Pizza Amelia [Meeting #145]

Pizza Amelia

2111 W. Roscoe Ave (Map)
Chicago, IL 60614

(773) 697-8579

CPC invaded Pizza Amelia on Sunday, September 20, 2026.

The shop (photo from Yelp)

Thanks to a last minute visit by Andrew from the pizza desert of St. Louis, we had a last minute meeting of the Chicago Pizza Club at Pizza Amelia in Roscoe Village.

Scheduled turnout was light at six people, with Kate, Amanda and her kids Hugo and Felix joining Andrew and I. Kate and Felix got sick and Hugo was being a little teenage bitch boy, so there were only 3 of us in attendance. That was just as well because it's a tiny place with very limited seating. They were actually planning on no seating on Sunday due to the Retro on Roscoe street festival, but thanks to the rain, they let us set up a table.

With just 3 people, we were limited to one pizza and opted for a sausage and mushroom. I don't have too much to say about this one. It was a very good NYC/CT pizza with no flaws at all. It was well-balanced, the sausage was really good, the sauce was flavorful and the crust had a really nice crisp/chew thing going.

It's not destination dining, but so few pizza places are so that's not a knock on them at all. For families in the neighborhood in need of a last minute option, this place is really great. For people into takeout or delivery, this is a great option for the area. 

Kudos to me for making it all the way through the review without complaining that we got there a couple minutes after the scheduled opening time of 11:30 only to be told unapologetically and without a reason that they weren't opening until noon.

DeNucci's [Meeting #144]

DeNucci's

503 W Dickens Ave (Map)
Chicago, IL 60614

(773) 697-8780

CPC invaded DeNucci's on Monday, August 24, 2026

Photo credit: Eater

For the second meeting in a row, the Chicago Pizza Club went to a Chicago restaurant with suburban roots. Well, kind of. The last meeting was at WG Pizza, which was a delicious suburban import. DeNucci's is a little different. The Italian restaurant that includes East Coast pizza on a full menu actually started in Chicago in 2023 and expanded to Highland Park in 2024 before adding Hinsdale in 2025. 

But a little less than a year and a half ago, it was the Highland Park location that introduced Monday-night-only tavern-style pizza . I guess it was an immediate hit because the Chicago location followed suit a month later. And I guess it's a long-lasting hit because the place was packed on a Monday night (though some credit goes to it being one of the best weather days in what's been a horrible summer).

There were only three of us at the meeting, with a fourth there in spirit and getting leftovers, so we were able to order three pizzas. The first choice was what seems to be signature pizza - it's highlighted on the menu - "Sausage & giardiniera fennel-flecked sweet Italian sausage, finely minced hot giardiniera, dry oregano." This was, not surprisingly, a winner. The giardiniera was more medium than hot, which I actually think is a good thing since too much heat can overwhelm a pizza.

For our second pie, we built our own pizza and went with an old Chicago Pizza Club favorite, the Daily Special. Pepperoni, onion and garlic is always a good combination, but this was a particularly good version. First, the pepperoni was good quality - flavorful and nice chew. Second, garlic slices instead of the usual minced garlic was really a great idea. Third, red onion instead of white. This was the unanimous favorite of the night.

We went veggie with our third pizza. There's a "Good Veggie" option on the menu, but it seemed a bit busy. We went with mushroom and oven-dried tomato. This was another winner, but it would have been improved with some kind of spice (or more pepperoni). All three crusts were crisp in part, but this one was definitely the crunchiest of the three, presumably thanks to the lack of animal fat.

Speaking of the crust, these guys have definitely embraced the cured dough phenomenon that has taken over the style in the last couple of years. DeNucci's is no mom and pop operation. Ballyhoo Hosputality, much like the Boka Group with Zarella's, know how to build a good, well-run restaurant.

WG Pizzas [Meeting #143]

WG Pizzas

2819 N Southport Ave (Map)
Chicago, IL 60657
(872) 315-3179

CPC invaded WG Pizza on Saturday May 30, 2026.

Alex's Washington Gardens has been serving Italian food in Highwood for almost 100 years. More on the restaurant's history here. The most recent owners have moved into Chicago with their pizzeria, WG Pizzas, more on that here. And it was there that the Chicago Pizza Club met for four pizzas that blew our expectations away. This was really good pizza.

Every month, they have a couple of special pizzas. It seems like some are designed by chef friends from different restaurants, but this one came from in house - the brain of Chef Victor Joya. It's the Elote Pizza and if  comes with Garlic Butter Sauce, Roasted Corn and Poblano Peppers, Mozzarella, Cotija, Tajin, Cilantro, Scallions, and Chipotle Aioli Drizzle.

This is the Pizza a la Vodka, which is on the permanent menu but apparently a creation of Chef Max Robbins of Lettuce Entertain You. Perhaps it started as a special but it made the permanent menu because it's delicious. It's topped with Vodka Sauce, Calabrian Chilis, Basil, Smoked Mozzarella, and Parmesan.

This is the Italian Beef & Hot Giardiniera. Another winner.

The first three pizzas were selections from the menu with pre-set toppings, but WG also has a build your own option. We opted for sausage and mushroom and it was great.

That's where we sat. It seems like it's mostly carry-out and delivery, but the seating area is perfectly nice. Fresh pizza is always better.

Success!!!

The Beer Temple (pizza by Middlebrow) [Meeting #142]

The Beer Temple (pizza by Middlebrow)

3173 N. Elston Ave (Map)
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 754-0907

CPC invaded The Beer Temple to eat pizza by Middle Brow on Tuesday, January 20, 2026.

Borrowed from The Beer Temple's website

For years, The Beer Temple has probably been the second best beer bar in Chicago (behind Hopleaf obviously). And for most of that time, they were a BYO Food establishment, which was great, especially with Carniceria Guanajuato across the street. But then, presumably realizing how much money they were leaving on the table, The Beer Temple started cooking and serving food. I never tried and don't think I know anyone who did. Apparently I wasn't the only one (or maybe they were just tired of the extra work), and The Beer Temple pivoted again, this time bringing in the bread geniuses at Middlebrow in to make pizza for the beer drinkers. Pizza and beer. What a concept!!!

Also borrowed from The Beer Temple's website

All 4 readers of this weblog (a number that includes members) surely remember our glowing praise about Middlebrow. TL;DR lots of places make two syles of pizza, but almost none do both well. Well, not only does Middlebrow make some of the best artisan thin crust pies in Chicago, they also make, only on Tuesdays, some of the best Chicago thin crust AKA tavern style pizza in town.

Well, the Chicago Pizza Club is here to report that Middlebrow has done it again. This is the best Detroit style pizza in Chicago by a decent margin. The sourdough crust, the umami-rich bright tomato sauce, and the quality toppings are all great - zero flaws to report. And yes, they use classic Detroit brick cheese along with mozzarella. Here's what we ate:

Unlike Chicago, where sausage reigns supreme, pepperoni is the topping of choice for Detroiters. The pepperoni pizza at Middlebrow/The Beer Temple would make any Detroiter happy. Actually it might make them a little sad because this crust is just a better piece of bread than the ones at the legendary Detroit spots.

Chicago meets Detroit. This one is topped with sausage on the whole thing and giardiniera on half. I'm not sure who's giardiniera they're using, but this is a very good clean rendition with a nice kick. 

The mushroom pizza comes with oyster mushrooms, caramelized onions, and mushroom cream. Delicious. Vegetarians are not an afterthought here.

The youngest Pizza Club member insisted on a cheese pizza so we added this towards the end. I was full but I forced myself to try half a slice in the name of science. I'm not going to lie and say it was better than the other pizzas, but it held it's own. 10/10 would eat again.

The End.