Deep Dish Dilemma: Which of these 3 pizzerias is your fave?

“It’s a lovely casserole, but it’s not a pizza,” quipped an equally opinionated eater as we disputed the defining design of a true Chicago pie.

The Gold Coast isn’t alone in its claim of a signature style.

Foldable New York slices are well known, with regional variations from New Jersey to New Haven. California has its quirky toppings and St. Louis a unique blend of provolone, Swiss, and white cheddar.

Detroit deep-dish gets its square shape and crunchy corners from blue steel parts pans pinched from auto assembly lines. Milwaukee might be the closest to our own familiar fare, with square slices and curled nickel pepperoni on a flaky thin crust.

Perhaps the reason no one claims “Columbus Pizza” as its own distinct style is because we’re not pizza purists averse to new ideas or unexpected twists on a classic dish.

We’re a working-class town with working-class tastes and no patience for petty pizza punditry. We don’t forego thumping our chests because we’re mediocre—we’re just magnanimous.

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To understand the curious appeal of Chicago’s claim to pizza fame, you have to understand what it is—and what it isn’t.

“Deep Dish” and “Chicago Style” are not synonymous.

They’re certainly farther removed than their hand-tossed and hand-stretched cousins. Commonly called “Sicilian”, deep dish is all about the crust, and not just the edge. Its thick, airy, and chewy throughout with a base of sauce covered in cheese and toppings.

Chicago-style crust is high on the sides, but only thick enough in the middle to contain layers of filling with the order often reversed — cheese on the bottom, toppings, then sauce.

That’s why a deep-dish pizza takes a little longer than a more traditional one, but a Chicago-style pizza takes closer to an hour.

Columbus boasts a trio of worthy rivals to Giordano’s recent entry into the city’s established Chicago-style pizza scene.

Meister’s Bar

1168 Chambers Rd.

Read Meister’s reviews on eat614.com!

Columbus bar fare is often far better than most restaurants. Even our dive bars defy expectations.

Between King and Kinnear is the home of one of the best pizzas in the city. (Really, I’m pretty sure the place used to be a house.) Craft beer is on tap, but if you’re looking for two-buck PBRs or dollar cans, the daily beer specials are budget-friendly.

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Yes, it’s a sports bar of sorts, but it’s worth the sometimes-tight seating just for the pizza.

The golden crust is a little thicker in the middle than some Chicago-style pies, but the high sides and sauce sequence place it well within spec.

If you’re a local, you can likely order when they open at 4pm and have it out of the oven in less time than it takes to get to Polaris at rush hour.

The proximity to OSU also means they’re open late. Just don’t be the putz who shows up ten minutes before closing for a carry-over order that takes an easy 45 minutes before it hits the box.

Yellow Brick Pizza

892 Oak St.

Read Yellow Brick’s reviews at eat614.com!

How do you get instant street cred for your Chicago-style pizza? You bring in a master to teach your staff how it’s done.

When Lou Tristano decided to close his Grove City restaurant last year, Yellow Brick stepped in to ensure his pizza proficiency didn’t disappear as well.

Though Olde Towne East is far from the suburb Tristano’s called home, the pizza is pretty damned close, right down to the braided edge on the crust that makes it easy to spot in your friends’ Instagram feeds.

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Sure, there was a little hushed fuss about Yellow Brick serving the already famous pie, but pay that no mind. No one poached a pizza here, and Yellow Brick’s menu was already as unexpected and outside-the-box as a pizza place could get. (Hell, Hounddog’s is still serving Smokin’ Joe’s crust more than a decade later.)

Lou’s legacy lives on in his pizza, and working with him to preserve it earns high marks for Yellow Brick and a city that collaborates as enthusiastically as it competes and eats. Columbus is a big pie, there’s plenty for everyone.

Giordano’s

2137 Polaris Pkwy

Giordono’s blew in from the Windy City about two years ago and has been loved and devoured by Cbuses ever since. And since it’s from Chicago, you know it’s legit.

The Wisconsin mozzarella cheese is made specifically for Giordano’s, the heavy-handed sauce smooshes all the way up your nose when you take a bite, and the flakey crust provides a perfectly crispy finish…that is, if you choose to start your deep dish adventure at the tip of the cheesy triangle.

Each Giordano’s stuffed pie is made by six skilled pizza artisans committed to bringing your the Chi-town delicacy right here in Columbus each and every time.

“I grew up on Giordanos and was thrilled when they opened last summer!” wrote eat614.com user @Columbus.twentysomething. “The price may seem a little much for pizza but it is worth every cent! There’s no shortage of cheese and flavor!”