a large authentic Italian loaf stuffed with meats, cheeses, peppers, and everything else in the restaurant’s pantry. Finally, if nothing else, you must try the Mediterranean bread, which was made to enhance the antipasto and salads but stands just fine on its own.

Don’t miss out on this Lincoln Park standby. And be sure to bring the whole gang.

They’ll be bowled over.

Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Co. ($$ – cash only): 2121 N Clark St; 773-248-2570
Mon – Thurs: 4:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Fri: 4:00 p.m. – 12 midnight
Sat: 12 noon – 12 midnight
Sun: 12 noon – 11:00 p.m.
Street parking; valet available
Public trans: Bus # 22, 36, 73
http://www.chicagopizzaandovengrinder.com/