Review of Old Town Pub, Chicago, IL

Old Town Pub (***) ($ ½)
1339 N Wells St
Chicago, IL 60614
(312) 266-6789

In the realm of Deep Dish, Chicago style pizza*, lies the Old Town Pub, serving up a very good New York style, thin crust pizza in classic pub surroundings.

I visited Old Town Pub with family on a cold November day in Chicago before our visit to the Chicago History Museum. It was the day of the Auburn-Alabama Iron Bowl, so we found not only very good pizza, but some expatriate Alabama fans at the bar!

I was first positively struck by the warmth of the space and the friendliness of the staff. They welcomed us into the pub and the server made sure we were settled in at a table so the Auburn fan in our company had a good view of the TVs! From there, it was all about the pizza…with an occasional shout of “Roll Tide” or “War Damn Eagle” form the crowd!

So what about the pizza? The New York style pizza at Old Town is a solid tribute to its roots. It’s solid in every aspect…crust, sauce, cheese and toppings.

I’ve pointed out in previous reviews that a good New York style pizza crust requires quality ingredients, patience in handling and forming, topping with care and, of course, baking at a high enough temperature to impart a somewhat crispy, brown and slightly charred character. The baker(s) at Old Town hit the make with a very good basic crust. It’s about the right thickness, not excessively bready on the edges and slightly crispy. It could, however, have been a bit better charred. The light color in the crust, lack of charring, was really one of the only stand-out weak points of the pie. Of course, gas oven cooking makes getting that nice charring on the crust a bit more difficult, requiring close some attention on the part of the baker.

The cheese on the Old Town pie did not seem to be a natural mozzarella, but it was of very good quality with a good balance of texture, saltiness and mild flavor. Cheese can be more problematic that any common ingredient, if over applied, or if it’s of inferior quality (too pungent or of poor texture).

We ordered our pie as half-pepperoni and cheese and half Italian sausage and fresh basil. I concentrated on the Italian sausage side of the pie, as Italian sausage is my standard New York style test/review pizza. The Italian sausage on the pie was excellent. The slight sweetness of this lightly textured and well-spiced sausage shown through the other flavors just enough, without the greasy, fatty after-taste often encountered with so-called Italian sausage. The fresh basil could have been applied a bit more generously, but added an adequate basil essence to the pie.

The sauce on the Old Town Pub pizza was a stand-out ingredient. It was mild, with just the right amount of spice variety (oregano, basil, etc) to complement the heavier ingredients. It was not at all acidic or excessively salty. The sauce was also applied in just the right amount to impart the spiced tomato flavor without overpowering or upstaging any other component of the pie.

The service at Old Town Pub is friendly and easy going, making you really feel the coziness of a neighborhood pub. The utensils are of good quality, and the napkins were adequate. Why do I always comment on the napkins? Can’t stand cheap napkins!

So, if you find yourself in the Windy City, and in the Old Town area, I highly recommend you take time to visit Old Town Pub and experience a very good New York Style pizza in the Second City!

Enjoy your pizza!

* The Chicago-style "deep-dish" pizza was invented at Pizzeria Uno, in Chicago, in around 1943.