The Hungry Hound Is On A Quest For Chicago's Best Pizza

By Anthony Todd in Food on Oct 26, 2015 3:06PM

Fasanos. Photo by Jennifer Olvera/Chicagoist.

Steve Dolinsky, ABC's Hungry Hound, sometimes gets a little grief from sophisticated foodies because of the profusion of his headshots hanging all over town. But here's the thing you need to remember: He's actually one of the most knowledgable food experts anywhere around. And if the million or so Beard Awards he's won weren't enough to convince you, here's another reason you should pay attention to him: When he sets his mind to a project, he does it to the utmost.

For the last three months, he's sampled more than 70 pizzas from all over Chicago in his quest for the perfect pie. That's putting your body on the line in a big way. While we sample a ton of places before we do a Best Of list, not many publications have the time or the resources to go this far to find perfection. At each spot, he called ahead and asked for the house speciality, and then took them at their word and ordered it. Just watching his Instagram feed was enough to make us gain five to ten pounds.

So who's the winner? Well, you'll have to follow along at his blog to find out. There's a schedule of releases, as he teases us with his findings over the next two weeks. The biggest reveals? This Friday, he shares the top thin crust pizzas in the city, and on Wednesday, Nov. 4, we'll get the top deep dish pizzas in the city. But there are a ton of intermediate reveals (suburban joints, best neapolitan, artisan and more) that make this quest one worth following.

Bookmark now, and get ready to get hungry. And until he reveals his favorites, here's our list of best pizzas to tide you over.