Michael's Original Pizzeria & Tavern
CPC invaded Michael's on a gorgeous sunny and shockingly warm Sunday afternoon, March 3, 2024.
You'll see Michael's pop up on some best in Chicago lists. It's on the current version of Eater's best tavern crust list and just a couple of days ago, the guy who started Check Please and a chef who was once on Top Chef had it in their list of the six best thin crust places in Chicago. It's easy to write off Eater, especially when it has nonsense like praising Michael's for it's "buttery crusts" when there's no butter of note (nor should there by in the style of pizzas they serve). But David Manilow and Richie Farina are reliable sources and when it comes to the four of the six places they have in their list that we've been to, all four - Jimmy's Pizza Cafe, Vito & Nick's, Bungalow by Middle Brow and Kim's Uncle - have all gotten strong Chicago Pizza Club stamps of approval. I don't have the energy to beat around the bush. Michael's is fine. But anyone who says it has some of the best pizza in Chicago is out of their minds. |
| Photo credit: Michael's on Yelp |
For the thin crust, we went with the Daily Special, the signature pizza of Ryan and Kelly Daily, longtime CPC members who haven't shown up since the Zoom meeting early in the pandemic. Pepperoni, garlic and onion is a an excellent topping combo and they worked together once again at Michael's, The pizza looked fantastic but the crust wasn't nearly as crisp as it appears and was ultimately a flavorless cracker. It help up the toppings and the generous amount of cheese. Maybe Michael's is one of those places you need to ask for the pizza extra crisp if you want them to cook it right. Who knows. I don't think any of us will go back to find out.
They call this deep dish on the menu, but this is quite clearly a stuffed pizza. As was the case with the thin crust, it wasn't as good as it looks. The sausage was solid, as is expected at any Chicago pizzeria. The crust is what it is - nobody has ever gotten stuffed pizza for the crust. But the sauce was just way too sweet. It's never my preference but sweet sauce can work on a thin crust pie. On a stuffed pizza, where there's a lot of sauce by design, that kind of sugar has no place. If overwhelmed every bite.
I'd eat the thin crust again if I lived in the neighborhood. Maybe. It depends where. I lived five blocks north on Broadway for a few years and never went. That's because a block north of that is Gigio's, which is much better. Oh damn. CPC has never been to Gigio's. That needs to change.
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