Tavern-style pizza

Tavern-style thin-crust pizza

Tavern-style pizza is a type of pizza that has both a crust firm enough to have a noticeable crunch and slices cut into squares, as opposed to wedges.[1][2][3]

The name "tavern-style" comes from the pizzas originally served in taverns, often as an enticement to drink alcohol. This origin in taverns is also linked to the pizza's shape, as the square shape of the slices made it possible for taverns that did not have plates to instead set them on napkins.[4] Residents of Milwaukee[5][6][7] and of Chicago[1][8][9] each claim to have originated the style in the 1940s.

As of 2013, according to Grubhub data and the company Chicago Pizza Tours, thin-crust pizza outsells the more widely known deep-dish style among locals, with GrubHub stating that deep-dish comprises only 9% of its pizza deliveries.[10][11] In response, Technomics food industry researcher Darren Tristano questioned GrubHub's conclusion on the basis of the delivery service's user demographics, saying that its younger users cannot afford deep-dish pizza, while NPR noted that the data would not include information on two particular chains specializing in the style (though with just 20 restaurants in the city of 2.7 million) that are not on GrubHub.[10]

  1. ^ a b López-Alt, J. Kenji (2023-03-17). "Kenji López-Alt Spent 5 Months Studying Chicago Thin-Crust Pizza. Here's What He Learned". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2024-08-06. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  2. ^ Vettel, Phil; Kevin Pang (2009-07-23). "Pizza slices: Two foodies debate the merits of wedge versus 'party cut'". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 2009-07-26. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
  3. ^ Chahwala, Jaison (March 13, 2017). "20 Great Spots to Taste Real Chicago Pizza: Tavern-Style Thin Crust". Eater Chicago. Archived from the original on March 14, 2017. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  4. ^ McClelland, Edward (June 30, 2020). "Tavern Style Isn't Just Chicago's Signature Pizza, but Its Signature Food". Chicago Magazine. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  5. ^ Powers, Joy; Hurbanis, Jack (2021-04-27). "A Look Into The History Of Milwaukee Style Pizza". WUWM 89.7 FM - Milwaukee's NPR. Archived from the original on 2024-05-19. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  6. ^ Christenson, Ann (2021-04-06). "What Is Milwaukee-Style Pizza? And Who Made it First?". Milwaukee Magazine. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  7. ^ Fredrich, Lori (2022-10-14). "What you knead to know: Milwaukee-style pizza". OnMilwaukee. Archived from the original on 2023-10-17. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  8. ^ Odell, Kat (2023-07-28). "The Pizza That's Taking Over the US". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 2023-07-28. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  9. ^ Mamoon, Omar (2023-03-24). "Chicago Tavern-Style Pizza is Sweeping America". Esquire. Archived from the original on 2024-06-28. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  10. ^ a b John, Derek (2013-12-20). "Deep Dish or Thin Crust? Even Chicagoans Can't Agree". The Salt. NPR. Archived from the original on 2015-05-28. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
  11. ^ Rousseau, Caryn (2014-09-19). "It's not all deep-dish pizza in Chicago". The Detroit News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2017-01-17.