'Logan Square' Pizzas May Be The Best We've Ever Had, & They're Now Available Every Day
By Rachel Cromidas in Food on Apr 26, 2017 8:19PM
We may have found the best pizza is in Logan Square. We know, there's Dante's and Reno, Boiler Room and Father & Son... but bear with us—Paulie Gee's, the Brooklyn chain that opened up on Milwaukee Avenue last year, is serving up Detroit-style pizza squares that are simultaneously the fluffiest and crispiest we've ever had.
For a while, the "Logan Squares," have been something of an open secret; they are not Paulie Gee's traditional pizzas, which are baked for just a couple minutes in a special oven that heats to nearly 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. They are only sold at the Logan Square location. And until recently they were only offered on certain days of the week, in limited quantities. But as of last week, your chances of scoring one at the Milwaukee Avenue restaurant just got better: the restaurant has made the squares a regular menu item.
Derrick Tung, the owner and chef at Logan Square's Paulie Gee's, said he first came up with the idea of putting the Detroit-inspired item on the menu after touring Buddy's Pizza in Detroit.
"Buddy's changed our whole perspective on pizza. I can't believe how crispy the outside is, how it's so light on the inside, and how much flavor there is," he told Chicagoist. Tung wasn't sure everyone would share his enthusiasm for the pizzas, which resemble a thick, chewy focaccia bread with toppings, so he started offering the pizzas at limited times. And since their dough takes three to five hours to fully rise before they can be baked, the pizzas are made in the morning and, once they're gone for the day, they're gone.
Paulie Gee's offers three menu options for the squares: the Carnivore (which features pepperoni, normally forbidden on Paulie Gee's traditional woodfire pizzas), and an Omnivore and vegetarian-friendly Herbivore, with rotated flavors. On some days, they sell out within the first two hours, according to Tung.
"It seems like, overall, folks have loved it," he said said. "It's something different that Chicago doesn't have much of. So we decided to try offering it every day and see what happens."
Don't get us wrong; we'd go for the regular pizzas, which are baked for just a minute and a half inside in super hot ovens that were shipped here from Italy. They are still that special combination of fluffy and crisp—plus, perfectly foldable, if that's your predilection. They also score bonus points for their pun-filled names: Our favorite is the Ricky Ricotta, which is covered in baby arugula and fresh dollops of ricotta cheese.
But the Logan Squares win our major recommendation. On a recent visit we ordered the Carnivore, pictured above, which comes layered with cheese that has almost caramelized into a crust, pepperoni and juicy, crushed tomatoes. Paulie Gee's may not have the name recognition yet of other Logan Square pizza mainstays, but we predict the squares will put them on the map.