One of my favorite pizza joints in the San Francisco Bay Area is Windy City Pizza. I’ve been going there for years, but it wasn’t until I actually visited Chicago a while back and had deep dish in its place of origin that I understood exactly how good Windy City is. Their light and fluffy crust perfectly complements the mile-deep layer of toppings you’ll find on one of their signature deep dish offerings, and their sauce is worth braving local commute traffic for.

In utter defiance of the Laws of Melted Cheese, these pizzas are not greasy in the slightest. I literally do not know how they do it… but I don’t really care. The cheese is a perfect bubbly golden brown every time, and totally lacking the coating of bleh one often finds in such circumstances.

Pepperoni and olives are the only way to rock a pie.

” It’s enough to make one wish they had four stomachs “

Don’t be fooled by the apparently small size of Windy City’s pizzas – they have a molecular density similar to that of depleted uranium. The large measures in at a measly 14″, but it’s way more food than it looks. One slice is a complete meal for a lot of people, and two slices is more than enough for even the oinkiest pizza gluttons, namely myself. Three slices is roughly equivalent to eating an entire moose – I don’t recommend attempting it.

My wife and I particularly love Windy City, as they offer hard-to-find green olives as one of their available toppings (see above picture and be jealous). They don’t have the very best prices I’ve ever come across, but it’s pretty easy to squeeze three full meals-for-two out of a single pizza; that helps offset the cost a bit. If you’re looking for something a little different than the norm, try their barbecue chicken pizza. If you’re feeling wacky and a little bit gourmet, ask to have pineapple added.

Windy City’s menu also contains a full array of outstanding Texas style BBQ, including pit-smoked pork, ribs, brisket, and chicken to name a few. It’s enough to make one wish they had four stomachs.

Overall, I rate Windy City Pizza an outstanding 34.7 out of a possible 41 Golden Pizza Cutters. Go there. Right. Now.

Windy City Pizza
35 Bovet Road
San Mateo, CA 94402
(650) 591-9457
www.windycitypizza.com

Pizza and barbecue. Enough said.