Pequod’s Pizza in Morton Grove, Illinois, circa 19711, has all the makings of a hole-in-the-wall, diamond-in-the-rough2 hidden pizza gem. The low-slung building sits in a nondescript suburb on an unassuming street. The cramped, wood-paneled interior resembles a 50s rumpus room. Except Pequod’s has a national reputation, and the place is packed.
So many people pick up from Pequod’s that they have a drive-thru lane on the side where a helpful pizza valet hands over the goods. The best part of the experience is a brief glimpse into the kitchen on a warm evening when the sweaty workers open the door to let heat escape. Oh, the delicious aroma emanating from the kitchen. DishingPizza would be tempted to apply for a dishwasher job just to inhale the thick, cheesy, yeasty bouquet, but DishingPizza would likely get fired due to incapacitation from the fumes.
A national reputation, like Pequod’s, can cascade and transform a humble pizza joint into a legendary tourist trap. A significant text block on the Pequod’s home page lists its numerous awards and acclaim, including the numero uno ranking on Yelp’s 2024 Top Pizza Spots list and a cameo on FX’s The Bear. DishingPizza didn’t begrudge Pequod’s tooting its own horn, but fervently hoped all the adulation hadn’t diminished its craft.
Everyone knows that Chicago deep dish pizza is thick and heavy, but, wowsers, a large Pequod’s pie with mushrooms seems heavier than a chubby baby. DishingPizza has previously considered adding a height dimension in its price calculations, but Pequod’s pizza suggests that price-per-ounce might be a better cost metric.
Subtlety and deep dish don’t belong in the same sentence. Still, Pequod’s robust, herbaceous sauce and excellent underlayer of mozzarella have a delicate relationship; often, a potent sauce overpowers everything else on the pie, but in this case, it’s a harmonious interaction.
One unusual and delicious aspect of Pequod’s pizza is its deeply caramelized edges. Caramelization is a standard feature of Detroit-style pizza, and a rarity in Chicago deep dish. Pequod’s website devotes a text block to its signature caramelization process, broadcasting its intentionality.
Pequod’s pizza describes its pies as pan pizza, a deep dish variant with a thicker, less biscuity crust than classic Chicago deep dish. Pequod’s pies are a tad bready for DishingPizza‘s taste. However, DishingPizza is a professional (barely) operation and judges pizza on its unique merits. Thankfully, the Pequod’s pizza lives up to its hype and warrants a DishingPizza ‘best-of’ designation.
Pequod’s hardly needs DishingPizza‘s adulation. According to the website, in response to the pleading of many faithful customers3, Pequod’s opened in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago in 1992. An unusual Pequod’s factoid is that it began in a suburb and expanded into the Windy City, not vice versa.
Pequod’s was perfectly named after Melville’s fictional doomed whaling ship by the original owner, Burt Katz. DishingPizza wonders how the locals avoid becoming whales with Pequod’s pizza at their fingertips. The Lakefront Trail is crowded with runners, bikers, and walkers, many of whom are likely working off the blubber from a large Pequod’s pie.
Pequod’s Pizza
8520 Fernald Ave, Morton Grove, IL 60053
2207 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago, IL 60614
Style: Deep Dish
Pizza quality: 🍕🍕🍕
Overall experience: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pie (14″ round): $27.80
Pie price per square inch: $0.18
- Oddly, one place on the Pequod’s website lists the Morton Grove opening as 1970, and it’s 1971 in another part. Original owner Burt Katz insists it’s 1971, so DishingPizza is going with that year. ↩︎
- And whatever other cliché suits one’s fancy. ↩︎
- Although the Pequod’s website is filled with self-congratulatory copy, in this case, it’s warranted. ↩︎