Novel Pizza Cafe [Meeting #138]

Novel Pizza Cafe

1759 W. 19th Street (Map)
Chicago, IL 60625
No phone it seems

CPC invaded Novel Pizza Cafe on Sunday, June 8, 2025.

Here's a secret: For our last meeting, we were actually planning on going to Novel Pizza Cafe and not Bob's but only made the last minute switch because we realized that Novel wasn't open on Sundays and we needed a place that opened at 11:00 AM. Here's another secret, this time, our plan was to go to Zarella, the hot new place from the Boka Group but we couldn't get enough people to make it worth it. So with Novel still on the brain and the fact that they are now open on Sundays, we returned to Pilsen for the second meeting in a row.

There were four of us at the meeting but two eagerly awaiting leftovers, so we got three pizzas, two thin crust and one pan. All were good, but the thin crust was the clear winner.

Virtually every single mention of Novel highlights the fact that it's the product of a Filipino-Mexican partnership. And for good reason. Only in America, baby! More on the restaurant and the owners here and here. There's not much Filipino or Mexican influence on the menu, which makes sense because neither country is exactly known for their pizza. One exception is the longanisa and giardiniera pie. If you only get one pizza here, this is the one to get. Frequently giardiniera overpowers pizzas, but that's definitely not the case here were the giardiniera isn't super spicy and it's balanced out really well by the sweet sausage. Here are some more pictures of that delicious pizza.

defying gravity 

Because one of our tween CPC members was with us and her palate hasn't developed yet, we got what Novel calls a margherita but definitely isn't a margherita, but it was solid. Spreading the dollops of ricotta on each slide before eating is this right move.

The crust was very sturdy but not particularly crisp - kind of a scientific marvel in that regard. There was also a notable cornmeal component. I'd rank the crust as better than the edible plate that is most common on Chicago thin crust pizzas, but not top tier. 

It seems that most people go to Novel for the thin crust. And if we weren't so committed to thoroughness, we'd have done that too. But we believe in thoroughness.

So, this is kind of a weird pizza. I suppose it's closest to Detroit but with a heavier, more focaccia-y crust. There's a ton of cheese and I'm still not sure what it is. I asked and, after checking with someone in the kitchen, the guy at the counter said it was a combination of mozzarella and cheddar. I'm unconvinced.it kind of tasted like saganaki, but I can't imagine they're using any Greek cheese in there. Anyhow, it was tasty but I can't imagine getting it again. I think it was the heaviest slice of pizza I've ever had. 

Final thoughts: Novel is good not great. If you live in Pilsen, it would be a very good regular spot. If you don't live in Pilsen, the longanisa and giardiniera pizza is worth going out of your way to try, but come on, if you're making a trip to Pilsen for food, 97 times out of 100, you should be getting Mexican food.

Millys Pizza in the Pan [Meeting #128]

Milly's Pizza In The Pan

1005 W Argyle Street (Map)
Chicago, IL 60640
(224) 656-4732

CPC invaded Milly's Pizza in the Pan on Sunday, February 26, 2023.

Dalton ("just Dalton") and Robert Maleski: Two Kings of Customer Service (Photo credits: Swayze and Maleski)

"Be nice." So simple, so effective. 

Anyone who's been paying attention to pizza in Chicago in the last couple of years is well aware of Milly's reputation as one of the best deep dish pizzerias around. It's entirely deserved and we'll get to that. But first let me tell you a little story. Milly's has a limited production capacity so you really do need to order ahead of time. I placed our initial order for two pizzas for 5:45 on Sunday. They have limited seating (four 4-tops and 4 stools at a counter in the front window) and don't take reservations but we correctly assumed we'd be fine early on a Sunday night. I emailed the restaurant to ask if they sold drinks and, if not, if they allow outside drinks. Half an hour later, owner Robert Maleski wrote me back to let me know they sold non-alcoholic drinks and they were BYOB. Very nice.

They set up a serving area for us. Very, very nice.

A couple of days later, a CPC member asked about adding two guests to our group. That was fine but it meant adding a pizza to our order. Problem: The next available time slot was 6:15. I placed the order, figuring we could eat two and then have the third when it was ready. But I emailed the owner and let him know what was going on and within 15 minutes, he'd made room for our third pie at 5:45. Even nicer.

The menu at Milly's has 5 pre-set toppings combinations as well as a build your own option. We ordered three pizzas for 7 adults and 3 children. All were excellent. 

My favorite pizza of the night had pepperoni and peppadew peppers, always a good combination and even better when the pepperoni gets those beautiful crispy edges.

Coming in a close second was the sausage and mushroom (technically mushroom was only on half of it but I can only speak to the mushroom one). Look at that sausage - top quality stuff.

The first two were build your own pizzas. In third place but still delicious was the Que Suerte, which comes with pineapple, cherry tomatoes, jalapeño & bacon.

The first thing that jumps out when looking at a Milly's pizza (once you get beyond the general beauty of all of them) is the caramelized crust. Originally made famous by Burt Katz, first at Pequod's and then at Burt's Place, when done right, the crunchy blackened cheese is an absolute treat. Milly's does it right and they do it right consistently. They did it back when they were operating out of a ghost kitchen in Humboldt Park (Maleski opened Milly's after being laid off from his job as a server during the pandemic) and they're doing it now in their brick and mortar location in Uptown. Basically, this is what you should get when you want a better version of Pequod's - this is better in every single way.

But it's not just the caramelized bits that make the crust stand out, it's the fact that, like Burt's back when Burt was still alive and decidedly unlike Pequod's, the crust at Milly's would be delicious with absolutely nothing on it - it's great bread.

The toppings were top notch across the board. Well, the pineapple was just regular canned pineapple, but everything else was great. The sauce had a real depth of flavor and a rich texture - really good stuff. The only criticism I have is that the toppings don't need to be applied with such a restrained hand, but that's how Burt did it and it's how plenty of Neapolitan places do it, so I'm willing to accept that's my American gluttony talking - these pizzas certainly weren't hurting for flavor.

Bottom line: along with George's and Labriola, this is one of the three best deep dish pizzas in Chicagoland and therefore the world.

Milly's doesn't sell dessert. But right next door is Don Pablos Kitchen & Bakeshop, an excellent Chilean empanada shop that does have some sweets, including delicious alfajores.

George's Deep Dish [Meeting #126]

George's Deep Dish
6221 N. Clark Street (Map)
Chicago, IL 60660
(773) 801-1551

CPC brought George's Deep Dish to AJ & Amanda's house on Saturday, February 5, 2022.

Photo: George's Deep Dish

Deep dish pizza is a beautiful thing. That's been true since it came on the scene and it's even more true today when the term can be used to justify any number of variations of thick sauce-on-top pizzas. But over time, some of the legends have started to fade. Uno's was still solid when I last had it several years ago, but I don't know anyone who goes there. Gino's East is a joke these days, though it still packs in tourists and people who are able to convince themselves they're eating what they loved years ago rather than what's actually going into their mouths. Lou Malnati's and Pizano's can both still make some great pizzas, though Lou's has expanded so much that there's consistency issues. Pequod's is still plugging along and can be very good if you order right. None of this is new; it's been true for years.

Photo: George's Deep Dish

What is new is that over the last several years, for the first time in a very long time, some new deep dish places have come along to rejuvenate the scene. And what's been special about that is that people have really put some effort into the crusts, which has never been a focal point of the longtime deep dish favorites (with the important exception of Burt's Place, which is no longer what it was since Burt died (RIP)). 

Labriola was probably the first one to deliver a version of the Chicago classic with a truly delicious crust. And there have been others since. But last year, George Bumbaris, gifted Chicago with what is surely the greatest deep dish crust in the history of professional pizzerias. But wait, there's more. The sauce and toppings just as good. This is some stellar pizza.

Confession: We had to cheat a little bit with our ordering. George's only serves a limited number pizzas each night so they limit orders to two pizzas per person. Because apparently pre-teen children count as people, we had 10 people RSVP yes to this meeting. Two pizzas is not enough for that many people so we cheated a little bit by having one of us order 2 pizzas and one of us order 1. Sorry about that. Not really. Did you know we're the mother fucking Chicago Pizza Club, tasting and chronicling and rating for almost 20 years? We're special.

Anyhow, we picked up our pizzas in Wisconsin Edgewater and brought to AJ and Amanda's home to savor these delicious pizzas. 

There are 8 pre-set toppings combinations on the menu at George's, with each available in 10-inch and 14-inch versions. Each of those pies is named after a famous real or fictional George. Weasley's Spicy Red Top comes with the fantastic sausage, roasted red peppers, spicy cherry peppers and ricotta.

Clooney's ER has more of that top notch sausage along with some high quality pepperoni and beef meatballs and bacon

For our third pizza, we built a simpler one with just pepperoni and cremini mushrooms to accommodate the children, although it was so good, the adults happily ate most of it.

The toppings are so good at George's that it'd be a winner even on a mediocre crust. But this is the best bread base of any thick pizza in Chicago. According to this Instagram post, the dough uses natural fermentation and a little bit of added yeast. That means is kind of sourdoughy, but not really. A kiss of tang if you will. Texturally it's somehow tender and chewy at the same time. Just truly great stuff. 
George's is carry out only but it travels very well.

Paulie Gee's and Others - CPC Goes Virtual [Meeting #124]

Paulie Gee's

2451 N Milwaukee Ave (Map)

Chicago, IL 60647

773-360-1072

Carry out only for now

Some of CPC invaded Paulie Gee's on January 9, 2021 and ate at home while others ordered from other places and ate at home.

This will be the laziest recap I've ever written. I apologize to nobody. Blogs are dead. Long live the Chicago Pizza Club blog!

With the pandemic still in full swing, we couldn't meet at a restaurant or even gather in one house. And because it was January, we couldn't meet in a park or a back deck. So we decided to combine an actual meeting with a virtual meeting - everyone who was able would get pizza from the same place and those who weren't would get pizza from further away. It worked out pretty well. Me, Andrew, Jen, Neil, Stelios and Jessica all got Paulie Gee's. Francisco screwed up and didn't order ahead so when Paulie Gee's sold out, he and Kate opted for Lou Malnati's. Adam wins the award for most dedicated member. Dude got off the plane just before the meeting started and wasn't going to make it home before it ended so he picked up a pie at Reggio's Pizza Express at the airport and checked in with us from the road. Stander checked in from the western burbs with pizza from The Original Old World Pizza in Elmwood Park. And finally, Kelly and Ryan joined us from Michigan with some supermarket Edwardo's.

I have no major thoughts on the pizza that you can't fine elsewhere. Paulie Gee's is good and it's been written up everywhere. People love the place. Their version of Detroit style is legit delicious. Their regular pies are also quite good. They've recently added NY slices. Haven't tried them. Maybe others will report in the comments on the quality of the pizza. Probably not. 

That's it for my words. Here are some pictures:

US Pizza Cup Winner Sharp White Cheddar, Mozz, Ezzo Pepperoni Cups, Housemade Bacon Jam, Red Sauce, Ricotta, Basil, Mike’s Hot Honey

Hootenanny Vegan Pepperoni White Cheddar, Mozzarella, Pepperoni Cups, Cold Tomato Sauce, Pecorino Romano

Daniela Spinaci Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano, fresh mozzarella, sliced fresh garlic, fresh baby spinach, and olive oil

Hellboy: Fresh mozzarella, italian tomatoes, Berkshire soppressata piccante, Parmigiano Reggiano, and Mike’s Hot Honey

Adam and his bad ass quarantine beard with a meat covered pizza from Reggio's

That rare occasion when a frozen pizza looks better in real life than on the box

The Original Old World Pizza in Elmwood Park

Chicago Classic from Lou Malnati's